Author: an Ichi Kyu

I study Kyokushin karate at a dojo in Burbank. I don't yet have permission to say more than this about my dojo. I am also a mother of two, both of whom have studied Kyokushin karate a year longer than I. They are instructors! My husband created the art posted on this site. I have his permission to use it, but he expressly asked me not to credit him as the artist. He's moved on to other styles, and doesn't particularly want a public association with this piece. I love this artwork, personally. And me? I work full time as a cloth and hair simulation artist, as well as a python coder, in the visual effects industry. I have roughly sixteen years experience in film and about four in television. I am 50; I suppose my decision to attempt the black belt test, along with creating this blog, represents my mid-life crisis. Wish me luck! 

Sunday July 5th, 2020

This will be a rough summary of the past few days. On Friday, I did do exercises in the morning. The kids and I went with Sensei to a nearby park in Burbank for Shodan preparation training.

He discussed his current ideas about the test with us. Our test week will be resemble a regular testing week: we will teach kihon and self-defense, do the kata “walk,” i.e., perform all the kata we’ve learned, as well as exercises, just as we would under “normal” circumstances. We can teach kihon, self-defense and do exercises over Zoom, but he is hoping to have us do the kata walk in a park, with space appropriate for social distancing. In lieu of a ten man kumite, we’ll be expected to perform a grueling cardio workout and have at least one hard fight. Sensei would like for us and our fighters to be tested for the virus about two weeks before the test. Of course, given how cases of COVID-19 have soared throughout the country and in Southern California in particular, all of this is subject to change.

We will proceed as best as we can, and do what we can.

For the cardio test, he mentioned doing some kind of running hike and mentioned either Griffith Park and Malibu Canyon State Park as possibilities. F lobbied for Malibu Canyon, where we have had summer karate camp-outs in the past. It’s truly scenic and inspirational there, so I’d love to test there, too.

The park, where we worked out, is one we call the “Figure 8” park because of its winding dirt path that resembles an 8. It also contains exercise stations, including a kind of “horizontal ladder” built with a row triangular-shaped bars. Sensei had us try it to see what we could do. S could get across three. Sensei four. F managed two and I struggled with one, I’m embarrassed to say.

Afterwards, he had them run intervals. Sensei had me do stretches, push-ups and sit-ups while the kids ran. While jogging to the park, I had experienced sharp pains in the backs of my thighs, probably due to a gardening injury earlier in the day. Later he drilled kata with us. I knew the Pinans, Gekisai Dai and Sho, but need to practice Tzuki no kata.

Earlier in the day, I pulled a muscle trying to extract spider lily bulbs from my front yard as a gift for Sensei. Last week, he commented on how unusual these plants were, and that his wife might like them. These are hardly and prolific plants; a friend had given them to me a few years ago and they’ve taken over both the median between the sidewalk and the road, and a good portion of my front yard.

I dug up several plants, cutting their bulbs away from the main “batch” with a shovel. While digging, I snapped the blade from one metal trowel, and cracked the handle of my big spade. Of the two plants I potted for Sensei, one had a bulb with roots and shoots, but the other was only a large bulb with shoots and flowers. Only the one with roots, I fear, will live.

I planted my other “mistakes,” plants extracted with bulbs and no roots, in my back yard. Apparently I need to dig much deeper into the earth to get these up with roots. Either this, or I should dig up an entire “batch”, then separate them, rather than attempt to separate individual bulbs from a batch.

That evening, I taught class. T, our senior black belt, was my “monitor.” Our monitor, during a Zoom class, watches everyone and gives individual feedback. I ran kihon for our warm-up, punches and shuto or knife-hand strikes. S lead the kicks. After a short break, we queued up a video of Bobby Lowe performing Tensho. Afterwards, I taught Tensho. A Kyokushin group in Russia, with the website, Center-Satori.ru, posted this awesome video Bobby Lowe:

This is a great kata to practice at home and over Zoom. The space required to do it is minimal. Also, we learn most of the moves it entails during basic kihon. While doing this kata, the karateka practices focused body tightening and rhythmic, deep breathing, similar to Sanchin.

S, who had researched this kata for his junior shodan class last summer, was able to demonstrate several straight-forward self-defense moves based on the kata, including blocking multiple punches (the opening moves), breaking out of wrist holds (yoko koken uke) and responding with deadly strikes (mostly shoteis in painful spots). I played the part of the attacker and S dispatched me with moves from the kata.

Firework displays in Burbank were cancelled this year, due to the pandemic. Some neighbors, however, set off fireworks, which, in turn, set off the car alarms of other neighbors. We shut up the house to keep the cats calm. Our family, including grandparents, celebrated the Fourth by viewing the movie of the musical, “Hamilton,” on Disney Plus. My children and mother-in-law are fans. It was truly moving.

Thursday July 2nd, 2020

It’s night: today officially has about an hour left before it is tomorrow. I did push-ups, sit-ups and squats in the morning and evening. In the morning, I rushed through because I expected a call from a recruiter. I was able to get in some exercises, as well as make a cup of coffee before the phone call. Getting push-ups out of the way always feels like a major accomplishment, so it’s nice to have that psychological boost before a conversation like that. It went well.

Work is odd, now that my lead, as well as my direct report, are both furloughed. I spent some time studying Houdini’s crowd software. Houdini is an off-the-shelf software package popular for various effects, particles (smoke, fire, explosions, debris scatter) in particular.

Exercises after work are often tough, particularly push-ups. Earlier in the day, I experienced some pain in my hands and wrists; that worried me. However, my hands were perfectly fine after the exercises. I did “chest” style ones; admittedly, the sixty on my fists, on the floor, were tough during those last ten. When I switched to the mat for forty “tricep” style ones, I dropped to my knees after ten. I didn’t worry about staying up longer. Evenings are about getting through them, not perfecting form or pushing myself harder. Just not stopping is an accomplishment.

Squats with alternating punches, performed outside on the balcony, were easier. I practiced the punches, keeping in mind pulling my fists back into hikite, before beginning squats. That helped. I also did lower-ab focused exercises there, too, as well as the leg stretches. My legs, thighs in particular, are tight these days.

Tomorrow evening will be my first time to teach Zoom karate for the Martial Arts Club. I’d like to teach Tensho. Recently I found an excellent video of Bobby Lowe, so I can show that. Tensho is one kata that doesn’t require a lot of room; many of the students do not know it, and it just looks cool. I first learned it as a lower rank from Sensei in Malibu State Park, during a karate camp-out. He had camp for the black belts, brown belts and junior shodans. S was too young to go, but F was already a junior shodan. I went on the “mom” pass, so I got to practice high-rank kata with them. That was one of my favorites. I think I was a yellow belt then!

Wednesday July 1st, 2020

I wrote most of my entry in the doctor’s office. I had my annual check-up this morning, and wrote while waiting for Dr. KC to arrive.

My weight is only about three pounds higher than it was last year. That’s a good reality check: I’d worried that I’d gained a lot of weight in the past few months. Apparently I have been ten pounds heavier for at least a year. I hope a good chunk of that weight is muscle. I don’t feel bigger but my clothes do fit differently. Some items are too small. My arms are visibly larger and my shoulders more rounded–that is definitely more muscle. I can also lift bags of cat litter more easily or open jars that I’d once struggled with.

Here’s another upside to the weight gain: I can donate blood! I’ve not only met, but exceeded, the weight requirement. I called the Red Cross from the parking lot of the doctor’s office and scheduled an appointment. Seriously, for years, when blood drives came to the office or to my college campus, I wasn’t able to go, and felt bad about it. My friends donated, and I couldn’t. Now I can! And, according to Dr. KC, they really need blood right now.

This morning, I rushed through push-ups, sit-ups and squats, but I got them in. I did not clean or sanitize in the kitchen or write. In order to get in an hour of work before my appointment, I clocked into work at 9:15 am.

I should mention my doctor said my blood work was great. She even told me she finds my karate practice inspiring! I need to tell Sensei. Last year, Dr. KC saw me when I had what was either a badly bruised or fractured rib. In class, we’d had a hard kumite match for practice. She told me, “Don’t quit karate! Let that heal, but don’t quit! You’re one of my healthiest patients!” I was able to tell her today that my rib healed fine and I passed my ichi kyu test last August. This August, I told her, I’m hoping to test for my shodan. We are not quite sure how that will work. Sensei has ideas, however.

Later today, my son S taught the martial arts club’s first class. He had about eight students. S lost the Zoom connection at least once, but rejoined and kept teaching. He lead them in a review of the Pinan kata.

I took a lunch break and was there for roughly half his class. He had us do a set of twenty push-ups, sit-ups and squats. I did some kihon with him. I don’t know if that really counts as a cardio workout. After work, then, I only had to do eighty of each exercises to have in my second set. Push-ups after work were chest ones, on my fists and toes. I got through my sixty and was relieved to switch to tricep ones on the mat.

Today’s exercise sets were better than yesterday’s. For some reason, yesterday was a real struggle. I got in both sets, but I struggled and even lost the count during squats in the morning. I need to put up yesterday’s entry so any readers will realize that every day isn’t awesome. Just some. Unfortunately, I often feel more like going to bed early on those days that are not awesome. Yesterday was one.

Monday June 29th, 2020

daily logs of preparatory exercises for a shodan test

This morning, I set a timer for seven minutes for writing. I had exactly ten minutes before I had to clock in for work. As usual, I went outdoors to write.

One hundred is the magic number for me for this month, though for “tricep” style push-ups, sixty is still the magic number for my shodan test (*phew!*)

In the morning, I did sixty tricep push-ups on my knuckles on the floor, then forty “chest” push-ups on the mat. For those, I managed fifteen on my toes before I needed to drop to my knees.

Afterwards, I did one hundred squats, still alternating with punches on every other set as I come up from the squat. I tried to get the punches right, following Sensei’s suggestions from Friday. My first set of squats with punches wasn’t great, but by the second set of those, I did pretty well. I remembered to start in hikite and to draw each fist back after punching. Sometimes I put in a straight punch rather than an uraken shita-uchi, but I normally got in the twist.

At the moment, I hear something behind me that sounds like an animal. Will pause to make sure one of our cats did not get out.

*pause*

It’s not a cat but a squirrel! It sounded much heavier behind my back. Here is my little neighbor:

Back to writing about exercises: I did one hundred sit-ups: two sets of toe-touches, diagonal-abs once, “full” touch-your-toes sit-ups once, and the other sets were what we do in class, that is, sit up from the mat and slap the floor between your feet or next to your feet.

That morning, after writing these things, I was feeing very good about my first day of one hundreds.

During lunch, I did jump-rope intervals, following the work-out posted by Sensei. That cardio workout lasts for fifteen minutes. Afterwards, I ran a few katas. I had to look up Pinan Sono San. I confused it with Yon, I think. That exercise showed me I need to start drilling the Pinan kata.

After work, I felt more in “survival” mode during exercises. For push-ups, I performed sixty “chest” ones on my knuckles and toes, on the floor, though that last set was not terribly low or graceful. Then I switched to “tricep” push-ups on the mat, and went to my knees for the entire forty. I did squats with alternating squat-punches outside on the balcony. Those went more smoothly than push-ups. Back inside, on the mat, I did one hundred lower ab-focused exercises, so toe-touches, leg lifts, dutchmen, bicycles and, just because I apparently like torture, more diagonals. By the time I walked out onto the balcony for flexibility stretches, I felt winded. Flexibility, I admit, is still my weakness, so I make myself do leg stretches every day.

After dinner, I went walking with my husband. My shin splints were punishing, so I tried to keep to the grass in the median rather than the sidewalk. We went to what we call the “figure eight” park. It’s a little exercise park at Hollywood Way and Clark.

Tonight I will read another story from “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones.” However, after a busy Monday, I felt a couple Advil and an episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” with the kids was in order.

Friday June 26th, 2020

I slept late today. That felt wonderful.

Sensei came to our home and we did a black belt training workout with both kids and me for about forty five minutes. It was just so nice to see him in person, even though we needed to be cognizant of social distancing. He had us sprint down our street. He timed us and encouraged us to cut our times by one or two seconds during the last three sprints. In total, we sprinted about ten times.

In between about every three sprints, he had us do push-ups, sit-ups and squats in sets of twenty repetitions. I did mine on my knuckles on the pavement, in front of the nearest parked car. He verified that the black belt requirement is sixty knuckle push-ups, or one hundred on your hands and/or knees. So I’m good. I had been pushing beyond that sixty more recently, just in case I needed to get to one hundred.

Sensei also corrected my punching form during squats. I had been imitating a particular move I’d learned a while ago in leaving a fist out, mainly to keep track of which “side” I was currently on for punches. He said to bring the fist all the way back into hikite. This makes the punch more powerful, and makes the twist proceeding the punch happen more naturally. Your uraken shita-uchi is much stronger when you start with your fist pulled back. So I will practice this in the coming week.

We also did karate over Zoom. Sensei had us do nunchuck exercises. They were basic, which the grown-ups among us definitely needed. Then he taught us the beginning of a nunchuck kata. Class was fun!

After class, he spoke with Senpai T and me about the teaching schedule for July.

My husband D and I also walked the bike path in Burbank, and listened to a couple podcasts. I now have shin splints, but I really got in a good workout. Now I should meditate for a bit, read and sleep.

This was an awesome day!

Saturday June 27th, 2020

I still have shin splints from yesterday.

This morning, I got up to attend Sensei’s Zoom karate class. I slept as late as I dared, fed the cats and made myself coffee. The extra sleep, I’d hoped, would help with soreness.

N, one of my son’s buddies, lead the warm-up. She’s a green stripe, but I see her in every Zoom karate class. Afterwards, TF lead kihon. TF had not led in a while, so she was rusty at first. However, she was just fine once she settled into it. She has actually studied Japanese, and she has been an ichi kyu much longer than me. Many of my best fighting tips came from her. Due to her influence–both her suggestions and her brutal punches, I learned to block better, and also started wearing arm guards.

After kihon, Sensei went over the nunchuck kata he’d taught us last night. He also showed a video of it on-line, posted by Ryoji Okamoto on YouTube:

These guys are amazing.

The kata Sensei taught us was a more simple kata, but this was his inspiration. It will take us a significant amount of practice to reach their level!

So yesterday evening, while we learned part of the nunchuck kata, F and S helped me follow the kata. Today I avoided being completely lost because we reviewed much of what Sensei had taught last night.

Working with weapons is a lot of fun. Previously, when the dojo building was functioning, we also had a fencing instructor who taught on some Saturdays. Hopefully, the new club will be able to bring him back to teach.

I wrapped up the remaining things I needed to do regarding the Temple’s teacher appreciation gifts. I also set up a Zoom meeting parents, Rabbi and the teachers to talk.

Yesterday Jessica texted that she’d been feeling anxious, but she’s better today. That was good to hear. I’d been anxious, myself, during the past week: my lead had been told he will be on hiatus starting Monday. Once Thursday evening rolled around, however, and I was able to sit and watch “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” with the kids, I was happy.

Tuesday June 23rd, 2020

It is late for my ten minute write. Twice today I meditated: seven minutes in the morning since I was running late, and once tonight for ten.

B and I helped lead part of kihon. Rather, Sensei asked me to help lead class, and I drafted F and S to setup and start, since I’m not actually off work until 7 pm, and our business unit are sticklers. F begged off, saying she didn’t feel well. S set us up with Zoom but hit technical difficulties. SL, a very sharp junior shodan my S’s age, led the warm-up by the time I was able to join. We had a minimum amount of time on-line before completely losing our connection. I called in on my phone, though leading a Zoom class over a smart phone is not ideal. While on the cell, my husband D assisted S in getting our laptop dialed back into Zoom. We were able to lead kihon kicks.

Luckily, Senpai T, a Shodan, along with his wife TF, also an ichi kyu, were also on the Zoom. They taught Pinan Sono Yon. At one point, I was able to watch the class 0n the laptop and suggest a couple items for them to cover, based on what I saw students struggle with. At one point, Senpai T controlled the Zoom camera while Senpai TF instructed. That way, we were able see the kata moves more clearly.

Senpai also had a couple high rank students lead the kata, and then asked a couple of the lower rank students to lead the kata. Having lower rank students lead the kata was helpful for two reasons: first, they go at a slower pace, which helps others learning the kata keep the pace, and second, they show the higher rank where the lower rank students need help.

Overall, they did a good job of teaching the kata. In the future, however, we may want to queue up a video of whatever kata we want to cover, and actually play that over Zoom. I’ll suggest this.

At the end of class, the sound on our computer conked out. S and I put in the general Zoom chat that we didn’t have sound, though we still had video. SL, who had begun the class, ended it with a standing meditation.

I was so glad that Senpais T, TF and SL were there to help. We also had another junior shodan, G, as co-host, who helped “pin” students leading kata, admit us when we lost connections, etc. She helped a good deal, too.

Monday June 22nd, 2020

I had a blood test done this morning at Quest Diagnostics for my annual physical. Initially, while trying to leave the house, I forgot my mask. After arriving and checking in at the clinic, I realized I’d left my bundle of cards in the car.

Instead of carrying a purse now, I take only important cards, such as my driver’s license, credit cards and insurance cards, and bundle them together with a rubber band. I usually put the cards in a back pocket. However, I wore some “skinny” jeans and was not confident about the back pocket. Since I’d planned to leave whatever I wore out in the garage for up to a week, I wanted to wear something I would not miss. So old, less comfortable skinny jeans seemed to fit the bill, except that then I didn’t have good pant pockets. I did wear a comfy plaid shirt with front pockets to compensate. In any case, I had to run back out to the car to retrieve the card bundle.

I will see my doctor soon, so the tests were to prepare for my annual physical. The gentleman who helped me was kind. He said his name was “Bernie.” He wore his silver hair in a braid and had high cheek bones; I couldn’t help but wonder if he is Native American.

Today, my son and I did interval training with jump ropes: per Sensei’s prescription, we jumped for two minutes and rested for thirty seconds, for six rounds. Afterwards, I practiced Tensho, and B critiqued me. B reminded me to pull my hikete hand back while the other hand performs its move. He also tried to distract me during Sanchin. Poking my belly button with a bo staff, even gently, he discovered, made me giggle. During my second attempt at Sanchin, he pushed, slapped, grabbed my hands, made noise, etc.–he performed the more “usual” distraction– and did not poke my belly button. This was much easier for me to handle.

I did not do exercises today. Friday was my last “official” day of exercises for nineties. Soon I should put up that day’s entry, because I timed myself for each set of exercises. This week is my fourth week, so it is the “meditation” week. After work, I set a timer and meditated for ten minutes.

Note to self: wear gi with belt over belly button for actual black belt test Sanchin, if B is helping to test me.

Thursday, June 18th, 2020

I did exercises. Managed to stay up on my toes through seventy reps now for “tricep” push-ups. Tomorrow I will time myself. Hopefully, with a little extra sleep, my times will be good. I thought about timing myself in the evening after work, but getting through exercises after work consistently is my evening goal. No use in muddying the mental waters with an extra expectation. Hopefully, after a week of rest, I’ll be able to increase the number of reps I can stay on my toes. Next month, I should start with sixty knuckle push-ups on the floor, then do forty on the mat.

I should also look up the spelling of mat. Mat or matte? Okay mat is the padding on the floor we use for exercising. It is also a tangle of hair. Matte refers to a decorative piece of material (though “mat” also works for this, too.) If in doubt, “mat” is most commonly used. “Matte” can refer to a metal mixture–that’s one I had not heard of. Here’s a link:

https://www.homophone.com/h/mat-matt-matte

This morning, the air outside was damp and gave me hope for rain. I’ve watered the trees in the front, but the ones in the back also need watering.

Last night’s “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones” story was a bit odd. The first Zen Master to go to the United States Soyen Shaku, gave the following recommendations: go to bed and get up at the same time every day; have meals at the same time every day. Shaku also said, “Behave with guests the same way you would behave alone; behave alone the same way you would with guests.” He was all about consistency and developing healthy habits. Were we Americans, as a culture, already out-of-balance by the time Master Shaku visited in 1893? The seeds of our current disease, and also its cure, were evident to him so early?

I admit that, when I lived in Germany, life felt more balanced. The pace was humane rather than frenetic. France was also better than the US, but still a little crazy. Sometimes that French craziness was creative; other times dysfunctional. I am speaking, of course, of life as I experienced it in those places, as compared to my experiences in the United States. Admittedly, while culture holds sway over us, individual experiences can still differ greatly. My experience of Germany was right around the time of the Reunification; it was a joyful time, over all. Paris in the mid-1990’s felt like a big adventure to my husband and me, both in our mid-twenties. One’s age plays a role, too.

Wednesday June 17th, 2020

My ten minute write will have to be seven. I have to login to work in ten minutes.

I did do push-ups, sit-ups and squats. Richard came down for breakfast early, so I did exercises outside. It was peaceful, outside, in the morning. Last night, I read “the Story of One Hand,” from “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones.” An eleven year old boy begged his teacher for a koan, and received that one. He was twelve when he solved it. His first guess was great: music. He heard the geishas playing instruments, and realized music was a sound coming from one hand. Of course his teacher disagreed. He returned to his teacher multiple times with a different sound each time, until he became enlightened, with No-Sound.

So Enlightenment has to do with the mind, or slipping past the mind. What a tricky thing this mind is! We take vitamins, and our C vitamins are in clear capsules. They are a bit long. We take others, too: allergy pills, daily chewable vitamins, Evening Primrose, etc. I thought, holding the C vitamin, “This is the hardest one to swallow.” I choked on it. Then I thought, “How silly of me. I take these every day.” I swallowed it with no trouble.

So what about minds and pills that are hard to swallow? When others who mean harm tell you things about yourself, you must counter them. If you find yourself thinking, “They think I’m bad/inferior/stupid because ….” be sure to follow that with a reality check. Say “No, that’s not right,” and be firm. Say what’s right: no, my gender does not make me inferior. No, my religion makes me stronger, not weaker. No, my heritage and my skin color do not make me inferior. The same holds true for you.