Ukemi is a workout!

Well this week has been pretty good overall. We have been doing a lot of things I have never done before and there were several things that I did that I have absolutely no idea of what the names are. Most of the classes this week I have left feeling absolutely beat! No energy and just plain tired. Part of the reason is sensei is using me as uke more and depending on the technique it can take a lot out of me. Sometimes by the end of the technique when I turn to find a partner I am dragging. Once, when I reid to my partner, I just couldn't help it and stole a few seconds rest while I was still down in my rei. A very compromising position, but it was a necessary risk at the time. HAHA. Since I am the low one on the totem pole I am usually uke first, which just makes the problem worse. At one point I worked with a higher ranker and I apologized for being slow since I was tired. He told me it was okay if my body was tired, provided my mind was still focused. I find that statement to be true because usually if you are still mentally focused, you can somehow push your body through to keep going. It is when you mentally can't push yourself anymore that you ultimately fail.

I do take it as a huge compliment that sensei uses me.. a 6th kyu as uke more and more often. I think he uses me to allow me the opportunity to work on my ukemi more. He sometimes corrects me or tells me what I should do to make the ukemi better. The experience is both mentally and physically exhausting. I think he is also trying to get me up to par so he doesn't have to use the same people as uke all the time either. Lately, a lot of the higher rankers haven't been in class, so he ends up using the same people over and over again. So, I guess I am a welcomed addition to his frequently used uke.

Some of the techniques we covered Saturday were tenchinage and double nikyo (from ryotedori), shihonage (from gyaku hanmi katatedori), ikkyo (from shomenuchi) and ikkyo and iriminage (from ai hanmi)

For some reason I am still having problems doing the omote shomenuchi ikkyo from suwariwaza. I can do the ura variation fine and I am more comfortable doing them both from standing. I just haven't figured out the timing yet. I always want to step in (which is the only way I can seem to get it to work), but then I am told that I shouldn't step in till I get uke down. If I don't step in, then I feel like I am over extended and have a hard time bringing the elbow back down so I can go into ikkyo. I guess it will come with time. In the meantime I will just sit and ponder about it.......

Iaido class went well Saturday. We covered 13 different kata. I don't know them all by name yet though, so sometimes I have to do my best to follow, yet do it at the same time they are. For the most part I have no problem with it though. It is just something that I have gotten better with over time. Just like I am better at learning with someone across from me facing me. So, I have to do what they do, but realize that I have to do it in the opposite direction then it they are.