Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Tachidori

Tonight, we did tachidori and the related hand arts, shomenuchi kokyunage.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Bokken Suburi and Kata

Tonight, we switched from jo to bokken. We practiced the bokken suburi to start off with. Sensei insisted that we learn the stances (knee over the toe on the forward foot) and the hand position on the bokken (palms rotated to face downward). We did some paired practice then finished with bokken kata #1.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Kihon Waza

Kihon Waza means basic technique. Tonight T.M. sensei ran us through the six basic techniques that Sensei likes to have us demonstrate to show we know the basics. The techniques are: shomenuchi iriminage, yokomenuchi shihonage (omote and ura), munetsuki kotegaeshi, katatori nikkyo (omote and ura), ushiro tekubitori kubeshime, and ushirodori kokyunage. It's a demanding cycle for me because, as uke, I am attacking 16 times in a row. That's a lot of falling down and getting up to do in about two minutes!

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Nikkyu Test Prep

K.M. sensei taught this evening. T. decided to stay home. We did quite a few variations of kokyunage. We also did some shikko practice in preparation for hanmi handachi, techniques done from seiza against a standing uke.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Jo Kata

Tonight, T.G. sensei led class. We went through jo katas one and two, working on some of the trickier bits. T. came to her first weapons class in a month or more but hit the ground running. We finished with the double six kata which can be done paired with one person half a step behind the other. When we did it together as a group in a circle it was like a dance. Fun!

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Yudansha Night

T. came to class with me for the second session in a row, now. She does admit that she's better off when she attends though, with her long absence she's very stiff and sore from Tuesday's class.

Sensei is out of town for a week and a half so, tonight, we had... dun, dun, DUN - Yudansha Night! The black belts took turns teaching. We worked on some of the nikyu requirements because of an upcoming test. We ended the night with aiki volley ball and some randori practice for some of the new people.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Gokkyu Test!

After warming up we worked on the basic randori techniques: kokyunage, iriminage and feints (sudori is not basic). We did mini-randori practice. Then when she was all tired Sensei called L. "Dude" U. up for her gokyu test. She did very well and the test pushed her to her limits. She passed - YAY! We had a very full mat, tonight. T. came back this evening to be there for L.U. and I think she's back again. Another YAY!

Monday, August 07, 2006

Jo Kata #2

After warming up with some suburi and some paired practice we worked on Jo Kata #2 for the rest of the evening. I almost always get it, now!

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Test Prep

We worked on lots of gokyu and yonkyu test requirements because we have several people approaching that. (L.U. is next Tuesday, I think.) A bit of ikkyo and a lot of shihonage and kokyunage.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Tenshihonage?

What do you get when you cross tenchinage with shihonage? If, instead of taking the down-hand down, you take the down hand high up over uke's shoulder (the closer one) you end up with a kind of shihonage throw over the close shoulder while still moving doing the over-the shoulder irimi-like move with the other hand. It's interesting but you really have to get that close hand high or you end up jamming into their shoulder and dissipating your energy.

We also did a low entry sumi otoshi, nikkyo and that fun, curl-around-behind sankyo.