ABOUT ten months ago, on what was maybe my second training session at Swan Hills Goju Ryu, I arrived early enough to see the end of a class being taught by Western Australia's head coach for the Commonwealth Games (and, more recently, the Tokyo Summer Olympics) Australian karate team, Sensei Mark Golding. Sensei Mark was at my Dojo again last weekend and, just like last year, he was accompanied by a handful of his best students; all nationally ranked, competitive black belts.
Last year, Sensei Mark was (and I believe still is) coaching this unit. The under 75 kilogram division, four time Oceania Kumite champion, Tsuneari Yahiro. After nearly three decades of dedication to the art, it was Yahiro's (and, for that matter, Australia's) first ever tilt at an Olympic medal, at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games.
During a strongman events session a couple weeks back, Charlie reminded me that the gym had some apparatus for the Silver Dollar deadlift. This is a WSM event with a colourful history, and makes for a very different kind of pull when under load. The pull height is similar, if not identical, to a standard axle deadlift. The bar whip is quite unique and takes a bit of getting used to. But once you become familiar with it, I reckon the Silver Dollar is no more or less challenging than pulling a standard barbell from the floor or an axle from 40cms... and here's some more of that.
MY Youtube channel is a thing that doesn't get updated much nowadays. In fact, this vid of some Tonfa practice in my garage was edited from an unintentional recording by my rear dashcam. After about an hour of training, these are all the times I actually bashed those balls.
With each weapon, the placement of the strike is just as important as the rest of the kata. While the strikes I'm performing here have not much at all to do with the kata I am learning (and will be graded on in the coming months) for yellow belt, I am slowly improving my accuracy using this setup. Well, I was using this setup... it's mostly destroyed, now. I need to string up some new balls, or some other apparatus, with targets I can aim at. Maybe Ikea can help.
It's been an embarrassingly long time since I successfully completed anything other than a rehab program. This month I completed my Good mornings program and have just begun another, after an appropriate rest period. I have also been hitting quite a few personal records and technical personal records over the last few weeks.
I've mentioned the young'uns I met recently, who are training Strongman. One of them, Charlie, came to grips with tacky for the first time last Sunday. While I'd tried to gird him, nothing can prepare a person for their first experience with tacky and Atlas stones. Afterwards, he swore he'd never use that stuff again until he had some stone sleeves.
Kinda wish I had a vid of that.
GOOD MORNINGS+ ACCESSORIES Thursday July 21st
New Program
Good mornings w/axle:
20 kg x 10
60 kg x5 x 10
Romanian deadlifts:
90 kg x 5 x 10
Axe swings (l&r):
31.5 kg x 5 x 10
super-set w/Hamstring curls (p/l):
10 kg x 5 x 20
DB hammer curls (l&r):
12.5 kg x 5 x 10
Preacher curls w/EZ bar:
25 kg x 5 x 10
BOB'S C.E.P. Tuesday July 19th
Barbell incline press:
20 kg x 10
50 kg x 5
65 kg x 6 x 10
DB incline press (p/h):
15 kg x 5 x 20 TPR
DB flys (p/h):
6 kg x 5 x 20
super-set w/Cable flys, lowest setting (p/h):
13.5 kg x 5 x 20
Cable front raises (l&r):
9 kg x 5 x 10
super-set w/DB bicep curls (right only):
12.5 kg x 5 x 10
CARDIO
Assault bike: 5 mins @ +55 rpm
EVENTS Sunday July 17th
Yoke walk:
140 kg x 2 x 15 meters
200 kg x 2 x 15 meters
240 kg x 2 x 15 meters
280 kg x 15 meters
Silver Dollar deadlifts:
125 kg x 5
165 kg x 3
205 kg x 1
225 kg x 1
245 kg x 1
275 kg x 1 - with plenty more in the tank, but sticking with the program
