This morning's 6:30 class was taught by Troy Farrow Sensei. We did a long warm-up, which was nice as I think most of us attending hadn't completely woken up, and then Farrow Sensei had us do an exercise where starting from shomen, nage instead of extending into uke, straighten up and extended the engaged hand until uke had lost his or her balance. Beside improving nage's posture, this continued the theme of camp of self-reliance because by straightening and as Farrow Sensei suggested, visualize extending up to the sky through the skull and down to the earth and rotating around that axis. We did a number of techniques including some kokyunages and ikkyo using this approach.
Doran Sensei started off his class by relating a kodan - "second-hand" sayings of the founder O'Sensei which was that that the feet determine balance and direction of the hips and torso. Doran Sensei then showed us a simple movement where nage lifts the forward foot heil and pivots around the ball of the forward foot so nage is now to the side of uke's attack; either to inside or the outside. Building from this movement we then did a jodan tsuki ikkyo, nikkyo, and sankyo technique. Toward the end of class, Doran Sensei related what other masters have also said that you see principles through technique but you can't have one without the other.
For Saotome Sensei class, we continued with the jodan tsuki but we did a lot of different types of techniques, including a number of blocks and atemnis to sensitive areas in throat, chest, and legs. Saotome Sensei changed about mid-way through the class and had us practice with a very confined space, about a half of tatami mat. He talked about when we practice in the dojo, we have plenty of space to move around and respond, so what happens if you back is against the wall? For these close-in techniques, we worked from either a ryo-katadori (two shoulder grab) or a choke with both hands. The response from nage varied one technique was to slide out the way and then turn and throw uke into the wall, another for a choke was to come up and strike the soft spot right about chest cavity. Other variations included nage sliding both hands up to uke's neck and then using the thumbs, pressing right under the jaw pressing on the salivary glands or moving up to uke's face and pressing the nerves under the cheek-bones. Saotome Sensei said another interesting thing about ikkyo, that ikkyo was the O'Sensei was able to ensure self-defense without destroying the opponent. Saotome Sensei showed us the old style of ikkyo pin where nage keeps the outside knee up and extends uke outstretched arm across for the pin.
The forth class of the day was taught by Kevin Choate Sensei. From the start this was going to be a different class as Choate Sensei brought a four-foot heavy chain. We weren't doing some new or esoteric weapon takeaway, but Choate Sensei used the chain to illustrate some of the same points he made yesterday in his class. He pointed some different properties of the chain while holding it up and then letting the chain drop. The falling chain didn't drop as one unit, but each link the chain dropped and the chain fell in a straight line. Choate Sensei explained that like the chain, we need to think of ourselves as links in a chain and as we collapse we bring our energy down as well. Choate Sensei then demonstrated a second exercise where two people hold an end, as one person relaxes and exhales, Choate Sensei dropped the chain. He did that four times and then he had the other person do it again this time he didn't drop his end. The same movement results in the other person, breaking the other person's balance. This is the same concept to think about when doing a technique. We practiced variations on this and felt I learned more about what he was trying to get across. Choate Sensei made an interesting comment. He said that if we think the skill of level of Saotome Sensei or some other master is impossible to learn or attain, then why bother practicing at all? The level that Saotome Sensei and these higher ranked individuals is possible otherwise our battles would be won by very old men and not the young.
The fifth class was taught by Doran Sensei and he said at the start that since its been a long day, he would shift and how the relationships between Aikido and our sister art, Tai Chi. We started off in left hamni and then we practiced shifting our left side forward, followed by extending our right hand palm-up and out which brings the right shoulder forward. The second step was then turning over the hand and bring the left shoulder to meet the right hand and then you brought your right hand along your shoulders and out past your body going to opposite direction. We then paired up and practiced a form of push hands -- going back and forth -- until Doran Sensei turned it into a series of iriminage variations. A really interesting approach about the similarities of these arts and how the movements can be modified into techniques we are more familiar with in Aikido.
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