Pinan kata Archives - Ichi Kyu Diary

Kanku on Halloween, and Vote!

Tuesday Night with Sensei R: introducing Kanku

Last Tuesday, Sensei R discussed and demonstrated kanku kata over Zoom. He also shared the following video:

Kanku is one of the longest kata, but also beautiful and a go-to kata for shodans and high rank karateka seeking a good competition kata

As you will see if you watch the kata, and as Sensei R pointed out, this kata contains over 70 different moves. According to Sensei R, some karate practitioners believe that the Pinan katas were basically pieces of this kata. Early karate instructors, then, had separated it into pieces. While there is no proof that this origin story for the Pinans is true, said Sensei R, Kanku certainly contains many moves from the Pinans.

In fact, many of the more difficult from the Pinans, such as the kick-punch combination as well as the forehead block with strike in Pinan Sono Yon, or the Osai-uke followed by a stab in Pinan Ni, are found in Kanku. Luckily, many of the moves are repeated and mirrored on the other side of the body. However, the kata is still a bear to learn.

I was “monitoring,” or basically doing “tech” for the Zoom session, during that class, so I didn’t really follow along. When others weren’t following, I let Sensei R know or controlled the spotlighting.

The Night Before All Hallows Eve: partying and practicing

Luckily for me, Sensei T covered that kata again on Friday night. We had a very small adult class. It was Sensei T, Senpai DJ and me.

The Youth Counsel planned a Halloween bash/movie night over Zoom. Most of the kids, including a couple who showed up on the regular karate class Zoom, went to the party once they found out about it. This was expected and encouraged. Given trick-or-treating has been discouraged in our area due to the pandemic, these parties have taken on much greater importance. They are a poor substitute for kids getting together in costume and haunting their neighbors, granted. Nevertheless, these events serve as an important way for kids to celebrate and spend time together.

The kids had maybe fourteen separate households attend their Zoom. They played games, gossiped, showed off their costumes and their pets, and watched movies.

Sensei T asked DJ about her last promotion kata, so we reviewed those, then he basically taught me a good portion of Kanku. Given the complexity of that kata, it was great to have that training. Learning it, and I’m sure teaching it, over Zoom was a challenge. Sensei T was careful to demonstrate the turns from different views, so DJ and I were able to understand them. I have enough trouble keeping track of left versus right without having to interpret these through video. However, Sensei T watched carefully and really helped us. I learned so much from that class!

It’s funny: I had considered suggesting we cancel the class, since we knew that the youth party would greatly reduce our attendance. I’m so glad we didn’t. Personally, I really benefitted from that class.

Saturday in the Park: learning Kanku

We met in a local park in Burbank for our Saturday morning class. We’ve been meeting outdoors roughly once a month, and it’s great to practice in person. I admit, though, it’s easy for each of us to forget to social distance, particularly given how excited we feel to be together again. We do our best. When we forget ourselves, usually someone will remember, caution the group, and then we’ll spread out again. During the actual exercise portion, we make an effort to keep our groups more spread out than usual.

Sensei T had me lead warm-ups, and I got us to run in a wide circle as Sensei R had often done with us, do side-shuffles, high-knees, butt-kickers and just generally jog to get the blood flowing. Then, of course, we moved on to my nemesis, stretches, and ended with the shuto ukes, which I love.

I just looked up shuto mawachi uke, and this brought up a video of the Kyokushin warm-up for a Japanese dojo, and the teacher leading it is our style’s founder, Mas Oyama!

Sensei T then assigned students to lead sections of kihon, and we did a vigorous “speed kihon,” in which we just run through the techniques without needing to name them. We did twenties, so we were out of breath at the end.

He then covered Kanku, affording us the opportunity in person to practice what we’d been learning over Zoom. That was a different experience for sure. Sensei T demonstrated the kata for us, too, and his moves are elegant and powerful at once. He is such an insightful and sensitive teacher, too: he gives both praise and correction in a kind, straightforward manner.

A moment in Time: remembering Kanku at the dojo

While driving to attend the class in the park, my mind went to the first time I’d seen this kata performed. One of our instructors in the dojo had been a kata champion, and she’d both demonstrated and taught that kata. As a low-ranking student, I was in awe of her and her beautiful execution of it. Kanku also appeared to me, at that time, as one of those near-unattainable goals. It was so complex, powerful and elegant. How could someone like me learn to do that? I could but watch and dream.

However, this week, I was actually learning it!. Given my mastery of previous kata and approximately seven or eight years of practice, I feel I understand much of it. Now don’t get me wrong: learning it will still be challenging, and I’m sure I won’t be doing flying jumps. While watching Sensei T perform it in the park and on Zoom, I recognized so much of it from our previous studies.

I have a karate New Year’s resolution ready to go: learn Kanku. What do I plan to give myself for the holidays? Knowledge of Kanku!

Halloween Gifts

While the gift of Kanku knowledge, courtesy of Senseis T and R, was perhaps my favorite Halloween gift, our family also received a wonderful “boo bag,” for perhaps the second or third year in a row. We do not know who gave us this thoughtful gift: a friend, a neighbor? We’re not even sure if these gifts came from the same person or persons who “booed” us last year or the year before. This year, two pairs of Halloween-themed socks, along with baked goodies and candy corns, were included. We are guessing our friendly ghost knows two children reside in our household. The bag contained two or more of everything.

The first time we received a “boo” gift, it came with instructions, including a sign to hang on your door, indicating you’d been “booed.” This year, there was simply a card announcing “You’ve been booed!” We made our own “we’ve been booed” sign to put on our door.

S and I also purchased and delivered a “boo” gift to neighbors up the street with three children. I confess we reused the cute “boo” card from our gift, but the fresh baked goods from our local cupcake shop were no re-gift, unless our neighbors dislike cookies! S took them to the door, rang the bell and ran to my car. I hesitated just long enough to see the door start to open, then drove away. S giggled the whole time, sputtering “Hurry Mom! Drive away!” between giggles. I hope they enjoyed their boo gift as much as we enjoyed ours!

Vote! Then find peace with your decision and those of others

And it is November 1st, so go vote! For practitioners of karate of our style, remember Oyama’s three points on why we practice karate:

to be a better person (more fit, healthy but also more at peace)
to be a better family member
to be a better member of society

Karateka strive to be better members of our societies. In a democracy, this includes our civic responsibility to vote. Please vote!

Recognize both your power and your limitations

Also, given all the stressors coming with this particular election during this particular pandemic, I’d like to remind folks of two things.

First, recognize that your vote counts and this is a very important election. Do not underestimate the importance of your vote. Our American leaders, for both better and for worse, have significant influence over world politics. As an American, your decision can influence not only American lives for the next four years, but it can influence people across the globe.

Lake in Colorado; do your best, then do your best to let go

Second, recognize that American politics has its limits. Do not overestimate the importance of our decisions. No president or other elected official is going to single-handedly cure COVID-19 in a day, though they may help or hinder our human group efforts towards a cure. Presidents and other elected leaders are not gods or goddesses. Also, despite what we decide, the sun will rise and set. The earth will rotate and follow its course around the sun. The moon waxes and wanes, regardless of our decisions. Find peace in knowing, whether or not your chosen politician wins the day, and whether or not you are in step with the rest of your nation’s other voters, that these changes are temporary.

As an American karateka, if you have carefully considered your decisions and cast your ballot, you have done your part. The rest is up to everyone else. Let it go now.

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.