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Monday, August 27, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Congratulations to Lily and Scott on their promotion to probationary Black belt on Saturday August 25
Our two newest Black belts along with the current active Black belts (Staff) and special guest instructor Sensei John Sullivan (Springfield VT)
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Arnis and adult Karate class notes - Monday Aug 20 - Sensei Chaisson
Classes last night went well. We had 6 in attendance for the arnis class. We started off with the usual warm ups and light streching. We then took a run through the forms and spent a little time learning new movements on empty hand forms 4 and 5. We then moved on to the locking series and finished off with trapping hands with a focus on the timing and observations of when the timing changes. We ended with a short discusion on how even moves that may seem like they only have one beat to them, still have three parts that can be counted as beats: intercept/block, neutralize, and counter.
The karate class had 8 in attendance. We went through the 10 exercises as well as some warm ups, strengthening drills, and partner streching. The rest of the class was more focused on material requested by Scott and Lily since they have a big day coming up. We worked heavily on SD. The energy in the room was very light and each group was working on aspects of SD that they wanted to focus on, with a little guidance as well. We then moved on to the locking series and ended with some rolls.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Tai Chi class notes - Saturday Aug 11 - Sandy
Saturday's Tai Chi Class was tiny but very uplifting. It was just Wes and myself. We started with our warm ups and then went right into the solo form. Since it was just us, we did the form without music or count. It took us 50 minutes to get through the form as we stopped, reviewed and discussed postures that Wes had questions on. We worked on the kicks, concentrating on balance, structure, alignment. Importance of tucking the tail bone and lifting the head. We really got a lot out of doing this, Wes was so happy. It really gave my a boost to refine these postures. When we were done, Wes requested working on the left side of the form. So we worked on part one. I explained to him, if you get confused go back to the right side of that posture, look at it and then recreate it on the left side. We ended with that. It was a wonderful and helpful class for both of us. Thank you, Sandy
Adult Karate Class Report 8-9-12 Angus Reid leading
Adult Karate Class Report 8-9-12
Angus Reid leading, four other students attending
Had a small but fun adult class with one brown, one green, one yellow,
and one white belt. I'm very interested lately in finding ways to
improve active flexibility - flexibility you can access and use in
movement, rather than just in stretching, and also the relationship
between passive and dynamic stretches and when it's best to do each.
We did the 10, 5x kicks, and the Wallace kicking drill, with an
emphasis on full extension and contraction. I wanted to build to a
2-person throw drill, so we started off with the most basic of pushing
hands, where one person at a time in each pair tried to off-balance
their partner with just a hand on the chest, seeking the center of
balance. We then moved to basic push-hands, which was not totally new
to them, but definitely still at a low level of development, except
for Simon, who performed well. Following this we practiced one at a
time stepping into our partner's stance and taking their space, with
emphasis on the distance and contact. We then made it a back-and-forth
drill, so we could practice both applying and escaping from the throw.
Angus Reid leading, four other students attending
Had a small but fun adult class with one brown, one green, one yellow,
and one white belt. I'm very interested lately in finding ways to
improve active flexibility - flexibility you can access and use in
movement, rather than just in stretching, and also the relationship
between passive and dynamic stretches and when it's best to do each.
We did the 10, 5x kicks, and the Wallace kicking drill, with an
emphasis on full extension and contraction. I wanted to build to a
2-person throw drill, so we started off with the most basic of pushing
hands, where one person at a time in each pair tried to off-balance
their partner with just a hand on the chest, seeking the center of
balance. We then moved to basic push-hands, which was not totally new
to them, but definitely still at a low level of development, except
for Simon, who performed well. Following this we practiced one at a
time stepping into our partner's stance and taking their space, with
emphasis on the distance and contact. We then made it a back-and-forth
drill, so we could practice both applying and escaping from the throw.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Youth Karate - Tuesday, August 14, 2012
One to one ratio today with 4 students and 4 instructors. Warmups included the 10 exercises and floor kicks. We paired up for hamstring stretching with our partners pushing on our backs, making sure to go through the different kicking positions of our feet while we stretched.
Then we did some work on thrust kicks and side kicks. I did a short demonstration for each kick, but left it up to the partnerships whether they wanted to do stationary, moving, distancing, etc. for each kick.
Those kicks were then worked on in the self defense ground kick drill. We emphasized to keep the head up and not kick your partner with any force. I was planning some other SD stuff, but we only had time for some kata work, and to watch Simon's kata in front of the group.
Then we did some work on thrust kicks and side kicks. I did a short demonstration for each kick, but left it up to the partnerships whether they wanted to do stationary, moving, distancing, etc. for each kick.
Those kicks were then worked on in the self defense ground kick drill. We emphasized to keep the head up and not kick your partner with any force. I was planning some other SD stuff, but we only had time for some kata work, and to watch Simon's kata in front of the group.
Modern Arnis Class Notes 08.13.2012
Dave, Scott, Thomas with Luke assisting
Quick warm up followed by work on the disarms and counters. Spent all but 5 minutes of class on the disarms. For some it was gaining the techniques for 1-12 for others we worked increasing the depth of the skill.
Ended with a review of the counter for counter locking series.
time flew by.
-Phil
Quick warm up followed by work on the disarms and counters. Spent all but 5 minutes of class on the disarms. For some it was gaining the techniques for 1-12 for others we worked increasing the depth of the skill.
Ended with a review of the counter for counter locking series.
time flew by.
-Phil
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Youth Karate - Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Four students with Lily and Jack assisting. After the 10, we partnered up for snap kicks and angle kicks to pads. Had a good discussion about when it was appropriate to use these for self-defense.
Lily and Jack led through the katas while I started setup for an SD obstacle course. We practiced safe dropping to the floor (as that was one of the obstacles) and then went on to the course.
There was crawling through a small space, jumping to touch something high, weaving through obstacles on the floor, jumping over obstacles, people swinging at you with bats, and Bob to strike your way through. The kids had a lot of fun with this. After a practice run, we did several rounds relay style, and they tried to beat their time as a team.
A little combination linework to pads, and one more round of the obstacle course finished out class.
Lily and Jack led through the katas while I started setup for an SD obstacle course. We practiced safe dropping to the floor (as that was one of the obstacles) and then went on to the course.
There was crawling through a small space, jumping to touch something high, weaving through obstacles on the floor, jumping over obstacles, people swinging at you with bats, and Bob to strike your way through. The kids had a lot of fun with this. After a practice run, we did several rounds relay style, and they tried to beat their time as a team.
A little combination linework to pads, and one more round of the obstacle course finished out class.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Adult Karate class notes - Monday 8/6/12 - Sensei Reid
Adult Karate Class Report 8-6-12
Angus Reid leading, Jeff Chaisson assisting, 7 other students attending
Great stretching weather tonight. After the 10, we did a self-led
warm-up that consisted of "do 100 kicks, then stretch". Everyone chose
their own techniques and went at their own pace.
Afterwards, I put a bunch of possible training activities on the
whiteboard, and let everyone vote. Chosen were Trapping hands/SD;
Forms; Rolls; and Sparring. We spent roughly 15 minutes on each.
People's rolls are definitely improving, though a few students report
they are feeling the impact on their shoulder when they first hit the
mat, which shouldn't be the case. I spent some time trying to diagnose
the problem with Dylan, and I think it's caused by throwing one's
shoulder at the mat as the first point of contact, rather than keeping
the arm one should be rolling on strong and rigid, moving forward onto
it like it's the rim of a tire. We'll try these again on Thursday and
see if we can make some more improvement.
I was pleased to see Chelsea in class, as I haven't seen her in
classes I've been present for recently. She did well enough on the
kicking warm-up, and I worked one-on-one with her for the trapping
hands. She didn't have any enthusiasm initially, but she seemed to
warm to it. I noticed she became more enthusiastic when there were
clearly stated numbers of repetitions we were going to do, or little
goals. For instance, I told her "let's each do five of these, taking
turns", and later, "let's see if we can do 10 in a row without messing
up". She also seemed to like to show me that she already knew what I
was going to do as the next step, and was eager to move into applying
the arm bar out of the trapping hands and from the overhead attack.
I know she likes sparring, so I had thought that knowing that we were
definitely going to do that in the class would keep her motivated, but
unfortunately, when we moved on to forms, she asked to be excused and
went to call her grandfather to be picked up. For any other
16-year-old student in the adult program, if they asked to be excused
from the rest of a class for some reason, I would certainly not say
"no, you must stay", but Chelsea, I realize, might be a special case?
Are there instructions for dealing with her when she has problems in
class?
Apart from that, it was great to be training in the room with such
great people.
Angus Reid leading, Jeff Chaisson assisting, 7 other students attending
Great stretching weather tonight. After the 10, we did a self-led
warm-up that consisted of "do 100 kicks, then stretch". Everyone chose
their own techniques and went at their own pace.
Afterwards, I put a bunch of possible training activities on the
whiteboard, and let everyone vote. Chosen were Trapping hands/SD;
Forms; Rolls; and Sparring. We spent roughly 15 minutes on each.
People's rolls are definitely improving, though a few students report
they are feeling the impact on their shoulder when they first hit the
mat, which shouldn't be the case. I spent some time trying to diagnose
the problem with Dylan, and I think it's caused by throwing one's
shoulder at the mat as the first point of contact, rather than keeping
the arm one should be rolling on strong and rigid, moving forward onto
it like it's the rim of a tire. We'll try these again on Thursday and
see if we can make some more improvement.
I was pleased to see Chelsea in class, as I haven't seen her in
classes I've been present for recently. She did well enough on the
kicking warm-up, and I worked one-on-one with her for the trapping
hands. She didn't have any enthusiasm initially, but she seemed to
warm to it. I noticed she became more enthusiastic when there were
clearly stated numbers of repetitions we were going to do, or little
goals. For instance, I told her "let's each do five of these, taking
turns", and later, "let's see if we can do 10 in a row without messing
up". She also seemed to like to show me that she already knew what I
was going to do as the next step, and was eager to move into applying
the arm bar out of the trapping hands and from the overhead attack.
I know she likes sparring, so I had thought that knowing that we were
definitely going to do that in the class would keep her motivated, but
unfortunately, when we moved on to forms, she asked to be excused and
went to call her grandfather to be picked up. For any other
16-year-old student in the adult program, if they asked to be excused
from the rest of a class for some reason, I would certainly not say
"no, you must stay", but Chelsea, I realize, might be a special case?
Are there instructions for dealing with her when she has problems in
class?
Apart from that, it was great to be training in the room with such
great people.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Tai Chi class notes - Thursday 8/2/12 - Sandy
Thursday 8/2/12 Tai Chi Class
Thursday class was small but informative. Nancy was there, it was so good to see her back. Janee, Marty and Max were with us (Max left during the warm ups, moving day for him. Very exciting). We did our warm ups at a good slow pace, Nancy did only the ones she was comfortable with.....which was most of them. She is amazing! After that we went directly into the form. After this I focused on Nancy and any questions she had to bring her back up to speed. So we picked apart pieces of the form, parting the wild horses mane, diagional flying (position differences), we talked about the kick sequence and so on. We referred to Sifu Hayward's manual. What a great book! Focusing on Nancy helped all of us and her questions opened up a lot of discussion. It was a very informative class...and fun too. Thank you! Sandy
Thursday class was small but informative. Nancy was there, it was so good to see her back. Janee, Marty and Max were with us (Max left during the warm ups, moving day for him. Very exciting). We did our warm ups at a good slow pace, Nancy did only the ones she was comfortable with.....which was most of them. She is amazing! After that we went directly into the form. After this I focused on Nancy and any questions she had to bring her back up to speed. So we picked apart pieces of the form, parting the wild horses mane, diagional flying (position differences), we talked about the kick sequence and so on. We referred to Sifu Hayward's manual. What a great book! Focusing on Nancy helped all of us and her questions opened up a lot of discussion. It was a very informative class...and fun too. Thank you! Sandy
Friday, August 3, 2012
Modern Arnis Class Notes 08.01.2012
Private lesson with Phil & Scott (had a few call outs)
With Scott's upcoming BlackBelt test I tried to gear the time towards good crossover material.
After a quick warm up, we went strait to the handshake series with left and right hands. I made sure we brought every lock to slap, and we made the time at each lock to make sure the positioning of the lever and fulcrum were solid and the the body was providing the juice for the locks. Scott did very well at incorporating adjustment s on the right side over to the left side.
We then moved on the RR counter for counter series left and right. We worked on a number of items in this drill including reversing energies leading up to the standing center and backwards throw.
Reviewed the sinawalis.
Then moved on to some trapping, and added locks and throws to ground.
Nice practice.
-Phil
With Scott's upcoming BlackBelt test I tried to gear the time towards good crossover material.
After a quick warm up, we went strait to the handshake series with left and right hands. I made sure we brought every lock to slap, and we made the time at each lock to make sure the positioning of the lever and fulcrum were solid and the the body was providing the juice for the locks. Scott did very well at incorporating adjustment s on the right side over to the left side.
We then moved on the RR counter for counter series left and right. We worked on a number of items in this drill including reversing energies leading up to the standing center and backwards throw.
Reviewed the sinawalis.
Then moved on to some trapping, and added locks and throws to ground.
Nice practice.
-Phil
2 Person Work Notes 08.01.2012
Phil, Dave R., Bob, Read
Spent a lot of time on locks with Dave and Bob reviewing the handshake series. I occasionally consulted on order and transitions.
Read and I reviewed once through each side of the dance. Spent some time on the Rolland counter for counter locking series. Worked corto/largo versions with little footwork/full stepping.
Read and I reviewed the double broadsword.
Bob and Dave worked some trapping hands, then Read and I joined the trapping hands mix.
Bob and I both had to leave a little early, and Read and Dave were working on some single sinawali when I left.
Nice practice, and great to have Dave join us.
-Phil
Spent a lot of time on locks with Dave and Bob reviewing the handshake series. I occasionally consulted on order and transitions.
Read and I reviewed once through each side of the dance. Spent some time on the Rolland counter for counter locking series. Worked corto/largo versions with little footwork/full stepping.
Read and I reviewed the double broadsword.
Bob and Dave worked some trapping hands, then Read and I joined the trapping hands mix.
Bob and I both had to leave a little early, and Read and Dave were working on some single sinawali when I left.
Nice practice, and great to have Dave join us.
-Phil
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