Karate Promotions Coming Up...

Thanks for the advice. I'm allergic to Advil, but I will take Tylenol before we start just in case. I have some fish oil, Calico, just been kind of lax about taking it on a regular...



MB - I'm testing for second kyu, not 1st dan black belt. We are eligible to test twice a year (December and May), although black belt testing is only done each May. That may mean I'll have to sit out a promotion and be a 1st kyu for a year (which I'm thinking is a blessing, so I'm cool with that). Last promotions, I was a purple belt (4th kyu) and tested with the green belts, so this time will be quite a challenge.





Feeling confident, just not nervous. Usually I'm shaking in my shoes by now...



Eight days to go!

Thanks, J. Three days to go and still no nerves - which of course makes me nervous...



Tomorrow night will be the last class before testing. We've been going over our one point take downs (Ippon Kumite) and one point releases/wrist grips (Aiki Jitsu) for the last two weeks, so I feel pretty comfortable with them, but breaking is always the hardest part for me. I've tried to break using a regular, ordinary side kick for the last two tests and failed. I've been practicing on a heavy bag with a marked target area since the last promotion, which will hopefully help. I'm planning two kicking breaks (side kick and front snap kick), one arm break (palm heel strike) and one back empi. Two boards each for the palm heel and empi, so six boards total. Here's to hoping they snap like twigs )!

MB - I usually envision the face of my ex hubby, lol. Works like a charm! Problem was he kept moving around with the sidekick. Perhaps I'll envision the face of h2b's ex wife this time...

Anna-Kay, are you a martial artist, too? Breaking a board is supposed to mean actually going "through" - as opposed to "to" - the board, sort of like you'd level a punch if you had to: not to the skin or clothing, but through the ribs.

What's that saying about a journey of a thousand miles? Consider the rings the first step of your pull up journey, Anne! You'll be knocking them out like nothing in no time flat!



And thanks for the Tylenol tip, Calico! Not sure if it was the adrenalin or the drugs, but my knees were ok during the test :-)

Thanks, J.,



Luckily, the 200 pushups weren't all at once. it was 30 here, 20 there, etc. What made it so exhausting is that they were kind of close together. Every time a new black belt got up to lead the warmup/kihon, they had us to pushups! Once, we had to do 20 because someone let their feet slam down during leg raises! Although I know it was all about "emptying our cups," I was thinking the senior dans were some of the most sadistic and twisted folks on the planet, lol! At one point, I felt one pec starting to twitch and thought it was going to fail and I'd wipe out/land flat on my face, but it didn't, thankfully. But had we done 10 more...



I asked my sensei how many pushups he thought we did and he said he wasn't sure exactly - just that it was over 200 - but that it WAS NOT a promotion record! Gulp...

I guess pushups beat the heck out of getting HIT for punishment, lol. Some folks do them all on their knuckles. God bless 'em!

Thanks, Debbie! Hopefully, my journey will inspire you to hit something (not someONE, lol). It really is a great way to relieve stress. My personal theory is that folks who punch/kick things and scream really loudly don't get ulcers - and the folks/pets they share a house with are a lot happier, too...

Running, biking, kayaking, cross country skiing, hiking and winter backpacking?!? It is YOU kicking ass, my friend. I humbly bow to your athletic prowess!



Great news about your port! I'm high-fivin' my computer screen for you...

Well, let me preface this by saying that before karate, my "other" discipline was running (track and field; I was a high jumper). Running is so individual! It takes a whole lot of discipline to get up and put your running shoes on to go for a short or LSD (that's Long, Slow Distance for the non-runners - not psychotropic drugs, lol). No one is making you go - but you go anyway. That's discipline personified!



Pain is a great teacher in karate. Getting it wrong can get you hurt, which makes you learn to do it right next time. Maybe on some very primal level, katatekas are driven by fear! Doing it right makes you like it more and more on a spiritual level. I guess it is the equivalent of a runner's high or being "in the zone" in any other activity.



Keep on running and biking and kayaking and cross country skiing and hiking, girl! You rock :-)

Thanks, Anne! How're your kitties doing btw?

Vestley won't even go NEAR the front door, lol. Whatever she experienced during her outdoor adventure was enough to keep wanderlust in check for a while, I think...