RED BELT KENJI is evolving!
RED BELT KENJI has evolved into... GREEN BELT KENJI!
Yep, I have leveled up! Along with many others, as we received our new belts on the 23rd of March 2013. Granted, I believe that none of us were actually expecting to have failed grading, but it was still a good feeling regardless~
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If I'm to put photos here, then naturally this has to be the first! It is our new president, after all! Sum-taicho's usual serious demeanor shows, as he calmly gazes into the camera with his presidential aura!
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Following President Sum comes our very own Man of Sheer Power, one half of our committee's vice presidents, Leon! One can tell his composure with the easy smile on his face.
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Nowhere near as important as the others, yet still here because he's the one writing this post so he gets special privileges, is the cute, handsome, smart, humorous and not to mention extremely humble Awesome Webmaster of Awesomeness, Kenji (if you haven't figured it out yet, that's me)! Not to be confused with the other Kenji, who is much less awesome than me :D
That's all! The other photos are all on our facebook page, and will soon be here too, credits to our photo uploading person, Crystal! The photo albums can be accessed on the right side of the page, so look out for it.
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Handing out of new belts aside, training was as per usual that day, if more harsh than usual due to the green belts having to attempt Cuts #3 and #4 with only our non-master hands. I can still feel the aches from it as I type this! It was quite an eye opener for me to realize just how weak my non-master hand is, as I struggled to even maintain my stance in the standard guard. I wasn't the only one. We're gonna have to train up more!
I tend to move in way too much and end up in less than a sword's length from my opponent when I attack. In particular, I've become so accustomed to stepping in with my attacks that I step in with every attack, which has proven to heavily compromise me. I spent a good few hours after lesson pondering over this flaw in my sparring.
Senior Nicholas later told me of how sensei Radz had once told him to 'fight (against) muscle memory', to be in complete control of our own bodies and not let it control us. On further discussion, I believe that the key to success is composure. Personally, I tend to get riled up when I spar. The more intense the spar, the more I lose myself in the battle lust and run on instincts, which not only inhibits my ability to be in full control of my body but also any strategic and tactical planning.
Only by remaining calm can I properly assess the best course of action to take in any particular situation, and only by remaining calm will my body obey me. If I am lost in fear, I will strike too late. If I am lost in excitement, I will strike too soon.
That is not to say that we should be mechanical in sparring! Adrenaline-fueled emotions can give us strength, when properly utilized. Instead of losing ourselves in them and letting them control us, we can channel those emotions into our determination to win and sharpen our focus!
Of course, it's much easier said than done, and I'm far from actually learning how, but knowing the what is at least the first step taken, no? :P
Kenji
The Man Who Let The Dogs Out
SPKC Webmaster 2013
Senior Nicholas later told me of how sensei Radz had once told him to 'fight (against) muscle memory', to be in complete control of our own bodies and not let it control us. On further discussion, I believe that the key to success is composure. Personally, I tend to get riled up when I spar. The more intense the spar, the more I lose myself in the battle lust and run on instincts, which not only inhibits my ability to be in full control of my body but also any strategic and tactical planning.
Only by remaining calm can I properly assess the best course of action to take in any particular situation, and only by remaining calm will my body obey me. If I am lost in fear, I will strike too late. If I am lost in excitement, I will strike too soon.
That is not to say that we should be mechanical in sparring! Adrenaline-fueled emotions can give us strength, when properly utilized. Instead of losing ourselves in them and letting them control us, we can channel those emotions into our determination to win and sharpen our focus!
Of course, it's much easier said than done, and I'm far from actually learning how, but knowing the what is at least the first step taken, no? :P
Kenji
The Man Who Let The Dogs Out
SPKC Webmaster 2013
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