Tuesday 30 November 2010

Your Japanese word of the week is...

"hisabisa" 久々which means a "long time".  Technically, it's got a very similar meaning to "hisashiburi" which I've written about before but, as I said in that post, "hisashiburi" seems to be used mainly more as a statement whereas "hisabisa", from what I've concluded through hearing it used, seems to be used as part of a phrase where you'd describe something you haven't done in a while (or "It's been a while since...").  Of course, you can use "hisashiburi" in a similar way as well so the details I'm not that sure of....


Anyways, one of the big shockers this past week was the snowfall in Vancouver.  It hasn't actually hit December yet but we've had below-0 temperatures and rather large snowfall which is something I haven't seen in a while.  Yes, many people in Calgary will scoff at the idea of -5 degrees being cold, but for Vancouver in November, I'd say that's a bit rare.

For the most part, I love snow.  I love walking in it, I love driving in it, I love the way it makes everything look, I love the calmness it seems to spread...  I don't, however, love what happens to the city when it snows.  Vancouverites seem to freak out and a lot of them forget that snow is slippery meaning that it's rather dangerous to travel around the city both due to hooligans and ignorants alike...

But enough griping =P...  As I said a few weeks ago, the end of November held a lot of karate and I'm glad to say all of it was rather successful.

The first big deal was the grading we had for most of the coloured belts.  I was very happy with how everyone did, especially some of the people that didn't pass previously in April.  One of the big principles I try to explain to the kids is that more important than the result is what you do with it.  Some of them certainly weren't happy with not passing before but they've worked hard these past months and they deserved their new belts, which I think they're starting to understand the value of.

Beyond that, and I mentioned this to all the students, was how impressive their progress has been.  Sometimes it's hard to see their improvements because I see them so regularly, but when I took a step back and really analyzed their work, I definitely noticed a difference from 6 months ago.  I take it as a sign that the ball is starting to roll now and if we keep it up, there'll be good things in the future =)...

The second big event was the black belt grading this past Saturday.  I wasn't being tested (read: no pressure for me haha) but I did attend to help some people practice as well as be their partners for kihon and jiyu kumite, from which I escaped unscathed fortunately because...

Sunday was the Zone 5 Qualification Tournament.  Karate BC, if you don't know, is divided into zones and each zone holds a qualifier and the top 4 from certain divisions get to compete in the Karate BC Provincial Championships early next year.  The top 3 in the provincials are also allowed onto the BC Team which will then train for the Nationals coming in the spring.

I signed up for kata but I didn't really know what to expect.  It's been a long time since I've competed (see how I tied that back in?? haha) and I don't really know much about the other dojos or competitors around the lower mainland so I went in simply to do my best.  With 6 competitors in my division and me NOT being one with a by, I had to get past the first round to consider myself "qualified" for the provincials.  And that indeed I did, edging out my opponent in the first round but in the second round, I lost to the eventual first place winner.  Ultimately, I came in third, so now I'm headed for the provincials in a few months =)...


A few things I noticed though.  First off, and this may sound really obvious, but training and teaching are two entirely different things.  I'm going to have to get back on it if I'm going to be competitive in 2011 and onward, plain and simple...

The second thing is that it's rather interesting to be the new boy in the relatively small community that is a Karate BC zone tournament.  Everyone else in my division knew each other and have probably competed against each other many times.  Then I step up and I just sensed everyone watching quietly and intently to see what the new guy would do.  It was strangely quieter when I was up for my two times than anyone else...  or it could've just been the nerves...  hmm... =P...

The third and final point ties into the second- that Wado is unfortunately under-represented in BC in terms of adult competitors, if not in general.  That's changing slightly with the growth of some clubs (mine included), but one of the problems that's reared it's head is that for the zone tournament, I was told I could only perform kata from my own style.  Higher level Wado kata simply isn't as competitive as higher level kata from other styles, both due to the comparatively few kata Wado has as well as the philosophical approach Wado has to karate in general.  That makes Wado kata, depending on your perspective, look less complex or less flashy/showy.  Either way, that puts us at a competitive disadvantage right off the bat...

I'm going to find out if I'm allowed to perform kata from other styles for the provincials because I do have a few non-Wado kata that I can prep.  If not, then I'll just be training what Wado kata I have because being less competitive and being NOT competitive are two different things...

Not me =P...
The last thing I haven't done in a long time.......  gone skiing!!  I just picked up some new boots since my old ones didn't fit right last year and after my skis get a good tune-up next week, I'll be ready for the slopes.

Hope you're all ready for December and I'll check in with you all soon =)

Sunday 7 November 2010

Your Japanese word of the week is...

"sanka suru" 参加する which means "to participate".  This past month, if I'm honest, I haven't really participated in much.  I've been tutoring a bit more and karate's been going strong but there's lots there that's happening this month.

First off, the Pacific Spirit grading week is this month, so we're busying preparing all the students for that.  The weeks that lead up to grading are always interesting because although it comes across as a "test" of sorts, it doesn't really work that way.  For instance, while there are minimum performance levels each student has to meet for their next belt, it ultimately is partly subjective whether they pass or not.  Some may argue that they should pass because they know a certain kata or can perform a certain move, but I value effort just as much, if not more, than the product.  And while I do strive for all my students to do better than the bare acceptable minimum (and I push them with that in mind), it's also sobering to keep in mind that not everyone is capable of everything and, as an instructor, I think it's important to keep that in mind.

The next big event this month is a black belt grading.  That's not happening at Pacific Spirit but rather at a larger grading where higher ranking black belts will run the test.  I'm not, however, going to be grading for another dan but I will be helping a friend with hers.  It'll be nice to be at a grading without the pressure of being graded for once haha.....

The last big event is the Karate BC Provincial Championship Qualification round.  The actual championship is early 2011 but you basically have to qualify to be in the round.  Karate BC is separated into zones and each zone runs their own try-outs and in the provincial championships, all the qualifiers vie for the top spot.  I've never competed in any Karate BC tournament and the last time I competed was in 2009 at the Kanto area Wadokai Championships.  I'm sneaking in training time before and after classes but it'll be interesting to see how I, and the other students from Pacific Spirit that are competing, will turn out.

Of note is that, as the way these things happen, all three events are happening the same week.....  exciting =P

And in keeping with the karate theme, Richard sent me a video of the quarter final match of the WKF World Championships 75kg men's kumite.

In red is Rafael Aghayev, a multi-title winning -75kg fighter from Azerbaijan.  I was lucky enough to have watched him fight in the 2008 WKF Worlds where he won the -75kg and the Open classes.

In blue is Ko Matsuhisa, also a decorated kumite fighter that's also in the Wadokai.  The year before I went to Japan, he taught at a kumite seminar that my dojo participated in.

Anyways, enjoy the rather epic fight.  Of note is that the scoreboard is flipped but this video is kind enough to show you a running tab of the scores.  Anyway, enough blabbing, enjoy the fight!