The ground was a bit cold on the feet, but the minds were so engrossed they barely noticed. Hands clashed, slapping kicks aside, punches, moving in to take the center. One would yield ground, no real rhythm, no mind to timing, no strategy what so ever.
Stop! Where are you going with that? Slow down! Do it again. Feel for the openings, feel the timing, the rhythm of the movement, then break it.
Again, hands and feet clashed, tangled up, attempts to lock failed, one giving ground again, no mind to strategy, no real rhythm or timing, nothing.
Time to move to something else and refine a bit. Work the first three movements of Kata. Musubi Dachi, Heiko Dachi, step out, line to line, feel the rotation around the centerline, coil up, spring out, coil up, spring out.
Get your hips in line, don't break posture, keep the movements close, in tight, coil up, spring out. Again! No. That is an extra step. Do it again, remove that step, stay within the Kata and feel the movement. By the count. Stop! Move this here, keep that there, don't break the posture, stay within the Kata.
Over and over, only three movements, the flow is important, each movement has something to tell you, each sequence a lesson to teach, but keep it unbroken. Take it slow, don't go too fast, don't be in a rush, and pay attention.
Several dozen more repetitions. Are they ready to move to the next sequence? No. We will spend more time on just these three, months if we have to.
Back to it. Karate begins and ends with respect, so bow to your partner. Back into the fray of Iri Kumi. Hands and feet clash, but none give any real ground this time. Rhythm and timing are falling into place, at least insofar as they can feel it, seek it out, but neither seek to break it just yet.
Movements are a bit more refined, they are seeking out strategy a little bit, setting up by going low, moving high, keeping movements close, tight, coiling up, springing out, actually allowing movements from Kata to speak.
Good.
Introduction to Kakie, meet at the wrists, do not let the wrists come apart, where their wrist goes, your wrist goes, where your wrist goes, their wrist goes. Not so fast, not so rough, slow it down, be patient, feel. When you feel, pull, or push, don't go for locks, don't go for attacks, just pull, or push.
They're getting it. Now back to Kata. More and more with the first sequence, no breathing yet, just focusing on posture, alignment, coiling, springing out, and again.
Several dozen more times.
Back to Kakie. Now two-handed free-form Kakie. There are three gates, control one, they only have the use of two, move your way up to cut off the gates. Allow the movements to flow, move around, use your footwork, use your feet. Muchimidi is about sticking like heavy sticky mud, keep it going, feel, now go for openings and allow the flow to show you what to do.
Back to Kata. Several dozen more times. Each movement has something to tell you, several layers, layers upon layers, don't think, flow.
Complete with push-ups to reset and ingrain. Followed up with Frog Sprints several times back and forth across the grass.
Karate ends with respect.
***
It took a bit to get them to focus, but moving in circles, circling back to Kata and drawing from the lessons of Kata each time really informed the practice. Utilizing this to inform the practice engaged the Students in a much deeper level of training when hands began to cross.
My training is circular, it is unlikely these will be exactly the same as that in a normal Dojo, and that is fine with me so long as they continue to get something out of it, something to take with them to other areas of life and inform those as well.
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