Today I found it a harder to get out of bed then normal. It just seems wrong to have to get up before 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday. Of course, once I am at the dojo, sleep is the last thing on my mind even if I am a little sleepy.
Our iaido class was bigger then usual as we had 8 people. It was actually nice because I had 4 other people to do kata with who start in seiza like I do. The last couple of classes I was the only one doing them from seiza, so I didn't have anyone else to look at to make sure I was doing it right. We worked on several of the same katas that we have been lately: shohatto, sato, uto, atarito, inyoshintai, ryuto (done this maybe once before), gyakuto (first time doing this one) and batto. I definately need work on ryuto and gyakuto since I have very little experience with them. Inyoshintai was a little better, but I still need work. In fact, anything and everything that has to do with iaito requires a great deal of work on my part. :O) One important thing I need to remember is to keep my feet in line with my knee. My feet tend to be in towards my center as if I am not really moving them after rising from seiza (ex. shohatto)
Aikido went well. Again it was a bit crowded, but it is nice to have so many people there. Everything we worked on were from shomenuchi and we did swariwaza & tachiwaza. We worked on ikkyo, iriminage, kaitenage, sumiotoshi and a few other things may have been done that I don't remember. All in all, it wasn't a bad class. Sensei had us working on being "like a revolving door" and being able to give up our center and turn on one leg to take forward ukemi when being pushed backwards. I got to work with several different people for a change, which is always good for training. Each person is built different, has their own quirks, limitations and a different level of skill. One thing about me being new is everyone I work with has more skill then I do. HAH!
Well, I guess that is all to offer at this moment.
Things to work on/fix:
1.) Keep toes in line with knee, no tilting feet in when down on knee!
2.) When doing gyakuto, draw straight up and block with sword parallel to mat (no cheating!)
Pains & Injuries:
1.) Sore knees from rising and lowering for seiza in iaido & aikido
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday
Tuesday's class went well. We worked with the bokken, which I am more comfortable with then the jo. We actually worke with the shinai's as well on some things just in case we happened to whack our partner. :O) No one did get whacked though, which is a good thing.
Wednesday's class was fun too. Not too many people were there, which gave us more room to train. We worked on kotegaishi, ikkyo and kaitenage from morotedori (both hands on same forearm). I didn't do bad on ikkyo and the kaitenage one I was comfortable with. For some reason during class I could NOT get the kotegaishi in class though! The funny thing was, as soon as class was over, I suddenly got it (mentally). I asked my husband to grab me and I was able to do it all the sudden. Very strange!
Iaido class went well. We worked on several kata. My bokken with saya is still out of comission, so I used my regular bokken. No saya made my training a little bit easier, though I felt like I was suddenly cheating since I didn't have it. We worked on: shohatto, sato, uto, atarito, inyoshintai, jyunto, batto, iwanami, ukifune gaeshi, noarashi gaeshi, utsusemi and one other kata which I can not remember. I am getting more comfortable with most of the kata. The only one I still struggle with is ryuto. I will get the hang of it eventually though. Sato is also giving me a tiny bit of trouble because I have to pull my center forward with my left leg forward and I just haven't done it enough on that side. My right side is a little better though.
Today's aikido class went well. We worked on several things from shomenuchi. We worked on iriminage, kaitenage, sumiotoshi, a technigue where you enter to the inside and end up on one knee & then you basically take uke's balance and they do a forward roll over top of you, a technique where ou enter to the insde crouched over (like you ducked a punch & were going to hit them with your shoulder) and both of your arms are to one side & then you come up and do iriminage. I got the roll one alright, but I struggled a little bit on the last one I described. I guess I figured it out by the roll one, which we did after. The thing I have to remember is that you slide in, not step! Whatever foot you have forward, is the side that you slide to. :O)
I am getting more comfortable with my ukemi with every class. My rolls are getting more smooth as I am remembering to keep my arm extended. My falls are getting better Sensei picked me up waist high to show something to my partner and then just dropped me. Not only did he do this once, but he did it twice; once on each side. My falls were fine and my slaps sounded nice, which surprised me. Good to know I carried something over from my previous 8 years of training! In fact, yesterday sensei had the other students watch me do rolls. Whether it is because my rolls are good or if I just happened to be the lesser of evils there that day I don't know. HAHA.
At the end of class today sensei asked if anyone was staying for second hour of class. I said "That class is for 5th kyu and up correct?" and sensei said "Yes it is, but you and Howard are welcome to join in the class." I felt a bit honored that he would allow us to stay and train since we are only 6th kyu. Sensei said to let him know this Saturday what our decision is about whether we are going to stay for Thursday's second hour or not. Well, Howard and I have already decided that we are most definately going to stay!
Things to work on:
1.) Remain balanced through all techniques
Wednesday's class was fun too. Not too many people were there, which gave us more room to train. We worked on kotegaishi, ikkyo and kaitenage from morotedori (both hands on same forearm). I didn't do bad on ikkyo and the kaitenage one I was comfortable with. For some reason during class I could NOT get the kotegaishi in class though! The funny thing was, as soon as class was over, I suddenly got it (mentally). I asked my husband to grab me and I was able to do it all the sudden. Very strange!
Iaido class went well. We worked on several kata. My bokken with saya is still out of comission, so I used my regular bokken. No saya made my training a little bit easier, though I felt like I was suddenly cheating since I didn't have it. We worked on: shohatto, sato, uto, atarito, inyoshintai, jyunto, batto, iwanami, ukifune gaeshi, noarashi gaeshi, utsusemi and one other kata which I can not remember. I am getting more comfortable with most of the kata. The only one I still struggle with is ryuto. I will get the hang of it eventually though. Sato is also giving me a tiny bit of trouble because I have to pull my center forward with my left leg forward and I just haven't done it enough on that side. My right side is a little better though.
Today's aikido class went well. We worked on several things from shomenuchi. We worked on iriminage, kaitenage, sumiotoshi, a technigue where you enter to the inside and end up on one knee & then you basically take uke's balance and they do a forward roll over top of you, a technique where ou enter to the insde crouched over (like you ducked a punch & were going to hit them with your shoulder) and both of your arms are to one side & then you come up and do iriminage. I got the roll one alright, but I struggled a little bit on the last one I described. I guess I figured it out by the roll one, which we did after. The thing I have to remember is that you slide in, not step! Whatever foot you have forward, is the side that you slide to. :O)
I am getting more comfortable with my ukemi with every class. My rolls are getting more smooth as I am remembering to keep my arm extended. My falls are getting better Sensei picked me up waist high to show something to my partner and then just dropped me. Not only did he do this once, but he did it twice; once on each side. My falls were fine and my slaps sounded nice, which surprised me. Good to know I carried something over from my previous 8 years of training! In fact, yesterday sensei had the other students watch me do rolls. Whether it is because my rolls are good or if I just happened to be the lesser of evils there that day I don't know. HAHA.
At the end of class today sensei asked if anyone was staying for second hour of class. I said "That class is for 5th kyu and up correct?" and sensei said "Yes it is, but you and Howard are welcome to join in the class." I felt a bit honored that he would allow us to stay and train since we are only 6th kyu. Sensei said to let him know this Saturday what our decision is about whether we are going to stay for Thursday's second hour or not. Well, Howard and I have already decided that we are most definately going to stay!
Things to work on:
1.) Remain balanced through all techniques
2.) Turn with the whole body when doing iriinage
3.) When you go to one knee, keep your toes active on the foot that has the knee on the mat
4.) When you are down on one knee push through ukes knee to cause them to go into their forward roll
5.) On iriminage, don't pull uke's extended arm into you, extend positively down and that will bring your uke's center back towards you, but not their entire body
6.) On sumiotoshi, it is ukes responsibility to get out of the way! Don't just bend backwards. Instead, push your center forward. This will automatically bend you backwards. Bring one or both legs forward from under you to fall faster.
Pains/Injuries:
1.) The toe to the left of my big toe on my left foot HURTS! I have no idea what I did to it when I was down on one knee, but I squished it somehow. Nothing major though. :O)
2.) The area where my hips and butt meats are sore on both sides. This is simply from iaido and won't last for long
3.) When you go to one knee, keep your toes active on the foot that has the knee on the mat
4.) When you are down on one knee push through ukes knee to cause them to go into their forward roll
5.) On iriminage, don't pull uke's extended arm into you, extend positively down and that will bring your uke's center back towards you, but not their entire body
6.) On sumiotoshi, it is ukes responsibility to get out of the way! Don't just bend backwards. Instead, push your center forward. This will automatically bend you backwards. Bring one or both legs forward from under you to fall faster.
Pains/Injuries:
1.) The toe to the left of my big toe on my left foot HURTS! I have no idea what I did to it when I was down on one knee, but I squished it somehow. Nothing major though. :O)
2.) The area where my hips and butt meats are sore on both sides. This is simply from iaido and won't last for long
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Thursday and Saturday
Class is still going well. Thursday in aikido we worked on a lot of ikkyo, nikyo and iriminage. I didn't do terribly bad, but my technique still needs plenty of work. I figure with each class that I go to, my technique is getting just a tad bit less horrible looking. HAHA. Although I am used to being an example from my previous style, it is somewhat humbling for me to truly be a beginner all over again. I hope that sensei can see that I am truly putting forth an effort.
Saturday in aikido we worked on ikkyo and kotegaishi from tsuki, shomenuchi and of course katatedori. We worked on all these from swariwaza and tachiwaza. I think sensei has been working on these because a few of us will be ready to test soon and a few of the things we have been working on are on the test.
The things that are tested for 5th kyu are:
Katatedori Gyakyu Hanmi (Ikkyo, Shihonage & Kaitenage: Uchi & Soto)
Katatedori Ai Hanmi (Ikkyo)
Katadori (Ikkyo)
Shomenuchi (Swariwaza & Tachiwaza Ikkyo)
I think there are a few other things in there as well, but they aren't listed on the sheet. I think he threw in some iriminage and kotegaishi as well.
Iaido went alright as well. We worked on shohato, sato, uto, atarito and inyoshintai. The one I have the most problems with in inyoshintai. I keep stepping through instead of just sliding my back leg up. Argh. I will work on it and get it eventually. I got to use my new bokken. I am going to call the company and ask if I can have an exchange. I really am not happy with it. After an hour of class, the wrap was coming undone and the hardware was lose. My husband said he didn't have a problem with his, so maybe I will see about getting the red oak instead of the black. The black one just looks so neat though. :O( I can't wait until $1,000 drops in my lap. Then, we can both just get iaido's and not have to worry about this nonsense! Unfortunately, I don't think we will ever just come across $1,000. We actually still have to get our hakama's and our iai obi's still.
I have found some nice iai obi's for the both of us online for about $30 a piece. They are much prettier then the plain white. Sensei said we can have whatever color we want, so why not get something pretty! As far as the hakama's go, my husband already has one, but I am not sure if it still fits him or not. I found a couple online that I really like. One is about $70 and the other is about $130. The more expensive one is made especially for women. My hips are a lot bigger then my waist and I am wondering if the fit will be better. It just seems like you can have it geared towards your body better then most places. The less expensive one is made with aikido in mind and has longer straps and you can have your name or school embroidered on the hakama. I thought that was neat. I would have to ask sensei if this is accceptable or not first though. Even if I can't, I may get my name embroidered on the inside of the koshita. I think that is spelled right... haha. You wouldn't be able to see it when I have it on, but it will prevent anyone else from accidently taking my hakama and me ending up with someone elses.
Well, that is all I have to report for now.
A few things I need to fix:
1.) Balance
2.) Use whole body for ikkyo
3.) Return the sword at the same angle you draw it
4.) Keep pointer finger touching thumb when returning the sword
Pains/ Injuries:
1.) I am a little sore in the shoulders from being twisted (nothing big)
2.) Bruises on my wrists from nikyo (they are there so often they might as well be tattoos!)
3.) My knees hurt just above the kneecaps/patella (again, nothing big)
Saturday in aikido we worked on ikkyo and kotegaishi from tsuki, shomenuchi and of course katatedori. We worked on all these from swariwaza and tachiwaza. I think sensei has been working on these because a few of us will be ready to test soon and a few of the things we have been working on are on the test.
The things that are tested for 5th kyu are:
Katatedori Gyakyu Hanmi (Ikkyo, Shihonage & Kaitenage: Uchi & Soto)
Katatedori Ai Hanmi (Ikkyo)
Katadori (Ikkyo)
Shomenuchi (Swariwaza & Tachiwaza Ikkyo)
I think there are a few other things in there as well, but they aren't listed on the sheet. I think he threw in some iriminage and kotegaishi as well.
Iaido went alright as well. We worked on shohato, sato, uto, atarito and inyoshintai. The one I have the most problems with in inyoshintai. I keep stepping through instead of just sliding my back leg up. Argh. I will work on it and get it eventually. I got to use my new bokken. I am going to call the company and ask if I can have an exchange. I really am not happy with it. After an hour of class, the wrap was coming undone and the hardware was lose. My husband said he didn't have a problem with his, so maybe I will see about getting the red oak instead of the black. The black one just looks so neat though. :O( I can't wait until $1,000 drops in my lap. Then, we can both just get iaido's and not have to worry about this nonsense! Unfortunately, I don't think we will ever just come across $1,000. We actually still have to get our hakama's and our iai obi's still.
I have found some nice iai obi's for the both of us online for about $30 a piece. They are much prettier then the plain white. Sensei said we can have whatever color we want, so why not get something pretty! As far as the hakama's go, my husband already has one, but I am not sure if it still fits him or not. I found a couple online that I really like. One is about $70 and the other is about $130. The more expensive one is made especially for women. My hips are a lot bigger then my waist and I am wondering if the fit will be better. It just seems like you can have it geared towards your body better then most places. The less expensive one is made with aikido in mind and has longer straps and you can have your name or school embroidered on the hakama. I thought that was neat. I would have to ask sensei if this is accceptable or not first though. Even if I can't, I may get my name embroidered on the inside of the koshita. I think that is spelled right... haha. You wouldn't be able to see it when I have it on, but it will prevent anyone else from accidently taking my hakama and me ending up with someone elses.
Well, that is all I have to report for now.
A few things I need to fix:
1.) Balance
2.) Use whole body for ikkyo
3.) Return the sword at the same angle you draw it
4.) Keep pointer finger touching thumb when returning the sword
Pains/ Injuries:
1.) I am a little sore in the shoulders from being twisted (nothing big)
2.) Bruises on my wrists from nikyo (they are there so often they might as well be tattoos!)
3.) My knees hurt just above the kneecaps/patella (again, nothing big)
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Tuesday & Wednesday
Tuesday’s class went well. We worked on the jo. I’m still not sure if I really like the jo or not. Part of it is because it is new to me, but part of it is just because some of the movements feel quite awkward. I used the jo a little bit in my old style, but the jo was held and used differently, which could be why I am feeling uncomfortable. I am guessing I will get more comfortable with it as I go, but as of now, it is more of an enemy then a friend.
Yesterday my husband and I received our new bokken’s with a saya. They are pretty nice. They are wrapped and the saya is held on by a magnet, so it makes it more realistic. They will just have to do for a while until my husband and I can afford $1,000 to spend on our iaito’s. I am guessing we will spend about $500-$600 for each of ours. My husband got to use his new bokken last night, but I was unable to use mine. Mine was received with the tsuba loose. I am guessing it got damaged in shipment, but I am not sure. We are going to try to fix it with wood glue and if that doesn’t work, then we are going to call and see about a return/exchange for mine. They are a lot lighter then the ones we have been using and it will be different to actually use a saya instead of pretending.
Last night in iaido we worked on iwanami, ukifune gaeshi, noarashi gaeshi and utsusemi. My technique is still horrendous, but I am at least remembering the moves now. At the end, we did batto a few times. Over all, I think the class went well. At the end I asked sensei for a list of the names of the kata that we do. I am hoping that this will help me learn and remember the names and kata better. I also asked him about my sore shoulder and told him that I figured out it was from doing chiburi. He helped me figure out what I needed to do to fix that problem.
Aikido class went alright yesterday as well. We worked on irimi nage and shihonage from ai hanmi and gyaku hanmi katatedori and we closed the class with kokyu ho. I got to work with sensei a bit, which was nice. He always has a bunch of things to tell me to fix. I try my best to do them all, but I often forget. :O)
A few things I need to fix:
1.) Stay up on my toes (increases ability to move when I’m uke)
2.) Remain close to uke when doing irimi nage (can’t throw a bigger person if you can’t use your body)
3.) Work on remaining upright in my movements
4.) Don’t step back when bringing uke down in shihonage. Bring him straight to the mat.
5.) Lead with my chest on noto
6.) Be completely upright after the draw in batto
Pains/ Injuries:
1.) NONE! WHOOHOO!
Yesterday my husband and I received our new bokken’s with a saya. They are pretty nice. They are wrapped and the saya is held on by a magnet, so it makes it more realistic. They will just have to do for a while until my husband and I can afford $1,000 to spend on our iaito’s. I am guessing we will spend about $500-$600 for each of ours. My husband got to use his new bokken last night, but I was unable to use mine. Mine was received with the tsuba loose. I am guessing it got damaged in shipment, but I am not sure. We are going to try to fix it with wood glue and if that doesn’t work, then we are going to call and see about a return/exchange for mine. They are a lot lighter then the ones we have been using and it will be different to actually use a saya instead of pretending.
Last night in iaido we worked on iwanami, ukifune gaeshi, noarashi gaeshi and utsusemi. My technique is still horrendous, but I am at least remembering the moves now. At the end, we did batto a few times. Over all, I think the class went well. At the end I asked sensei for a list of the names of the kata that we do. I am hoping that this will help me learn and remember the names and kata better. I also asked him about my sore shoulder and told him that I figured out it was from doing chiburi. He helped me figure out what I needed to do to fix that problem.
Aikido class went alright yesterday as well. We worked on irimi nage and shihonage from ai hanmi and gyaku hanmi katatedori and we closed the class with kokyu ho. I got to work with sensei a bit, which was nice. He always has a bunch of things to tell me to fix. I try my best to do them all, but I often forget. :O)
A few things I need to fix:
1.) Stay up on my toes (increases ability to move when I’m uke)
2.) Remain close to uke when doing irimi nage (can’t throw a bigger person if you can’t use your body)
3.) Work on remaining upright in my movements
4.) Don’t step back when bringing uke down in shihonage. Bring him straight to the mat.
5.) Lead with my chest on noto
6.) Be completely upright after the draw in batto
Pains/ Injuries:
1.) NONE! WHOOHOO!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Sensei is back
Today was the first class sensei has taught since a week ago. He attended a summer seminar, but now he is back. :O) Iaito class went well. There were more people there then usual, which was quite nice. We only worked on three things: Shohatto, iwanami and batto. By the end of class, I was more then feeling the burn in my theighs! My technique is horrible and I have much to work on. My shoulders are doing alright, but we shall see how it goes. My knees on the other hand... are still sore. If I have knees that hurt this much at 25, then I hate to think how they will feel 30 years from now! I guess it doesn't help that I have a worn miniscus in my left knee from dancing. It was doing great until I started training 8 1/2 hours a week. I guess I just dove into too many hours too quick!
Aikido class went alright. We worked on several things. Sankyo, kaitenage, iriminage and several other things from shomenuchi. My kaitenage and iriminage are getting better, but my sankyo is still horrendous from shomenuchi. I tend to grab too high on the wrist for sankyo, which of course makes it difficult/impossibe to get sankyo! Realizing my mistake is the first step to fixing it though right? Ah.. and I have to work on my shomenuchi attack as well. I tend to move forward as I lift my hand up over my head and attack, which is how I was trained to do in my previous style. Here, they want me to raise my hand above my head, then move forward as I attack. To me, that shows what I am about to do, which I certainly don't like. It is however, what they want, so it is what I will strive to do.
Class was a great workout today. I don't usually sweat, but my t-shirt was soaked by the end of class. One thing that this dojo has in common with my last dojo is that there is no air conditioning. The good thing about the west coast is that there is no humidity! I had no idea how bad humidity was on the east coast until I got away from it. To me, heat here is nothing. People are complaining about it and I am simply thinking it is gorgeous outside! I am hoping that I don't get used to the no humidity thing though.
Well, that is all I have to report. My blogs will probably get more in depth as I learn more of the terminology. :O)
Aikido class went alright. We worked on several things. Sankyo, kaitenage, iriminage and several other things from shomenuchi. My kaitenage and iriminage are getting better, but my sankyo is still horrendous from shomenuchi. I tend to grab too high on the wrist for sankyo, which of course makes it difficult/impossibe to get sankyo! Realizing my mistake is the first step to fixing it though right? Ah.. and I have to work on my shomenuchi attack as well. I tend to move forward as I lift my hand up over my head and attack, which is how I was trained to do in my previous style. Here, they want me to raise my hand above my head, then move forward as I attack. To me, that shows what I am about to do, which I certainly don't like. It is however, what they want, so it is what I will strive to do.
Class was a great workout today. I don't usually sweat, but my t-shirt was soaked by the end of class. One thing that this dojo has in common with my last dojo is that there is no air conditioning. The good thing about the west coast is that there is no humidity! I had no idea how bad humidity was on the east coast until I got away from it. To me, heat here is nothing. People are complaining about it and I am simply thinking it is gorgeous outside! I am hoping that I don't get used to the no humidity thing though.
Well, that is all I have to report. My blogs will probably get more in depth as I learn more of the terminology. :O)
Friday, June 12, 2009
Feeling like an old lady!
Well, last night I could feel the tightness settling in on my shoulders and I was hoping that a hot shower and rest would do me good. Those things did me good, but not enough. :O) My shoulders are still very sore today. I guess they really got tweaked. Any arm lifting where they go above my shoulders makes them tighten up more. Argh! Today is a day of rest and then tomorrow I have iaido for an hour and aikido for an hour and a half. Sensei came back from his seminar and said that Saturdays class will be a good one because he wants to show us a few things they did at the seminar. This basically means that it will not be an easy class. Don't get me wrong, I don't want an easy class. I like the feeling of being sore and having a few bruises. It just goes to show that I am working on something. Whether I am getting better or not is a completely different story though!
I thought about using the good ol' icy-hot or tiger balm last night before bed. There are two things that always keeps me from using it. The first is that if I use it, then I am admitting that I am sore enough to use it. I refuse to admit that some product or pill can help me to feel better, so I endure the aches and pains that are all too common with aikido training. All the while, I am rubbing the stuff on my husband and giving him massages to feel better. Those massages are never reciprocated though. BOO! The second is that the smell will still be there in the morning. I am pretty sure that my coworkers haven't come to actually appreciate the smell of icy-hot or tiger balm! I myself thought they stunk until I started using it on a regular basis when I played varsity tennis in college. When you have 3 hours of practice every day of the week and a game on Saturday, you had to to be ready. I didn't mind biting the bullet for that. Not to mention, my tennis team didn't mind the smell either. I think all sports athletes have an appreciation for the smell. It is like your badge of honor. The evidence that you had a good workout and now you are living to tell the tale. Sure, I could use one of those sports creams that have no odor.... but I am convinced they don't work as well.
The point is, sore or not, my training will continue. Bring it on!
I thought about using the good ol' icy-hot or tiger balm last night before bed. There are two things that always keeps me from using it. The first is that if I use it, then I am admitting that I am sore enough to use it. I refuse to admit that some product or pill can help me to feel better, so I endure the aches and pains that are all too common with aikido training. All the while, I am rubbing the stuff on my husband and giving him massages to feel better. Those massages are never reciprocated though. BOO! The second is that the smell will still be there in the morning. I am pretty sure that my coworkers haven't come to actually appreciate the smell of icy-hot or tiger balm! I myself thought they stunk until I started using it on a regular basis when I played varsity tennis in college. When you have 3 hours of practice every day of the week and a game on Saturday, you had to to be ready. I didn't mind biting the bullet for that. Not to mention, my tennis team didn't mind the smell either. I think all sports athletes have an appreciation for the smell. It is like your badge of honor. The evidence that you had a good workout and now you are living to tell the tale. Sure, I could use one of those sports creams that have no odor.... but I am convinced they don't work as well.
The point is, sore or not, my training will continue. Bring it on!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Beat up and sore......
Tonights class went well. It started off with just myself and another student, but eventually a third student joined class. We worked on a few different things, but mainly we did ikkyo. We also worked on sumiotoshi, kaitenage and kotegaishi. I'm not sure why, but I am already VERY sore from class. My shoulders are quite sore, which is a little odd. I also got mat burn on the top of my left foot. FUN! Who doesn't like getting mat burn and then enjoying the sting when sweat gets in it. :O) Anywho, that is all I really have to report.
Some things I have to work on: balanced attacks, not allowing my legs to collapse once I am thrown and a few other little things.
Some things I have to work on: balanced attacks, not allowing my legs to collapse once I am thrown and a few other little things.
Intro
Hello there. Well, after debating back and forth, I have decided to start a blog. The main reason is that I would like to look back every so often to see how I have progressed in one way or another. Before I continue, let me tell you a bit about my background. The world of martial arts isn’t new to me. From 1999-2006 I studied Aikijitsu. For those of you who don’t know much about that style, it is fairly aggressive and involves judo, aikido and a few other styles thrown in. The throws were my favorite part though. We also worked with several types of weapons, which I also enjoyed. I really enjoyed doing martial arts and it helped boost my self confidence over time. I used to be a shy person, but it eventually brought me out of my shell. In August of 2006 I moved an hour and a half north for grad school. Due to my 14 hour days from school and commuting by train, that left no time for me to train anywhere. Eventually I graduated and I got a job cross country. My husband and I packed up and headed towards the unknown. After settling in for 7 months, my husband still was unable to find a job. We occasionally spoke of martial arts and how much both of us missed taking classes. I began to search for a martial arts dojo for him to go to. That way he would be able to get out of the house and socialize. The closest thing we could find to our beloved style of Aikijitsu was Aikido. We eventually found a dojo that he liked. So, I encouraged him to sign up… without me. That idea didn’t go to well and he told me that he refused to join unless I did. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do martial arts, but I thought it would be nice for him to have his own thing and would let him get out of the house. Not to mention that with only one paycheck, paying for one person is a lot easier then paying for two people!
Well, after several days of bickering and arguing, I gave in and decided to join with him. It was more important to me that he was there and if I had to be there, then so be it. Well, it turns out that it made me realize just how much I missed martial arts. I thought that my previous martial arts background would give me some sort of advantage, but I have yet to figure out what that actually is! I feel like a hopeless beginner all over again. Lost and confused in this brand new world. The only difference is that I am a little more aware of my body and I am able to take falls. There are some differences in the way they do ukemi here, so I’m asked to do things differently. I am used to falling on the outside, where they want me to fall to the inside here. I was taught to roll all the way up the body during a face fall, here they want you to catch yourself on your forearms… OUCH! I still can’t seem to grasp this one. As a matter of fact, I have several bruises on my right forearm from last nights class. The strange part is I don’t even know how I bruise this part on my forearm! I could understand if they were on my elbow because then I would know I was catching myself on my elbow, but this is in a strange place. I have even tried putting my arm on a flat surface to try to figure out what I am doing and I can’t seem to make the bruise area hurt…. So until I figure out what I am doing, the bruises will continue!
I have noticed that my bruising is getting less frequent. They are pretty much only on my wrists and arms now. I used to get them on my knees all the time, but I am guessing this was from me not used to sitting in seiza and doing shikko (knee walking). My husband and I have also joined iaido and tai chi as well. I really love working with the bokken and look forward to buying an iaito in the future. In fact, I have it already picked out. I just need the $600 to make the purchase. :O) I have had minimal exposure to the jo in Aikido and I am not sure if I like it yet, but that may change. I do miss using the other weapons from my old style. We used the bo, jo, nunchucks, sword, tonfa, sai’s and escrima. I had the most experience with the bo and the nunchucks though and I miss training with them. :O(
With our busy training schedule (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday evenings), it seems we are never home during week nights anymore! We also take a Saturday morning classes as well. We have been taking classes for a little over 3 months now and I have enough hours to test for 5th kyu. Whether I am ready or not is a different story, but at least I have the hours in. I am guessing that they won’t offer the test for another month or two, but I could be wrong. That gives me time to work on my horrendous technique!
Well, I guess I better close for now. At least I have the first post done, which now allows me to move to the present. Sorry I didn’t think to do this when I first started! It would have made things much more simplistic on my part.
Well, after several days of bickering and arguing, I gave in and decided to join with him. It was more important to me that he was there and if I had to be there, then so be it. Well, it turns out that it made me realize just how much I missed martial arts. I thought that my previous martial arts background would give me some sort of advantage, but I have yet to figure out what that actually is! I feel like a hopeless beginner all over again. Lost and confused in this brand new world. The only difference is that I am a little more aware of my body and I am able to take falls. There are some differences in the way they do ukemi here, so I’m asked to do things differently. I am used to falling on the outside, where they want me to fall to the inside here. I was taught to roll all the way up the body during a face fall, here they want you to catch yourself on your forearms… OUCH! I still can’t seem to grasp this one. As a matter of fact, I have several bruises on my right forearm from last nights class. The strange part is I don’t even know how I bruise this part on my forearm! I could understand if they were on my elbow because then I would know I was catching myself on my elbow, but this is in a strange place. I have even tried putting my arm on a flat surface to try to figure out what I am doing and I can’t seem to make the bruise area hurt…. So until I figure out what I am doing, the bruises will continue!
I have noticed that my bruising is getting less frequent. They are pretty much only on my wrists and arms now. I used to get them on my knees all the time, but I am guessing this was from me not used to sitting in seiza and doing shikko (knee walking). My husband and I have also joined iaido and tai chi as well. I really love working with the bokken and look forward to buying an iaito in the future. In fact, I have it already picked out. I just need the $600 to make the purchase. :O) I have had minimal exposure to the jo in Aikido and I am not sure if I like it yet, but that may change. I do miss using the other weapons from my old style. We used the bo, jo, nunchucks, sword, tonfa, sai’s and escrima. I had the most experience with the bo and the nunchucks though and I miss training with them. :O(
With our busy training schedule (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday evenings), it seems we are never home during week nights anymore! We also take a Saturday morning classes as well. We have been taking classes for a little over 3 months now and I have enough hours to test for 5th kyu. Whether I am ready or not is a different story, but at least I have the hours in. I am guessing that they won’t offer the test for another month or two, but I could be wrong. That gives me time to work on my horrendous technique!
Well, I guess I better close for now. At least I have the first post done, which now allows me to move to the present. Sorry I didn’t think to do this when I first started! It would have made things much more simplistic on my part.
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