Senpai Mel’s
Anecdote
“This is the hardest thing you will
do”…all of you have heard this from Sensei in the first week you started
karate.
Some believed it, some
didn’t and some were just plain skeptical.
Honestly, I was skeptical
having done marathons, long distance sailing races (a week or two at sea)
and major wilderness hikes for over a week.
All of these take a
certain amount of cerebral and physical stamina, so karate didn’t seem like
a big deal…well…not until you really get into it.
In the beginning it seems
like skepticism was indeed warranted.
But what is really
revealing is that there is a very subtle ramp up of a combination of
complexity and exertion.
You start off with
elementary punches/blocks/kicks and a first kata called saisho, which
appears to be simple as you are guided through all of this with lots of
coaching attention by Sensei and the Senpais.
By the time you are a
green belt things have reached a new level of accelerated learning and Heian
Yondan’s complexity begins to get a bit harder.
A bit?
Exertion?
Everyone is sweating with
wet gi’s after practice at this stage.
By the time you reach the
first jump in a kata, Heian Godan you are now beginning to be impressed.
Godan
is relatively simple
compared to the 270 jump in Empi.
Just when you think you
have that sort of figured out Dan candidates have Unsu…a 360 jump with two
kicks, with very few that have the ability to actually execute without
modification.
Yep, this keeps on coming
at you relentlessly.
You gotta love it!
So why is it the hardest
thing you will do?
I think it is a very
unique combination of mental and physical concentration.
As I said, there is new
stuff that comes at you all the time.
Some of it may appear to
be easy but you can bet it will not be, especially if you do all the moves
at full speed with snap, kime and that mythical intensity.
Did I mention “intensity”?
Merely punching hard and
fast is not enough.
Punching through the
opponent or through a bag explosively with a focus of energy is.
Timing in a kata with a
series of “explosions” is.
Oh yes timing…combining
the finesse slow moves with explosive strikes, blocks and kicks all at the
right time are truly the “art” of martial arts.