The first class was taught Haines Sensei from Arizona. We started off with mostly standard warm-up exercises and then Haines Sensei had us move around and take ukemi as if we were a spider, a bear, a frog, and a scorpion. These series of exercises, of crawling around on all-fours was a different experience than what I am used to and beside it was fun as well. We then paired up for a number of mutual tenkan exercises to encourage the flow and blending of uke and nage. Haines Sensei then had us get into groups of four and then coordinate doing tenkan between the four of us.
The second class was taught by Doran Sensei and we first worked on a solo bokken exercise with Sensei explaining how to drop the bokken by not holding on with forward hand and then doing a tenkan to place the bokken's tip 180 degrees from the initial position. We worked on some variations that included a ura version all showing how the bokken and shinonage are related. We then paired up and worked on some katas that included many of the same movements from the solo exercises. I took this photo of Doran Sensei as we were leaving class today:
The third class was taught by Murashige Sensei. I was twenty minutes late to class because I was asked to help with some paperwork for the camp. When I got back to class, Murashige Sensei was having everyone to pair up and practice relaxing when doing jo techniques. I was fortunate to practice with Jun, a senior student at Boulder Aikikai, during most of the class and really learned more about connecting and feeling where to go during the technique. She said that my techniques are very solid and stable but I need to be lighter and freer when connecting with uke. Getting this intense instruction by these senior Aikido students is one of the great reasons summer camp is so valuable in improving my Aikido.
The forth class of the day was Saotome Sensei's class. He started off with a lecture about copyright and professional sports. As participants are not allowed to bring in cameras or video recorders to professional sporting events because the sport owners own the copyright to the game, taping or photographs during an Aikido class at summer camp is likewise prohibited because the copyright is held by Boulder Aikikai, the sponsor of the summer camp, as well as the instructors (my photos have been all before or after class, it has been pounded into me that the mat is for practice...I have never thought to go off the mat to take a photo during any seminar). I have noticed people video taping classes so it must have started to get out of control. Saotome Sensei then had us work with bokken katas; first being attacked by two ukes with different responses by nage. He eventually had us being attacked by four ukes with bokkens. My aderline picked up during these randori exercises as there were bokkens flying all around as I attempt to respond to the simulated battlefield. We then switched to paired jo practice. Towards the end of class, Saotome Sensei listed two reasons why we practice with weapons: one, to develop the connection between uke and nage and two, to learn control of yourself.
Ikeda Sensei taught the fifth outdoor weapons class. We practiced with the bokken and to start off, Sensei said something interesting. Ikeda Sensei says being natural and not tensing up is to be in harmony with the earth, the sky, and everything. It is being tense that we break from the environment and the exercise or technique does not work. Ai in Aikido is harmony and that is the goal of our practice. I paired up with my roommate Greg and we worked through the various exercises. Ikeda Sensei wanted us to keep on a straight line and not go off to the side, in doing so, it forced me to use the bokken more and to more aware of what was around me. He told us to imagine two samauri on a narrow bridge with no room to move to either side as the bridge is only two feet-width wide. I tried to keep my gaze soft and not care about the blade but more about my own positioning in respect to uke's bokken attack. Ikeda Sensei said that these exercises were not Aikido techniques but developed the foundation for further growth with our own techniques. He is absolutely right I hope to be able to bring this new awareness to my own Aikido teaching.
After class I took the first photo of a friend of mine from the front range, Steve, who I have been participating with in the Zen sittings I have been attending for the past few days (he is on the right in the photo). He is a cardiologist in Denver and I enjoy talking with him on a whole range of topics.
This third photo is Ikeda Sensei and some other students walking back to the dorms.
The final class of the day (really night) was taught by Hofmeister Sensei. Hofmeister Sensei started off with uke and nage doing kokyu-ho, then from seiza, uke placed a hand on nage's shoulder and move around feeling the full range of movement in the shoulder. As the class progressed, Hofmeister Sensei emphasized moving shoulder instead of body, lower arm, or wrist. I finally realized what Hofmeister Sensei was trying to do when I was working with Michael, a senior student from DC, who forced me to focus on just rotating my shoulder to move uke. Two ukes then grabbed nage and nage had to rotated both shoulder to break both uke's balance. The last technique we did had been building to the entire class to a moratedori kokyunage where nage is able to throw uke by using the same shoulder rotation. An important note to this technique is that nage sometimes may have to shift body and foot position to keep the center-line and balance in order to effectively use this shoulder movement. At the end of class, Hofmeister Sensei said that we should learn something from every class, and that instead of just forgetting everything after leaving the mat, you should practice after class or do something else to remember what you have learned. I have this blog. :0
I am off to do the Zen sitting session at 10:00 and then off to bed for the final full day of summer camp tomorrow.
