master class
May. 18th, 2007 09:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
darren_strangerMr Rozinzsky turned up unexpectedly at training last night, which of course meant an impromptu Mr Roz workout (and i thought i was going to have an easy night just teaching!).
Only a few people turned up for the beginners class, so Mr Roz took a look at David and I doing a couple of patterns, which ended up as a full hour of poomsae instruction while Barry and Phoebe took the white belts (all the yellow belts seem to be off with motorcycle injuries and the like). There were quite a few errors he picked up on, so i've got even more work ahead of me with just over two weeks to the selections, but the pointers were really useful (who'd have thought personal intruction from a 9th Dan grand master could be so informative?).
Perhaps the most important point was in turning with a block, and the idea that i should turn my body first, then block, rather than combine the block with the turn. I'd never heard that before, but once i got my head around it i found it did give more power. Later, i realised i already do that with the first two blocks of Pyongwon, which have generally been my strongest blocks. Another point was that my front stances, both long and short, are too narrow. This was actually good news to me, as i'd been making them narrower as i thought they were too wide, but it never felt right. So i just have to go back a bit to maybe half way. I'm also tense in the shoulders (just for a change!) during a lot of the techniques, so i need to keep them relaxed, as well as keeping chin up and face clam (ie stop grimacing).
In more specific terms, the first move of Taebaek needs a little tweaking, to sit down into the cat stance as i do the block, not while winding up, and the elbow strike needs to be squarer (as in Pyongwon). This also applies to the elbow strike in Taegeuk 7, which i'd never known before, so that will take some getting used to. The grab before the knee strike in T7 also needs to be shown more, while the final side punch needs to be straighter (i've been keeping the elbow bent so as not to jar it, but i've made the punch look like a hook, so i have to bring it back a bit). Taegeuk 8 needs work mostly on the final few moves, which are always the hardest. In Keumgang, i need to watch my hands between the hinge punches, as they're drifting about and often turned up the wrong way during the transition. Finally, the return to junbi seogi at the end of each pattern needs to be more graceful, shifting the weight with the knee bent then straightening as the hands raise (David also suggested waiting a full second after "keuman" before starting the return to junbi). This also applies to a step in Shipjin, with the step from side punch to the opposite horse stance with yoke strike needing to be more graceful and formal, though i'm not sure i quite understand that one and will have to play with it a bit.
After an hour of poomsae, we then the joined with the red belt class for a combined session, starting again with patterns, going through Taegeuk 5 to Koryo, after which i was starting to get a bit knackered. We did one-step for about ten minutes after that, during which i realised i really should start working some new ones out rather than waiting until i have a grading due, just like i'm always telling students. After that was bag kicking, with some basic combinations then the trademark hopping across the hall kicks on the same foot and back again. At this point i could feel my heart running a thousand miles an hour and trying to burst out of my chest, but i didn't drop dead so the old ticker must still be in reasonable nick. The final exercise for the night was in groups of three, with one person defending, one attacker holding a kick bag and the other slapping to the midsection, which was quite a test when already exhausted and, when my turn to defend came, Barry and David intent on keeping me cornered. I didn't manage to hit the bag with much, but found elbow strikes quite effective in the confusion of the moment, and i did manage to get it in between myself and Barry with a grab and knee strike move a few times, though how i would have fared in a real two-on-one i'm not sure, as they had me well cornered right at the end. It's an interesting exercise, though the limited range of strikes that were usable made it defferent to how i'd picture a self defence scenario working.
As usual, it was a night for peeling off a sweat soaked dobok afterwards, which is always a good thing. Mr Roz gave me a lift to the station, which i didn't protest at for once (can't always be so stubborn about being Mr Self Reliance, can i?)
All in all, it was a good night. But boy am i sore today.
Only a few people turned up for the beginners class, so Mr Roz took a look at David and I doing a couple of patterns, which ended up as a full hour of poomsae instruction while Barry and Phoebe took the white belts (all the yellow belts seem to be off with motorcycle injuries and the like). There were quite a few errors he picked up on, so i've got even more work ahead of me with just over two weeks to the selections, but the pointers were really useful (who'd have thought personal intruction from a 9th Dan grand master could be so informative?).
Perhaps the most important point was in turning with a block, and the idea that i should turn my body first, then block, rather than combine the block with the turn. I'd never heard that before, but once i got my head around it i found it did give more power. Later, i realised i already do that with the first two blocks of Pyongwon, which have generally been my strongest blocks. Another point was that my front stances, both long and short, are too narrow. This was actually good news to me, as i'd been making them narrower as i thought they were too wide, but it never felt right. So i just have to go back a bit to maybe half way. I'm also tense in the shoulders (just for a change!) during a lot of the techniques, so i need to keep them relaxed, as well as keeping chin up and face clam (ie stop grimacing).
In more specific terms, the first move of Taebaek needs a little tweaking, to sit down into the cat stance as i do the block, not while winding up, and the elbow strike needs to be squarer (as in Pyongwon). This also applies to the elbow strike in Taegeuk 7, which i'd never known before, so that will take some getting used to. The grab before the knee strike in T7 also needs to be shown more, while the final side punch needs to be straighter (i've been keeping the elbow bent so as not to jar it, but i've made the punch look like a hook, so i have to bring it back a bit). Taegeuk 8 needs work mostly on the final few moves, which are always the hardest. In Keumgang, i need to watch my hands between the hinge punches, as they're drifting about and often turned up the wrong way during the transition. Finally, the return to junbi seogi at the end of each pattern needs to be more graceful, shifting the weight with the knee bent then straightening as the hands raise (David also suggested waiting a full second after "keuman" before starting the return to junbi). This also applies to a step in Shipjin, with the step from side punch to the opposite horse stance with yoke strike needing to be more graceful and formal, though i'm not sure i quite understand that one and will have to play with it a bit.
After an hour of poomsae, we then the joined with the red belt class for a combined session, starting again with patterns, going through Taegeuk 5 to Koryo, after which i was starting to get a bit knackered. We did one-step for about ten minutes after that, during which i realised i really should start working some new ones out rather than waiting until i have a grading due, just like i'm always telling students. After that was bag kicking, with some basic combinations then the trademark hopping across the hall kicks on the same foot and back again. At this point i could feel my heart running a thousand miles an hour and trying to burst out of my chest, but i didn't drop dead so the old ticker must still be in reasonable nick. The final exercise for the night was in groups of three, with one person defending, one attacker holding a kick bag and the other slapping to the midsection, which was quite a test when already exhausted and, when my turn to defend came, Barry and David intent on keeping me cornered. I didn't manage to hit the bag with much, but found elbow strikes quite effective in the confusion of the moment, and i did manage to get it in between myself and Barry with a grab and knee strike move a few times, though how i would have fared in a real two-on-one i'm not sure, as they had me well cornered right at the end. It's an interesting exercise, though the limited range of strikes that were usable made it defferent to how i'd picture a self defence scenario working.
As usual, it was a night for peeling off a sweat soaked dobok afterwards, which is always a good thing. Mr Roz gave me a lift to the station, which i didn't protest at for once (can't always be so stubborn about being Mr Self Reliance, can i?)
All in all, it was a good night. But boy am i sore today.
