self-defense Archives - Ichi Kyu Diary

Defend Yourself! Advice from a Real Ninja!

Surprise Defense Against a Punch

Tree that survived fire in the Angeles National Forest; Nin Jitsu practitioners wear black uniforms, reminiscent of the ninja

We had a special treat for Saturday morning’s karate class: Sensei B, a teacher who has studied Nin Jitsu, taught us self-defense moves. Over Zoom, he has been teaching for us roughly once a month. Granted, teaching self-defense over Zoom is no easy feat, but he makes it fun. We normally attend class with partners.

He started with a technique used to defend against a punch that was basically a joint attack. You catch the punch, step into your opponent, come down on their bicep with your forearm while pushing the fist forward to make your opponent’s elbow bend. And you step behind their leg/knee to trip them. While your opponent is off balance, bring your elbow to their face. This set of moves was more complex and took a while for us to get properly. Also, my son and I had a small debate about whether this was the first move or if I’ve confused it with the second, so if he is correct, my memory may not be accurate.

Sensei B watched each pair over Zoom and coached us through the techniques. Usually after some coaching, most of us were able to perform it adequately.

Breaking a Choke Hold

The next one was more straight-forward. In both, you are breaking a choke-hold. In the first, you grasp your attacker’s right hand with your left, twist the hand off you and push it towards your attacker while striking with your right hand. Twisting the hand while pushing the hand/wrist towards the attacker can force that person to the ground, since he or she will naturally try to prevent damage to their elbow.

My son and I practiced this technique on each other during class, and you really feel it (ouch!) when the other person gets it right. Sensei B had us do the techniques very slowly so we would not hurt each other. That one, which involved the hand/wrist twist to control an attacker through the arm, was very straight-forward.

The last one involves breaking a chokehold by raising your arms straight above your head, pinching the attacker’s hands between your shoulders, then bringing your arms down on their elbows. Sensei B taught us to go from the outside of the attacker’s arms, but while practicing, S and I found it works pretty well from the inside, too.

Do these Fancy Moves Really Work? A Self-Defense Spoof

The internet is a great resource, so I did a few searches to see if I could find a demonstration of some move similar to the ones Sensei PB taught us. On my post from December 14th on self-defense, I posted some useful videos.

I also found a pretty funny, but also disturbing, video of a self-defense spoof. A young man in a white gi runs around, ostensibly to demonstrate self-defense techniques, but actually demonstrates their antithesis. He starts by approaching another young man, most likely a friend, then describes him as an attacker. His “attackers” half-heartedly comply, or just watch him with a clueless expression. He usually refers to them as “drug dealers” or “muggers.” He begins with a defensive move likely modeled on a legitimate one. Then he pulls a gun out of his gi and “subdues” his opponent with the gun. I think I chuckled at the first one–but also found it disturbing. His “opponents” looked like ordinary kids, which added to the humor. It was an effective spoof.

That raises a question: does self-defense really work? That depends on the situation as well as your skills. Defending yourself is better than not, even in the face of a weapon. If you believe your life is in danger, understand that compliance with an attacker is no more likely to insure your survival than fighting back. People who fight back tend to fare better. Fighting back, even if you fail, will certainly feel better later if you survive.

Basic Self-Defense

Wild Orchids, resilient though they may look delicate, photo in the Angeles National Forest

Long before I started studying karate, I took a self-defense class aimed at survivors on the advice of a therapist. Attending this class were women who had survived sexual assault and violence as adults, as children or both. While the classes’s particular focus was on survivors, many of its principles are generally useful. These ideas can be useful for men as well as women and children. We are not accustomed to thinking of men as victims. However, men and boys are also vulnerable. When they are victims, they are often overlooked and misunderstood. In high school, a close male friend of mine was a sexual assault survivor. Just as we know from the “Me, too” movement that many survivors do not talk about their experiences, this applies to male as well as female victims. All victims deserve support, understanding and care.

These principles, I hope, will be useful everyone. Yes, many are simply common sense. However, our sense of propriety or a desire to avoid conflict will sometimes make us ignore what is right in front of our eyes. Sensei R. always says the most important part of self-defense is to recognize and accept you are in a fight.

Six Simple Common-sense Principles of Self-Defense

I still find these rules from my first practical self-defense class useful. These are also useful for martial artists, but you do not need to know karate to observe these.

Avoidance is the Best Defense

Pay attention to your surroundings, particularly when you are alone in a public place. Notice where other people are and whether or not they see you or pay attention to you. Notice if anyone is behaving erratically. Steer clear of erratic persons or people paying undue attention to you or others. Alter your course if you need to.
Be cognizant of your personal space and preserve it. A person asking you for directions does not need to come near you. If a stranger approaches you, order him to stay back. Do so loudly. If he doesn’t respond appropriately, take evasive action: move back, run, get in your car, cross the street, go into a building, etc. A person who really just wants directions will stop and ask you from a distance.

Recognize when you’re in a fight, and respond appropriately

If you fear an attack, use your voice. Be loud: “Stay back! Get back! Go away! Leave me alone!” Yell to bring attention to the situation. In my class, the instructor suggested we yell “Fire!” and not “Help!” Her logic: people run away when they hear a scream for help, but will run to the source when they hear “Fire!” This was in the mid-90’s in Michigan, so that might not hold in fire country, i.e. Southern California. Whatever you yell, yell it loudly. You want to call attention to your situation.
If you are attacked, fight back. Recognize there is no “fair fight” with an anonymous assailant. Your assailant has already taken an unfair advantage by choosing this time and place to attack you. Use every means at your disposal to defend yourself: go after the attacker’s eyes, throat, genitals, knees, feet. Remember joints are often used for take-downs, so attack theirs. Also: often perpetrators want easy victims. If you put up a fight, they may move on to look for an easier target. Keep fighting: your life may depend upon it.
Keys, cellphones, a purse or bag, your shoes, a car door–any of these can be used as a weapon.
Listen to your gut: each of us is born with an instinct to survive. Your unconscious, animal brain will access your surroundings and your situation much faster than your reasoning brain. Follow your instincts; they can save your life. I recommend great book on this: Gavin de Becker‘s “The Gift of Fear.“

What about using my Smart Phone to record a potential attacker?

Once, in a public parking lot with a friend, we were approached by a man who believed we’d “stolen” his parking space. He yelled insults at my friend and was headed straight for us. It was broad daylight in a covered garage in Los Angeles.

My friend whipped out her cellphone and start recording. She made it clear she was recording him. “So you want to tell this to a judge or a police officer?” He continued to curse for another minute or two, but did back off and leave. Recording with a cell can be a good deterrent if you have the time and space to make the attacker aware you are recording his actions. You can also dial 911. However, placing your attention on your phone removes it from your surroundings and your assailant; this could give him an opening to reach you. In my friend’s case, I was next to her and could act. It’s a judgement call, particularly if you are alone.

Conclusion: Preserving Your Life is the Objective

Finally, no simple set of rules will apply to every situation. Listen to your own instincts. If you are attacked and survive, seek help afterwards. Get medical attention if you need it, and therapy, too. Survival–not winning–not avoiding the loss of dignity or property–is most important. These others may be restored later.

After Sensei B’s class, I did a bit of reading on Nin Jitsu and its relationship to historical ninjas. On a website called Way of Ninja, I found an interview with Eric Shahan, who has translated many historical Japanese works on martial arts and warriors. Regarding self-defense, I found one of Shahan’s quotes regarding the ninja particularly relevant. According to Shahan, a shinobi’s (or ninja’s) use of martial arts differed primarily in the goal:

“The main difference there is that your priority is to get away, not to defeat the opponent.”
Eric Shahan, on the differences between ninja combat techniques and that of other martial artists.

According to the Way of Ninja site, ancient ninja were primarily spies and less often assassins. Therefore, surviving to share the information they’d acquired was paramount.

If you ever find yourself in the unfortunate position of needing to use your self-defense lessons, remember your goal: living. Like the ninja of old, you must survive in order to share your knowledge.

Lessons from Karate for Professional Life

So at the beginning of February, I was thinking about how karate had helped me with my professional life. Of course, it’s fun to have a cool hobby to discuss with your coworkers. Karate certainly fits that bill.

However, on a philosophical level, my karate practice has aided me in more fundamental ways. I work in visual effects. As an industry, visual effects is basically the intersection between the technology sector and the film industry. Neither of these have a reputation for being easy for women to navigate. In fact, during my twenty year career, I’ve never worked for a female visual effects supervisor. They exist: I’ve seen or met three. Of the three, only one worked on a large projects with lots of 3d animation. The other two worked primarily on smaller, indie films with less computer graphics.

Seeing the success of others similar to ourselves reminds us of what is possible to achieve. My cat and his inspiration.

Once, at Dreamworks, I worked on a film with a female director. The vibe with a female at the head of the picture was a bit different, but not terribly different. For those of us for whom it is rare to see a woman in a position of leadership, she was an inspiration. She was also an Asian woman–so for persons of color, particularly Asian women, it was cool to see her at the helm. When we see ourselves in another who has achieved a great success, it reminds us of what is possible. She did a great job, too!

Work Life is Competitive

Fitting In and Standing Out

Not a Wallflower: flower photo made during a trip to Colorado in 2018

Male friends have told me it’s not easy for them to succeed, either. At least as a minority, you stand out. People remember you because you are a rarity. My male friends feel like wall flowers. Our industry also employs folks from all over the world. Coworkers from other countries experience difficulties, too. Often English is not their first language; this adds communication and cultural barriers for them. Many of us have reasons to feel like we don’t fit at work. Gender, race, nationality, religious expression, sexual orientation or identity, heritage, age, physical or mental abilities, education level and emotional challenges–this is not a complete list. Often, the things that make us unique can also make us stick out, for better or worse. The inverse is also true: fitting in too well can make us feel invisible.

Relocating, Long Hours: Understanding Your Problems Aren’t Unique

Moreover, visual effects is highly competitive. We often work long hours. More recently, folks were expected to relocate for jobs, sometimes to different countries. This has the effect of reducing the number of older people in the industry: once you’ve bought a house or had children, moving to another state or country is much more complicated. Interestingly enough, with the pandemic making it possible for more of us to work from home, that may changed. I certainly hope it will.

Visual effects, however, is not unique. Many industries ask employees to relocate, and feel competitive for workers. I was surprised, but not really, to read about how much pressure workers experience in warehouses run by Amazon. Not long ago, the LA Times ran an article about how shoppers and drivers for services like Instacart feel squeezed by both employers and the customers utilizing those services. My sister is a child therapist. About a year ago, her company converted her and others to contractors. During any given week, she doesn’t know if she will work forty hours or less. She and others like her have lost their benefits, like health insurance or paid vacation.

Working for a living, for the majority of us, is not easy.

How Can Karate Help?

How can karate help? Certainly, it provides exercise. It emphasizes both strength training and cardiovascular fitness. Keeping your body fit is a major advantage, and a fit body helps promote a healthy brain with balanced emotions. That said, I find karate’s philosophical underpinnings helpful, too. Here are lessons I learned from karate which help me in the workplace.

1. Remember to Kiai!

What is the most important part of the kiai? That it be heard! When we practice kihon, break boards or perform some particularly difficult feat, we kiai. Kiais have a twofold purpose: to focus your attention, and bring the attention of others to what you are doing.

First, a kiai is a “spirit call.” You can use it to focus your energy towards the task at hand. You give a shout, channeling your all into what you are doing at that moment. We are trained to kiai the second our hands or feet slice through objects. This forceful shout gives us a singular focus and helps us channel all of our mental and physical energy into a particular goal, be it a blow to a brick or a punch to a formidable opponent.

When you reach a milestone, let others know! Photo taken during trip to Colorado. I’m sure this goat’s buddies knew of its accomplishments.

The kiai also teaches us to claim our space and make our voices heard. This is particularly important for white belts. Newer students are often shy. They try not to bring attention to themselves. The kiai quickly teaches them to let this shyness go. The kiai announces to the rest of the dojo that these students are here, making a focused effort, and pay attention to them!

This is helpful in the workplace, too. Speak up about what you do. Claim your space at work; tell others what you are working on. Certainly let them know when you’ve accomplished a feat or reached a milestone. Let your voice be heard! This, too, is a kiai.

2. Follow Truth

For Kyokushin, “truth” is in the name of our style. In the dojo, we seek to find that truth: the truth of our own strengths and limitations, the truth that these are not fixed points, but rather marks influenced by diligent effort.

In order to improve ourselves, we must also be honest with ourselves, and each other, about where we are right now. The entire kyu-rank structure helps us mark progress by setting attainable goals. In order to advance to the next level, you learn certain kata and syllabus, do a fixed number of exercises and fight a certain number of rounds. Each kyu rank increases in difficulty, but the student, too, becomes stronger, tougher and more capable.

Part of the pursuit of truth, then, is being honest regarding your own capabilities and progress. You do this by performing tests, and submitting your skills to the assessment of others. As an advanced student, you may help judge others. You must also practice on your own, and assess your own skills. How many push-ups can I do on my toes and fists? Am I maintaining what I need for my rank? If I want to advance, how many do I need to do for my next rank? The goal of these assessments, both those we give to ourselves and to others, is this: help individuals improve.

Objectivity and Benchmarks

Note what is happening here: we agree upon objective benchmarks. For example, performing five of the pinans and yantsu correctly, sparring for six two-minute rounds, and doing sixty push-ups, sit-ups and squats, along with learning the fourth kyu syllabus are the requirements for a green belt in our style. When we hold a promotion, candidates know the requirements. They perform these as tests in the presence of others. During promotions, we demonstrate whether or not we can meet the benchmark for a particular rank. In short, we attempt to find objective measurements for progress.

You can do this in the workplace, too. Push for clearly defined, attainable goals. Encourage coworkers to do the same. Offer objective assessments couched in encouragement to others. Make self-improvement your goal and help others to improve themselves, too!

3. Defend Yourself

We hope that, most of the time, the workplace is a friendly, encouraging space where everyone is able to do their best. Often, though, this isn’t the case. Self-defense is one of the pillars of karate. Since truth is important to us, we recognize that the world can be a dangerous place. Sometimes others are intent on doing harm.

“Self-defense… begins with the belief that you are worth defending.” Our karate club’s publicity wonk texted this quote from the Jiu-jitsu master Rorian Gracie just last week along the link to a Zoom karate class. This sense of self-worth is fundamental to karate: your own life, health, well-being and improvement must be of great importance to you–or there might not be a you!

Sensei R. often tells us this: when you are attacked, the first thing you must recognize is that you in a fight. At that moment, the fight is your current reality and you need to deal with it appropriately. Often, people will not see the evidence before their own eyes and will choose to pretend everything is okay when it is not. Sometimes they mistakenly believe that if they simply act normal, life will go back to normal. This is denial, and it’s dangerous. Karate teaches us not to seek conflict, but it does gives us tools for dealing with conflict when it finds us. If you’re in a fight, fight back with everything you have: your skills, smarts, strength and spirit: kiai, kick and punch!

Appropriate Defense at Work

In the workplace, I hope, a physical altercation would be less likely. If you feel you are under attack, first assess the nature of the attack. If you are engaged in a fair battle of ideas, defend your ideas! Also listen to the defense of others’ ideas. Relax: sparring over the best approach or the best solution to a problem is a good thing, and can make you stronger regardless of who actually wins. Look for benchmarks or objective criteria in order to find the truth. Let objectivity bring you and your coworkers to the best solution. Enjoy the kumite match!

Work can feel rugged; put on your hiking boots! Defend your ideas, but listen to others. Try to keep perspective. Photo of Utah from 2019.

If you feel a coworker is questioning your judgement, state clearly your beliefs and list evidence for them. Also state your qualifications for making those judgements. Sometimes your coworkers may not be aware of your background and qualifications. They may not know why you made certain decisions. So tell them clearly. If you hear your work being scrutinized, listen to criticism, but analyze what is actually being said. What benchmarks or objective criteria are at play? Did you know about these criteria beforehand? If not, point this out. Do any of the criticisms have merit? If so, you have an opportunity to make improvements. Own these. If not, propose objective criteria.

In short, answer criticisms. Engage your critics. Defend your work. Do not let fear interfere with your self-confidence. Finally, remember we all have room for improvement.

4. Own Your Rank

Karate teaches us to own our rank. As white belts, we listen, observe and imitate. White belts bring enthusiasm to karate. Likewise junior employees or interns in a company offer enthusiasm and a fresh perspective, but they are also expected to listen and learn. Advanced karate students will ask the Sensei about finer details of karate; they help instruct less advanced students. If you are a senior employee or someone with a lot of experience, that’s your job: mentor those younger and less experienced coworkers, pay attention to the finer points that you know to look for, and point these out. Accept the responsibility that comes with your level of experience.

Time is Money: Respect it

As a woman working in an area with fewer women, I often find myself in a situation in which people assume that I know less than I do, or that I have less experience than I do. I’m short, too, and sometimes people unconsciously associate being young (inexperienced) with being small. Before I studied karate, I would listen politely in my desire to be considerate, convinced the other person is simply trying to be helpful. I might let someone explain a procedure to me that I actually understood well. After studying karate, I do not do this. I recognize reality: the company’s money is at stake. Survival for a company depends upon judicious use of money. My time is the company’s money. His time is, too. I politely interrupt now.

In a dojo, it’s easy to own your rank. We don our belts and line up by rank. It’s clear who is a shodan and who is a mu-kyu. At the office, it isn’t clear. You may have to tell someone what your position is. It doesn’t make you a jerk. On the contrary, it means you respect that other person’s time as well as your own.

Life is Short

My son’s drawing of Buddha for a school project

Karate encourages us to live in the here and now. Meditation, breathing exercises, kumite: all of these teach us to be present in the moment. Take that awareness to work with you, then bring it back home. Recognize that, if you are fortunate, you will live long enough to see changes at work, at home, in yourself and in others. Some of these changes will be good ones and others will not. Be patient with others and yourself. Empathize. When you are home, let go of work and be at home. Seek peace.

Saturday With a Guest Instructor: Self-Defense

This past Saturday, we had a guest instructor: Sensei B. He has taught for us twice over Zoom, and he teaches self-defense. Saturday’s class was no different.

Sensei T led the warm-up: stretches, followed by ten of each kihon exercise straight through. He set a rapid pace, so that our kihon would not take up too much time. It was a challenging cardio work-out. F, S and I were out of breath at the end of it! Whenever Sensei B teaches over Zoom, the club normally asks participants to recruit a sibling or parent to serve as a practice partner. Roughly half of us had partners, but two students did not.

Two Self-Defense Techniques

Back-Pivot Strike

Sensei B first demonstrated a fighting technique that I found less intuitive. He says it was highly effective for him in two tournaments, and can be used for self-defense, if needed. Your opponent delivers a round-house kick. When the kick is delivered, you step closer to your opponent, into the kick, using both your hip and a sweeping down block with the arm to block the kick. Stepping in is certainly counter-intuitive. However, by stepping into the kick, according to Sensei B, you reduce its force.

He gave a simple demonstration to show how stepping into a kick can reduce its force. While throwing a punch in slow motion towards his daughter, he explained, “If you are at the end of this, you receive the full force.” His daughter stepped towards him, but to the side. “Just by shortening the distance, you reduce the momentum of the blow.”

So, after you’ve stepped in to block your opponent’s kick, uou pivot, pointing your heel at your opponent. Afterwards, you spin and deliver an elbow strike, followed by a back fist. In self-defense, you’d deliver these to the face. In a tournament, you’d choose a different target unless your opponent is wearing a helmet.

It took a bit of practice for me to get these down. F got this one pretty easily. S as well. Sensei B. spotlighted each group of participants over Zoom and coached us through, until we got it right.

Defense Against an Attack from Behind

The second technique, however, was purely for self-defense rather than sparring and far more intuitive. It is also highly useful for situations in which your attacker is much larger than you: so a good self-defense technique for children and women to learn.

The attacker comes at you from behind and encircles your chest with his arms. Coming from underneath, you place both of your hands over his hands or arms, to keep them in place.

You go into a kiba or horse-straddle stance. A lower position is better, I discovered while practicing with S, since you can potentially pull your attacker forward and more off-balance.
Careful to glance behind you so you know the location of your attacker’s head, you bash his head with the back of yours.
Then you bump your attacker with your backside and deliver a second head-butt. This basically gives you more wiggle-room.
From kiba, you step around your attacker’s leg so you have one of your legs behind his knee. Deliver a punch to the groin.
Your attacker should fall backwards over your leg. You can accelerate in his fall backwards by grabbing and pulling his other leg upwards.
It is likely that you will fall back on top of your attacker, and you should try to land on his chest. Deliver simultaneous blows to his face and groin area with both elbows.

S, F and I practiced this last technique on each other, dropping each other into the clover. We were careful not to actually hurt one another, but it was fun on top of being informative.

Other Self-Defense Techniques based in Jujitsu for Women and Children

I did some Google searches to see if I could turn up Sensei B’s technique or one that’s similar. I found two very informative videos. These focus on women’s self-defense. However, these techniques can be useful for teens, children or persons of smaller stature. Obviously when teaching children, you want to avoid frightening them.

The first is a jujitsu demonstration useful if your attacker is larger and potentially stronger than you:

From HER network: Joanna Soh

Notice that the instructor often emphasizes how the defender is to take control back from the attacker: often the defender places her hand over the attacker’s hands to take back control. Also, the fourth demonstration is somewhat similar to the technique that Sensei B. showed us. The defender drops into a kiba, then steps behind the attacker in order to trip her. Again, similar to Sensei B’s instructions, from a lowered center of gravity, she pulls on the attacker’s legs from behind to make the attacker fall.

The second is from Aja Dang with Renner Gracie from Gracie University. Notice how similar the “stong, tightened neck” or “allegator neck” is to our “last defense” in kyokushin karate:

Aja Dang teams up with Renner Gracie from Gracie University to show us self-defense techniques against 5 choke holds

In both these self-defense demonstrations, when the attacker has attempted a choke-hold, the defender goes into a kiba stance so that her center of gravity is lower than that of the attacker’s. Also, in both of these videos, the defender aims her attacks against the attacker’s joints: often the elbows but sometimes the knees.

Conclusions

In these self-defense situations, we can take away three principles. First, take control back. Second, moving into an attacker’s strikes rather than away can rob the attacker of momentum. Third, attack the joints–the weakest areas of a person.

Obviously we hope that we will never be in a situation to use these techniques. However, they are useful to have as part of a karateka’s arsenal in case we find ourselves in the unfortunate position of needing them.

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.