Just A Thought

Today is the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 12:49:00 +0000

How Much Do I Remember?

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 16:49:00 +0000

No one was in the building. I walked into the dimly lit warehouse and found an open floor space. I wanted to know how much I remembered...if anything at all. And so I began....

Anxiety Sucks

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 16:08:00 +0000

My face was pressed against the window in the back seat of the family’s green station wagon. I sat quietly waiting for my dad to finish work. I watched as he walked out the door and locked it. Then the ritual began but I did not know what I was witnessing at the time. He reached for the door handle and shook it three times. My father walked down the short flight of steps and looked back at the door. He proceeded back up the steps and grabbed the door handle again and shook it hard. Three times. Repeat.

At the time, I had no idea what I was witnessing. I was only seven or eight years old at the time. However, as an adult, I can say this is my first memory of anxiety. Now I can recognize the signs of anxiety with ease. It’s the little things. It is the food that can’t touch each other on a dinner plate. It is the patterned blanket that can only be facing one direction. It is the nervousness to carry a water bottle in a theater. It is the glasses, keys and pen that must sit just right on the counter. It is the ritual of setting the breakfast table in proper sequence. It is the person sitting in the corner quietly on their phone during social events.

It manifests differently in each person. In my case, it started as a teenager and continued through college. The anxiety focused on electricity and fire. So curling irons, hair dryers and crock puts became a source of stress. I was so aware of my anxiety and I hated it. It was a waste of time and I knew I was transferring my anxiety onto these objects. When Erin was born, I had no time for it any longer. I had to focus on her and I stopped.

Fast forward seventeen years later. It is different but it is back and I want it to go away.

Sadness

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 18:59:00 +0000

Haven't been this sad in a long time.

I Have A Blog?

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 19:15:00 +0000

Yes...yes I do.

Sometimes I forget.

Just a quick note to say "Hello!" to all the readers who still stumble upon this blog from time to time. There is not much...ok I mean nothing...to report on karate. This is my first prolonged absence from the dojo and training. I miss my instructors. I miss my friends. I miss my fellow karate blog friends. I miss training.

During the summer, I was at the IKKF Annual Training event. I was hoping the event would catapult me back in to training. I spoke to Hanshi Hayes during a break in the sessions. I mentioned my lapse in training and he told me not to worry because "it was about the long term commitment".

So here I am....focusing on the the long term commitment.

I will be back.

Teaching Your Own Child Karate

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

My daughter turns 14 years old next week. In a few weeks, she will graduate 8^th grade. In a few months, she will start high school. In a few short years, she will head off to college.

Time flies like an arrow…

A few weeks ago, she mentioned in passing about learning karate. (We have been down this road before). She wants me to teach her and she wants to learn via private lessons. I did not give this much thought at the time because I was in the process of driving her from one play practice to another. The truth is…she simply did not have the time. (Historical society play, School play, Living Stations, Mathletes, Declamation Contest, Softball, homework).

Yesterday, Erin expressed interest in learning the tunfa. I handed her my favorite set of Shureido tunfa and we went outside dressed in sweatpants and t-shirts. There were no gi, no belts, no mirrors and we were barefoot on the grass.

It was a good training session.

Questions:

Do you teach your own child karate?

Private lessons or class environment?

What are your biggest challenges?

At what age did your child start learning?

I am inclined to have her learn privately and in a class setting. My main concern is she is so busy with other activities that she will not have the time to study karate.

PS. Hello Readers! It has been a few months since I posted. I hope everyone is doing well.

Listen....

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Listen...to your body.

In mid December, my sister Kim had surgery on her foot to correct a Haglund's Deformity and Plantar Fasciitis. After the surgery, she had a list of instructions such as no weight bearing (crutches) and elevation for four weeks. Kim wore a surgical boot for six weeks.

My sister is not the type of person who is content being at home. She is on the go....all the time. Two weeks into her recovery, she asked me to take her to a jewelry making class a few towns away. Kim assured me it was O.K. with her doctor because she was able to elevate her foot during the class. On the ride to the bead shop, she told me her calf was sore for about two days and was not getting any better.

My sister was convinced she had a blood clot.

The ultrasound test in the ER the next morning confirmed her suspicion. The ER doctor kept her for observation because if the blood clot would shift it would travel to her lung. The blood clot was in her ankle and was a result of the surgery. The doctor said her blood clot was diagnosed early. Kim returned home after an overnight stay in the hospital, blood tests, injections and a regime of cumadin

I am glad my sister was listening....

White Envelope

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:38:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, I was handed a white envelope by Fritz who is one of my training partners. The content of the envelope....pictures. I don't know about you but I don't like to get my picture taken. I thanked Fritz and put the white envelope in my weapon bag. It remained buried in the bag until I discovered the pictures last Wednesday during a black belt workout. The pictures were taken in June 2012 during IKKF testing. I paged through the photos critiquing my stances and weapon positions (bo, tekkos). Did I mention that I hate getting my picture taken?

I guess I am feeling brave or perhaps crazy because I am sharing a few of the photos from the white envelope on the Photos page.

Might As Well Jump

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 13:00:00 +0000

An article from Science Daily:

Go Ahead and Jump: Learning How to Properly Jump and Land Can Help Female Athletes Avoid Serious Knee Injuries

Female athletes tear their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) six to eight times more than male athletes who play the same sport. A leading sports medicine surgeon believes incorporating a jumping and landing program into a regular training regimen can help keep women on the field and out of the operating room.

"The jump program not only strengthens the knee, but it also help teach female athletes the motor control required to cut, jump and land properly," said Kelly Osburn, a Methodist Center for Sports Medicine physical therapist who helps female athletes recover from ACL injuries. "Most of my patients leave physical therapy stronger than they were before their injury."

Jumping is one area that I still feel insecure about during karate training...even after 5 years. My ACL tear occurred while landing a jump on a matted surface.

Reader Question: What if the fear of injury...isn't your own?

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Hello blog readers!

I received a kind email from Carolyn and she asked the following question:

"What if the fear of injury...isn't your own?"

I ask because... I've seen students leave martial arts because their parents don't want them to start sparring, or get hurt in some other way. More tragically, these students are usually girls.

Watching someone be forced away from something they enjoy because of someone else's concerns breaks my heart.

Thanks again for your email and question!

Quiet

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 21:20:00 +0000

This blog is too quiet.

I miss writing.
I miss my blog friends.
I miss the exchange of ideas.
I miss reading and learning.

I will be in touch soon.

Michele

Out of Balance

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:00:00 +0000

It has been about 8 weeks since I was in the dojo. This was the first time I decided to take a break. In the past, my breaks from training were due to my work schedule or an injury (ACL). Since the dojo is attached to my house, taking a break is significant.

However, I am feeling miserable because my life is out of balance.

These weeks have been extremely busy. I coordinated a raffle, worked a full-time and two part-time jobs. A large portion of time was spent transporting my daughter to camp, play practice, a science institute and soccer practice. I am also dealing with some life stressors which include a family member’s medical issues and extended unemployment.

It has been a difficult two months.

Last night, I decided to stop feeling miserable. My first order of business is to resume karate practice.

Immediately.

Tonight.

I hope I will be feeling a little less miserable tomorrow.

Question - Total Knee Replacement / Karate

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 11:37:00 +0000

Hello Readers,

A karate friend asked me to post a question on the blog.

Do you know anyone who had a TKR (total knee replacement) and was able to continue karate training?

Thoughts? Insights?

Catching Up

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 11:00:00 +0000

I am trying to catch up on everything from paperwork to my Google Reader.

A blog "To Do" list:

Update the recommended links column. If you have a martial arts, karate or ACL blog and would like to be included as a recommended link, please leave a comment on this post.

Write an "About Me" post. The page has been marked Coming Soon for about a year.

Post on a weekly basis.

Respond to email requests.

Thank You

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:00:00 +0000

It has been a busy few months.

In March, I was notified by my instructor that I would be testing on June 29, 2012 at the IKKF Annual Training in Reading, Pennsylvania. I spent a lot of time training over the last few months. There has been little time to write a cohesive blog post. As I reflect over the preparation, seminars and formal testing, the phrase which immediately comes to mind is “Thank You”.

Thank You to my instructors, Hanshi and Kyoshi Heilman for your encouragement, support and confidence in my ability.

Thank You to my training partners for your time and patience.

Thank You to my family for your understanding and assistance.

Thank You to the Dojo and Federation community for your words of support.

Thank You and Congratulations to all fellow testing candidates!

The results: I passed the test and was promoted to 6th Dan Karate, 6th Dan Kobudo.

More and Less

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Over the last few months, I have been training more and writing less.

A few thoughts...

1. Pay close attention. Some of the best tips / connections are the brief comments made by instructors. You need to be ready to listen and apply the concepts.

2.  Open your mind and receive information.

3.  Be grateful for correction.

4. Accept the help and support of others.

5.  Take a deep breath when you are feeling overwhelmed.

6. Identify and highlight your strengths.

7. Identify and minimize your weaknesses.

8. Persist.

9. Enjoy!

ACL Reconstruction - Five Years

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:03:00 +0000

May 15, 2012 was the 5 year anniversary of my ACL surgery. Five years!

The initial purpose of this blog was to interact and document my recovery from surgery and my return path to karate. The anniversary posts are important to me. They serve as a reminder of how far I have come and how fragile the human body can be. I tore my ACL landing a jump during a two person form. It was not a contact injury rather my body turned against itself. My foot planted and my knee went in the opposite direction.

The truth is that I have been thinking a lot about my knee lately. I have been training hard and pushing my knee with intensity. After some practice sessions, my knee feels gooey (it is the best word I can use to describe it). I have been training on several different flooring surfaces - carpet, mat, padded surface. I have a variety of knee braces in my locker which I normally do not use. Last month, I bought a thin brace at the drugstore after a knee challenging workout. The thin brace provides support without restricting movement.

And then there is jumping...

I have been hesitant to jump in kata since my recovery. I do the jumps...kind of. I added a column to my spreadsheet and listed the number of jumping techniques in kata (19) and the number of times you drop to one knee (13), The numbers are approximate because I keep finding more. The worst knee moment for me is landing a jump kick on my right (reconstructed ACL) leg. I hesitate and hesitation is not good. I am at a point in my training where I need to do the jumps.

Best of luck to all who are going through ACL surgery and recovery! Thank you for all the emails over the past five years with your questions and comments. Check out my ACL links page for more information. If anyone would like to share their ACL success story and write a guest post, feel free to contact me.

Spreadsheet Karate

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

In my work life, everything has a spreadsheet: sale forecasts, production plans, customer master lists, inventory, purchase orders, bookings and invoices. At home, I use spreadsheets to track my monthly expenses and balance my checkbook. I even put my Christmas gift purchases on Excel. Spreadsheets are easily converted into charts and graphs. The rows, columns and cells help me stay organized.

Over the next two months, my goal is to be organized in my karate training. I started a personal karate training log. I considered using this blog as a place to record my training. I decided against it because the post format would be cumbersome to scroll through. I decided to create a spreadsheet. I set up a separate worksheet for karate and kobudo. The far left column lists the name of the form - 19 open hand kata and 27 kobudo kata (8 different weapons). The rows across the top are separated by week.

I recognize that spreadsheets are not for everyone. My sister Kim is a creative person with a career in marketing/communications. She designs websites and makes jewelry in her spare time. Kim hates spreadsheets and does not use them for work or at home.

I don't know if I will even like or find a karate training spreadsheet useful. Only time will tell...

Do you have a training journal? Is it a spreadsheet?

ACL Injuries in Women

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:33:00 +0000

From Science Daily:

For some reason, women tend to have knee motions that make them more susceptible to injury. Among other things, when landing from a jump their knees tend to collapse inward more than that of most men. They suffer significantly more ACL injuries during physical activity. "We're finding differences in nervous system processing that we believe are related to this," Johnson said. "The causes for those differences are unclear, but it may be due either to a biological difference, such as hormones, or a cultural difference such as different exercise and training patterns."

One...Two...Three

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:00:00 +0000

We count a lot in karate class. One...two...three...ichi...ni...san.

In the beginner classes, it is an easy way to keep everyone together and practice safely. Counting/pausing gives the instructor an opportunity to view the class and offer corrections. We practice kata to a count, we count during drills and basics and we count turns when working with a partner.   Counting becomes less evident in the advanced classes and almost non-existent in the black belt class.

There is a downside to counting.  It gives the students an unnatural beat or tempo to execute their techniques.

one...pause...two...pause...three...pause.
block down...pause...punch...pause...step...pause.

We were working on tempo this week in the dojo.  The goal was to accelerate the beat and break out of the monotone count of a kata.

one,two,three...pause...one, two...pause...one, two, three....
block down, punch, step...pause...knife hand, punch...pause...kosa, step, block down

The class noticed they had preferences and certain kata were easier for them to break free of the standard count.   The dojo will be working on this concept again next week and in the upcoming months.

A big thanks to Kyoshi Baer for the training suggestion at a recent seminar!

Habit

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. - Aristotle

Karate Provides Options

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I am a parent, karate instructor and co-owner of a traditional dojo. School bullying is a complex topic that affects children, parents, teachers, school administrators and medical professionals. In studying karate, we learn control, self-defense and courtesy. In our dojo, kids who start fights or engage in bullying behavior are asked to leave.

My initial exposure to bullying was from karate students who came to class and shared stories about their day. The students would talk about bullies, the fear of riding the bus and frustration because teachers often did not witness the taunting. The bullies were smart, sneaky and inherently mean.

My daughter was bullied in elementary school. It is agony to watch your happy, smart, kind child begin to hate school. In second grade, my daughter announced, “I am a clique of one.” In third grade, she suffered with stomach problems and told the school nurse, “The kids have been mean for a while. Now that they are older, they just find new ways to be mean.” In fourth grade, the homeroom teacher explained how my daughter had a larger view of the world and the other kids “will catch up”.

Two examples from our dojo:

Student at a crossroad

A parent brought his 11 year old son to the dojo for karate lessons. The parent asked if we would accept his son as a student. He cautioned us that other parents did not want their kids around his son because he was in trouble at school. The young boy was constantly picked on and tormented by other kids in his class. One day, the boy took a butter knife to school in his backpack with the intention to use it against the school bully. The teacher found the knife and luckily no one was hurt.

A young boy took a knife to school because he felt he had no other choice.

The father wanted his son to learn self-defense. We accepted the young boy as a student despite the protests of other dojo parents. The boy loved karate and found his place in the dojo community. He studied karate for 4 years. He was taught to use his voice, de-escalate or simply walk away. He knew techniques to escape and control. He learned options.

Target turned bully

A father brought his son to the dojo to learn self-defense. The pre-teen was bullied at school and on the bus. The father was excited to watch his son in karate class. After 8 months, the father informed us that his son had “learned enough”. He left the dojo. A few weeks later, we discovered the child became the bully. The father encouraged his behavior. We were heartbroken.

Whenever I research the topic of bullying and the role of a karate program, I inevitably ask more questions than find answers. Dr. Jay Carter, author and lecturer, suggests that traditional martial arts are excellent for the bully because it provides physical activity and a code of ethics. Dr. Carter led a program on anti-bullying at my daughter’s school for the students, educators and parents. His comment made me wonder who would be better served in a karate program – the bully or the target.

I would love karate training to a solution for the anti-bully movement, but there are limits to what a program can offer. Learning karate takes time. The decision when to use the karate training is not up to the instructor. Parents of school aged children need to be involved in the decision as to what is appropriate for their child. We do not use the words “You should” or “You shouldn’t” rather we present multiple options and levels of responses.

I can only speak from the perspective of a parent and a karate instructor. Through the years, I have witnessed shy children blossom into confident teenagers. At a wedding of former student, the father of the bride made a point to stop at our table. He thanked us for the time his daughter spent in the dojo. He believed karate training helped shape the self-assured woman who stood before us. I watched my own daughter find her voice to stand up to bullies and help others in need.

My conclusion is simple. Karate can be a component in a bully prevention plan because karate training teaches us options. Increased confidence and self-esteem aid in the decision making process. We can decide how to respond – avoid, de-escalate, use your voice, walk away, escape or control. Perhaps a young boy wouldn’t need to hide a butter knife in his backpack because he felt he had no other choice.

What Would You Do?

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Last weekend, I led a small group session on the topic of women’s self-defense. The group was great because they added to the discussion and asked good questions. The exchange prompted me to remember and share an incident which happened years ago.

I have been thinking about it and wonder if/how our reaction to the situation would be different today. It could be a great scenario for John Quinones series Primetime: What Would You Do? It is a hidden camera show that captures how people react to real-life ethical dilemmas that call for action. Excellent show.

Scenario:

A few of my family members went on a day trip to Atlantic City. We left early in the morning and were not expected to arrive home until well after midnight. Since we were getting home late, we decided to stay over night at my parent’s house. We woke to a loud banging at the front door. My Aunt thought it was my sister coming home late. My sister was asleep in her bed.

It was a man standing alone on the porch pounding on the front door with his fist. It was 3:00 a.m. He was yelling “Domestic violence! Domestic violence!” Now the whole household was awake - except for my Dad who can sleep through anything. Looking out the window, there was no one else in the street.

What would you do?

I would love to hear your comments! I will share how the incident played out for us in the next post.

Smorgasbord

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Wow...it has been three weeks since I posted! Once again, I am working too much.

A few thoughts:

1. Green Belt Students and Stances: A 6th kyu green belt in our dojo has approximately 12-15 months of training. Expectations are elevated and weapons training begins. It is no coincidence that this also happens to be the same time frame where students decided to take a break or stop training. We work on stances (directly and indirectly) in every karate class - drills, kata, explanation, details. In kobudo, stances change based on the range of the weapon. The green belt students seem to be having a difficult time transitioning from the kobudo stance to the karate stance.

You can read an excellent article on kobudo stances written by IKKF President Hanshi Heilman here and here. (Side note - A 13 year younger version of me is in a few of the illustration photos).

2. Women's Self-Defense/Awareness/Prevention Classes: I taught a session last weekend. It was a nice group. The only problem - way too short. Several women want additional training. Personally, the hardest part about teaching these sessions is the brief length compared to the amount of information. I hope the prevention/awareness portion of the class will prompt the participants to think further about their own personal prevention and awareness strategies.

3. Kyu Rank Testing: We had a scheduled kyu rank testing on March 15th. The group did well.

4. Daughter Update: My daughter has not missed a karate class. I do not prompt or remind her to attend. Karate is her decision. I will help/guide when asked.

5. Lenten Challenge Update: I am doing pretty good with the challenge. There was one week I missed a few days but I am back on track.

6. Congratulations to Ariel and A Journey to Shodan on their recent promotions.

That's all for now....

Basic / Advanced

noreply@blogger.com (Michele) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

These words are used regularly in a dojo setting. We practice basics, drill basics, learn advanced techniques, attend advanced class, basic bunkai, advanced bunkai and so on...

Basic - of, relating to, or forming the base or essence: fundamental

Advanced - far on in time or course, being beyond others in progress or ideas

Do you remember your first karate lesson? During my first class, a black belt was pulled out of class to work with me individually. He showed me how to punch, a few stances, blocks. We walked through the first kata and waza. Mr. Z explained the dojo layout, dojo etiquette and the elements of a typical class. It was an important day in my karate journey. After 19 years, I am still practicing and refining the lessons learned on the first day.

As a class instructor, I have another perspective. Have you ever told the "advanced" class the focus of the session would be on basics? Did you take notice to the reaction? I have seen green/brown belt students practically deflate at the mention of basics. Some students become so focused on "advanced" or "new" material that basics are neglected. They can demonstrate the next kata but struggle with first kata. Do the students hear the word basic and think boring and repetitive?

In a mixed class of beginners and advanced kyu rank students, the students should be practicing at their level. The beginner who is just learning a technique may be focused on pattern, direction or sequence of movement. A more experienced practitioner can work on the same technique and focus on breath, intent, timing and visualization.

In my opinion, it is important to utilize practice time to its fullest potential.

Welcome new blog follower Gina from Ginger Snaps and Ryan from Ryukyu Martial arts!