Halloween Seminar Day 2

Saotome Sensei started the morning classes with each of us first focusing on centering while standing on one foot and bring the other foot to the knee. We then did a number of different kicking atemi practice, a couple of notable examples:

Instead of letting uke come with a munetsuki to the face, nage does a straight kick to the chest of uki (we also practiced this variation the night before)

When uke does a forward kick, nage shifts to the side and does a round-house kick to uke's lower leg to throw uke

Many of the reasons why I learn and develop as a martial artist is listening and absorbing what such master teachers as Saotome Sensei say and demonstrate technique on the mat. Saotome Sensei talked about aiki and the multiple meaning of ki, how ki can be a sound, a color, and that the most important connection to harmonize is with gravity and space around nage.
For lunch, I went with Mike, my friend Steve, and a couple of other people from Denver Aikikai including Jay and Mike, to Sushi Toro inn Boulder. Jay took this photo from lunch (I am having problems getting the direct link to the photo from Denver Aikikai's website, so I just downloaded the photo, it is copyrighted by Denver Aikikai.) After lunch, Steve, Mike, and I went to a bookstore where I purchased an Aikido book I don't have and a book on Geek Logic.

After working more on ikkyo and a number of different kokyunages, Saotome Sensei finished class at 5. I hung around Boulder, went to a couple of different stores, and then went to the Golden Lotus for dinner. I left dinner early so that I could go out with my sister Jill and my brother Jarrett. We went to a bar where Jill's friend Brandie was having a birthday party. We didn't back to Jill's house until after 2, so Sunday morning came early for me.