Preparation 2nd DAN – the hot phase. Man, oh, man, my knees hurt. And I’m limp too. Which is probably no wonder, because on the one hand I simply notice (although I don’t really like to admit it) that age is gnawing at me and I don’t regenerate as quickly. And on the other hand I have drastically increased my training schedule.
Challenge Lung Chuan Fa
First of all, after much to and fro, the date for my DAN exam has been set. On April 13th, my partner Uwe and I will get down to business. The exam has been postponed again, as we have meanwhile joined the DKV, the German Karate Federation. More on this below …
Three or four times a week I now put on the Gi, and I am active at least every other weekend. Which is absolutely necessary for me, because two evenings a week I don’t train for me, but give training. This also helps me to improve my technique, but mainly lets me practice primary school.
Once a week Uwe and I, just for ourselves, pumice Tai Tsuku, Saifa, master and weapon forms and especially techniques and Kumite into the head and bones. Meanwhile the five Tai Tsuku, the five Saifa, the Long Kuen and the Ch’uan Fa, the three Bo-Kata, the Sai-Kata, the Kwandao form and the Bo-Kumite are sitting reasonably as well as the altogether 50 Ippon-Kumite. But “only” reasonably. And the own claim is not “only” reasonable.
So once a month I take the opportunity to practice with Sensei Olaf Bock, especially the Long Kuen and the Ch’uan Fa. I have decided to integrate these Saifa (or better Sifat) as master forms into our system, even though there are actually no “master forms” in classical Shaolin Kempo. But the traditional Sifat are quite demanding in their understanding of Kempo and would overtax the beginners with their manifold requirements. So it fits! ?
If time and family allow it, I have been weaving a Silat unit at least once a week during the last weeks. But I have to neglect that a bit at the moment. Not because I am already so good at this martial art. But because I feel the strain especially in my knees. Which leads to the fact that my Kempo is also becoming “height-heavy” again at the moment. As soon as I go deeper into the stances, it stings and pinches behind the kneecaps. This ensures an automatic gentle position. And it’s over with the approach to work with changing heights and much more dynamics. That annoys me of course, because it’s not supposed to look and feel soooooo. So I concentrate on “my” Kempo until April and become a little bit unfaithful to the Silat. Sigh! ☹
The Adventure of Association
Meanwhile I understand the Shorin Kempo of Olaf Bock better and better. It is exciting to see how many movements refer to Silat, which is the origin of our Shaolin Kempo. I also try to bring the “new” old Shaolin Kempo to Olaf together with the Lung Chuan Fa. A totally exciting undertaking, I have already written about it. A lot of fine-tuning and feeling into movements and sequences in order to understand where the differences are and where deviations might be useful.
Still not enough occupation with the martial arts? Well, as the person responsible for my students, I am not only looking for my tasks in sports, but also try to improve the organization around it. Therefore we, the Lung Chuan Fa troop and the club, decided to join the German Karate Federation DKV. Why to join a karate federation when I like to work with the hashtag #itskemponotkarate? On the one hand, of course, we practice a “karate like” style, with all our fascination for the silat and the Indonesian roots of Shaolin Kempo.
On the other hand we get access to completely new possibilities through DKV. First of all, this concerns the trainer licenses, which we can only make and extend in the DKV also in the martial arts area. Nothing against popular sports, but I will never teach Zumba, basketball or fitness.
Our young high performers can develop in the matter of fighting, i.e. the Kumite, in a completely different way than in our small Kalletal. In addition, DKV offers a number of other opportunities to think outside the box and try out other forms of martial arts and related topics.
After contacting the Kempo-Karate-Verein in Dörentrup the idea was born to join the DKV. Klaus Rennwanz as “Mister Kempo” in the DKV was there in no time. The 5th DAN, now based in Sigmaringen, originally comes from Nordhorn and knows the area. Now he also knows the Kalletal, because the traveller in Kempo matters was quickly with us for the obligatory “sighting course”. This serves as a means of exchange and should show whether we are a highly decorated cucumber troop or actually Kempo practitioners. Apparently the big one liked it (2,04 m), because from now on we are a member of the biggest Karate association in Germany.
But in the meantime I can no longer hear the words passport, paraphrase, recognition and annual sight marks. Luckily, with Carsten and Reinhold we have two club leaders in our ranks who have actively supported me with all the paperwork and association buzz. Not so my thing! So I’d rather roll on the mat again.
Keep your fingers crossed that my tired bones will hold and get used to the constant strain. After all, the second one is by no means the end of the story …
