Friday, January 30, 2015

A Beginner's Point of View 648-649

Day 648:

No class today because of the weather.

Day 649:

Today we showed up to the dojo to see it already occupied by some other group. They had chairs and a projector like a class was going to happen. After calling our club president to talk to the association, we got the space. We lost enough time that Iaido class was only long enough for 1.5 sets of kata.

In kendo class, we did suburi and kihon. Lots of kihon. We did men-ouchi, kote-ouchi, and doh-ouchi over and over. After that, we moved into harai-men and choose-you-own-waza drills. We practiced several rounds of kakari-geiko and ji-geiko to finish.

I feel well now. Much better than last week. The rest I got recharged my energy. The practice tasked me just enough for a workout.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

A Beginner's Point of View 646-647

Day 647:

I got to Iaido class very early. Still, I was really distracted. It got all balanced out since I completed 3 sets of Iaido by the end.

In Kendo, we had an easy class. Our new student joined us today. We did a lot of fumi-komi drills to work up to basic men drills. We also did a few drills to sync up our arms and legs, including the ogami-men drill where you bend your elbows to raise your shinai up to your face and then try for quick men.

We finished with multiple rounds of ji-geiko and kiri-kaeshi.

Day 648:

No class today because I am ill.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

A Beginner's Point of View 644-645

Day 644:

In Iaido, my thumb is a little better. Stretching it works slowly but surely. Sensei has started training with a new student. I accomplished 3 sets of kata without any real pain.

In Kendo class, after suburi I noticed that my left big toe is sprained. It really hurts when I turn either left or right. I spent the practice not using any real powerful footwork. We practiced a lot of suriage waza. We need to begin moving sooner to strike better. During ji-geiko, I got struck by students on the right arm and elbow several times. The joys of being higher ranking, I suppose.

Day 645:

No class today as I am injured.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

A Beginner's Point of View 642-643

Day 642:

Well, it’s back to practice. My thumb is stiff but not painful. Time to work it back into shape. For Iaido class, I got 3 sets of kata done but I was really wobbly on the draw for the first three kata. My thumb isn’t used to the weight of the sword.

In Kendo class I had no problems. I could do suburi and kihon just fine. When pushing myself during higher waza suach as kote-suriage-men, I kinda partially-sprained my left big toe, but not very much. It’ll be fine by the end of the week.

I had a good time with keiko with the dojo. The students really needed to recover from the holiday break by striking openings and I like to be able to try the advanced techniques such as men-kaeshi-doh. I nearly tripped on the stair again. Tapping my heel against the step gave me a sensory flashback to the pain of the original injury. That shook me for the rest of class.

Day 643:

Today was better for Iaido. My thumb is slowly getting better from the exercise. I completed 3 sets of kata and was not quite as wobbly.

In kendo class, we started by doing the first 6 kata of the bokutou kinhon kata. The senseis said we were going to dedicate 2 nights per months to include the kata so lower-ranking students could be prepared for the promotion exams that will start by the end of the year. The rest of class went well. We practiced men0nuk-doh and my toe is getting better, too.