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!