Sunday sparring time with David-san. Meeting time is 10AM sharp. We go a few rounds, practice some kata and theorize about world politics. The latter is done over some coffee after our morning routine, which is a nice relaxing habit we have established for the end of the week. By the way this is another […]
Strained calf muscle, pushups and rain = harmony Hmmm, another interpretation of three conflicts. Sunday AM while sparring I felt my calf muscle (right leg) start to seize up. By afternoon I felt a very deep throbbing and my calf was sore to the touch. I very much wanted to get out for a run, […]
Written by David Brezinski
Sunday sparring, coffee and football – My 2022 fall routine I love this time of year. Fall! There is a briskness in the morning air, the leaves are starting to change color and it is football season. Dirk-san and I have gotten into a Sunday AM sparring and coffee afterward routine, which is great and […]
Written by David Brezinski
Sanchin (三戦) – Three Conflicts One thing I am learning over the years I have been training in karate is I have just really scratched the surface. The depth of our own Isshinryu codes and the dimensions of possible interpretations seem endless. And these codes in turn have many layers to them, having been derived […]
Written by David Brezinski
Boston Marathon 2023? Well, 2023 is stacking up to be a very exciting year! Of course, my black belt test and should I pass, it will be an accomplishment for me, like no other. I have written this before but I do see some parallels in training in karate and running a marathon; it is […]
Written by David Brezinski
Meanwhile the One Heart Challenge is down to only David san and me. Geneva san unfortunately got injured during her practice and together with sensei Oliver she decided to continue next year. In addition Geneva san started her college career at Cal Poly Humboldt this fall. I am sad to see her go and wish […]
Written by Dirk Herfurth
Throwback Thursday – Part 3 The style of karate I was practicing in Germany was Shorin-ryu Shidokan. It was founded in 1948 by Katsuya Miyahira, who was a student of Chokki Motubo and Choshin Chibana. Chibana was one of the main representatives of the Shorin-ryu (also read as Kobayashi) on Okinawa. In 1956 Miyahira built […]
Written by Dirk Herfurth
Throwback Thursday – Part 2 After I finished my study in 2004 I had to move back to my parents. Job market for civil engineers in Germany was super bad at the time. Over the course of a year I wrote 300+ applications all over Europe trying to find a job. During that time my […]
Written by Dirk Herfurth
Throwback Thursday My karate journey started some 20 years ago at the beginning of the 2000s. At that time I was still studying Civil Engineering in Cottbus, Brandenburg Germany. My friend Gunnar asked me if I wanted to do some self-defense. He knows somebody who is also a student and teaches karate. I was interested […]
Written by Dirk Herfurth
More miles on my journey… Had the opportunity to meet with some running friends in Portland to participate in the annual Hood to Coast 196 mile relay run. The relay starts at the base of Mt. Hood and winds its way down through multiple towns, through Portland and ends on the coast at Seaside. I […]
Written by David Brezinski