The clarity of Richard Amos senseis teaching always impress me. The way everything he does makes logical sense and the way anyone that pays attention can improve their karate in a short time, is amazing. Thank you, sensei.
For me the most poignant point he made this time was: Whats going on in the middle of a technique is way more important than what it looks like after its done. (He of course used way bigger words to explain this....hihi) This concept will definatly pop up in my teachings in the weeks and months to come.
Furthermore im very pleased with having Oddny and Fjølnir (9th kyus) show up this weekend. Too many lowergrades shy away from events like this, and therefore miss out on the most important training available. Others that deserve a mention would be Gusta, Disa, Villi and Edda for doing absolutely all the classes, Åsas mom for knitting the fabulous sweater, Halli for driving sensei and me around when the snow was getting too angry for my cute little car and everyone else that showed up making our gashuko a success.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Daft Bodies - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Wow.... somebody have as much time on their hands as i do....
:-D
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Satin belts are fun.....
Quality-wise its definatly not like a cottonbelt, but i have to admit that i like the look...... hihi.
This belt is a 1.5 years old and i have used it for about half of the karate that i have been up to in that time. Seems that its not gonna last forever, huh....
This belt is a 1.5 years old and i have used it for about half of the karate that i have been up to in that time. Seems that its not gonna last forever, huh....
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Principles of Shotokan.
Hmmm..... What is the principle of shotokan movement and fighting philosophy? Good question, if you ask me.... And you would think i would have a precise answer..... hihi... Well, i do not, but i will try to discuss this a bit to see where my train of thought leads me.
As a beginner we are all fed "the shotokan kihon" which is nice, crisp and to the point. Back straight, move from the center as a unit, end with a contraction of the antagonistic muscles to make everything snap to sharp finish. Done properly, i would say this looks very nice, indeed. (Heck, i spent a big chunk of my life getting this)
However, this seems to not be the most efficient way of making power. And to illustrate my point: Boxers punch harder than us while leaning in every direction and not applying what shotokan stylists love to call kime...... Hmmmm.... Even the great shotokan stylists dont use this "kime" or back straight while aiming for maximum power.... Then why are we doing it so religiously?
My answer is that its a way of gaining control over your body. We must first get total command of our body, so that we can let go and move with total freedom. Problem is that so few people progress beyond the kyugrade way of rigid "in the box" karate. After 5 years (or 15) the shotokan kihon way of moving should become second nature and at this time one should break free and develop ones karate to the maximum potential. At this point i think one should let go of all the rules and only worry bout efficiancy of movement, output power, speed and the likes.
In my opinion, the great karateka of the world have this in common: They have broken free of the rigidness after mastering it. Some names spring to mind as great examples: (In no particular order) Edda Bløndal, Andre Bålerud, Jose Dos Santos, Janne Linn Oftedal, Koike Yutaka, Steve Ubl, Paolo Bolaffio, Richard Amos, Geir Larsen, Andre Bertel. This list is for me very inspirational cause it represents many possible directions to take your karate after your mastery of the kihon is completed. (Its never completed, i hear someone think.....) Well, then we have a problem.... ;-)
I suggest understanding proper bodymovement should be the top priority as your karatejourney starts. When you have control of the body, though, dont quit. At this point you have developed the tools to make your karate work. Dont just prepare to do karate, get your shodan or nidan, and then pack it in. Its at that point "real karate" starts.
As a beginner we are all fed "the shotokan kihon" which is nice, crisp and to the point. Back straight, move from the center as a unit, end with a contraction of the antagonistic muscles to make everything snap to sharp finish. Done properly, i would say this looks very nice, indeed. (Heck, i spent a big chunk of my life getting this)
However, this seems to not be the most efficient way of making power. And to illustrate my point: Boxers punch harder than us while leaning in every direction and not applying what shotokan stylists love to call kime...... Hmmmm.... Even the great shotokan stylists dont use this "kime" or back straight while aiming for maximum power.... Then why are we doing it so religiously?
My answer is that its a way of gaining control over your body. We must first get total command of our body, so that we can let go and move with total freedom. Problem is that so few people progress beyond the kyugrade way of rigid "in the box" karate. After 5 years (or 15) the shotokan kihon way of moving should become second nature and at this time one should break free and develop ones karate to the maximum potential. At this point i think one should let go of all the rules and only worry bout efficiancy of movement, output power, speed and the likes.
In my opinion, the great karateka of the world have this in common: They have broken free of the rigidness after mastering it. Some names spring to mind as great examples: (In no particular order) Edda Bløndal, Andre Bålerud, Jose Dos Santos, Janne Linn Oftedal, Koike Yutaka, Steve Ubl, Paolo Bolaffio, Richard Amos, Geir Larsen, Andre Bertel. This list is for me very inspirational cause it represents many possible directions to take your karate after your mastery of the kihon is completed. (Its never completed, i hear someone think.....) Well, then we have a problem.... ;-)
I suggest understanding proper bodymovement should be the top priority as your karatejourney starts. When you have control of the body, though, dont quit. At this point you have developed the tools to make your karate work. Dont just prepare to do karate, get your shodan or nidan, and then pack it in. Its at that point "real karate" starts.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Karate - quotes.
I hope this post will be a collection of funny, inspirational and thought-provoking little tidbits. (Yes, i am working on my vocalbulary....hihi)
In no particular order:
When i was a young man, many people blocked with their face.... Enoeda Keinosuke
The jumps in Chinte.... hmmm.... must be like the waves, you know.... Ueki Masaaki
Maybe better with more hips..... Kawasoe Masao
There is no such thing as perfect karate. Richard Amos
There is no first attack in karate. Funakoshi Gichin
Move your whole body at once, dont follow you limbs. Einar Hagen
Breathing.... Its quite simple really.... you breathe in and then out. Steve Ubl
I cant stand karate-politicians. Andre Bertel
Kihon good, kata very good, kumite ok, dogi very bad. Kawasoe Masao at my sankyu grading.
Jeg håper å få rista litt på juleribba. Andre Bålerud
When the fight starts, hit their nose. Eydis Lindal
And then you hit my face with your right hand..... Jan Spatzek (Just before Gusta whacked him in front of the class......)
DONT HIT YOUR MOTHER!!! Kato Sadashige after Bjørg missed the control test. (He followed the comment by whacking her on the head with the plastic bottle used in the test.... hihi)
And to finish my part of this i just wanna add some cool words in no particular order: Passionate, determined, spirited, driven, empathetic, committed, persistent, harmonious, upbeat, strong, yielding, unyielding, disciplined, striving, supportive, helpful, wonderful.
Hope you guys can add to my list of cool words and quotes in the comment-section.
In no particular order:
When i was a young man, many people blocked with their face.... Enoeda Keinosuke
The jumps in Chinte.... hmmm.... must be like the waves, you know.... Ueki Masaaki
Maybe better with more hips..... Kawasoe Masao
There is no such thing as perfect karate. Richard Amos
There is no first attack in karate. Funakoshi Gichin
Move your whole body at once, dont follow you limbs. Einar Hagen
Breathing.... Its quite simple really.... you breathe in and then out. Steve Ubl
I cant stand karate-politicians. Andre Bertel
Kihon good, kata very good, kumite ok, dogi very bad. Kawasoe Masao at my sankyu grading.
Jeg håper å få rista litt på juleribba. Andre Bålerud
When the fight starts, hit their nose. Eydis Lindal
And then you hit my face with your right hand..... Jan Spatzek (Just before Gusta whacked him in front of the class......)
DONT HIT YOUR MOTHER!!! Kato Sadashige after Bjørg missed the control test. (He followed the comment by whacking her on the head with the plastic bottle used in the test.... hihi)
And to finish my part of this i just wanna add some cool words in no particular order: Passionate, determined, spirited, driven, empathetic, committed, persistent, harmonious, upbeat, strong, yielding, unyielding, disciplined, striving, supportive, helpful, wonderful.
Hope you guys can add to my list of cool words and quotes in the comment-section.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
He is coming back... And i will soon have his new DVD for sale...
No, not the governator... (I didnt even know Arnold had been to Iceland... hihi)
Last weekend of january, Richard Amos sensei is coming over here to let everyone know that maegeri should be going straight instead of at an angle, and that Iceland is not quite as cold as last time he was here.
:-D
Hopefully we can trick some other international guests to join in for this event, aswell. Infact, we dare you guys.... 3 days of training and for the seniors that just cant get enough: The schedule will be made so that it will be possible to do 11 hours training. In other words: Fabulous value for money and the opportunity to see Iceland should not be passed up, either. (It really is the coolest place and i do not mean that just in regards to the temperature)
Wo-hoo!!
From the 27/11 Amos senseis excellent first dvd will be available for purchase. Only a limited number available so dont wait in letting me know that you want one (price is 3000 isk and i guarantee that you will learn some enlightening stuff) This dvd is a must-have for everybody and since christmas is coming up....
:-D
Last weekend of january, Richard Amos sensei is coming over here to let everyone know that maegeri should be going straight instead of at an angle, and that Iceland is not quite as cold as last time he was here.
:-D
Hopefully we can trick some other international guests to join in for this event, aswell. Infact, we dare you guys.... 3 days of training and for the seniors that just cant get enough: The schedule will be made so that it will be possible to do 11 hours training. In other words: Fabulous value for money and the opportunity to see Iceland should not be passed up, either. (It really is the coolest place and i do not mean that just in regards to the temperature)
Wo-hoo!!
From the 27/11 Amos senseis excellent first dvd will be available for purchase. Only a limited number available so dont wait in letting me know that you want one (price is 3000 isk and i guarantee that you will learn some enlightening stuff) This dvd is a must-have for everybody and since christmas is coming up....
:-D
Friday, November 09, 2007
Sport or no sport....
Hmmm..... I feel old.... No, thats not true..... I feel on the fringe of things is more precise.
I never did much sports, cause they bore me. The times i showed up for competitions, i usually won something, so its not that i am just down cause i have no successes. Its more that i really do not see the point. For me karate is all bout training, improving and plain just having fun. Deciding who is the "winner" or "loser" to me seems like a great way of shooting ourselves in the foot. (Not *that* many people can be the winner and how does the rest feel?)
Furthermore, when we look at how competitions are conducted, one often sees that its quite random who ultimately is determined the winner. Personal preference of the judges plays way too big part of the final result. Karate-do is (or should be, in my opinion) art, and who is qualified to decide who is more "arty"? This leads me to the conclusion that kata-competitions are *really* silly and should be skipped alltogether. Then kumite..... Hmmm.... Many points? Hardly seems to improve our ability to "kill with one blow"? Judges that are way inferior to the athletes they are passing judgements on? Rules that favor flashy techniques that leave you in big trouble in the real world? The overemphasis on being first in regards to timing? (Is it not cooler to be last....?) The constant discussions regarding how much contact? (Nobody seems to be any closer to agreeing what the correct level of contact should be, anyway) Coaches that reward aggressive behavior that puts our students at serious risk of injury? The fact that the competitions run for several hours and not even the families of the athletes can be bothered to show up?
In my opinion: Shobu ippon rules, 1 weightclass for males and one for females, no protectors except mouthguards + groinprotectors for males and breastprotectors for females. One competition pr year + the internal clubcompetition and maybe one friendly against another club.
This way we would not spend lots of energy supporting a style of karate that does very little to enhance our shotokan way of doing things. This would free up time and energy for trainingcamps, parties and oneday-events where everyone comes together to train. (And where everyone gets to do karate for more than 2 minutes....)
And good luck to all the participants of the IM.
:-)
I never did much sports, cause they bore me. The times i showed up for competitions, i usually won something, so its not that i am just down cause i have no successes. Its more that i really do not see the point. For me karate is all bout training, improving and plain just having fun. Deciding who is the "winner" or "loser" to me seems like a great way of shooting ourselves in the foot. (Not *that* many people can be the winner and how does the rest feel?)
Furthermore, when we look at how competitions are conducted, one often sees that its quite random who ultimately is determined the winner. Personal preference of the judges plays way too big part of the final result. Karate-do is (or should be, in my opinion) art, and who is qualified to decide who is more "arty"? This leads me to the conclusion that kata-competitions are *really* silly and should be skipped alltogether. Then kumite..... Hmmm.... Many points? Hardly seems to improve our ability to "kill with one blow"? Judges that are way inferior to the athletes they are passing judgements on? Rules that favor flashy techniques that leave you in big trouble in the real world? The overemphasis on being first in regards to timing? (Is it not cooler to be last....?) The constant discussions regarding how much contact? (Nobody seems to be any closer to agreeing what the correct level of contact should be, anyway) Coaches that reward aggressive behavior that puts our students at serious risk of injury? The fact that the competitions run for several hours and not even the families of the athletes can be bothered to show up?
In my opinion: Shobu ippon rules, 1 weightclass for males and one for females, no protectors except mouthguards + groinprotectors for males and breastprotectors for females. One competition pr year + the internal clubcompetition and maybe one friendly against another club.
This way we would not spend lots of energy supporting a style of karate that does very little to enhance our shotokan way of doing things. This would free up time and energy for trainingcamps, parties and oneday-events where everyone comes together to train. (And where everyone gets to do karate for more than 2 minutes....)
And good luck to all the participants of the IM.
:-)
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