Aikido for 04/20/2010

Mike and I met at 2:30 for a make-up class. Wednesday I had to work late and yesterday Mike and I dressed out, set-up the mats, and were warming up when another class showed up to use the space in Escalante Fitness Center so we had to leave. Today after warming up, we practiced the following techniques:

• tsuki iriminage
• tsuki shihonage omote and ura (two variations)
• tsuki kotegashi two variations
• tsuki ikkyo omote and ura

Our next class will be Sunday at 2pm.

Aikido for 04/21/2010

Last night I went to Aikido, set-up the mats and practiced kumitachi one-three, bokken cuts, forward and backward ukemi, tenkan and irimi exercise, and ending with some quiet meditation.

Mike has been ill for the past week and a half so I haven't been practicing Aikido. I figured Mike wasn't feeling up to class but I needed the mat time to reflect on my life changes and the changes happening in my own family. I will be moving to Colorado Spring next month and starting my new position as the Metadata and Systems Librarian at Colorado College's Tutt Library. I am fortunate that an ASU dojo, Pikes Peak Aikikai, is in Colorado Springs.

My Aikido journey will shift once again, I won't be teaching Aikido in Colorado Springs, instead I'll be fortunate to take classes and practice with a whole new group of people. I will also be close to Boulder and Denver. I will be able to attend Ikeda Sensei classes and practice at Denver Aikikai with my friends Edger, Steve, Aaron, and Bruce. I am also considering expanding my budo to include another martial art, likely a style of jujitsu, after I earn my Aikido shodan rank.

I am nervous and excited about everything that is happening. Any feelings of happiness are tempered by a couple of my brothers experiencing unfortunate circumstances. My thoughts are with them.

Aikido for 04/11/2010

Mike and I started class with a longer warm-up, ukemi practice, and tenkan/irimi exercises before practicing the following techniques:

• Ushiro ryokata dori ikkyo omote and ura
• Ushiro ryokata iriminage (2 variations)
• Ushiro ryote dori shihonage omote and ura
• Ushiro kubi shime kotegaeshi
• Ushiro waza kokyunages

We finished class with an Ushiro randora, practicing many of the techniques from earlier in class.

Monday we won't be having class as I have late meeting and Mike has a 6pm class. We will tentatively reschedule for Thursday. Wednesday's class will be an outdoors bokken class if the weather holds.

Aikido for 04/07/2010 and News

Last night Mike and I practiced the following techniques:

• Yokomenuchi shihonage omote and ura
• Yokomenuchi iriminage three variations
• Yokomenuchi ikkyo omote and ura
• Yokomenuchi jujinnage omote and ura

We finished class with a yokomenuchi randora and then kokyu-ho as usual.

In other news, on Tuesday I accepted a position at Colorado College. I will be the new Meta-data and Systems Librarian and I am planning on moving next May. I will have to think of a new title for this blog as I will no longer be "Jerms Living in Gunny" but more "Jerms Living in the Springs" or some other. I may keep the current title as an artifact of its origin.

Aikido for 04/05/2010

Last night Mike and I warmed-up and practiced the following techniques:

• shomenuchi nikkyo omote and ura
• shomenuchi sankyo omote and ura
• Two kokyunage variations from shomenuchi attack

Mike has a 6pm class, so we started class at 4:45 and ended at 5:30. On Wednesday, the class will be at the regular time of 6:30.

Aikido for 04/04/2010

This morning I watched the first disc of George Ledyard Sensei's DVD set on bokken kamei, sheigan, gedan, gedan hasso, jodan, and finally jodan hasso. We then worked on the one of the games Ledyard Sensei demostrated and I got one of my fingers hit with a nice bruise. To replicate the mat conditions of taking a test, Mike and I then went through these techniques from the 6th kyu ASU test and we practiced each technique four times both as uke and nage:

• shomenuchi ikkyo omote and ura
• shomenuchi iriminage
• munetsuki kotegaeshi omote and ura
• katate dori shihonage omote and ura
• kokyu tanden ho