For those that don’t see me too often I thought I’d give you all an update as to what we’ve been working on lately…. The opening of the spine in both directions To not only stretch the spine upwards, but to also feel like you have a weight attached to the coccyx, pulling it downwards to open the spaces between the vertebrae.  This goes along with the idea of ‘parking’ the spine and you cannot help but ‘loosen up’ through the ankles, knees and hips at the same time.  This also allows you to be more sensitive to gently pulling the PC muscle to create the ‘bowing’ of the spine and limbs. Using the waist to change the hands. The hands are always ‘driven’ by the waist.  We never ‘throw’ them. When changing the hand technique it must be ‘spiralled’ into change from the waist displacing the opponent at the same time, we have been paying particular attention to grasp sparrow’s tail (as ever), single whip, shoulder stoke, stork cools wings, cloud hands and fair lady plays at shuttles, but the idea is in all techniques. Continuous movement from the waist. The waist never stops and as it’s driving the…

"Ji Yu Kata is a natural evolution of formal kata training." Sensei was beginning the lesson. "In some ways it is like formal kata but in other ways very, very different. Tonight I'm going to show you why...." It looks like it's going to be an interesting lesson. "If your formal kata training doesn't lead to ji yu it will definitely be lacking." ‘Ji Yu' means ‘free style' and most people these days when they hear the words ‘free style' kata think of music, flashing lights, glittery gi's, box splits, flips and cartwheels, but we knew that Sensei wouldn't be talking about that! "Okay guys, pair off." We each found a partner. "What I'd like you to do now is for one to attack the other in slow motion using a ‘street type' of attack from any angle. The defender should wait until the attack is initiated and react in slow motion with a strike that would disable the attacker."

I love sanchin, a ‘core' kata to many karate systems, it adds the qigong aspect, harmonising mind, breath and body. It consists of three sections gradually increasing the level of difficulty in physical co-ordination and breathing technique. In the first section you move one side at a time opening and closing one side of the body with a whole breath followed by a half breath (to prevent dizziness), in the second section you move opening and closing both sides of the body at the same time flexing the spine whilst taking deep breaths utilising the abdomen and opening and closing the chest and back; in the third section you apply the highest level of co-ordination with each side of the body moving independently of the other with the highest level of restrained and focused breathing. All the time the body is holding the internal connections and pumping the internal energy.... "Soften guys..... soften.... You're moving like a car with the handbrake stuck on... the tension is also limiting the amount of breath you can take in, sink the chest and open the back..." "I thought I was..."