Aikido for 01/27/2011

Tonight Tip taught class and after warming up we worked on the following:

• katatetori kokyunage tenkan
• katatetori kokyunage irimi
• katatetori kokyunage with nage starting off with shihonage omote beginning and then nage goes underneith uke's arm and throws uke
• katatetori kokyunage 3 variations
• bokken-waza shomen to kokyunage
• bokken-waza shomen kotegashi
• tanto-waza randori

It was a good and energetic class, we had two visitors a man and his daughter. The daughter is in the youth class and she wanted to see what she is working towards. Tonight was a good class to observe.

Aikido for 01/25/2011

Tonight for Aikido class, Ken taught the following techniques:

• katatetori tenkan kokyunage
• katatetori irimi kokyunage
• ushiro ryo-katatetori kokyunage (3 variations)

Ken gave me a stack of DVDs to catalog and create a catalog. I now have something to work on as a side project.

Aikido for 01/22/2011

This morning I went to the dojo an hour early to observe the youth class testing. The tests consist of forward and backward ukemi, going through all of the major attacks, The four kids who tested did very well and afterwards I stayed for Garry's 10:30 class.

Garry started class by immediately going into these techniques:

• katatetori tenkan kokyunage
• katatetori irimi kokyunage
• katatetori hijinage both static and dynamic
• munetsuki koyunage with nage moving off the line with a straight atemi to uke's face, forcing uke to take a quick ukemi
• ryo katatetori tenshinage both static and dynamic
• bokken shomen cuts
• paired bokken shomen and response kata

This morning's Aikido was enjoyable and I was able to get some good practice in.

Aikido for 01/20/2011

Tip taught class and after warm-ups we practiced the following techniques:

• katatetori kokyunage
• katatetori iriminage omote
• mortetori kokyunage 2 variations
• ryokatatetori tenshin-nage omote and ura
• ryo-katatetori shihonage omote
• jowaza kokyunage
• jotori kokyunage

Aikido for 01/18/2011

Ken taught class tonight and after warm-ups, we worked on the following a three ushiro katatetori kokyunages both from static and dynamic starts.

Aikido for 01/15/2011

Garry taught the 10:30 open class. We started right away with katatetori tenkan kokyunage and then practiced the following techniques:

• tsuki kokyunage variations
• tsuki iriminage omote and ura variations
• two person tsuki randori

I enjoyed class but my knees hurt from Friday's surawazi practice (my excuse not necessarily valid) and so I didn't stay for the next fundamentals class.

Aikido for 01/14/2011

Yesterday I was in Denver for a meeting and after it was over, I decided to drive to Boulder to attend the fundamentals and open classes at Boulder Aikikai. Tres Hofmeister Sensei taught both classes. After a long warm-up for the fundamentals class, we started off with surawazi shomenuchi ikkyo omote and ura. Hofmeister Sensei emphysised a couple of subtle but important points on ikkyo; the first is keep your arms and hands in front of your own center so that after absorbing the initial strike, you move into the second point nage shifts in front of uke and cuts into uke's face, disrupting uke's balance for the ikkyo finish and pin. We then did a surawazi shomenuchi iriminage before standing up and working on shomenuchi ikkyo omote and ura. We finished with kokyu-ho tanden-ho.

The second open class started with Hofmeister Sensei having us work on kokyu-ho tanden-ho. I worked with a really strong partner, Nate, that turned the exercise into a more realistic training were he, being physically stronger and bigger than me, could muscle through me. I struggled but was able to present a solid response when he was throwing me, throwing him was easier because I could use technique to overcome his advantages (surprise, that is the probably the most fundamental reason to practice a martial art, learning how to overcome superior force with technique). We also worked on shomenuchi kokyunage that started off with uke absorbing nage's outstreached arm and bending at the waist before doing ukemi. We then worked on taking a different type of backward ukemi where uke lands on the back of both shoulders and redircts the backward momentum by thrusing both feet up in the air before rolling back to one side or the other. We working a second kokyunage and then Hofmeister Sensei had us practice an exercise where you start with both feet together, then you either step forward, bringing your hand and arm inside your center line, closing any gaps between your arm and body. Next, you step forward bring the arm and hand up along your center line to your head before extending the arm to about 80% for a quick shomen atemi starting from the elbow. There is a variation where the starting from both feet together, you step back with the far leg, which brings you to a forward hamni for the same strike along the center-line as before. We finished with shomenuchi iriminage using the same understanding of the strike and throw in the iriminage.

A great class and a good way to spend a Friday night.

Aikido for 01/11/2011

Ken taught the Tuesday class and after warming up we worked on the following techniques:

• kosadori kokyunage (two variations)
• kosadori ikkyo
• kosadori hijinage
• kosadori tenshinnage

Quaker Meeting and Birthday

Today is my 38th birthday. This morning I attended my first Colorado Springs Monthly Meeting here in the Springs after attending the Salt Lake Monthly Meeting last Sunday (first day). Lisa, a co-worker, is a member (I didn't know, cool learning new, neat things about people you know) as is a faculty member at CC. I didn't stay for Business Meeting but I am planning on attending Meeting next week. When I was in Grand Junction visiting with my grandmother, she suggested I start attending church again if I wanted to meet women, I don't think I will happen with this Meeting as I am one of the youngest adult attenders.

I think it is valuable to participate in a faith community if you are so inclined. The traditional Quaker values still resonate with me and I want to continue to explore my understanding and an expansion of my own community; something I found most valuable from my membership in Salt Lake Monthly Meeting.

I am not sure that I need to on about my birthday, I am close to 40, but really, any year is arbitrary. I hope this next year of my life I'll continue to live a happy, simple life with the focus on helping others and myself improve for the future. This spring I plan on participating in the CC's organic gardening efforts as a volunteer as I am very interested in this organic and sustainable gardening and associated efforts.

Aikido for 01/08/2011

For Saturday's first class, Garry started right off with these techniques:

• katatetori tenkan kokyunage
• katatetori omote irimi
• kosadori ikkyo omote and ura
• kosadori freestyle
• kumitachi number 5
• kumitachi number 4

It was a good class and although I didn't stay for the fundamentals class, it was good to practice again on Saturday. Aikido practice felt smooth.

Aikido for 01/06/2011

Tonight for Aikido, Tip had us practice ukemi for a while before we worked on the following techniques:

• Munetsuki kotegashi
• Munetsuki hijinage
• Munetsuki kaitennage
• High tsuki with open responses and techniques

It was good to get back on the mat after a week and a half traveling to Grand Junction and Salt Lake City. My biggest hope for 2011 is that I can finally test for my shodon rank.

Impulse Control 2011

This year instead of coming up with resolutions, I trying something different. Instead of structuring formal 2011 New Year Resolutions, I have decided to focus instead on encouraging or suppressing certain impulses over the course of 2011. As mentioned in multiple blogs, impulse control is more accurate description of what occurs when we show self-restraint instead of giving in to an immediate self-gratification or neurological reward. Instead of a really fictional concept of character-based will-power, impulse control is about not worrying about the larger questions of flaws in our mosaic of character elements in our self-definition but making a better choice with immediate situation presented at the moment.

What has been missing from my (abet limited) readings on the subject of impulse control is the how and why we would want to encourage positive impulses. I know for myself, I will have impulses that should be encouraged (exercising, etc.). This makes it more complicated than the blogs suggest because it means we have to make judgments about our impulses; for example inhibiting an impulse for tobacco but cultivating your impulse to cook at home instead of fast food. In this reconceptualization of impulse control as a process for both encouraging and inhibiting impulses, for 2011 I want to work on these areas:

• Encourage movement impulses; i.e. instead of internet usage, go for a run, walk on the treadmill, practice Aikido.
• Inhibit fat, sugar, and salt consumption impulses; i.e. improve my diet through not eating processed or other foods that are high in either or all of these three categories
• Encourage social extrovert impulses; as an introvert, I don't often have social impulses, especially when I am around the opposite sex (this hasn't changed much since primary school). This year I want to act on social impulses when they do occur.
• Inhibit tobacco impulses; with the stress of moving and the new job, I picked up chewing again, for 2011 I am resisting this impulse.

It will be interesting to compare how well I met these four areas as an alternative to the traditional New Year resolutions.