Ass to shomen, hai!
Mary and I got to train with MASS last night. He was a lot... quieter... than he has been in previous classes. Now, maybe it's because he's been acquiring clue slowly, but it's more likely that it's because Mary was leading warmups and said, "This isn't supposed to hurt. If it hurts you, you're doing it wrong." in response to his grunting and groaning. Fortunately for me, Mary wore the Vaguely Irritated Schoolmarm disguise so I never once busted out laughing during warmups.
I didn't witness this myself, but I guess MASS is bored with his first kata (which they began learning a week ago) and was bugging Sensei during class to let him move on. If he was as precise in motion during kihon as he is before class doing his oft-viewed movie techniques, maybe his request would be considered. Well. Hrrrm. Nahhhhhh. He's also taken to correcting other students (*shudder*) and has developed this laughable tendency to shoulder people out of the way to get to the higher ranking end of the line up. I can't wait until he tries that in an intermediate class, running an offensive line against black and brown belts. That will be educational at best, amusing at worst. Perhaps both.
Actually, last night I sort of started feeling sorry for the guy. He clearly likes to make noise because it makes him feel like he's Doing Something, and he will take any opportunity to interact, even if he has to manufacture it. I watched him surreptitiously in the mirror between classes - he just does NOT know what to do with himself when nobody's looking at him or paying attention to him. There is a calmness of soul and a comfort with himself that is obviously lacking. The sad part, though, is that he could probably find those things at our dojo. Unfortunately, his mind is stuffed so full of what he thinks martial arts is all about that there is no room for anything else. I think he'll have to let go of some (or all) of his preconceptions before he'll be able to get any benefit out of karate.
My last three classes, I've been working intensively on heian sandan. Yesterday, I was lucky to get people to help me with it two classes in a row. I'm getting a better handle on everything every day, and it's starting to show a little bit in my form. So much to remember, though. I'm trying to focus on so much that it feels like overload, but I don't want to be caught flat-footed later on by slopping through the lower ranks and then having to clean up severely as I progress.
I was pretty sore when I got home last night, though, and I'm thinking I might need to take a day off. I thought the knee was getting better, but I zigged when I should have zagged during second class and was not real comfortable with load-bearing when I headed down the stairs for dinner. So, when I got home, my feet were pretty sore (first time I've felt that since first week training), my knee was aching, my hips were stiffening up again, and my shoulder was doing its steady stream of muscular invective in the background. I felt like crap, so I put bruise plaster on the knee and went to bed early. Then I had uneasy karate dreams, hyper-extended the knee while dozing, and jerked awake hacking up a lung as a result of bruise plaster scent + dinner milkshake residue. I never really did get much sleep. Sigh.
Right at this moment, I'm severely disappointed. Training 6 days in a row has been a goal of mine for awhile. But I think I need to do 4 days in a row, 1 day off, then another day. At least this week. I can work up to 6 days slowly and steadily. Right?
I didn't witness this myself, but I guess MASS is bored with his first kata (which they began learning a week ago) and was bugging Sensei during class to let him move on. If he was as precise in motion during kihon as he is before class doing his oft-viewed movie techniques, maybe his request would be considered. Well. Hrrrm. Nahhhhhh. He's also taken to correcting other students (*shudder*) and has developed this laughable tendency to shoulder people out of the way to get to the higher ranking end of the line up. I can't wait until he tries that in an intermediate class, running an offensive line against black and brown belts. That will be educational at best, amusing at worst. Perhaps both.
Actually, last night I sort of started feeling sorry for the guy. He clearly likes to make noise because it makes him feel like he's Doing Something, and he will take any opportunity to interact, even if he has to manufacture it. I watched him surreptitiously in the mirror between classes - he just does NOT know what to do with himself when nobody's looking at him or paying attention to him. There is a calmness of soul and a comfort with himself that is obviously lacking. The sad part, though, is that he could probably find those things at our dojo. Unfortunately, his mind is stuffed so full of what he thinks martial arts is all about that there is no room for anything else. I think he'll have to let go of some (or all) of his preconceptions before he'll be able to get any benefit out of karate.
My last three classes, I've been working intensively on heian sandan. Yesterday, I was lucky to get people to help me with it two classes in a row. I'm getting a better handle on everything every day, and it's starting to show a little bit in my form. So much to remember, though. I'm trying to focus on so much that it feels like overload, but I don't want to be caught flat-footed later on by slopping through the lower ranks and then having to clean up severely as I progress.
I was pretty sore when I got home last night, though, and I'm thinking I might need to take a day off. I thought the knee was getting better, but I zigged when I should have zagged during second class and was not real comfortable with load-bearing when I headed down the stairs for dinner. So, when I got home, my feet were pretty sore (first time I've felt that since first week training), my knee was aching, my hips were stiffening up again, and my shoulder was doing its steady stream of muscular invective in the background. I felt like crap, so I put bruise plaster on the knee and went to bed early. Then I had uneasy karate dreams, hyper-extended the knee while dozing, and jerked awake hacking up a lung as a result of bruise plaster scent + dinner milkshake residue. I never really did get much sleep. Sigh.
Right at this moment, I'm severely disappointed. Training 6 days in a row has been a goal of mine for awhile. But I think I need to do 4 days in a row, 1 day off, then another day. At least this week. I can work up to 6 days slowly and steadily. Right?