Dad and I arrived at the dojo around 5:50 pm tonight to find Sensei Quinn already there and training. My legs were still blasted out, so I could only manage one Sochin before class. Sensei Quinn recommended that I take things slower and really work on getting down in stance. I attempted a few Sochin-dachi in a deeper position and I was very sure that I didn’t want to subject myself to another one like that right before the workout to come, so I did a Bassai Dai with Dad.
Sensei showed us some different positioning for a few of the key techniques in Bassai Dai, which were very different than we had been doing them. I’ve noticed that a lot of the commonly assumed positioning in our kata (from Heians to black belt kata) have been falling away in favor of some simple explanation and demonstration by Sensei Quinn. It’s a fresh perspective that is interesting to behold, I will be interested to see what sticks.
The class itself tonight started with some simple basics. Simple doesn’t mean easy though, and with already burning legs I found it a very challenging workout. We did reverse punch, front kick, and roundhouse kick and I think pretty much everyone learned something during the workout. I need to work on understanding how to use full body pullback… it doesn’t stop with just the arm. I think that 
The second class was sparring drills. I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve had more successful punching combinations than I had tonight, however due to a few unfortunate clashes of stance Oedewaldt’s little toenail was lost in an epic battle between gravity and momentum. One of the combinations that I felt best with was two reverse punches, but the first one pops out into a short pressing block as the second punch is delivered. This opens a nice thin opening for you to insert your fist manually. And I like it.
I suspect that my Sochin goal will take a back seat to marinading myself in all of Sensei Quinn’s teachings over the next few weeks. Don’t expect dazzling numbers, but I hope to make little bits of progress so I can hit it hard again once he heads back to Japan.
My legs are extremely sore right now. This is as blasted as they’ve been for a long, long time. But its a good pain… the pain of endurance.
Sochin Counter
Accomplished / Goal == Percent Complete
811 / 2000 == 40.55%
Average Kata per Workout: 14.48
Estimated Workouts Remaining: 83
Workouts that gained more than 1%: 20
Related Articles
2 users responded in this post
specifics on the kata details man… specifics!
Sochin:
* I need to get lower in my stance, settle down into it, and take my time on the slow movements.
Bassai Dai:
* U punches done in front stance completely upgright.
* Angle of U punches are stomach and chest, the lower one angled up and the upper one angled down.
* As you step down from the double rising block your back foot slides up, and when the punch comes the back heel plants and you don’t slide.
Jitte:
* The fourth technique (looks like a ridgehand) is actually a downward hooking block with the back of the hand.
* The palm heel strikes are done with arms slightly bent, but not to the degree at which we were previously doing them.
* There is no snap to the mountain posture parts. The torso does the snap, the arms stay in place.
* Crossing the arms before the staff-catching portion is crossed at the elbows and is a slow withdrawal, with the right foot coming back as you come up.
* Both the twisting of the hands and the no-twist sliding of the hands application is correct when doing the “grasping the staff and pulling it away” section of the kata.
* As we previously knew, the pacing of the rising blocks at the end is 1, 2-3, 4. We were reminded to reach sharply in the opposite direction heading into block #3.
That’s all I can remember right now.
Leave A Reply