Source: Gisoku no Jutsu
Original post date: 12 April, 2007

Okay, I’m off to actually delivering on my aim to blog like crazy this week! Today I thought I’d touch on my stretching regime, what I’ve found out, and about these new kicks I’m trying to learn!

Okay, first thing’s first – stretching. The big thing that gets bandied about in martial arts circles/the general public is the ability to do the splits, whether they be front splits or, more dramatically, side splits (aka ‘Chinese splits’). So, with my previous style of socket on my fake leg, I could do the full side splits and front splits, but since moving to the different style of socket last year (as well as having 12 months off from training :P), things got more difficult – the way in which the new socket holds onto my leg gives my stump less movement within the socket itself (which is a good thing – less stress on the skin), which means it places more stress on my tendons/muscles/what-not when I stretch; to summise it simply, it means I can’t get away with being able to stretch as easily as I used to.

Anywho, when I first started doing karate I was determined to be able to do the splits, so at least five nights a week I’d take the time to go through our leg-stretching routine we did at karate, and after about 2 months, I could do the full splits (yay!). Despite the fact I’ve had only limited time to train over the last 5 weeks, I’ve been trying to make time to at least work on my flexibility. I’ve been working hard on pushing my body, and I’m stoked to say that I’m almost at the point of being able to do full side and front splits! While some may question the utility of this style of stretching (I’ll get into that below), I’m finding that it helps strengthen my legs and relaxes the muscles in my real leg, and is helping take pressure off the knee as a general rule of thumb; I feel stronger and more in control when I walk, which is in and of itself an awesome thing.

Now, in the pursuit of information (as you do – I’m a librarian after all), I started looking up ways in which to increase power and flexibility in kicks, and I found out about these different types of stretching, at first via Wikipedia, then by a handful of other great websites. It turns out that while the splits is beneficial to flexibility, it isn’t the most efficient way of stretching for the purpose of kicking, for example; this is much better developed by Dynamic Stretching. I found another great website that I can’t find the URL of that contained a massive amount of info on the entire subject of stretching, which then got me onto reading up some more on the best way to achieve the best kicks in martial arts, and all of them pointed to Dynamic Stretching. In the case or martial arts, it appears that simple leg lifts are the best way to achieve real flexibility and strength in your kicking technique. The gear I’ve read recommends performing front, side and back leg lifts as high as you can go, gradually increasing the height as you go conservatively – obviously you don’t want to overdo it until your legs are ready, or else you’ll do some serious damage.

The reason this is deemed effective appears to be owing to two points – number one, because you’re using your leg in a kick-like manner, it is re-enforcing the stretching movement as directly related to the act of kicking; it is developing neuro-muscular coordination. Secondly, doing leg lifts can actually be more beneficial in preventing injury should you be suddenly placed in a scenario where you need to use the technique to defend yourself, as the dynamic nature is apparently better at prepping your muslces/tendons/etc for spontaneous action that static stretching doesn’t employ. Or something like that. Some of what I’ve read notes that by doing dynamic stretches for 8 weeks (I’m assuming maybe five times a week or more for only 5 minutes or so for each session?), you can achieve the extent of what your body is capable of.

As always, the proof’s in the pudding, or in this case, kick – I’ve done combination split stretching + leg lifts in all four directions over the past week, then tried a couple of kicks – the results were certainly evident. I was kicking higher and with more control and power than I have in a while, and I’m going to make it part of my stretching routine to add these in, and I’ll also be sure to do extra leg lifts before class each week. Since I need to hold onto something to balance while I do the leg lifts, I can’t really partake during class when I’m lined up with all the other karateka, so I’ll take the time to balance myself against the wall prior to class and get started. It is very awesome 🙂

I mentioned some techniques I’ve decided to study. Now, they may not necessarily be the world’s most effective techniques, but they test your form, strength and agility… plus they look cool, and appear to be pretty tricky for people with two legs, let alone someone with only one… so I’m taking it as a challenge 🙂 The first move I’ve decided to tackle is the modern Wushu technique that most people refer to as a Butterfly Kick; click the link and you’ll see a happy animated GIF file showing an awesome one being performed in motion (there are some good ones on YouTube though – I’ll post them in a later blog). The technique requires the martial artist to jump and spin the body with kicks from each leg while the body is kept almost parallel to the ground, then land facing the same direction you were when you started the technique. The tricky bit (well, aside from the inherent trickiness :P) is that the technique appears to require you to leap from your left leg in everything I’ve read on it – since I have the equivalent of a pole instead of a functioning leg on my left, I’m going to have to learn how use my right leg and work on the torque, control and leaping high enough. Since I want to avoid a serious injury, methinks I’ll work on it where I can safely land on a padded surface 🙂

The Tornado Kick is probably a bit more realistic to achieve – it involves spinning your body 540 or 360 degrees to launch a round kick that uses the momentum/force of the action to deliver a powerful strike. The Wikipedia article’s a little light on images, but there’s a great vid on YouTube showing someone demonstrating the technique from a Taekwondo background:

Hopefully that one worked 😛 My HTML is still a little dodgy, so I hoped that all went in ok! So yeah, that’s the other technique I’m working on.

That pretty much covers the kick/new technique side of things (hopefully that helped Renato!) – I’ll post something up tomorrow, either some comments on martial arts movies, or some YouTube/Google Video stuff.

Bloginated Friday, 13th February 2009 / Karate, MySpace blogs, Technique
Tag-isms: 2007 | butterfly kicks | Karate | stretching | Technique | tornado kicks | training | YouTube videos

Source: Gisoku no Jutsu
Original post date: 6 March 2007

Two blogs over two successive days! Crazy stuff. This one’s in response to a doco I caught over the weekend that got me thinking about, well, stuff. It was on one of the Discovery channels, and was about this guy who was a double amputee, above knee, and paralysed from below the waist. I missed the first 10 mins or so, which I’m assuming it explained how he came to his condition in that time. They showed some early shots of him when he was a kid, so I’m under the impression that it was something he’d had since birth, or happened shortly thereafter (kinda like how my leg was amputated shortly after birth – see my previous blog for the full story); I’d say it’s more likely the former though. Anywho, it was really cool – this guy had this crazy enthusiastic attitude and he just went for everything. He tried using this crazy prosthesis setup that really wasn’t working when he was a kid, so he adapted so that he got around purely using his arms. This guy was awesome! It was really cool watching how he got around the place, how he adapted his life to his situation and the dexterity he had with his arms. Was very cool. Maybe its something about having reddish hair – we’re all a little crazy maybe. I think it was called ‘Half body, Full Life’, maybe something like that.

But the clincher was when they were talking about the wear and tear on the joints in his arms – at the age of thirty, the joints in his arms were like someone of 50… which got me to thinking about my situation. I like to think I push my body pretty hard (though not stupidly hard – I realise I still have to work and don’t want to render myself incapable of walking through my own rampant enthusiasm if possible :P), and I only have one leg taking the brunt of everything, and have been doing as much since I was a kid. It kinda hit home that I should be starting to look at ways to keep the stress off my leg, particularly my knee, if I want to be able to keep mobile when I’m older. I know it probably sounds stupid for someone my age to be already thinking that, but I want to keep moving as much as possible, and if that means starting to take precautions now to look after my remaining leg, that’s what I have to do.

By extension, it also got me thinking about those crazy martial artists in Japan/China/Korea, the ones who have been considered masters for years, and even in their 60 and 70s, have this incredible control over their bodies. Well, I might be generalising, but at least that’s the impression I have – these guys have built up this incredible control, strength and mastery over their bodies, so that even into old age, they’re doing really well. It’s a combination of physical and mental/internal martial arts training (and probably a balanced diet – the Japanese in particular have one of the longest lifespans in the world), and its this internal training that has just hit me as possibly being the missing piece, or being so essential. I know it probably sounds hyperbolic, but developing and utilising one’s ch’i/ki (depending on if you’re going for the Chinese/Japanese term) as this wellspring of energy seems like such an important part of true or in-depth martial arts training. I’ve recently finished up the section of the (excellent) book, “Secrets of the Samurai: The Martial Arts of Feudal Japan”, on the internal factors of Japanese martial arts (and by natural extension, of Chinese martial arts, given its tremendous influence thereon), and it was really interesting to read. I think it helps explain the divide between developing just physical prowess, or training the internal (mental, ch’i) and external (physical) factors of martial arts. I feel that learning this is essential to (a) becoming a better martial artist in general, and (b) overcoming any shortcomings I have physically so that I’m not at as much of a disadvantage against other able-bodied people; and (c) discovering the hidden aspect of martial arts. I also think that learning this will help keep my body in really good order when I’m older, and hope it helps compensate for the rought treatment I’ve given my leg, hips and back over the years 😉

So, last night after I did a good round of leg stretches, I tried to settle into at least the right position so I kinda looked like I was meditating. Well, not meditating – that last sentence brought up flashbacks of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which while awesome, is probably not the yardstick I should be throwing up there to achieve 😛 More like, in a position where I could concentrate on my breathing and focus.

I always misinterpreted where to concentrate my breathing when trying to develop ch’i before – for some stupid reason, I didn’t realise it sits an inch or two below the navel (aka bellybutton, but the books always say naval, which isn’t anywhere near as funny as the word ‘bellybutton’ ;)). So yeah, I spent some time just concentrating on my breathing and focusing and stuff. Writing this out makes it sound a bit silly, and doesn’t really convey all the random snippets of information I’ve accrued over time about it. I mean, am I getting suckered into something? Is this concept generally abandoned amongst serious martial artists today? Are people out there reading this and laughing at the concepts I’m trying to write down?

I don’t know. What I do know is that after I spent a little time practicing deep breathing and focusing, when I went out the back yard to let our dog Baxter (BTW, that’s no pseudonym – that’s his real name ^_^) out to do his business before going to bed, I threw a few focused punches at my boxing bag… and the thing flew further back than I’ve been able to push it before with a single strike. I was a bit surprised, so I tried a few more times, and the result was the same. Some could argue this is a result of my weight training, but I’ve thrown the odd punch here and there since starting up weights and while I hit it harder than pre-weights, it didn’t throw the bag like my strikes did last night.

So, it might just be mind over matter, or fluke, or coincidence. Still, with some many classical texts referring to the development of ch’i, maybe there’s something in it. I’ll continue to work on it and see if it makes a difference over time. It could all be in my head, but ultimately if it results in something positive, I’ll stick with it.

… and thus ends my first [quasi] deep and meaningful blog. If it didn’t bore that shatner out of everyone, I’ll throw a few more in over time 😛

Bloginated Friday, 13th February 2009 / Karate, MySpace blogs, Technique
Tag-isms: 2007 | ch'i | documentaries | Technique | training

Source: Gisoku no Jutsu/MySpace
Original post date: 8 February, 2007

Alrighty, a quick summary of last night’s training would be two words – kata and kumite. Was an excellent class – went through the usual warm-up and standard striking/blocking techniques, then we jumped straight into kata, and I’m really feeling solid with my saifa at the moment. It’s much stronger and my form is more controlled and better executed than it has been in ages. I’ve started going through it when I get to the training hall before class, and sometimes in the 5 minute break we take in the middle of each session (very handy that – we train for an hour and a half, so it’s a great chance to grab a quick drink before getting back into it). Sensei K commented on the quality and strength of my form and suggested that we look at going through at the next grading, which isn’t for another two months (last grading was actually on Monday night). I think June would be better, as it will give me more time to not only continue to refine my kata, but also to work on my technique in general, and get me up to speed with sparring.

This brings me to other chunk of the class – kumite (i.e. sparring), and lots of it, and with the senseis at that! I learnt to develop some new parrying tachniques and continue to work on how to move around that is advantageous for my condition, and I felt really good about it after last night’s training. I managed to sustain a foot to the belly (and to my credit, I didn’t have to take a moment to recover my breath and sparred throughout) and my left forearm is a little sore from taking the force of another kick, but it’s all good, and it’s been a while since I’ve been pushed hard whilst sparring. The good thing about the aforementioned blows is that the first one re-iterated the necessity of keeping my belly thoroughly guarded, and the latter should teach me to parry or shift the weight of the kick away from my body, rather than just try and absorb it!

So yeah, that’s pretty much last night’s class. I’m heading over to the in-laws for dinner tonight, so I’ll have a chat to my father-in-law about weight training and stepping things up, which I mentioned in a previous blog. This will also be the last class I’ll have for the next fortnight – next Wednesday is Valentine’s, so I’ll be spending that one with my other half, and will return to training the week after that; I’m hoping by then Sensei R will be able to let me know what Monday classes are happening so I can start training with Hamez and Jyastin-kun, whilst still keeping up with my Wednesday night training. Oh, and speaking of Jyastin-kun, I saw him Friday last week, and he’s got a few weeks off work soonish, so he’ll be coming along to Wednesday nights for a couple of weeks. That’ll be awesome 🙂

So yeah, there won’t be a karate-class update next week, so I might fill it in with a backstory, either about karate, or something else to do with my leg, or both. We’ll see how it goes!

Bloginated Thursday, 12th February 2009 / Karate, MySpace blogs, Technique
Tag-isms: 2007 | Karate | kata | kumite | Technique | training

Source: Gisoku no Jutsu/MySpace
Original post date: 5 February, 2007

Hmmm, I’ve been thinking of posting some more pics, or even some video footage or something. One of the guys on my friends list (Ricardo Vich Busca, a one-legged surfer [how awesome is that?]) has asked how I do karate, which is a pretty reasonable thing to ask, since I haven’t really gone into that yet. I uploaded a few pictures last week, and had a chat with Wifey over the weekend and I’m thinking of adding some more stuff to my profile. I’m thinking of getting a few photos of my prosthesis so people can see what I use, and some clearer training pics (the current snaps were taken with my mobile phone, hence the crap quality ^_^). I’m also thinking about maybe taking some footage of how I do some of my techniques, but I’d probably wait until my form was a bit tighter and more refined before I’d be brave enough to post those!!

I figured that seeing an image of how I do my techniques (or even better, video footage – my father-in-law has a digital camcorder and I’ve got an old MinDV tape with plenty of space on it) would help show how I’ve adapted karate to suit my physical state. If other people are keen, send me a message, or post a comment in any of my blogs or on the front page. Its all good! I lost my leg before I could walk (I had it amputated when I was 3 months old), so there may be a lot of stuff I take for granted and wouldn’t explain in words, so maybe going for something visually would be something to think about

But, this gets me thinking about something. I caught up with my folks on Thursday last week for the usual dinner we do each fortnight, and I was having a chat with my Dad about how I’m going with my karate. Dad, my older brother and I used to do Taekwondo together when we were kids (my younger brother would have come along, but he was too young at the time – I was 8 or 9, and he’s 4 years my junior); so, when I told him I was going to start karate several years back, he was stoked. Anywho, I was talking with him last week and tried to pin down the tenets of karate and me, the essentials that bridge the gap and allow me to progress and, generally, try to not be entirely crap at it. At a glance, these things, let’s get all deep and meaningful and call them the heart of Gisoku no Jutsu (or the Technique of the Artificial Leg), came down to four points:

• Setting your centre of balance behind you, dynamically moving it from your centre-point to your left leg (i.e. artificial leg) depending on your needs (moving the centre of balance to behind your artificial leg helps lock the knee and hold you in place… with practice!);
• Emphasising control and technique in the upper body, particularly with regards to speed, accuracy and the ability to parry and counter effectively with your arms;
• The artificial leg is not to be used unless guarding whilst sparring/kumite, and be wary of your footing when kicking to avoid loosing your balance;
• Utilise the biomechanics in your shoulders and arms to compensate for a lack of power in your hips.

Over time, as I discover new ways to do things, this list may grow in size, or change radically. But, at this moment, it’s how it stands, and hopefully it will grow into a more refined group of principles I can use to further push myself, and perhaps act as a list to help other amputees adjust to learning a martial art – this list certainly isn’t restricted to karate, as it merely indicates what I have discovered over time.

See, I told you this would be a random post 😛

Bloginated Thursday, 12th February 2009 / Karate, MySpace blogs, Prosthesis or amputee stuff, Technique
Tag-isms: 2007 | Karate | prosthesis | Technique | training