May 2013
15 posts
2 tags
Working it out: 20/05/2013
Karate. Renraku omote, kata practise. Sensei David pulled myself and another 1st kyu karateka, Charlie, aside to tell us that we won’t be grading in June. No surprise, given that we only graded to 1st kyu in October last year. It has helped to re-focus my attention on the December grading, though, which is really not very far away. In terms of where I want to be by the December...
May 23rd
1 note
2 tags
Working it out: 15/03/2013
Karate. Kumite technique (application of renraku omote), kata practise. (No comments, because I left it so long between finishing class and writing my training log entry that I’ve forgotten what we did!)
May 23rd
1 note
2 tags
Training Review: Apr 2013
APRIL 2013 Total number of sessions: 11 Karate classes: 6 Kayaking: 5
May 22nd
May 22nd
106,385 notes
4 tags
May 22nd
3 tags
May 21st
2 tags
Songs for a messy head
You know that magical moment when you pull together a playlist that is an exact musical representation of the crazy inner workings of your mind? This happened a couple of days ago. Some of my messy head stuff has become less messy in the days since (due in no small part to this playlist), but it’s full of songs that I thought I knew inside out. The magic was not in their familiarity,...
May 21st
2 tags
Working it out: 10/05/2013
Karate. Assisted with a juniors class, then trained with seniors. Basics, renraku ura and omote, Pinan Sandan and Yondan. Assisted Sensei Dawson with the new junior class that has started this year. Great to work with a bunch of attentive and responsive kids, very coachable and a lot of fun :) Excited to see how these kids continue to progress over the next six weeks as we head into the June...
May 11th
1 note
1 tag
Working it out: 08/05/2013
Gym (light session). Spin bike - 5 min warm up, easy spin Spin bike - 9 x 1 min climb / 1 min easy spin Kneeling hip flexor stretch Lat pulldown, wide grip 1 x 4 @ 45 kg Lat pulldown, narrow grip 1 x 4 @ 40 kg Seated row 1 x 7 @ 35 kg Seated row 1 x 7 @ 30 kg
May 11th
2 tags
Working it out: 06/05/2013
Karate. Base techniques, Pinan Godan breakdowns, Ananku. We very rarely hear Sensei David say “next week”. Now that I think about it, it’s pretty uncommon to hear him say “today we are going to do x, y, and z”. This small detail of instruction speaks volumes to me, likely because of the very Western style of coaching I was exposed to in basketball - first as a...
May 6th
2 tags
Working it out: 01/05/2013
Karate. Base techniques, kumite technique and movement drills. It’s been a long time since I’ve attended a Wednesday class, which is a shame because Sensei David normally focuses on bunkai, self defense, and kumite on Wednesdays - all of which are not only fun, but areas that I particularly need to improve upon. To take the next step with my kumite practice, I need to move faster, and...
May 6th
May 1st
19,306 notes
1 tag
May 1st
6,551 notes
May 1st
1,063 notes
April 2013
47 posts
1 tag
Apr 30th
13 notes
Apr 30th
13,052 notes
2 tags
Working it out: 28/04/2013
Kayak - 16 km as part of a relay team for the Marysville 2 Melbourne 2013, leg time 2 h 48 min. In short: it was bloody tough! Our team did so well to lead all corporate mixed teams of 6 for the whole day, but unfortunately I just couldn’t keep the pace up and got passed by two of our competitors. We finished 3rd overall, and my muscles were absolutely screaming by the time I...
Apr 30th
Apr 27th
174 notes
Apr 26th
96 notes
Apr 26th
3,180 notes
1 tag
Apr 26th
3 notes
2 tags
Apr 25th
99 notes
Apr 25th
142 notes
Apr 25th
2,006 notes
Apr 24th
34,259 notes
2 tags
Working it out: 24/04/2013
Karate. Kumite techniques - offensive movements, evasion, speed of execution. Physically demanding session, and great to be at a Wednesday class when Sensei focuses more on sparring or self-defence techniques. I still feel very inexperienced when sparring, and I am still making many mistakes because I think too much (surprise surprise). Need a lot more kumite training so I can start to settle...
Apr 24th
1 note
What is it about bed that is so comforting? I feel like Tumblr has the answer I’m looking for…
Apr 24th
2 tags
Working it out: 19/04/2013
Karate. Base techniques, mae geri oi zuki / mae geri gyaku zuki, renraku 1, kata (Wanshu). My karate training has been so overshadowed in recent weeks by my mental struggle to stay motivated and positive. I don’t want to dwell on it too much - it has never been healthy for me to spend too much time in my own head - but I am having moments of clarity that are making me realise, and take...
Apr 21st
1 note
1 tag
Working it out: 17/04/2013
Kayaking. 1 hour, long paddle (2 x “Brad’s bash”). Back in the V8 as there was only on Horizon (the boat we’ll be racing in for the M2M). Dan took the Horizon this time for his first familiarisation paddle. It’s amazing how quickly your spatial awareness adjusts to different circumstances (in this case, different vessels). I’ve only had one session in the...
Apr 20th
2 tags
Working it out: 15/04/2013
Karate. Base techniques, mae geri oi zuki / gyaku zuki / niren zuki, kata (mostly Ananku and Wanshu). Continuing to experiment with counter-rotation, to try to find the “hidden” power for my strikes and blocks. Mae geris were coming more easily than usual tonight, with my hip mobility being a key to that process. In a roundabout way, I am finding that my kayaking is helping me to...
Apr 20th
1 note
1 tag
Apr 20th
1 tag
Working it out: 14/04/2013
Kayaking. ~1-1.25 hours. Mostly long easy pieces, with a couple of short pieces in between. Nice to get out on the water to try a faster boat. It’s incredible to feel the difference that i makes to take a step up in terms of instability. Probably took me 15+ mins to get used to the extra movement, and to be able to adjust my posture accordingly. Once I got a bit more confidence up, I...
Apr 20th
Apr 18th
105,917 notes
1 tag
Apr 18th
25 notes
Apr 18th
378 notes
“1. All beliefs in whatever realm are theories at some level. (Stephen...”
– Prospero’s Precepts  – 11 rules for critical thinking from history’s great minds. (via explore-blog)
Apr 17th
1,743 notes
Apr 17th
43,116 notes
Apr 17th
320 notes
Apr 17th
119 notes
Apr 16th
23 notes
Apr 16th
88 notes
Apr 16th
26 notes
“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the...”
– Mahatma Gandhi (via mpoirot)
Apr 15th
84 notes
Feeling like I’ve been punched in the gut. Of course the Boston Marathon tragedy has been weighing on my mind since I heard the news when I woke up this morning, but now I am wrestling with a heavier heart after learning of a serious and likely terminal illness in my extended family. A sick child. It’s hard to comprehend, hard to understand how this is “fair”. Life is...
Apr 15th
Apr 15th
2 notes
AFTERNOONS
whatshouldwecallgradschool: credit: Alex
Apr 15th
122 notes
Apr 14th
8,425 notes
Apr 14th
72 notes
“Stress is basically a disconnection from the earth, a forgetting of the breath....”
– Natalie Goldberg (via live-to-the-point-of-tears)
Apr 14th
6,934 notes
3 tags
Working it out: 12/04/2013
Karate. Renraku 1-5 and kata (taikokyu shodan, taikokyu nidan, pinan shodan, pinan nidan, pinan sandan, breakdowns of pinan sandan and wanshu). I have a confession to make. I’ve been struggling with my motivation to train for karate. My training intent in general has waned over the last couple of months, but I am finding it challenging to stick with my karate commitments at the moment....
Apr 13th