Aikido for 02/26/2011

Garry taught class and there were over ten of us in class so that was good and a positive. We went right into practicing these techniques that are on a couple of kyu tests that are upcoming for some of the students.

• ushiro katatetori koyunages (couple of different variations)
• ushiro katatetori kotegashei
• ushiro katadori koyunage
• ushiro katatetori shihonage omote
• katatetori kokyu-ho standing

Aikido for 02/25/2011

Last night I taught Aikido class at CC. Cory was the only student who attended so after warming up we worked on the following techniques:

• katatetori tenshinage omote uchi-style
• katatetori tenshinage omote soto-style
• katatetori tenshinage ura uchi-style
• katatetori kokyunage uchi-style
• katatetori kokyunage soto-style
• katatetori kokyunage soto ikkyo variation
• katatetori kokyunage uchi sankyo omote

During the day I added a news item to a listserv and I believe we should have more some more students next Friday.

Aikido for 02/22/2011

Ken e-mailed everyone and asked for a volunteer to cover tonight's class. I volunteered and arrived to dojo twenty minutes early to open up and get ready for class. With testing coming up, I decided to focus on 4th and 5th kyu test techniques. Bill Howard from Boulder Aikikai showed up so I talked to him and he agreed to teach half the class. During warm-ups, I added happo-undo (eight-way) exercise to class and then we worked on the following two techniques:

• munetsuki kaitennage omote
• yokomenuchi ikkyo

After a water break, Bill took over and he explained that Ikeda Sensei during his regular Tuesday and Thursday classes has been emphasizing uke's responding quickly and being ready to counter at a high place, simulating more realistic encounter off the mat. I was uke for Bill when he was demostrating the change for a tsuki kotegashei, when I threw Bill he didn't resist but flowed into the ukemi and then immediately attacked again. Because we were odd number tonight, during the practice session, Bill and I worked together and I focused hard and attacking consistently and fast with good intent, Bill is very much my sempi and he is in excellent physical shape and so this is the first time at Pikes Peak dojo that I at a couple of points I was completely out of breath. Great training and privilege to have Bill here at the dojo. We continued working on the following techniques with the same intensity:

• munetsuki hijinage (Bill showed me that he was throwing down and not out like I was doing, subtle but important point)
• katatetori irimi kokyunage

He ended class with kokyu tanden ho exercise. I now need to get try to make one of these Ikeda Sensei classes with this new emphasis. Great stuff and night of training.

Aikido for 02/19/2011

Garry taught the open 10:30 Aikido class. We started right off with these techniques:

• katatetori kokyunage tenkan
• katatetori irimi kokyunage
• shomenuchi ikkyo omote
• shomenuchi nikkyo omote
• shomenuchi sankyo omote
• shomenuchi yonkyo omote
• shomeunchi ikkyo, nikkyo, sankyo, yonkyo ura

Aikido for 02/17/2011

Tip taught class tonight and we worked on the following techniques:

• katatetori kokyunage irimi
• katateori irimi exercise
• katatetori atemi-nage, nage does a quick chop to uke's neck, keeping the elbow and arm relaxed, I got hit hard in the face (my upper-lip is still healing)
• katatetori atemi-nage second variation with a tenkan
• tanto-dori tsuki reverse kotegashi
• tanto-dori tsuki ikkyo

We worked on a number of techniques and I enjoyed class.

Aikido for 02/15/2011

Tonight Ken taught class and after warming up we worked on the a number of ushiro katatetori kokyunage techniques.

I haven't been on the mat in over a week so while my first couple of forward ukemi felt stiff, being back practicing Aikido readjusted my attitude and my body that no other activity other than Aikido does. Yesterday I mailed my registration for this year's Aikido Summit in Denver. The Summit is on March 28th so it is over a month away but I wanted to get my registration in early to make sure I get a spot. Summer Camp registration opens up on Friday so my goal is to send in my Summer Camp registration this weekend so I'll for sure have a spot this summer.

Aikido for 02/05/2011

Garry taught class and we started class right off with these techniques

• katatetori kokyunage tenkan
• katatetori kokyunage irimi
• shomenuchi kokyunage irimi tenkan to uke's front
• shomenuchi tenkan hijinage
• shomenuchi kokyunage
• shomenuchi kokyunage shiho-reverse back into uke, an interesting variation I have never seen before
• Kokyu-ho tanden-ho

Aikido for 02/04/2011

Last night I taught Aikido class at CC. Cory was the only student and after warming up we worked on the following techniques:

• katatetori kokyunage omote
• katatetori kokyunage irimi
• katatetori iriminage
• katatetori kotegashi omote
• katatetori hijinage two variations

Although I'm going to be out of two next week at a library conference, I'm planning to try to make a Wednesday class at the University and then I should be back in time for Friday's night class at CC.

Aikido for 02/03/2011

Last night Tip taught class and after warm-ups, he had us do a couple of exercises we learned from Cyndy Hayashi Sensei class last Friday. Uke attacks nage continually with either shomen, munetsuki, or yokomen strikes. Nage first starts by just moving to avoid with any arms, as the speed increased nage can use the arms but not do any techniques other than to get out of the way. I found myself instinctively stepping back from the barrage of attacks, not being able to really enter irimi but tenkan worked well. Very interesting to consider. We then worked on the following techniques (I was uke for all except one, great training):

• katatetori kokyunage tenkan
• katatetori kokyunage irimi
• kosadori nikkyo omote and ura
• kosadori sankyo omote and ura
• kosadori kotegashei omote, for one of ukemi, I took a break-fall from this technique.
• kosadori shihonage omote. This was special because I took my first public medium speed shihonage break-fall for Tip. When we paired up, I worked with Ken who worked with me on doing break-falls from about five foot off the ground. I learned some useful body position pointers from Ken including anticipating and facing the throw. I actually really enjoyed learning and taking these more difficult ukemi. This is one indicator that my practice is improving my Aikido, this ukemi is not so much different from the standard ukemi but does require more body control and confidence in your abilities. I learn to not think, to not anticipate, but I experienced those beautiful moments of pure movement and grace of the whole being body, mind, and ki.

Aikido for 02/01/2011

Tonight, even with the temperature and wind-chill in the negative double-digits, was great with Ken teaching class. After warm-ups, we worked on the following techniques:

• katatetori kokyunage tenkan variation
• katatetori kokyunage irimi variation

Ken then picked up where we left off last week with these ushiro techniques

• ushiro katatetori kokyunage static
• ushiro katatetori kokyunage dynamic, Ken had nage blend with uke's attack, redirect uke 180 degrees before the throw. I worked with Tip and ended up with some solid break-fall practice
• ushiro katatetori kokyunage where nage becomes solid and throws uke with the body
• ushiro katatetori tenshinage-style kokyunage

Last Friday I left work early to travel up to Denver Aikikai for a special class taught by Cyndy Hayashi Sensei. To make sure I had plenty of time, I left my apartment at 4:15 (the class started at 6:00). As soon as I got on I-25, traffic slowed to a stop. It took me 45 minutes to travel 5 miles. I encountered a couple more travel delays such that I missed her class. I then drove up to Broomfield and stayed the night with my sister Jill and her family. This past weekend I was thinking about morality and Aikido (not dissimilar topics) and came up with this pithy koan that could apply to both my own moral stances and my Aikido practice.

Stability in the core; flexibility in the response