Xiao Ye and myself arrived Shanghai shortly before 1100am, checked in our hotel and walked to the dojo; thanks to Mrs. inChina that, on short notice, managed to find us a nice and inexpensive accommodation 5 minutes away.

It is not the same dojo as the one that stranded me two weeks ago; it is the same organization, but the place is brand new. It is actually not yet opened to the public: the first class is on Monday.

We will use this beautiful facility Saturday for the test of 13 hopeful brown belts aspiring to earn their desired Kyokushin Black Belt.

The dojo is located inside a sports complex that harbors several buildings, the largest being a full sized athletic stadium, complete with what could be 30,000 seats.

The new facility is adjacent to a basketball stadium with seats for 4-500 persons and shares the changing rooms, showers and restrooms with it; it does not require an immense effort of imagination to foresee that the next knock down competition will take place on the basketball court, it is perfect and only needs some puzzle mat tiles to be assembled on the floor to be ready.

The training hall has a smaller room that will host yoga classes but is otherwise dedicated to karate. The facility is opened from 0930 till 2230; We are welcomed by a very friendly karateka that immediately takes us on a short tour:

On the right of the lobby is a small waiting room furnished with two sofas, a coffee table and a large TV set and is directly opened to a 200 square meters gym, complete with weight machines, running machines and heavy bags. the place is well lit and the music system is of god quality. From there, two doors lead to the dojo itself and the yoga room already mentioned.

The dojo is 10×15m and covered with puzzle mat tiles that are soft and agreeable; a little bit slippery to my taste, but this might be because they are brand new. 3 large windows dispense ample light; the ceiling is probably 15 meters high and hosts an air conditioning system that seems adapted and very powerful. The opposite wall is fully covered by mirrors.

We had a great day training day where Shihan Gong dropped by and said hello; we were invited to share some take away food that was promptly delivered. During this impromptu dinner, we had a chance to talk about what happened in the other dojo last week (if you remember, a brown belt refused to partner with me and I was asked to step aside)… Nidan said he remembered the incident and tried to explain the unexplainable… I let the face saving moment pass and we all agreed that it was “unfortunate”…

This dojo has everything to provide top class instruction; class starts Monday, already two students have registered… In the meantime, we will be training there tomorrow afternoon, and also have 13 aspiring black belts tested on Saturday; now that I have solved Mrs. InChina’s new camera hook up problem to my PC, get ready for more…

Osu!

Last Friday evening karate class in Shanghai was great & a good workout; If you do not want to read the detailed recount in my online workout journal, I give you here a brief highlight of the class before telling you what happened last Saturday during sparring with the black belts:

Make it count.

Hitting the pads is not a leisurely activity, if you are not ready and willing to pummel the crap out of the pads to make it feel like something real is happening, get outta here! It was not worded that way, but close; the meaning was unmistakable.

Lower yourself!

Several times Mr Ding, the 2nd Dan giving class, came to show me a better lower kumite position to assume to hit the pads – I did not seem to get it! Indeed, I had all my joints locked in max flexion (ankles, knees, hips) and he was insisting that I get lower… He took me aside at the end and showed me… raising my back heel makes it easier to go lower… Okay, got it, I’ll do that, I just thought that I had to keep my heels grounded; thank you!

Sparring day Saturday: I am told to step aside!

Today is kumite; I feel a little stiff from last night and got up early to loosen up that old body.

My heart skips a beat with a mix of excitement, anticipation and fear when I find close to 50 black & brown belts on the mat Saturday morning: I expect to be tested, but what an opportunity to measure & calibrate where I am at!

Seiza, warm up; we are asked to find a partner. I stand in front of a brown belt; I bow and osu, he looks from side to side visibly distressed; he utters “oh my God” in a tone that unmistakeably means “oh sh*t! why me?”

I bow and OSU again, loudly enough; an uncomfortable calm replaces the few giggles; I’ve made clear that dojo etiquette won’t suffer an exception!

I am wrong; I only provoke more frantic drowning looks from my “partner” that tear a now embarrassed silence for help.

The 3rd Dan in charge comes towards us & asks me to step aside. I stand to attention, bow & osu; he is going to tell the brown belt that this behavior is out of place…

Wrong again! Without a word, he pairs the disrespectful idiot with someone else and resumes class, leaving me there in shock!

Like a Mexican in Texas!

Not quite: Mexicans don’t lose face, but close enough I feel!

I am in the middle of the mat in Oi Dachi wondering what is going on? I do not know. I make my way to the side of the mat for what is going to become a very painful 90 minutes; I am not alarmed yet, surely some explanation will come and I will be paired with someone and be able to participate in the class – That’s why I am here after all!

I take interest in the self defense moves; they are different from the ones we learned in our dojo, and practiced with more intensity. Shihan arrives and takes over the class, the rhythm increases a bit as does the order; from very good, the demonstrations become crisp and excellent and come with sensible explanations.

I try to learn by observing, but from the sidelines, it is not easy. Martial arts require practice, you can’t learn them in a book or online! That is why I am here after all! Everybody knows that: any time now someone is going to ask me to join in, I’d better remain ready and keep doing some warm up exercises.

Kumite! I move towards the heavy weight group and I produce a real effort to stand in the way of the group; not quite bumping into people, but I make it very hard to ignore me “HEY GUYS, I AM HERE, I CAME FOR THAT!” — “HELLOOOO, CAN”T YOU SEE ME?” — Short of crossing a line, I can’t do much more than that… Not to avail, I am transparent, being ignored for some reason!

What is going on here – what is wrong with these Shanghainese?

That’s it, I get it! They are waiting for a few rounds to go by, allowing me to get a feel of things, like Shihan Patrick Teo did when I was in Singapore last month! That was indeed helpful to allow me to see and adjust to the level of intensity and contact before letting me have a go with his senior ranks; very sensible.

This is not my Kyokushin!

Class is nearly over: everyone is visibly exhausted. I make a last attempt at staying warmed up and ready; but by now I am just hoping for that circus to end: my muscles are cold; asked to jump in now, I would injure or make a fool of myself, likely both. I am not in the mood any longer!

Cool down, seiza, the class is dismissed!

I head to the changing room and pack away; I am about to exit the premises when a someone asks me why I don’t join the class and points to a group of orange, blue and yellow belts, mostly kids & teenagers, doing warm up on the mat…

Are you freakin’kidding me!?

My mind is screaming “THIS IS NOT MY KYOKUSHIN!” together with some well thought out silent retorts while I politely reply: “no thanks, we have plenty of those at home!”

I bow, I osu and I leave!

Of note: we worked Friday on a descending (actually an up, then down “straight” punch that targets the collar bones and upper chest. It lobs over the guard and descends fast like a lifted tennis ball just behind… I got corrected until I got the feel of it… I saw that on the face of my brown belt partner holding the pads for me. Then it was his turn… there is a lot of power in this punch and it can cause some degree of discomfort on the receiving end…

Everybody has heard of Martial Arts secret techniques; the death touch, paralyzing blows, no touch knock downs, even killer kiais or Ninja broth!

The real purpose of my Karate Journey is, of course, to discover and learn these deadly and forbidden moves…

In fact, this is a joke! I believe that some parts of the body are better targets than others and a direct hit there can have devastating consequences; these targets are even linked with the pressure points and energy nodes identified by the Chinese and Japanese. I do not believe however, that obtaining a black belt comes with a bag of superhuman powers attached; hard training and dedication are the only secret.

You can find here what I am really after in my karate journey; and share what is your idea about karate secret techniques in the comments below.

Osu!

Of course, it is not everyone’s blog, it belongs to Mr. Yu, our Sensei in the NingBo Dojo.

Mr. Yu’s second passion after karate is digital photography; he takes a lot of pictures and yesterday, he dedicated a blog post to “this crazy Frenchman” (that’s me!) that is going on a worldwide karate journey that started with him in China. He posted a lot of pictures that date back to last summer, when I just started again and was injured; also when my sons were training with me.

You can see it if you like: Link to Yu Sensei’s blog post about FredInChina’s karate journey.

Picture from Yu Sensei’s blog post – Summer 2009 in China: Two of my sons (Eliott & Ulysse) training kyokushin… Notice the “holiday” haircut (They trimmed it before returning to their mum…)
Both of them are training in France now.

In 20 years spent traveling in Asia & 12 living in China, I incredibly had never been to Singapore, save the occasional airport layover. I was invited at a Sales Partners World Wide training event; I arrived in the evening of March 10th, inbound from Shanghai; The fact that it was snowing in Shanghai made me appreciate the warmth of Singapore. On the 11th, After the day’s seminar & a brief inquiry for directions with the hotel concierge, I was on my way on the safe, clean and efficient Singapore Mass Transit Railway. It took me within reasonable distance from Shihan Patrick Teo’s dojo.

It was early when I arrived & could visit the premises: a nice 3 storey building hosting various community activities; Tonight’s class takes place in the open, on the flat roof. It was not long before Sensei Kelvin showed up. He brings with him the new Gi I had ordered; the one with the logos in the front and back that I will be wearing during my karate journey.

As students come in, the cement rooftop is rapidly covered with self locking puzzle foam mat tiles under the leadership of the young Chinese ushi deshi. The higher grades practice some kata. I am introduced to, and welcomed by Shihan Teo; I then give a hand to finish assembling the mats before taking my place in the lineup.

Seiza…

Seiza, warm’up, kihon, stretching, push ups & abs, more kihon, more stretching, more abs… the pace is quick, given by the higher ranks and Shihan Teo’s count. The night breeze helps cool down the sweat, loud OSUs fly to the skies… it feels good; the slight apprehension I felt earlier has vanished, I let my body float in the embrace of the exertion, my mind attuned to the rhythm & beat, my elated spirit reaching for the stars…

3 minutes water break. People come and say hello, asking me who I am, intrigued by the Karate Journey logo prominently displayed on both sides of  my uniform. Their interest and curiosity sparkles in their eyes; often with an expression of their envy, admiration, or a joke to hide it… My presence is creating ripples and my Karate Journey is the center of attraction.

In two lines, facing each other, Shihan demonstrates various attacks/defenses that we execute. He is very quick and his techniques look sharp and powerful. On the count, the lines slide in opposite directions and the same techniques are repeated until we have all faced each other at least once; then a new combination is introduced and we repeat the drill. I get to feel every fighter; they are strong and powerful; they all get a feel of me too; a few rounds down the line and everyone is already more relaxed; confidence replaces wariness, smiles are showing and an shapeless type of communication arises; one that exists only between people sharing the same passion for voluntarily exchanging body blows…

Kumite.

I get to sit on the sidelines while 4 pairs of fighters line up for sparring. 2 minutes bouts interrupted by one minute rest; a change partners & it keeps going. I have the chance to admire the combatants’ awesome technique and stamina. Shihan Patrick Teo called me in. I am grateful he gave me the opportunity to observe, measure and adjust to the level of contact, this is good coaching indeed!

I am not quite sure precisely how many rounds I fought, but it must have been four. One with Mike Ryan, an Aussie that has Muai Tai background; he is a black belt, young and strong. I am probably 30 pounds heavier than he is and, when I did not back off, he was a little disorientated he later said; I did enjoy the very controlled fight he offered me and the nice words he had afterwards.

Next with Kenji Sori, the bearded Japanese Shodan; at first as none of us wanted to strike and the observation was a little awkward; I had noticed his very quick and snappy counter low kicks and wanted to stay clear of them; I also wanted to play a counter strategy of my own… after a full very long 10 seconds, I finally stroke a tentative half a$$ed jab to his shoulder; he was waiting for it and caught me with a low kick; the ice was broken and we both enjoy a pleasant and controlled fight where, again, my weight helped against his superior technique.

I fought last against my guest Kelvin Quah; as you can see on the pictures, I am taller than him. Kelvin is a very fit & experienced nidan, very well balanced, has excellent technique, lots of fighting under his belt; he throws great combinations, and can raise his legs fast and high… Kelvin is a head hunter: he had in mind to make me remember my visit to Singapore and only my longer reach, weight and height kept my head safe and out of the way. Kelvin threw mawashi and kakato geri with intent and perseverance. Kelvin, I must confess that at one moment, your left heel swiped my upper lip.

Taming Tigers.

Seiza, bows, thanks, exchange of impressions, namecards, a few jokes and slaps on the shoulders, taking pictures, etc… then everyone agreed to join in for after hours “taming tiger” (Tiger beer is the local brew), noodles and fried rice.

Advice and invitations were exchanged (Bodil, I have well noted your suggestion to pass by The Seychelles during my karate journey…); we traded stories, prospects… and life went on, as it normally goes between long term friends. I am infinitely grateful for Sensei Kelvin and Shihan Patrick & the warm welcome from everyone; Singapore will stay high in my heart… I’ll be back for more & for a longer time.

Osu!

Shihan Patrick Teo with Fred

Sensei Kelvin Quah with Fred

Shihan Patrick Teo & Sensei Kelvin Quah “taming tigers” in an outdoor restaurant in Sunny Singapore.

The whole group sharing noodles and fried rice in Singapore outdoor restaurant: Kenji Sori, Jimmy Lim, Bodil Norwood, Michael Ryan, Kelvin Quah, Shihan Patrick Teo , Molly Angsuwattana, Iven Ong, Choo.