Core-a-te: conditioning meets martial arts

[PizDoff]

Core-a-te: conditioning meets martial arts

Before entering the dojo, Whitney Arnautou had her students contemplate a daily saying:

"Accept change. It is inevitable. ... In ourselves. Our bodies. Our relationships. Our Jobs. Understand that it's happening every day, and try to move with the changes - gracefully."

Minds centered, it was time for Core-a-te, a new exercise class at the United Studios of Self Defense in San Francisco that combines karate, self-defense and a kick-in-the-pants core workout.

Arnautou, a Shaolin Kenpo black belt and fitness instructor, designed the one-hour workout to bring her students physical and spiritual balance.

Abdominal crunches include kicks to an imaginary attacker's groin. Students strengthen their arms by learning how to break out of a neck hold. Push-ups are done in the yoga tiger position.

"If you practice it enough, you will build muscle memory so if you ever have to defend yourself, it will come automatically," Arnautou said.

Core-a-te is "subtle karate" - designed for newcomer white belts without martial arts backgrounds.

Arnautou first offered the class in March, after noticing many of her beginner martial arts students were getting winded. They could get into their forms and spar, but had no endurance.

She searched for a class that combined isometric core conditioning for martial artists but found nothing. So she secured the Core-a-te domain name and started teaching it herself. She added a second class to meet demand in September.

"I feel like if I don't do this class, I am setting myself up for back problems," said tennis player Julie Feldstein, 51.

"Your core is vital for any sport, but, as athletes, you can neglect it when you train in the same movements over and over."

Students who work their core for an hour twice a week can begin to see results in about a month, Arnautou said.

Julie Whitcomb, 51, feels stronger after six months of Core-a-te, but the biggest change is in her attitude toward exercising.

"I love starting the week this way, incorporating the balance drills, meditation and movements," she said. "This is a welcome place; there's no intimidating gym feeling."

In a recent class, Arnautou turned the stereo to Taio Cruz's "Break Your Heart," and led students through a series of kicks while holding her wrists in a protective boxer's stance.

Next students balanced on one foot.

"Now shut your eyes," Arnautou said. "See how much harder it is when you remove one of your senses."

After an hour of crunches, planks, leg lifts and power punches, it was time to retire to the backyard koi pond for some green tea.

The eight women gathered in the garden for another half hour, telling stories.

It was the right balance of socializing and exercising that Arnautou found lacking in the gyms where she used to work.

"Core-a-te is all about learning and growing at one's own pace," she said. "I feel that balance is imperative to this whole process of aging gracefully."

Core-a-te class: 8:45-9:45 a.m. Mon. and Thurs. United Studios of Self Defense, 2424 Lombard St., S.F. $20 per class or $150 for a 10-class pass. (415) 771-5186

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...DD811FQ6S1.DTL

[helmutlvx]

Yeah that is not good, though I do have to wonder if that is any worse than say kata.
My real question is do people honestly believe that doing cardio kick boxing stuff is actually going to prepare them for a confrontation?

hey, man. its got KICKBOXING in the title. that means its totes legit, bro.

[danniboi07]

So long as she maintains that this is an exercise program aimed at beginner martial artists, I think this is a novel approach to conditioning.

The thing I fear is a similar trend of people claiming they can kick my butt after a few classes of Turbo Kickboxing.

Seems a bit pricey though.

[Permalost]

The thing I fear is a similar trend of people claiming they can kick my butt after a few classes of Turbo Kickboxing

She did say this: ""If you practice it enough, you will build muscle memory so if you ever have to defend yourself, it will come automatically," Arnautou said."

[goodlun]

""If you practice it enough, you will build muscle memory so if you ever have to defend yourself, it will come automatically,"

Yeah that is not good, though I do have to wonder if that is any worse than say kata.
My real question is do people honestly believe that doing cardio kick boxing stuff is actually going to prepare them for a confrontation?