Aikido for 4/28/2008

Last night's techniques focused on kokyunage (breath throws) and ukema (falls)

• katatetori kokyunage 5 variations
• kosatori kokyunage 3 variations
• Break fall, side fall ukema practice

Next Monday will be the last class for the term. I don't know if I'll continue to teach Aikido over the summer. Jake will be out of town and I believe the Escalante Fitness Center is closed during the Summer evenings. I talked to Jake about teaching class at the Community Center which has a gymnasium room with mats. The cost is $5.00 but I still need to see about class times and if it is even possible to teach over the summer.

My right foot hurt last night (I think I have gout in my right big toe) but I find that once I start practicing, the pain recedes and I focus on the class. Occanisonally during class, the pain in my foot will become apparent again and I have to shrug it off. This morning the foot hurt again and I didn't ride my bike to work. Tomorrow I am teaching Aikido from 6-7 (as per Jake's request) so I won't be riding my bike. Thursday we are having a staff potluck and I need to use my truck to bring my part to the lunch. My father is coming up from Grand Junction Thursday night for our first Gunnison fishing trip of the year. I plan on taking some more photos and hopefully catch some fish while I'm at it.

Keegan's Birthday Party Part II

Here are the second round of photos I took from Keegan's first birthday party.

The first photo is Judd, Devon, and Keegan. The second photo is Jarrett with Emie and Aura. The third photo is Jake, Jesse, Jarrett, and Dad. The last photo is Judd, Keegan, and Aura.

Keegan's Birthday Party Part I

On Saturday, Keegan Nelson celebrated his first birthday at a park in Clifton, Colorado. All of my brothers were there with their families or by themselves, (I am part of the latter group of brothers). The weather didn't cooperate, there was sun but the wind came up and was cold.

The first photo I took when I first arrived was of Keegan being held by his great, great-grandmother (from Devon's side). Devon is holding another child and my two nieces, Aura and Emerie rushed to see him. The second photo is Aura looking at Keegan still being held by his great, great-grandmother. The third photo is my brother Jarrett, my 88 year-old grandmother, and my brother Jake. The forth photo is Lisa (Jake's wife), Aura, and Emerie walking back to the party.

Aikido for 4/23/2008 and Blog Changes..

Last night I brought my jo to class. After warm-up, Jake and I practiced the following techniques:

• jo waza katatetori ikkyo omote and ura (jo waza is where nage has the jo and uke attempts to take the jo away. This practice was fairly common when I was a member at Central Illinois Aikikai when Knut taught class)
• katatetori ikkyo omote and ura (we switch to open-hand version of the same jo waza technique to reinforce the hip and arm connection that is more apparent when practicing with jo)
  
• jo waza katatetori nikkyo omote and ura
• jo waza katatetori kokyunage 2 variations
• jo waza ryotetori kokyunage 2 variations
  

This was a good class because Jake wanted to focus on uke's specific reaction and likely response to stopping an incoming tsuki stike with the jo. After working on the variations of the uke's response to block and then strike nage with the other hand, I found that the jo waza that was most effective and smooth were the kokyunages (breath throws), a whole series of techniques that I didn't practice that much when I lived in Salt Lake.

On an entirely different topic from Aikido, I have changed the theme of the blog to more of a green spring mood. All of the cold and white of this winter is slowly being driven out of the Gunnison Valley so I hope all this green will speed the process. I would love to see the trees and shrubs start budding. I am leaving for Grand Junction as soon as I get off work today. Tomorrow is technically my nephew Keegan's birthday but we (all of us non-Jehovah Witnesses in the family) are celebrating on Saturday with a party in a park behind Central High School in Clifton Colorado. I plan on taking a ton of photographs and posting them to blog when I get back next week.

Mountain Biking and Aikido for 4/21/2008

On Saturday, I went to a local bike shop and purchased a 2008 Gary Fisher Mountain Bike. I then had a half-hour bike ride to the college and through Gunnison's various side steets. Sunday, I biked West and then rode through a field being converted into a subdivision full of manufacturing homes costing over 250k (ahh, living in a Mountain Resort economy). I rode my new bike into work today. To my surprise, it only took me six minutes from my front door to the library, less time then it takes me to drive! A pleasant irony for Earth Day. Here is a photo of my new mountain bike I took before leaving this morning:


Last night for Aikido, Jake and I practiced on a smaller section of the former wall mats. The space was much reduced but as Jake and I talked, the space is actually more than when practicing at an Aikido seminar. The techniques we practiced last night were:

• Ryotetori Tenchinage omote and ura
• Shomenuchi Irminage 4 variations. The most basic style (off of USAF 5th kyu test) is slide to the forward arm, tenkan at the same time bring uke's head to your shoulder nearest to uke's arm, and then stepping forward bring uke up and down to the ground. There are other variations that Jake and I played around with.
• Tsuki irminage 6 variations. Basically all of the shomenuchi variations plus two direct irmimnages that are difficult (if not impossible) from a shomenuchi attack.
• Katatori menuchi irminage 2 variations. This technique was hard to figure out a realistic irminage. When uke grabs the collar and then steps into for a punch to nage, the most basic response (for me) is to tenkan, pivoting around the grab. Eventually, a shihonage comes naturally from the punching fist which can then turn into an irminage throw. The other style is really how you time it, duking under uke's grabbing arm before uke lands a punch. From there it an irminage is easy.
  
• Ushiro Tekubitori irminage 2 variations - one variation is fast, as soon as uke grabs the first wrist, you step behind and bring up the grabbed hand over and then flowing into the irminage throw. The second variation is to allow uke control of the first wrist and then use uke's second wrist grab for an irminage throw off of that side.

In general, my plan is to try to bike to work at least three times a week. Besides the health benefits and the cost savings from not driving my SUV, I am also following a good Colorado hippy mountain town traditions of environmental awareness and action. While snow still persists in the larger snow drifts around town and still covers the surrounding mountains, Spring is here. The temperature in the mornings still ranges from the high teens to the lower twenties, it has been warming up to the 60s during the day. This year I am going to try to do some container gardening on my side patio. Some fresh tomatoes, peppers, and various herbs should be a good start. I think I'll do some container shopping when I am in Grand Junction on Friday for my nephew Keegan's birthday.

Movies over the weekend...

Friday and Saturday I rented a total of six movies. Here is how I would rate them, good-to-bad:

1. Dan in Real Life - This romantic-comedy was better than I thought renting the movie. Kind of sappy but I found the characters thoughtful and entertaining without devolving into a too predictable movie.
   
2. Atonement - Keira Knightly and the rest of this cast provided an adult drama that was enjoyable to the realistic end.
   
3. Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story - This comedy was not as funny as I had expected. Jenna Fisher really is too cute in some of her scenes.
   
4. I am Legend - Will Smith was adequate, I found the mutated humans a bit too much like a cheap Lord of Rings knockoff. Not really menacing.
   
5. 30 Days of Night - Vampires in Alaska? Not a great movie but the gore and killing were well done.
   
6. Chaos - Jason Statham, not a good film, Statham didn't even kill anyone and Welsey Snipes (pre-tax problems, the movie must have gone straight to DVD in 2005) really phoned in his acting for the role of the "cop gone bad" villain.
   

Aikido class 04/09/2008

Last night Aikido's class was likely the final time we will be able to use the red wrestling mat. I noticed the new mats for the climbing wall have arrived and Jake mentioned that were being installed this Monday. Next week there won't be any Aikido classes due to the climbing event during that week. When I got home from work last night, a package had arrived from Sakura martial arts with two more gis, a tanto, and a shinah. I have never used a shinah but it is required for the Aikido summer camp. I brought the tanto to Aikido class and so, all of the techniques are tanto-tori (knife take-aways)

• tanto-tori tsuki kotegaeshi
  
• tanto-tori tsuki kokyunage
  
• tanto-tori yokomenuchi gokyo (omote and ura)
• tanto-tori yokomenuchi shihonage (omote and ura)
• tanto-tori yokomenuchi sankyo (omote and ura)

It was a good class and I'll be teaching again on April 21st.

Family Photos Part II.

The first photo is my father. I stayed Friday and Saturday nights with him and had a good visit as well.

The second photo is of my sister Angie and mother when I visited them on Saturday. I didn't stay long as they were going to visit another friend, but at least I was able to say hello and have a good quick visit.


Jarrett and I went shooting in the dessert around Grand Junction. He purchased a new 30-06 (that is him in the gun photo). It is a great gun and it is the first time I have ever shot a 30-06. I haven't had a lot of experience with firearms and the chance to go shooting with Jarrett was something I didn't want to pass up.

The final photos are of Keegan and Judd. Keegan is growing quickly and is very cute. I will be going back to Grand Junction for his birthday later this month so I'll get to see him again. I visited with Judd, Keegan, and Devon Sunday morning before I left for Gunnison. I enjoyed my small excursion to Grand Junction although for the most part, it was a typical visit for me.

Family Photos Part I.

Here are number of photos I took of my family over the past long weekend when I was in Grand Junction.

The first is my brother Jesse painting after work. I stayed with him and my brother Jarrett Wednesday and Thursday nights.

The second photo are my two nieces, Aura and Emerie. I saw them, my brother Jake (the third photo) and my sister-in-law both Thursday and Saturday nights.

The final photo is my 87 year-old World War II vet, grandfather, Norman Rossman with his wife Dee. Jesse and I went out to Mack to visit him.

Aikido for 4/7/2008

Before last night's Aikido class, I talked to Jake about a phone call I received yesterday when I was working at the library's reference desk. A Gunnison police officer called and asked if I was the same Jeremy Nelson who taught Aikido at the Escalente Fitness Center. I told him I was and then he asked me about when I started using the mat. Turns out that the mat had been reported stolen from the lower gym on campus. Jake said the mat is leaving but didn't know about the stolen mat report.

Here are the techniques we practiced last night:

• shomen uchi irminage (4 styles) - The first style was a slide in, pivoting tenkan, and then the throw. The second style was a step-back, cut-down, and then an ikkyo opening to
  
• yokomenuchi style punch to the face kokyu (2 styles)
• yokomenuchi style punch to the face shihonage (omote and ura)
• shomen uchi koshinage - the koshinage is a hip throw that requires a good break-fall. This is the technique that Jake requested and I haven't practiced a koshinage since I lived in Salt Lake. The koshinage we practiced last night was a step into the attack, guiding uke's forward arm to your side, sliding your hip as you reach around with your other hand. Uke should continue forward as you sweep the person forward.
  

This was a good practice and we might only have the red wrestling mat for one more night. We should also be receiving the old rements of the mats used for the climbing walls when they are replaced.

Aikido for 3/31/2008

Last night's Aikido class was fun. Some nights the wrestling mat is heavier and more awkward than other times.

Jake and I practiced a number of techniques. Halfway through the class, we practiced techniques that he wanted to work on. In other news, I received my Aikido Summer Camp registration. The dates are July 27th through August 3rd.

Here are the techniques as I remembered them:

• tsuki kokyu-nage ura style
• ryotetori tenchinage (omote and ura)
• ushiro tekubitori ikkyo-style kokyu-nage
• suwari waza ushiro tekubitori ikkyo-style kokyu-nage
• morotetori sankyo (omote and ura) 2 variations