A Beginner's Point of View 688-689

Day 688:

In Iaido class, I completed three sets of kata. I feel better compared to during the tournament.

In Kendo class, we did kihon and then went into what sensei calls “semete” waza. Start at to-maa, kiai, step in, create the opening, and then strike. Each of men, kote, and doh have their own opening. Men-uchi uses a harai-waza of pushing the shinai aside and down. Kote-uchi uses the tricking opening of raising up after asserting sideways pressure. Doh-uchi provokes the uchidachi to strike men. During class, one of our students lodged a huge splinter in his foot. Taking it out caused a large amount of bleeding. Sensei called for a check of the floor and to tape up the problem area.

I was told sensei would be out for an Iaido seminar so I was to teach the next class using the same techniques.

Day 689:

In Iaido class, I completed three sets of kata. No sensei today, so I had to signal the end of class. It felt weird.

In Kendo, I taught the class. One of our shodans offered to lead warm-ups. That was helpful. He was really chatty since the beginners were joining us. I had to silently gesture to speed things up. Reminds me of when I was told the same thing.

In class after kihon, I started in more lecture and practice for semete. I made sure to explain why it worked. Some people were starting already at issokou-no-maai, which is counter to the stepping in. After several rounds of semete, we used it in uchikomi-geiko and kakari-geiko for active practice. Then several rounds of ji-geiko. I even called for one round of dreamlight, but then even I forgot to perform the hiki-waza portion. I guess I don’t like hiki-waza.

At the end of class, I gave a short lecture on the dojo working because we are “Together”. Comraderie and safety were the important points.