I am, yeah. I'm here for a week actually. I'd be tempted to come along, but I think I've got too much work on, as I came here to work without too much distraction
Anywhoooo, having missed last week (under instructions from Mrs Mitch), I was back at class last night. Some nice heavier contact sparring for the latter part of the class which was really enjoyable. It's interesting to note how people's sparring styles vary; one guy maintains a little more distance and I found it easier to work with him, felt like I could get kicks off, managed an odd sweep or leg kick etc. With another guy I felt like I was really getting crowded and found it very hard to deal with. Without head punches (or elbows which I nearly threw at one point ) it's like I don't really know what to do, my body has no reflex actions built in. I need to work hard on the grappling side I suppose, but if anyone has any suggestions please chime in I should add that these perceptions are false to the extent that the BBs there are very much looking after me in the sparring; they could clearly just dominate proceedings if they chose, so any comments I make about what I'm finding in sparring is more about what I'm being allowed to find, if you see what I mean? Kudos to them for helping out a newbie with patience and care. The tally from last night is two jammed thumbs, one sore foot, a stiff knee and a very smiley Mitch. Plus I seem to be losing my voice, although I don't think that can be blamed on Eshin Mitch
Kind of you Mitch Glad you're still enjoying it and getting stuck in. Don't worry, you'll be tested more in the future, they're just letting you settle in a bit. Gary
I think they're doing a cracking job of tailoring things to where I'm at and increasing the level slowly, so I never get overwhelmed but am constantly learning. I'm trying to do things the Enshin way all the time and not fall back on old habits, which makes things more difficult sometimes but has got to be the best way to learn. What's the rule on clinching in sparring please Gary? I think I might write a journal of my experiences as I go, for anyone else interested in the style or in crosstraining Mitch
No elbows? What about forearms? Surely Shuto Uke, Gedan Barai, Uchi Uke are allowed? :evil: Glad you're enjoying this Mitch - we'll have to put you under more pressure the next time we meet!
The tally from last night is two jammed thumbs Man I'm always doing that. One thing bareknuckle highlights for me is how I need to protect my fists and place my shots. I still have a left thumb that doesn't quite bend like it used to from a badly landed shovel hook during a Shidokan grading years ago. What's the rule on clinching in sparring please Gary? Using my whole one session of Enshin experience I thinks it's 3 second time limit and no double grabs to opposite sides of the body/gi at the same time. We have a 3 second limit in Shido but you can do double grabs.
It was the fact that I was about to throw the elbow to the head that was the issue, not the elbow itself, sorry, I phrased that poorly originally. Perhaps Gary can clarify if elbows are legal? Hope you're keeping well John , looking forward to another session, must get something arranged. Mitch
Elbows are allowed in knockdown but you can't strike the head with them so most people don't use them in knockdown tournaments. I have seen a few guys use them well though, usually going right for the sternum executing the elbow the same way as a rising elbow strike. I've seen it get one knockdown, but for the most part it's a rarity.
Mitch Elbows are fine to the body, and as PA said we only grab for three seconds and only from one side (at a time) Spot on. Gary
They have a two-handed grab (hiki mawashi) which is where you grab the sleeve with one hand and hook the neck with an open hand with the other. It's good for knee strikes and lets you do that cool Enshin forward-rolling throw right after. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1whWKuvBRkM"]YouTube- Two-Handed Pull w/ Forward Rolling Throw and Takedown (hiki-mawashi/makikomi-nage)[/ame]
I wouldn't recommend it. The black belts all have to fight to the sabaki rules, but a few - like Matt - have done a fair bit of Thai. If you grab them Thai style they'll just think you want to play rough. I'm not saying you wouldn't handle that or enjoy it, but I'd stick to learning new skills like one-sided grabbing for now. Gary
Well, it was a grading tonight for some of the students, which was interesting to watch from my point of view. TKD gradings in my group are separate events outside class. We have a grading examiner who comes in and students perform their syllabus in front of him. The grading at Enshin took place over the normal hour and a half class time, though it was set aside as a grading. Gary and a couple of his black belts were the grading examiners. Other students (including me) were on hand to hold pads, partner up, spar etc. The grading students went through basics in a line facing the others. This was followed by some padwork drills, grabs and knee strikes, kicks etc. Students went through their kata, the higher grades also doing the kata for the lower grades. Now Enshin Kata are like the Ashihara kata in that they are sequences designed for use in sparring. These are performed in a variety of directions and include punches, kicks, grabs, take downs etc. Immediately after this students were then called upon to demonstrate the bunkai to the kata against an opponent with pads from start to finish. The opponent would mimic the appropriate attack, then the grading student would go through the counter, grab, takedown and strike, striking to the pads in each case. As a bunkai fan I thought that rocked real hard They then went though 3 (I think) bouts of heavy contact sparring, looking to demonstrate the characteristic Enshin footwork and movement rather than just leathering each other. I contemplated the Enshin takedowns from the **** I suddenly found myself on several times We finished off with what seems to be a favourite conditioning drill of Gary's, alternating press ups and turning kicks with each leg. The whole thing lasted about and hour and a half. Everything was conducted at a high tempo and with a lot of effort and sweat. Gary can no doubt comment in more detail, but sheer effort seemed to figure very high on the grading criteria, especially for the lower grades. I really enjoyed watching the folks there going through it, and it reinforced the work ethic of the club. Lots of fun to be involved in Mitch
Thanks Mitch, nice write up. As you saw we take applicants through four stages. Demonstrating skill, then power, then working the drills with compliant partners (kata) then seeing if they can get things working with non-compliance in the sparring. (Perhaps that should be semi-compliance as we expect them to stick to the rules) Last night was a good test. A few technical things to work on, but everyone got good impact for their age/belt level, they understood how to apply those skills (kata v opponent) and enjoyed the fighting with reasonable contact. The sting in the tail was the burpee/double kick finisher. I'm very keen to drop in the unwanted and unexpected to see if their heads drop or if they stiffen their spine. They responded and the effort was excellent. Next one at the end of August. Up fer it? Gary PS Never underestimate Hisa
Mitch - Forgot to mention last night, bring bag gloves on Saturday and don't eat too much ... It's an open class so feel free to bring anyone else who may be interested. Gary