Aikido for 08/18/2011

Last night I taught class, covering for Tip because he had to go up to his cabin. I've been in a contrarian mood with my Aikido because classes at the dojo have lately been focused on internal aiki development, very much influenced by all of the great teaching at summer camp. While it is good training for more advanced classes, in class there was a beginner and Tony, back for his first class after a few month hiatus, I decided to focus on basic 6th kyu techniques. For the last exercise during warm-ups, I introduced the first form from the Dr. Yang Yang's Evidenced-based Taiji and QiGong DVD because I had an idea on how to use that movement later in class.

• katatetori kokyunage tenkan
• katatetori kokyu-ho irimi
• katatetori shihonage omote and ura
• munetsuki kotegashi two variations
• front-choke double-atemi kokyunage - the last technique came from the applications section in the Taiji DVD I have been watching. As nage is being choked by uke, nage brings both wrists up in the floating movement to do a double atemi, the variation I introduced then involved nage cutting up and down and turning tenkai to throw uke. It was a more difficult technique that I still need to refine the timing on.

The simplified 7-form Taiji on Dr. Yang's DVD has been on heavy rotation since I got it last week. I try to practice the form twice a day and the movements have helped me settle along with QiGong meditation forms.