Well, my husband and I were late to class last night. My husband worked until 6 and class starts at 6:30 which doesn’t seem to be a problem, but we usually leave the house at 5:45 in order to get there and change to be on time for class. Living so far away from a dojo really is a pain in some aspects. We might actually train more then 4 days a week if it weren’t for the 20 plus miles each way to the dojo. We arrived at the dojo and it was pretty hot inside. It got up to 109 degrees Fahrenheit here yesterday. Heat schmeat right? Train I say!
I was surprised when I looked around and only saw our sempai teaching and one other student (also a sempai and is a 5th kyu). That made three students for the second night in a row. I wonder if the number 3 has a significant meaning in my life right now. If it does, I haven’t noticed it yet.
After warming up and stretching out, sempai had us grab a bokken and work on nikkyo from ai hanmi. I really like this technique. One person begins to draw the bokken and the other person stops them by grabbing their wrist and pushing (you are trying to prevent from being cut down with what is supposed to be a live blade after all!). The other person then steps to the side to create a small “doorway” and then does nikyo with the tsuka of the bokken. Once you got your uke down to the ground, then your push the tsuka towards uke’s face in order to get them to want to roll backwards (unless they really enjoy getting hit in the face, then they may remain I suppose)
Once that was done, sempai had us do the same thing, but without the bokken. In order to keep uke’s hand on yours before applying nikyo, we simply put our other hand on top of theirs to prevent them from just letting go. I worked with sempai on this one and there are a few things that I need to remember, which will be mentioned at the end of this entry.
Next on our list was ai hanmi ikkyo (both omote and ura variations). First sempai had us do the static variations for this. Once we seemed to have this down for the most part, he wanted us to be active and move around. For this, one person was in the middle and the other two would take turns attacking. You could do whatever variation you wanted, but after you had to get rid of uke and prepare for the other attack. This was interesting because you didn’t have time for a complete take down and you had to be aware of your surroundings so you didn’t throw uke into someone or the wall. This would be a good technique if you weren’t on friendly terms with your attackers though. :O)
We also worked on ai hanmi ikkyo with the uchi kaiten variation (not positive if that is what it was called). You got your uke into the ikkyo position and then you step backwards and pull uke down and forward to the mat. This technique was a bit of a pain for me. I just couldn’t get my weight right and ended up leaving behind one thing or another. I did get it right a couple times and when I did I just felt like it was right. I guess over time those moments will get more and more frequent… or at least that is what I am hoping!
Sempai decided that once we did that, we would work on yonkyo (omote and ura)! Now I enjoy this technique, but I just can’t seem to get this. In fact, it seemed like the other two guys picked up on it rather quickly (granted the one guy has been there longer and my husband used to do aikido). Me, I struggled and struggled and just kept squeezing the life out of my poor uke’s wrist. HAHA. I did manage to get it once while attempting to do the ura variation. I say attempt because I was so happy that I actually got yonkyo that I didn’t even finish the technique. I believe part of my problem is my tiny hands and dealing with big man wrists, but I also account my struggles with just not doing this technique enough to learn the proper placement for both hands. Again, I am hoping this will get better over time. I told my husband we would have to practice this one at home since I sincerely suck at it.
Things to fix:
1.) For nikyo, cut towards uke’s center (otherwise it doesn’t really work)
2.) For nikyo, don’t just cut straight down. Instead, think of cutting over and around uke’s wrist. This is MUCH more effective
3.) Remember to work inside the “box” and don’t venture too far out from your body. Keep things subtle & close to the body
4.) For ura, remember to step to the outside of uke’s body… you don’t want to be inside! It seems this is some strange habit that I just can’t shake.
5.) For ura with ikkyo, do not step back. Instead, sink back and once your opponent follows you, then go forward and step behind.
6.) For uchi kaiten from ikkyo, don’t pull with your arms and don’t step back and leave your torso behind.. Step and bring your entire body with you!
Pains & Injuries:
1.) Sore hamstrings (not sure why and it may not even be related to aikido)
2.) Nikyo and yonkyo bruises (a natural and earth friendly way to get a bracelet!)
3.) Still have that stupid mat burn on my ankle….
4.) Still VERY tired…..
Once that was over with, we started iaido class. No surprise here, but there were again three students (me, my husband and another student who only trains in iaido). We did several different kata tonight and a few of them I had never done before. We worked on Iwanami, Ukifune gaeshi, Noarashi gaeshi, Utsusemi, Matsukaze, Zangetsu hidari, Zangetsu migi, Raito gaeshi and finished things off with Batto of course. I didn’t do terribly bad on the kata that I actually knew and felt comfortable with. Everything after Utsusemi were things I have either done once or haven’t done at all.
Things to fix:
1.) Keep your blade active even when you are bringing it back over your head (that way you can attack at any time)
2.) Make sure to look to the left or right side before you cut in that direction
3.) Work on remaining balanced in Utsusemi when doing the first strike to the rear
4.) When doing the “paper cut” method of chiburi, make sure to keep your wrist strong and take the entire blade to the side. Do not leave the tip behind at your center
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
My return after a 5 day hiatus
Well, after five long days of not attending class (went to visit family) I finally made my return. YAY! Yesterday it was a cool 108 degrees Fahrenheit here. Needless to say our AC lacking dojo was quite warm. I showed up to class to find only myself and Sensei. I got changed and Sensei informed me that we would probably be working on weapons. I was pretty excited at the prospect of having a private lesson. Alas, that did not happen. The new guy showed up, so Sensei informed me that we would be working on body arts tonight. No big deal. As the two of us lined up, we heard the familiar gravel crunching sound and it turned out to be one of my sempai’s (a 5th kyu). So it became the three musketeers for the class.
We started off with a light stretching and worked on our forward rolls as the new person still doesn’t quite have them grasped. I quite enjoy forward rolls and don’t mind the extra time trying to get mine to be as smooth and quiet as possible. After working on that for a while, sensei had us partner up and work on a few extension exercises. After that, we worked on ai hanmi ikkyo. I discovered that I am better on my left side then my right (despite being right handed). For some reason, it just isn’t as effective. Maybe I am not coming over the top as much as I do on the left. Or perhaps, I am not utilizing my hips the same way from one side to the other. This is something I will have to figure out on my own. :O)
After that, we worked on gyaku hanmi iriminage. I am proud to say that I felt more comfortable then usual with this technique. I am hoping that this lovely feeling won’t fade away by the next class. HAHA. At one point, my partner was confused and stated like he didn’t feel he was ending up the way sensei did (he was tenkan-ing around). I politely mentioned that I thought we were doing the irimi variation, but turned and asked sensei which variation we were doing to confirm. Sensei confirmed that we were doing the irimi variation and proceeded to use me as uke for several throws. Somehow I managed to get mat burn on the outer side of my right ankle. I knew as soon as I did it that it would be stinging soon since I am sweating so much. My thought is barely over when I feel the sweet stinging sensation on my ankle. I acknowledge it and move on. Once sensei is done with me, I check the mat burn to make sure it wasn’t bleeding; it wasn’t. Back to my partner I go!
Towards the end of class sensei asks me up to be his uke. He must have done about 6 different techniques on me. He had me flying every which way! He was talking about the points of weakness on a person and showing how to take their balance. He explained that the following will work: Take their elbow/ expose their armpit, take their face/ head, take their “third leg”, bend them forward, bend them back and I am sure he did more. He then went on and showed the various forms of sumiotoshi and told us which one he wanted us to work on. By the time he was done tossing me around (which felt like 5 minutes, but was probably more like a minute) I was utterly exhausted! It always amazes me how tired I am after being sensei’s uke! At least I am not alone as there are some yudansha who are also tired after being his uke as well.
For this technique, sensei partnered me up with the new guy. He did pretty good. My only concern is his backfalls. He just sort of falls like a tree and he doesn’t really tuck his chin. It appears as if he is going to bash his head into the mat! I made sure to take him down slower so he had time to lower his self so he didn’t fall like a tree from a complete standing position. All in all, I think he is doing quite well for someone who has been taking classes for 2 or 3 weeks.
Since sensei always says I take hard falls, tonight I really tried to focus on soft ukemi. I didn’t do any slapping unless I truly felt it was warranted and instead tried to be as soft and quiet as possible. It was nice to see that once I put my mind to it, my ukemi was rather quiet. After that, sensei had us line up and explained the proper way to rei. He explained that the butt doesn’t lift when you rei and that if anything, it sinks lower. He also explained about the left hand going to the mat first and returning to your lap last.
Things to fix:
1.) Extend more (up and out) for ikkyo
2.) Work on turning/ twisting your hands more for the techniques
3.) Keep feet firmly planted (I thought I did a little better with iriminage this week!)
Pains/ injuries:
1.) Mat burn on my outer right ankle. I’ve had worse
2.) Exhaustion. Part of this might be due to the heat, but not sure
We started off with a light stretching and worked on our forward rolls as the new person still doesn’t quite have them grasped. I quite enjoy forward rolls and don’t mind the extra time trying to get mine to be as smooth and quiet as possible. After working on that for a while, sensei had us partner up and work on a few extension exercises. After that, we worked on ai hanmi ikkyo. I discovered that I am better on my left side then my right (despite being right handed). For some reason, it just isn’t as effective. Maybe I am not coming over the top as much as I do on the left. Or perhaps, I am not utilizing my hips the same way from one side to the other. This is something I will have to figure out on my own. :O)
After that, we worked on gyaku hanmi iriminage. I am proud to say that I felt more comfortable then usual with this technique. I am hoping that this lovely feeling won’t fade away by the next class. HAHA. At one point, my partner was confused and stated like he didn’t feel he was ending up the way sensei did (he was tenkan-ing around). I politely mentioned that I thought we were doing the irimi variation, but turned and asked sensei which variation we were doing to confirm. Sensei confirmed that we were doing the irimi variation and proceeded to use me as uke for several throws. Somehow I managed to get mat burn on the outer side of my right ankle. I knew as soon as I did it that it would be stinging soon since I am sweating so much. My thought is barely over when I feel the sweet stinging sensation on my ankle. I acknowledge it and move on. Once sensei is done with me, I check the mat burn to make sure it wasn’t bleeding; it wasn’t. Back to my partner I go!
Towards the end of class sensei asks me up to be his uke. He must have done about 6 different techniques on me. He had me flying every which way! He was talking about the points of weakness on a person and showing how to take their balance. He explained that the following will work: Take their elbow/ expose their armpit, take their face/ head, take their “third leg”, bend them forward, bend them back and I am sure he did more. He then went on and showed the various forms of sumiotoshi and told us which one he wanted us to work on. By the time he was done tossing me around (which felt like 5 minutes, but was probably more like a minute) I was utterly exhausted! It always amazes me how tired I am after being sensei’s uke! At least I am not alone as there are some yudansha who are also tired after being his uke as well.
For this technique, sensei partnered me up with the new guy. He did pretty good. My only concern is his backfalls. He just sort of falls like a tree and he doesn’t really tuck his chin. It appears as if he is going to bash his head into the mat! I made sure to take him down slower so he had time to lower his self so he didn’t fall like a tree from a complete standing position. All in all, I think he is doing quite well for someone who has been taking classes for 2 or 3 weeks.
Since sensei always says I take hard falls, tonight I really tried to focus on soft ukemi. I didn’t do any slapping unless I truly felt it was warranted and instead tried to be as soft and quiet as possible. It was nice to see that once I put my mind to it, my ukemi was rather quiet. After that, sensei had us line up and explained the proper way to rei. He explained that the butt doesn’t lift when you rei and that if anything, it sinks lower. He also explained about the left hand going to the mat first and returning to your lap last.
Things to fix:
1.) Extend more (up and out) for ikkyo
2.) Work on turning/ twisting your hands more for the techniques
3.) Keep feet firmly planted (I thought I did a little better with iriminage this week!)
Pains/ injuries:
1.) Mat burn on my outer right ankle. I’ve had worse
2.) Exhaustion. Part of this might be due to the heat, but not sure
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Sensei said my aikido sucks…
OKAY…. so he didn’t exactly say that. That is more of my interpretation of his words. HAHA. Yesterdays class wasn’t terribly bad. A good thing was that there was another female in class (3rd Kyu), the bad thing is that she is sort of a frienemy. I must admit though, she is growing on me. Since the new kid wasn’t in class yesterday, we worked with the jo. We did some basic attacks & responses. After a while sensei had one of us put down the jo and one person would grab onto the jo and the other person would throw them. We did one where you end up throwing them into a forward roll and we did another one where they basically end up being thrown via shihonage.
It was actually quite the learning experience because afterwards, we did the same throw without the jo (uke grabbed both wrists). It actually brought an entirely new perspective to the throws. Sensei scolded me on quite a few things. I don’t find his corrections to be discouraging at all. Instead I feel honored that he is even taking the time to correct me. It makes me feel like I have some potential. It seems to me that the less potential they see in you, the more they leave you alone. Don’t get me wrong, everyone gets corrected and receives attention, but some receive more then others. I suppose you could look at it from another point of view and state “The one’s receiving corrections the most have the worst aikido, thus the more attention.” To which I can only admit that it could very well be a possibility. I will admit that my aikido is quite atrocious. HAHA.
A short aside…… One of my professors in graduate school told me point blank that he would only help those that were eager to learn, took what he said and implemented it and whom he felt would actually benefit from his teachings and go somewhere. The students who got the most help were labeled as “favorites” and truly did receive a lot more attention. Since then, I have noticed this in other areas of my life (past and present). Most people do receive advice, instructions, etc, but when someone is truly hopeless it does seem that less effort is put towards them. I have always been under the impression that those are the one’s that need help the most, but I do realize that unfortunately, some people just can’t seem to grasp what it is they are trying to do. Everyone has something that they are naturally gifted at, something that they struggle with but eventually understand and finally, there are things that you struggle with and just can’t seem to digest.
Anywho, back to the point. Sensei has been correcting me quite frequently lately. It leaves me with the conclusion that my aikido is far less then spectacular, but I also find it a humbling experience. In my last style, I picked up on things rather quickly and was told by more then a couple people that I was naturally gifted and was a star pupil in that dojo. To go from being at the top of the ladder to the bottom again can be tough. It is like going from a senior in high school to a freshman in college. You thought you knew everything and then you discover exactly how naive and ignorant you actually are. In my case, I feel as if I have been thrown in the deep end of the pool and I’m treading water. I keep looking for the ladder to find a way out, but I just don’t see anything. At this point, everything around me is just too foggy for me to decipher anything. I hear voices and every now and then I think I see the ladder and then it disappears again. Even though I am lost now, I know that eventually I will find that ladder and will begin to climb my way out of the pool. Will I be tired by the time I find the ladder? Sure. All I know is that I am determined to keep my head above the water. I will not give up and let my head slip down into the dark, murky water of ignorance. Go me!
Iaido class wasn’t half bad either. Sensei had us run through the first 5 kata in the Shoden series. We actually spent a lot of time on these. He wanted us to work on drawing while raising up from seiza or turning from seiza. Then we worked on inyoshintai. I am getting more comfortable with this kata and I seem to be getting stronger so I don’t get as tired as I did when I first learned it.
I won’t be in class Thursday or Saturday. I am bit bummed about missing class, but I am going to see my husband’s sister & brother in law so that is exciting. They are the only family we have here as the rest are about 3,000 miles away!
Things I need to work on:
1.) Keep my back foot planted and strong in iriminage
2.) Don’t stick my butt out or bend over at the end of shihonage
3.) While sitting in seiza (esp for iaido), tilt my pelvis forward just a tad to sit straighter
4.) For inyoshintai, don’t drop to one knee after the second strike until you do chiburi
Injuries:
1.) I have piece of raw skin on the bottom on my big toe. The dry skin peeled and actually went quite deep into “fresh” skin. Ouch.
2.) Some strange bruise on my right hand. Have no idea how that one happened….. HAHA
It was actually quite the learning experience because afterwards, we did the same throw without the jo (uke grabbed both wrists). It actually brought an entirely new perspective to the throws. Sensei scolded me on quite a few things. I don’t find his corrections to be discouraging at all. Instead I feel honored that he is even taking the time to correct me. It makes me feel like I have some potential. It seems to me that the less potential they see in you, the more they leave you alone. Don’t get me wrong, everyone gets corrected and receives attention, but some receive more then others. I suppose you could look at it from another point of view and state “The one’s receiving corrections the most have the worst aikido, thus the more attention.” To which I can only admit that it could very well be a possibility. I will admit that my aikido is quite atrocious. HAHA.
A short aside…… One of my professors in graduate school told me point blank that he would only help those that were eager to learn, took what he said and implemented it and whom he felt would actually benefit from his teachings and go somewhere. The students who got the most help were labeled as “favorites” and truly did receive a lot more attention. Since then, I have noticed this in other areas of my life (past and present). Most people do receive advice, instructions, etc, but when someone is truly hopeless it does seem that less effort is put towards them. I have always been under the impression that those are the one’s that need help the most, but I do realize that unfortunately, some people just can’t seem to grasp what it is they are trying to do. Everyone has something that they are naturally gifted at, something that they struggle with but eventually understand and finally, there are things that you struggle with and just can’t seem to digest.
Anywho, back to the point. Sensei has been correcting me quite frequently lately. It leaves me with the conclusion that my aikido is far less then spectacular, but I also find it a humbling experience. In my last style, I picked up on things rather quickly and was told by more then a couple people that I was naturally gifted and was a star pupil in that dojo. To go from being at the top of the ladder to the bottom again can be tough. It is like going from a senior in high school to a freshman in college. You thought you knew everything and then you discover exactly how naive and ignorant you actually are. In my case, I feel as if I have been thrown in the deep end of the pool and I’m treading water. I keep looking for the ladder to find a way out, but I just don’t see anything. At this point, everything around me is just too foggy for me to decipher anything. I hear voices and every now and then I think I see the ladder and then it disappears again. Even though I am lost now, I know that eventually I will find that ladder and will begin to climb my way out of the pool. Will I be tired by the time I find the ladder? Sure. All I know is that I am determined to keep my head above the water. I will not give up and let my head slip down into the dark, murky water of ignorance. Go me!
Iaido class wasn’t half bad either. Sensei had us run through the first 5 kata in the Shoden series. We actually spent a lot of time on these. He wanted us to work on drawing while raising up from seiza or turning from seiza. Then we worked on inyoshintai. I am getting more comfortable with this kata and I seem to be getting stronger so I don’t get as tired as I did when I first learned it.
I won’t be in class Thursday or Saturday. I am bit bummed about missing class, but I am going to see my husband’s sister & brother in law so that is exciting. They are the only family we have here as the rest are about 3,000 miles away!
Things I need to work on:
1.) Keep my back foot planted and strong in iriminage
2.) Don’t stick my butt out or bend over at the end of shihonage
3.) While sitting in seiza (esp for iaido), tilt my pelvis forward just a tad to sit straighter
4.) For inyoshintai, don’t drop to one knee after the second strike until you do chiburi
Injuries:
1.) I have piece of raw skin on the bottom on my big toe. The dry skin peeled and actually went quite deep into “fresh” skin. Ouch.
2.) Some strange bruise on my right hand. Have no idea how that one happened….. HAHA
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Hai Sensei.... Hai Sensi...
This blog is a bit late as I have been busy. Since this is so late, I don't really remember the things that I did on Tuesday or Wednesday... so instead, I will talk about about some other things. :O) Tuesday there were only a few of us in class. All of us have been there for about a year or less. Well, the new guy asked a question wihle we were working together and I tried to answer his question. Sensei looked over at us and said "NO talking." I gave a small rei towards sensei and said the only thing I could "Hai sensei." I made a point not to say much for the rest of the class. Sensei gave me plenty of corrections during the class (none of which I can recall at the moment). To each of these comments, I said "Hai sensei." and did my best to do as he asked. This should have been a good indicator for me that this week was not going to be easy.....
Wednesday I strolled in the dojo, all fresh and ready. I was a bit stresed out from work as I have been working on 3 cases and going through training, but I was looking forward to class. We worked on a few variations of techniques. I had done shomenuchi kotegaishi before, but not these variations. Needless to say, I wasn't getting them. It seemed like the entire class I was struggling to get things to work. I couldn't even get stupid shomenuchi ikkyo to work for crying out loud! By the end of the class I was so upset with myself that I could feel myself on the verge of crying! As my husband and I walked back down to the changing room (we had to put on hakamas for iaido) he sensed something was wrong and kept asking me. I told him nothing was wrong and that I was alright. By the time I got back up to the dojo, I was already beginning to feel a little better. By the time class started, I had wiped my mental slate clean and I wasn't so miserable anymore.
Thursday went better then the two days before. I actually felt like I was doing well on a few things. We worked on ryotedori kotegaishi, shihonage, sumiotoshi and kokyuho, tsuki kokyuho and kotegaishi and katatedori iriminage, katagatame and ikkyo. For the most part, I was getting the techniques (to the level I am expected to). We had a visitor in class for the 2nd hour. She was very nice. Apparently she lives or trains in Japan and was just here for a visit. I have no idea of her rank, but she has been training for about 30 years. Sometimes she was gentle and other times.... not so much. While working on kokyuho with her she bashed me in the mouth with her elbow. DOH! At least I wasn't bleeding. At one point, sensei clapped his hands, so I went to run around behind him to take a seat. Sensei changed his direction and I almost ran right in front of him. I said "Sorry sensei." and hurried up to run behind him to sit. As I was running like a frantic maniac to get a seat, he said "Ashley." and motioned for me to be his uke. I hurried up and reid, said "Onegaishimasu." and ran back the other way in a frantic circle to get back to him. Needless to say, everyone else in the class found this quite funny and got a chuckle out of it. He demonstrated katagatame on me. This wasn't the normal kaitenage to katagatame. This was from katatedori where you go towards the outside of their hand, come up over top and just scoop them down into katagatame. Sensei also did some other stuff with me trying to get me to keep close to him. He has been pretty tough on me lately. I guess he is just trying to make me a good uke. I don't mind. :O)
Saturday went alright as well. Sensei wasn't there, so his wife taught class. My partner and I got scolded for talking. Seems like I have been getting scolded a lot lately! We started off class with katadori ikkyo from suwariwaza, then moved to tachiwaza. We then worked on tsuki kokyunage. I had a little bit of trouble with this one, but not too bad. We then moved onto katatedori for the rest of the class. We worked on uchi and soto kaitenage for a while. At one point, I had gotten my partner into a position where he could prevent himself from rolling. I tried, tried again, tried with hips... and nothing would work. So, instead, I just took him down into katagatame. Turns out, whether I was the inspiration or not, the very next technique we did was katagatame. :O) We then moved on to shihonage, which is one technique that I feel pretty comfortable with. I actually have fun with this technique.
At the end of class, we were told to work on ikkyo, nikyo and sankyo from katatedori. We were also told to do omote and ura variations for all of these. I didn't really have a problem with ikkyo. For nikyo, I didn't do the variation that she wanted. I just did nikyo, but she wanted ikkyo to nikyo. I had a bit of a problem with the ura variation of this technique for a bit, but I started to get the hang of this. For sankyo, I didn't have a problem with the omote variation. For ura, I wasn't really wrong, but I wasn't doing it the "shortcut" way. So, they attempted to show me what to do for this. I still don't have this down, but I figure I will have more chances to work on it over time.
Though the beginning of the week didn't go so well, the end of the week was a bit better, which didn't leave me with a sour taste in my mouth the whole weekend. I know I am nowhere ready to test for 3rd kyu (which is what sensei said my first test will be for), but I can't shake this feeling that I may be testing for a lower rank sometime. Sensei's are known to do things that aren't expected, so if he walked up to me and said "I want you to test for 5th kyu" it wouldn't really surprise me... but it would at the same time. Who knows. I just hope I am wrong because I am not ready to test for any rank. I am quite content being a 6th kyu at the moment and I hope I won't have to test for another year or so.
I think I will skip over the things to work on for this week...... HAH!
Wednesday I strolled in the dojo, all fresh and ready. I was a bit stresed out from work as I have been working on 3 cases and going through training, but I was looking forward to class. We worked on a few variations of techniques. I had done shomenuchi kotegaishi before, but not these variations. Needless to say, I wasn't getting them. It seemed like the entire class I was struggling to get things to work. I couldn't even get stupid shomenuchi ikkyo to work for crying out loud! By the end of the class I was so upset with myself that I could feel myself on the verge of crying! As my husband and I walked back down to the changing room (we had to put on hakamas for iaido) he sensed something was wrong and kept asking me. I told him nothing was wrong and that I was alright. By the time I got back up to the dojo, I was already beginning to feel a little better. By the time class started, I had wiped my mental slate clean and I wasn't so miserable anymore.
Thursday went better then the two days before. I actually felt like I was doing well on a few things. We worked on ryotedori kotegaishi, shihonage, sumiotoshi and kokyuho, tsuki kokyuho and kotegaishi and katatedori iriminage, katagatame and ikkyo. For the most part, I was getting the techniques (to the level I am expected to). We had a visitor in class for the 2nd hour. She was very nice. Apparently she lives or trains in Japan and was just here for a visit. I have no idea of her rank, but she has been training for about 30 years. Sometimes she was gentle and other times.... not so much. While working on kokyuho with her she bashed me in the mouth with her elbow. DOH! At least I wasn't bleeding. At one point, sensei clapped his hands, so I went to run around behind him to take a seat. Sensei changed his direction and I almost ran right in front of him. I said "Sorry sensei." and hurried up to run behind him to sit. As I was running like a frantic maniac to get a seat, he said "Ashley." and motioned for me to be his uke. I hurried up and reid, said "Onegaishimasu." and ran back the other way in a frantic circle to get back to him. Needless to say, everyone else in the class found this quite funny and got a chuckle out of it. He demonstrated katagatame on me. This wasn't the normal kaitenage to katagatame. This was from katatedori where you go towards the outside of their hand, come up over top and just scoop them down into katagatame. Sensei also did some other stuff with me trying to get me to keep close to him. He has been pretty tough on me lately. I guess he is just trying to make me a good uke. I don't mind. :O)
Saturday went alright as well. Sensei wasn't there, so his wife taught class. My partner and I got scolded for talking. Seems like I have been getting scolded a lot lately! We started off class with katadori ikkyo from suwariwaza, then moved to tachiwaza. We then worked on tsuki kokyunage. I had a little bit of trouble with this one, but not too bad. We then moved onto katatedori for the rest of the class. We worked on uchi and soto kaitenage for a while. At one point, I had gotten my partner into a position where he could prevent himself from rolling. I tried, tried again, tried with hips... and nothing would work. So, instead, I just took him down into katagatame. Turns out, whether I was the inspiration or not, the very next technique we did was katagatame. :O) We then moved on to shihonage, which is one technique that I feel pretty comfortable with. I actually have fun with this technique.
At the end of class, we were told to work on ikkyo, nikyo and sankyo from katatedori. We were also told to do omote and ura variations for all of these. I didn't really have a problem with ikkyo. For nikyo, I didn't do the variation that she wanted. I just did nikyo, but she wanted ikkyo to nikyo. I had a bit of a problem with the ura variation of this technique for a bit, but I started to get the hang of this. For sankyo, I didn't have a problem with the omote variation. For ura, I wasn't really wrong, but I wasn't doing it the "shortcut" way. So, they attempted to show me what to do for this. I still don't have this down, but I figure I will have more chances to work on it over time.
Though the beginning of the week didn't go so well, the end of the week was a bit better, which didn't leave me with a sour taste in my mouth the whole weekend. I know I am nowhere ready to test for 3rd kyu (which is what sensei said my first test will be for), but I can't shake this feeling that I may be testing for a lower rank sometime. Sensei's are known to do things that aren't expected, so if he walked up to me and said "I want you to test for 5th kyu" it wouldn't really surprise me... but it would at the same time. Who knows. I just hope I am wrong because I am not ready to test for any rank. I am quite content being a 6th kyu at the moment and I hope I won't have to test for another year or so.
I think I will skip over the things to work on for this week...... HAH!
The downward spiral of my aikido skills
Well, last nights class wasn’t half bad. We started off with quite a bit of stretching. One of my favorite stretches is when we lay on our backs, with our butts against the wall with our legs extended up towards the ceiling. Then, we lower our legs out to the side and let gravity determine our stretch. Because I had stretched before class, I was quite surprised at how far my legs actually went! If this keeps up, a straddle will be back in my repertoire in no time. WHOOHOO! I haven’t been able to do straddles or splits in some time because of my lack of stretching.
Usually in our Tuesday class we tend to focus on weapons (at least in the summer), but since we have a new kid, Sensei decided to focus on body arts today. After our warm up, we worked on our forward ukemi. It is actually one of the few things that I have become comfortable with. When I first started, Sensei would always correct my forward ukemi (my previous style did things a little differently). Well, after a lot of hard work and focus, I am proud to say that I am even noticing a difference in my ukemi! My main problem, which I have fixed for the most part is keeping my arms extended into a ball. I used to collapse and Sensei was always afraid I would bash my head. That never really happened though since that was what was ingrained in me previously. I must say though, my new way of rolling feels a lot smoother then the old way and I can’t imagine going back. I am even to the point where I can just roll on one arm and not even put the other arm down for support (unless I am really being whipped around in which I use it just as a precaution). After working on rolls from the knees and squatting, Sensei said those of us who were comfortable could do it from standing. Our goal was to stand on our tippy toes and just let our body fall forward. At the last minute you were to roll. I wasn’t doing too bad, but Sensei encouraged me to kick out one leg behind me, which would help me go over one side better. That seemed to help. :O)
After our forward ukemi drills we partnered up for tai no henko. I am getting more and more comfortable with this. Sometimes I don’t move enough past my opponent and thus I don’t get them off balance as much as I should, but realizing my mistake is the first step to fixing it right? Once that was done, Sensei decided that we would work on kaitenage (soto). I worked with the new kid and he didn’t do too bad. The one thing I didn’t like was I didn’t quite feel like I was close enough to him. I will have to make sure to correct that next time I work with him. We stopped at the point where you extend uke towards the floor. We didn’t capture the arm or the back of the head in preparation for the roll. I thought it was a good starting point for the new guy, but he has done kaitenage before (but skipped the rolling).
Once that was done, Sensei decided to have us work on counters. He explained that if uke was to push (from katatedori ai hanmi) all we had to do was turn out of the way. In this case, we took it into tai no henko. He also explained that if uke was to pull, then we are to step forward and take their momentum. Uke would begin to twist our arm and we would then shuffle forward and take our hand to the top of our head. I was working with a pretty tall guy and I didn’t quite feel like I was twisting him around enough for his back to be towards me. Perhaps I wasn’t shuffling in deep enough. We didn’t work on this for very long, so I will have to correct this next time it comes around. Once while performing the technique, I managed to scratch myself on the forehead with my thumb nail. It hurt more then I thought it would, but that was because of the sweat on my forehead getting into the scratch. Today I have a nice little dark scratch on my forehead. HAHA.
Sensei then showed us another counter but said that he would save that for next time. All in all, it was a rather enjoyable class. The class started out with four of us, but a fifth person came and joined in at the halfway mark.
Some things to fix:
1.) Keep uke close to your body for tai no henko
2.) Keep uke close to your body for katatedori ai hanmi (soto)
3.) Extend your arm out and down in an arc for katatedori ai hanmi (soto) I believe this also lead to a few of my problems
4.) Don’t scratch yourself in the forehead (HAHA)
5.) Try to turn uke’s arm more when doing the counter from a pull
6.) When doing forward ukemi, kick out one leg behind you, which will force you to take ukemi on one side
7.) Turn head and look back at uke as you are doing your forward ukemi
Injuries:
1.) This has nothing to do with aikido, but I slammed my middle finger on my right hand in my drawer at work and it seriously hurts!
2.) Left knee has random shooting pain, but doesn’t last very long
Usually in our Tuesday class we tend to focus on weapons (at least in the summer), but since we have a new kid, Sensei decided to focus on body arts today. After our warm up, we worked on our forward ukemi. It is actually one of the few things that I have become comfortable with. When I first started, Sensei would always correct my forward ukemi (my previous style did things a little differently). Well, after a lot of hard work and focus, I am proud to say that I am even noticing a difference in my ukemi! My main problem, which I have fixed for the most part is keeping my arms extended into a ball. I used to collapse and Sensei was always afraid I would bash my head. That never really happened though since that was what was ingrained in me previously. I must say though, my new way of rolling feels a lot smoother then the old way and I can’t imagine going back. I am even to the point where I can just roll on one arm and not even put the other arm down for support (unless I am really being whipped around in which I use it just as a precaution). After working on rolls from the knees and squatting, Sensei said those of us who were comfortable could do it from standing. Our goal was to stand on our tippy toes and just let our body fall forward. At the last minute you were to roll. I wasn’t doing too bad, but Sensei encouraged me to kick out one leg behind me, which would help me go over one side better. That seemed to help. :O)
After our forward ukemi drills we partnered up for tai no henko. I am getting more and more comfortable with this. Sometimes I don’t move enough past my opponent and thus I don’t get them off balance as much as I should, but realizing my mistake is the first step to fixing it right? Once that was done, Sensei decided that we would work on kaitenage (soto). I worked with the new kid and he didn’t do too bad. The one thing I didn’t like was I didn’t quite feel like I was close enough to him. I will have to make sure to correct that next time I work with him. We stopped at the point where you extend uke towards the floor. We didn’t capture the arm or the back of the head in preparation for the roll. I thought it was a good starting point for the new guy, but he has done kaitenage before (but skipped the rolling).
Once that was done, Sensei decided to have us work on counters. He explained that if uke was to push (from katatedori ai hanmi) all we had to do was turn out of the way. In this case, we took it into tai no henko. He also explained that if uke was to pull, then we are to step forward and take their momentum. Uke would begin to twist our arm and we would then shuffle forward and take our hand to the top of our head. I was working with a pretty tall guy and I didn’t quite feel like I was twisting him around enough for his back to be towards me. Perhaps I wasn’t shuffling in deep enough. We didn’t work on this for very long, so I will have to correct this next time it comes around. Once while performing the technique, I managed to scratch myself on the forehead with my thumb nail. It hurt more then I thought it would, but that was because of the sweat on my forehead getting into the scratch. Today I have a nice little dark scratch on my forehead. HAHA.
Sensei then showed us another counter but said that he would save that for next time. All in all, it was a rather enjoyable class. The class started out with four of us, but a fifth person came and joined in at the halfway mark.
Some things to fix:
1.) Keep uke close to your body for tai no henko
2.) Keep uke close to your body for katatedori ai hanmi (soto)
3.) Extend your arm out and down in an arc for katatedori ai hanmi (soto) I believe this also lead to a few of my problems
4.) Don’t scratch yourself in the forehead (HAHA)
5.) Try to turn uke’s arm more when doing the counter from a pull
6.) When doing forward ukemi, kick out one leg behind you, which will force you to take ukemi on one side
7.) Turn head and look back at uke as you are doing your forward ukemi
Injuries:
1.) This has nothing to do with aikido, but I slammed my middle finger on my right hand in my drawer at work and it seriously hurts!
2.) Left knee has random shooting pain, but doesn’t last very long
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Sweatin' it out
Saturday's Iaito class went alright. We worked on several kata: Shohato, Sato, Uto, Atarito, Inyoshintai, Ryuto, Jyunto, Iwanami, Ukifune Gaeshi, Noarashi Gaeshi, the partnered form of Noarashi Gaeshi and finished off the class with Batto. Overall, class wasn't terribly bad. Sensei gave me some things to work on. My back was a bit sore, but it didn't really affect me too much.
Things to fix:
1.) Inyoshintai: don't stay down so low
2.) Sato & Uto: draw while you rise & turn, so that when you are facing forward you are ready to draw
3.) Ryuto: On the final cut, make sure your legs are bent and you are on the balls of your feet
Aikido went alright. The more I go to class, the more I realize just how crappy my technique is! Seriously, aren't you supposed to get better the more you train? Instead I leave feeling worse. This however does not stop me from wanting to go back, but it does lead to moments of frustration which culminates with me mentally mumbling to myself or shaking my head. There were 5 of us in class and like normal, I was the only female. For some reason, all the females in the dojo have taken a hiatus. Where they went.... no one knows. Sensei said a couple should be coming back soon, but no appearances as of yet. One girl will be going back to college sometime in a few weeks.
Anywho, we worked a lot on sankyo, but we also did some shihonage. Oh and we did iriminage for a very short tiny bit. :O) For sankyo, we worked on it from katatedori ai hanmi and gyakyu hanmi. I was able to get the gyakyu hanmi version a little easier then from ai hanmi. We also did sankyo from ushiro ryotetori. Out of all three ways, the ushiro ryotetori was the easiest for me to get, but I have done that one before in the past at my old dojo. For shihonage we worked on it from katatedori ai hanmi. He had us work on this for a while because it is sort of similar with the sankyo because you still are lifting their hand over your head. He was trying to make sure that we weren't letting our arm get behind our head when we were taking their hand over for sankyo or shihonage. We did the irimi and tenkan version for most of the techniques that we did today. Sensei even used me to demonstrate one of the techniques. Of course, I wasn't a very good uke.... at least I wasn't until I figured out that he wanted me to grab his wrist from ai hanmni. I guess I did alright after that. Only he knows for sure. :O)
Things to fix:
1.) Dont let my arm get behind me while doing shihonage or sankyo
2.) Push my center forward sooner as uke for iriminage
3.) Don't dissconnect my body (goes for uke and nage roles)
4.) For sankyo from katatedori ai hanmi, turn my grabbed hand so my thumb is towards the floor. This helps turn their elbow & their body
Aches & Pains:
1.) Back was killing me yesterday, but as of today it is pain free! WHOOHOO!
2.) Nothing else to complain about!
Things to fix:
1.) Inyoshintai: don't stay down so low
2.) Sato & Uto: draw while you rise & turn, so that when you are facing forward you are ready to draw
3.) Ryuto: On the final cut, make sure your legs are bent and you are on the balls of your feet
Aikido went alright. The more I go to class, the more I realize just how crappy my technique is! Seriously, aren't you supposed to get better the more you train? Instead I leave feeling worse. This however does not stop me from wanting to go back, but it does lead to moments of frustration which culminates with me mentally mumbling to myself or shaking my head. There were 5 of us in class and like normal, I was the only female. For some reason, all the females in the dojo have taken a hiatus. Where they went.... no one knows. Sensei said a couple should be coming back soon, but no appearances as of yet. One girl will be going back to college sometime in a few weeks.
Anywho, we worked a lot on sankyo, but we also did some shihonage. Oh and we did iriminage for a very short tiny bit. :O) For sankyo, we worked on it from katatedori ai hanmi and gyakyu hanmi. I was able to get the gyakyu hanmi version a little easier then from ai hanmi. We also did sankyo from ushiro ryotetori. Out of all three ways, the ushiro ryotetori was the easiest for me to get, but I have done that one before in the past at my old dojo. For shihonage we worked on it from katatedori ai hanmi. He had us work on this for a while because it is sort of similar with the sankyo because you still are lifting their hand over your head. He was trying to make sure that we weren't letting our arm get behind our head when we were taking their hand over for sankyo or shihonage. We did the irimi and tenkan version for most of the techniques that we did today. Sensei even used me to demonstrate one of the techniques. Of course, I wasn't a very good uke.... at least I wasn't until I figured out that he wanted me to grab his wrist from ai hanmni. I guess I did alright after that. Only he knows for sure. :O)
Things to fix:
1.) Dont let my arm get behind me while doing shihonage or sankyo
2.) Push my center forward sooner as uke for iriminage
3.) Don't dissconnect my body (goes for uke and nage roles)
4.) For sankyo from katatedori ai hanmi, turn my grabbed hand so my thumb is towards the floor. This helps turn their elbow & their body
Aches & Pains:
1.) Back was killing me yesterday, but as of today it is pain free! WHOOHOO!
2.) Nothing else to complain about!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Stop trying to be so small
Wednesday's class went well. It was nice because there were only three of us. I always feel like I get more out of a class like that because sensei is watching your every move. We worked on a lot of different things from shomenuchi and katatedori. We worked on ikkyo, sankyo, kotegaeshi, iriminage.... and I believe a few other things as well. The one I had the most problems with was ikkyo from gyaku hanmi from katatedori. We did a variation that I had never done before. You tenkan around and then lead uke's arm up in an turning arc (spinning them around to face you like you do in tai no henko) and then drop it down and pull their arm towards your center and then do ikkyo from there. For some reason I just could NOT get the stupid arc to work right. I think I got it right once out of 8 tries. It was quite pathetic. HAHA.
While working with my husband (I don't remember what technique) he threw me a little strange and I wasn't able to get out of my own way. Somehow I managed to land on my knee and it hurt quite a bit. Every time I got up the rest of the night I felt this shooting pain. I ignored it and trained away. :O)
NOTE: The other guy in class (one of the people I mentioned who will be testing for black belt next summer) had an injured knee from that class as well. I told my husband of this and thought nothing more of it. Just that both of us happened to land wrong. My husband said "Maybe I threw both of you wrong.". Hhm... could be but that thought never once occured to me. Bias I tell you.... bias!
Iaido class went well. One of the girls had her husband and her cousins I believe come and watch our class. Luckily, I knew most of the kata that we did, so I felt like I wasn't looking like a complete idiot to these people. HAHA. We did do a couple of kata that I hadn't done before, but I was able to follow rather easily. I was the only one with good knees in class I had to do the first 7 or 8 kata from seiza. My left knee did hurt from aikido class, but not to the point where I thought about quiting. We did the kata I seem to struggle with the most (Inyoshintai) about 5 times and my legs were beat by the end. Each time my technique just got sloppier and sloppier. I think part of it was due to the injury, but who knows.
Well, yesterday's class went alright. The first hour we worked on a few different things. We started off with tai no henko (like usual). I always enjoy this exerise because as of lately, I have noticed that I am improving. I just have to make sure to slide in a bit so that when I am finished, I am more behind uke. Some other things that we worked on were all from katatedori. We did reverse kotegaeshi, iriminage and something else which I can't remember at this given moment. It was nice because for once we had an even number of students. Always makes things easier. As I mentioned before, we have a new person in our class, so things have been going a little slower, which I am actually loving at the moment. My technique is so sloppy I could use the slow and more focused training. :O)
At one point, sempai had us line up and nage's put their hands out to offer for iriminage. After our turn and before stepping back and lifting our arms, he had us stay where we were. He came around to ensure that our hips and shoulders were turned 180 from where we started, that we were balanced, that uke was off balance and that we were maintaining contact with uke. For the most part I seemed to have everything more or less. Sempai came over at one point after my balance was wobbly from sitting there for a bit. He said that I was already shorter then my uke and that I didn't need to lower myself that far. He told me to be tall. He said keeping uke's hand on my knee will help stretch him out (down really) to help pull him off balance. He stood there as I tried again. What a difference that made! Here I was focusing on lowering uke so much that I was lowering myself even more and getting off balance! At the end of class we worked on suwariwaza kokyuho. At one point in time I felt more or less comfortable with it, but as of lately, I have seemed to digress and now I am struggling. Blah.
Second hour went alright as well. We worked with the jo. Again there was an even number, so things worked out rather nice. I couldn't tell you the names of anything we did though. :O( We started off with so jo exercises to warm up and then partnered up for drills. Although I had a difficult time with some things, I enjoyed it over all. I think my hate for the jo is beginning to fade away to a love-hate relationship at this moment. Haha.
Things to work on:
1.) Stay tall!
2.) Keep uke's hand on thigh when doing iriminage
3.) Don't attack with jo until they offer
4.) Wring the jo & extend jo out towards uke when swinging towards head
5.) Be patient and wait for them to attack you. DON'T ANTICIPATE!
6.) When striking down on opponent's bo, drop whole body & curl your back to get your body weight behind it. Also keep tip higher then the end where you are holding the jo
Aches & pains:
1.) Yonkyo bruising
2.) Sore left knee from Wednesday's class.
3.) Shoulders are a bit sore... but from what I have no idea!
4.) Sore thigh's from iaido class Wednesday
While working with my husband (I don't remember what technique) he threw me a little strange and I wasn't able to get out of my own way. Somehow I managed to land on my knee and it hurt quite a bit. Every time I got up the rest of the night I felt this shooting pain. I ignored it and trained away. :O)
NOTE: The other guy in class (one of the people I mentioned who will be testing for black belt next summer) had an injured knee from that class as well. I told my husband of this and thought nothing more of it. Just that both of us happened to land wrong. My husband said "Maybe I threw both of you wrong.". Hhm... could be but that thought never once occured to me. Bias I tell you.... bias!
Iaido class went well. One of the girls had her husband and her cousins I believe come and watch our class. Luckily, I knew most of the kata that we did, so I felt like I wasn't looking like a complete idiot to these people. HAHA. We did do a couple of kata that I hadn't done before, but I was able to follow rather easily. I was the only one with good knees in class I had to do the first 7 or 8 kata from seiza. My left knee did hurt from aikido class, but not to the point where I thought about quiting. We did the kata I seem to struggle with the most (Inyoshintai) about 5 times and my legs were beat by the end. Each time my technique just got sloppier and sloppier. I think part of it was due to the injury, but who knows.
Well, yesterday's class went alright. The first hour we worked on a few different things. We started off with tai no henko (like usual). I always enjoy this exerise because as of lately, I have noticed that I am improving. I just have to make sure to slide in a bit so that when I am finished, I am more behind uke. Some other things that we worked on were all from katatedori. We did reverse kotegaeshi, iriminage and something else which I can't remember at this given moment. It was nice because for once we had an even number of students. Always makes things easier. As I mentioned before, we have a new person in our class, so things have been going a little slower, which I am actually loving at the moment. My technique is so sloppy I could use the slow and more focused training. :O)
At one point, sempai had us line up and nage's put their hands out to offer for iriminage. After our turn and before stepping back and lifting our arms, he had us stay where we were. He came around to ensure that our hips and shoulders were turned 180 from where we started, that we were balanced, that uke was off balance and that we were maintaining contact with uke. For the most part I seemed to have everything more or less. Sempai came over at one point after my balance was wobbly from sitting there for a bit. He said that I was already shorter then my uke and that I didn't need to lower myself that far. He told me to be tall. He said keeping uke's hand on my knee will help stretch him out (down really) to help pull him off balance. He stood there as I tried again. What a difference that made! Here I was focusing on lowering uke so much that I was lowering myself even more and getting off balance! At the end of class we worked on suwariwaza kokyuho. At one point in time I felt more or less comfortable with it, but as of lately, I have seemed to digress and now I am struggling. Blah.
Second hour went alright as well. We worked with the jo. Again there was an even number, so things worked out rather nice. I couldn't tell you the names of anything we did though. :O( We started off with so jo exercises to warm up and then partnered up for drills. Although I had a difficult time with some things, I enjoyed it over all. I think my hate for the jo is beginning to fade away to a love-hate relationship at this moment. Haha.
Things to work on:
1.) Stay tall!
2.) Keep uke's hand on thigh when doing iriminage
3.) Don't attack with jo until they offer
4.) Wring the jo & extend jo out towards uke when swinging towards head
5.) Be patient and wait for them to attack you. DON'T ANTICIPATE!
6.) When striking down on opponent's bo, drop whole body & curl your back to get your body weight behind it. Also keep tip higher then the end where you are holding the jo
Aches & pains:
1.) Yonkyo bruising
2.) Sore left knee from Wednesday's class.
3.) Shoulders are a bit sore... but from what I have no idea!
4.) Sore thigh's from iaido class Wednesday
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
I felt comfortable for once
Last nights class wasn't bad. For some reason, the entire way to class I felt weird. Almost like I was dizzy or something, but I wasn't. Don't worry though, I wasn't driving. :O) 5:30 rolls around and all of us grab our bokken and line up. We start off with a bunch or strengthening exercises with the bokken and go over basic cuts, movement and we did a few suburi kata as well. I didn't do too bad with these, but I did get mixed up on one. That was only the second week that I have done this, so I am not terribly upset that I didn't get it on a regular basis. The fact that I got it at all a few times is good enough for me right now. Haha.
After that, we put the bokkens down and worked on shihonage from katatedori gyaku hanmi. We must have done about four different variations of shihonage. Most of the variations I haven't done before either. I am proud to say that I was completely comfortable with all but one of the variations. My technique wasn't perfect, but I felt comfortable and didn't feel lost. The one technique that I was having a bit of trouble with I understood what I was supposed to do, but for some reason, I ended up too far infront of my partner. I guess I was taking a big step one way and I tiny step coming back. It was only happening on my right side too. So who knows, but I will get that worked out in due time. All I know is that shihonage is one of the techniques that I seem to get for the most part. It just comes more natural to me then some of the other techniques do.
The sankyo variation I had never done before either. We did this from katatedori ai hanmi. You step back and pull uke towards you a bit, then you step forward through the hole you created and grab sankyo. It wasn't that difficult I thought. I have a problem with sankyo from some other techniques, so I was happy to discover that I actually got the basics of this technique.
I got to work with sensei a few times tonight. Of course, I am always uke! I completely don't mind, as I rather enjoy being tossed around. Plus, working with sensei is just an incredible experience. You feel so much more then you do working with everyone else. My only problem is sensei has these huge wrists, so it can be hard to keep hold of them during a technique! :O)
At the end of class, sensei told two people that he wants to start getting them ready to test for shodan. The third person who will be testing wasn't there. I believe that sensei is going to have them test at next years summer camp. It would be nice if they tested in the dojo so I could see. I think it would be neat to watch. I don't know if I will be able to go to summer camp for a few reasons. The first being that both my husband and I would go, which means paying for two people, the second is we would have to find a place to board our dog and the final reason is that I have no idea if I will even be ready to handle a summer camp with birankai. I am only a 6th kyu and I have no idea when I will test for 5th kyu. I also don't know how long I will be at that rank. I just don't know how much you have to know to feel comfortable and get something out of the experience. I know I would learn, but I don't want to be lost and confused for however many days I attend! It is a year away and a lot could happen, so I won't worry about it now.
Till next time....
After that, we put the bokkens down and worked on shihonage from katatedori gyaku hanmi. We must have done about four different variations of shihonage. Most of the variations I haven't done before either. I am proud to say that I was completely comfortable with all but one of the variations. My technique wasn't perfect, but I felt comfortable and didn't feel lost. The one technique that I was having a bit of trouble with I understood what I was supposed to do, but for some reason, I ended up too far infront of my partner. I guess I was taking a big step one way and I tiny step coming back. It was only happening on my right side too. So who knows, but I will get that worked out in due time. All I know is that shihonage is one of the techniques that I seem to get for the most part. It just comes more natural to me then some of the other techniques do.
The sankyo variation I had never done before either. We did this from katatedori ai hanmi. You step back and pull uke towards you a bit, then you step forward through the hole you created and grab sankyo. It wasn't that difficult I thought. I have a problem with sankyo from some other techniques, so I was happy to discover that I actually got the basics of this technique.
I got to work with sensei a few times tonight. Of course, I am always uke! I completely don't mind, as I rather enjoy being tossed around. Plus, working with sensei is just an incredible experience. You feel so much more then you do working with everyone else. My only problem is sensei has these huge wrists, so it can be hard to keep hold of them during a technique! :O)
At the end of class, sensei told two people that he wants to start getting them ready to test for shodan. The third person who will be testing wasn't there. I believe that sensei is going to have them test at next years summer camp. It would be nice if they tested in the dojo so I could see. I think it would be neat to watch. I don't know if I will be able to go to summer camp for a few reasons. The first being that both my husband and I would go, which means paying for two people, the second is we would have to find a place to board our dog and the final reason is that I have no idea if I will even be ready to handle a summer camp with birankai. I am only a 6th kyu and I have no idea when I will test for 5th kyu. I also don't know how long I will be at that rank. I just don't know how much you have to know to feel comfortable and get something out of the experience. I know I would learn, but I don't want to be lost and confused for however many days I attend! It is a year away and a lot could happen, so I won't worry about it now.
Till next time....
Sunday, July 12, 2009
I have thought about it....
Well, I have decided to write less frequently since it seems like I keep repeating myself. The past couple weeks of class have went well. Last week we got a new student. He seems pretty nice. The one hing that I realized by watching and working with him was that I have been progressing. It is hard to realize how far you are moving forward until something comes up and shows you what you looked like in the past.
A few things of interest that happened:
I was uke for one of the sempai's who was teaching class. He used me for kotegaishi and kaitenage. I did okay as uke, but I didn't do as good as I would have liked. It is kind of hard to tell what he wants out of you sometimes.
After that adventure, I worked with another sempai (black belt) for kotegaishi. Well, I guess he thought my ukemi was alright because he decided that it was time for me to start doing the breakfalls for this technique. He went slow, which was nice for me to figure out where I would be going, but at the same time, it was harder on me because I had to throw myself into the fall, which makes it a harder fall I think. I was surprised to discover that my slaps were pretty good and I didn't have a hard time getting my body to do what it needed to. It just happened on its own. I guess some things just stick with you after so many years of being thrown.
Sensei had us working with a lot of weapons lately. We have been using the bokken and the jo. He is trying to get us used to the diagonal motions. I still feel more comfortable with the bokken, but I am finally begining to at least be okay with the idea of using the jo. I am not dreading it near as much as I used to. Thursday I got to work with sensei with the bokken. It was nice. He is very particular, which I actually like.
In all, class is still going well. I am still left frustrated sometimes because I can't seem to get my body to do what I see being done. I have absolutely no idea if and when a test will be offered, but the idea is both exciting and scary for me. I am pretty sure I could do the techniques that are needed to pass, but at the same time, I know my technique isn't that great. The only thing I can be certain of is tha I have the hours needd to even take the test. You need 50 hours to test for 5th kyu and so far I have 70 hours. Everything else then that is just... speculation.
Well, I guess that is all I have for now!
Things to work on:
1.) Look and roll in the direction your hand is pointing for kotegaishi's breakfall
2.) Keep sword pointed at your opponents eyes in "ready" position
Injuries:
1.) Bruise on wrist (would like be normal without one of these!?!)
2.) Scratch on my right wrist (no idea when this happened in class)
3.) Knees are sore but doing alright!
A few things of interest that happened:
I was uke for one of the sempai's who was teaching class. He used me for kotegaishi and kaitenage. I did okay as uke, but I didn't do as good as I would have liked. It is kind of hard to tell what he wants out of you sometimes.
After that adventure, I worked with another sempai (black belt) for kotegaishi. Well, I guess he thought my ukemi was alright because he decided that it was time for me to start doing the breakfalls for this technique. He went slow, which was nice for me to figure out where I would be going, but at the same time, it was harder on me because I had to throw myself into the fall, which makes it a harder fall I think. I was surprised to discover that my slaps were pretty good and I didn't have a hard time getting my body to do what it needed to. It just happened on its own. I guess some things just stick with you after so many years of being thrown.
Sensei had us working with a lot of weapons lately. We have been using the bokken and the jo. He is trying to get us used to the diagonal motions. I still feel more comfortable with the bokken, but I am finally begining to at least be okay with the idea of using the jo. I am not dreading it near as much as I used to. Thursday I got to work with sensei with the bokken. It was nice. He is very particular, which I actually like.
In all, class is still going well. I am still left frustrated sometimes because I can't seem to get my body to do what I see being done. I have absolutely no idea if and when a test will be offered, but the idea is both exciting and scary for me. I am pretty sure I could do the techniques that are needed to pass, but at the same time, I know my technique isn't that great. The only thing I can be certain of is tha I have the hours needd to even take the test. You need 50 hours to test for 5th kyu and so far I have 70 hours. Everything else then that is just... speculation.
Well, I guess that is all I have for now!
Things to work on:
1.) Look and roll in the direction your hand is pointing for kotegaishi's breakfall
2.) Keep sword pointed at your opponents eyes in "ready" position
Injuries:
1.) Bruise on wrist (would like be normal without one of these!?!)
2.) Scratch on my right wrist (no idea when this happened in class)
3.) Knees are sore but doing alright!
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