Aikido for 09/29/2011

Tonight Tip taught class and after warm-ups and tenkan and irimi exercises we worked on the following techniques:

• kosadori ikkyo omote and ura 2 variations with the second variation nage instead of going into uke, nage moves sharply with hip with a much smaller circle with the grabbed wrist. I found I had to be more abrupt with my hip movement in order to generate the necessary energy for an effective throw.
• kosadori sankyo omote
• kosadori nikkyo omote and ura
• kosadori gokyu-style kokyunage, Ken and I were working together and he pointed out some subtleties involving angles and movement that I missed being uke during Tip's demonstration of the technique.
• We then switched to paired jo practice that replicate the first few movements of the 13-jo kata
• jo kata number with two different variations, both variations involving uke to take ether back or forward ukemi

Tonight was a good class and I realize I need to be better and writing my Aikido practice blog posting closer to when the class actually happened. Even a couple days the memory of that particular Aikido practice starts blend and fade to this corprus of many, many hours practicing Aikido.

Aikido for 09/27/2011

For class on Tuesday night, we worked again on nage's timing and movement to enter and disrupt uke's balance during a forward attack. Katatetori kokyunage tenkan and katatetori kokyunage irimi followed by kosadori kokyunage ikkyo style.. Ended class with movement exercises with the shinai, where uke does a shomen cut and nage slide and steps in and does a tenkai movement to either side of the shinahi to get out of the way. The last technique we practiced was a kotegaeshi weapon takeaway with the shinai shomen attack. I felt the enter focus (I was moving my head out of the way the incoming attack instead of shifting my hips to the side to avoid the attack) helps with this important concept of Aikido, namely irimi.

Aikido for 09/25/2011

For Saturday's open class, Garry started off right away with katatetori kokyunage tenkan. For the rest of the class we worked katatetori kokyunage irimi, katatetori kokyunage tenkan, or katatetori sumitosi with focus through out on uke providing progressively harder attacks with nage becoming sensitive and moving to disrupt uke's balance. I enjoyed the class and the budo training was excellent.

Aikido for 09/22/2011

When I arrived for Thursday's class at the dojo, it turned out to be just Ken and I. There was a couple checking out the dojo so instead of just cancelling class, Ken and I put on an Aikido demonstration for about a half-hour. Just to be sure I wasn't gun shy from Tuesday's throat injury (which still hurt and my voice was still recovering) I took some faster and harder ukemi than Tuesday night, this time making sure to protect my neck.

Aikido for 09/20/2011

Tuesday night Ken taught class and after warm-ups we worked on improving uke's attack. We first started off with katatetori attack where like in previous classes, uke's movement is not just statically grab nage's wrist but was moving to a follow-up strike, either to nage's face or mid-section. Uke, with the wrist grab, is trying to move the hand out of the way either into nage or nage's side. Nage, in response, can either move into uke's space and catch the grab earlier disrupting uke's intent for the second phase of the attack, or nage steps back and through movement disrupts uke's balance through nage's body position. The timing on these attacks was important as uke is able to land the second punch or keep balance then the technique does not work. Good class although I was attacking nage and he responded with a strong and solid attack and caught the side of my throat and I felt my windpipe compress. I had a hard time breathing for a bit, my neck is brused, and later that night when we went to OC for beer because of Doug visiting, I started to lose my voice.

Aikido for 09/17/2011

I taught both the Open and Fundamentals classes yesterday at the dojo. For the Open class, Doug (who has been working as a civilian contractor in Afghanistan) was visiting and we had three other students. After warm-ups, we worked on the following techniques:

• katatetori tenkan kokyunage
• hamni-handachi katatetori tenkan kokyunage
• ushiro ryo-katatetori iriminage two variations
• ushiro ryo-katatetori shihonage omote and ura
• ushiro ryo-katatetori ikkyo omote
• ushiro ryo-katatetori jujinage omote

For the open class, we started with warm-ups and then after tenkan and irimi exercises, we worked on ukemi and katatetori ikkyo.

Aikido for 09/15/2011

Tip was back and taught the open class tonight. After warmups, we worked on katatetori kokyunage tenkan, katatetori kokyunage irimi, We then practiced the following technqiues:

• moritetori kokyunage with nage moinv uke from the uhip and then up to nage's head and turn tenkan for the throw
• moritetori ikkyo omote and ura
• moritetori nikkyo omote
• moritetori sankyo omote
• moritetori reverse kotegashi

We then worked on a number of different jo dori (jo takeaways) a couple variations to uke's inside, one to uke's outside, and the final nage steps straight back and pulls uke off-balance before throwing. A good class and practice.

Aikido for 09/13/2011

Ken taught class tonight and after warmups, we first worked on katateori attack followed quickly by the other punch to the face with a number of different kokyunages. We then switched to shomenuchi with a more committed attack and worked through a variety of different kokyunages

Aikido for 09/10/2011

Yesterday for the open class, Garry started right off with katatetori kokyunage tenkan followed by the katatetori kokyunage irimi. Garry's classes are always interesting because he demonstrates and has us practice uncommon techniques, either I have seen rarely or never and Saturday's open class was no exception with a couple of different variations from a shomen attack and some unusual pins.

Aikido for 08/25/2011

Tip taught class and after warm-ups we worked on variaty of techniques including some from Summer Camp. A good class and I got a good work-out as well.

Aikido for 09/08/2011

Tonight for Aikido class, I was scheduled to teach but Bill Howard stopped by and he graciously agreed to teach class. His Aikido is very strong and solid and I have enjoyed seeing his own Aikido change over the few years I have know him and it was great to have him teach tonight. After warm-ups, Bill started off with katatetori tenkan kokyunage with the emphasis on nage relaxing and becoming heavy and soft to throw uke. When Bill was working with me, I noticed and then explained how nage's body position and foot-work turns around the line of attack and then shifts over about a foot-length into uke's space which also has the effect of moving nage's hip and body into uke, further disrupting uke's balance. We worked on katatetori ikkyo variations leading to different ikkyo reversals by uke and nage, ending up with a final nage wrist pin or arm-bar. A good class and I learned more than if I had to teach.

Aikido for 09/06/2011

Tonight's class was taught by Ken. Jack and I were the only students and so Ken taught a new type of class. Instead of a structured warm-up, Ken had us do a free-from warm-up and then for class he had us first focus on a katatetori grab followed with a punch with the other hand. The first technique involved just a nage tenkan to get out of the way. We worked on some variations with an increase of the attack intensity and speed. The second technique was from a shomen attack with the nage first sliding in irimi, followed with a irimi-nage. We then did the same sequence from a munetsuki attack but with the final technique being a kokyunage with nage dropping uke with a drop to the back. This was a enjoyable class of budo training; Ken's insightful comment was in Aikido nage needs to react to aggression with an expansion of self and not retract into a more traditional defensive instinctual posture/