I would like to introduce you to Kahori Namiki, who has been training with us since December 2017.  She is a joy to be around, as she is always cheerful and positive.  She is a native-English speaking business woman who is strong-willed, kind-hearted and who also loves to snowboard all winter long, and can dance hip hop to boot.

I am certain that she is a Samurai because even during really hard training, she never gives up and never complains.

七転び八起き = Nana korobi ya oki

This is a Japanese proverb “Fall down 7 times, get up 8.

Kahori always gets up and gives it another go.

We have been working for about 6 months on getting Kahori to complete a full chip-up with a neutral grip.  We have been using various bands to work her way down to her first band-less chin-up.

The green band is the thickest, so it helps lift her especially at the bottom of the lift where it is the most challenging for most people.  As the bands get thinner, the assistance from the band decreases, so as Kahori got stronger, she progressed through purple, black and then red.

The approach we used was simple.  Once she could complete 5 full chin-ups with the green band, we would try with the purple band until she could complete 5 full chin-ups, then the same for black and then red.

Here is Kahori completing her first full ROM (Range Of Motion) chin-up band-less.  Now we are working her from 1 on up to about 10 so that she can become a Kunoichi as well as a Samurai.

Bravo to you, Kahori, for your commitment, consistency chin-ups and cheerfulness!

You are Extraordinary!