Day 349:
Today Sensei showed up again. He was moving slowly all throughout the class. I’m glad he’s getting better. The instructor waited for a couple of us to finish the seventh kata a couple of times before pulling us off to the side. He told us that during the seminar, a sensei corrected him on his seventh kata. Normally, we’ve been cutting into the first opponent, turning into jodan for the second, then cutting the second. The new way is to cut the first opponent, then hold the sword in the same place while you turn your body to face the second opponent, then you cut the second opponent. No stopping, just a fluid motion. It makes sense if the two opponents close together. By the end of class, I was really out of breath and my heart was beating more than usual. I was really tired when I went home.
Day 350:
Today Sensei was back again. Hopefully, this means he’s back for good. He was moving much slower because he was caring more for his form than speed. He also spent time imagining and practicing the logic of movements before performing them. I wonder if I will do that by the time I’m his rank. Right now, I’m working on keeping my feet closer to flat on the floor.
After Iaido, I tried Kendo again. I led the class in rei-hou but not in warm-ups. I was grateful, since I doubt I could finish suburi without hacking up a lung. The instructor led the class and pushed us at a grueling pace. However, there was a new student today, so he stopped and explained each type of suburi and strike. That gave me time to catch my breath. However, he threw in an extra forty haya-suburi just to make it a hundred in total. I actually lost my voice and the dojo seemed very quiet while doing the last few dozen. My form was also very sloppy as I had little energy at that time.
We put on men and moved into regular class. I received for kiri-kaeshi, menouchi, and lessons on sashi-men. We started by practicing ogami-men, in which you pull back to strike your own men-gane and then throw it forward. It seems I have not forgotten to perform sashi-men after all this time.
At the end of class, the instructor gave a lecture on using good kiai and mentally making decisions. You must decide to strike and give it your all, not just whimper and tap. You scream and strike firmly. It’s good to be careful, but you must give your all into the effort, not holding anything back.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
A Beginner's Point of View 347-348
Day 347:
Today Sensei showed up for Iaido! He felt well enough to slowly go through the kata and get some exercise. Myself, I tried to pace myself a bit more than usual. I wanted to try to last through a full four sets of 1-12. I still place my weight on the front of my feet. It still makes me awkward to step and shift my weight into new positions. Only when I slow down and think about it do I place more of my heel down to the floor.
I finished the four sets of 1-12 with no painful thumping of my heart and less fatigue. However, my abdomen has been sore for the past week. The doctor and I are investigating the problem.
Day 348:
Today felt like an average day going into Iaido. I did my 1-12 and found that I could do four full sets of 1-12 easily. However, that was an illusion. After the adrenaline wore off, I found that my hands were shaking and I felt drained. It was a good practice, but I need to remember my limitations.
I asked the instructor something. He confirmed that in the tenth kata, when going for the fourth cut you can take a big step and follow up by bringing your left foot up closer to your right foot. This makes you travel towards the left side of the kata, which evens out your inherent rightward travel.
Today Sensei showed up for Iaido! He felt well enough to slowly go through the kata and get some exercise. Myself, I tried to pace myself a bit more than usual. I wanted to try to last through a full four sets of 1-12. I still place my weight on the front of my feet. It still makes me awkward to step and shift my weight into new positions. Only when I slow down and think about it do I place more of my heel down to the floor.
I finished the four sets of 1-12 with no painful thumping of my heart and less fatigue. However, my abdomen has been sore for the past week. The doctor and I are investigating the problem.
Day 348:
Today felt like an average day going into Iaido. I did my 1-12 and found that I could do four full sets of 1-12 easily. However, that was an illusion. After the adrenaline wore off, I found that my hands were shaking and I felt drained. It was a good practice, but I need to remember my limitations.
I asked the instructor something. He confirmed that in the tenth kata, when going for the fourth cut you can take a big step and follow up by bringing your left foot up closer to your right foot. This makes you travel towards the left side of the kata, which evens out your inherent rightward travel.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
A Beginner's Point of View 345-346
Day 345:
Well, I’ve been talking to the doctor and he’s found something potentially serious inside me. It might equally be just a nuisance, but it’s best to be careful. I’m going to finish the tests and visit him again for a check-up. I’m going to take a break from Kendo for a while until I’m in the clear, just to be safe. I’m mostly recovered from last weekend’s overexertion at the demo and lack of blood. Let that be a lesson. Never give blood and then do Kendo. It ruins your whole weekend.
I went to Iaido class so I can keep exercising and maintaining discipline. I did my 1-12 again and at first I was doing very well. Good posture and control. I need to keep flexing my wrists to make the circular movements nicely. As the class went on, my energy ebbed and I found it harder to keep control. I need to relax my feet so my heels can come down to almost on the floor.
Day 346:
Today was a good day for Iaido. At first, my sword swung freely in my hands. Much smoother than usual. The steel blade felt lighter than usual. I had good energy. However, halfway through the class I started losing energy. My hands were shaky and the blade felt heavier and heavier. My heart rate increased and I started to get winded. I had completed four full sets of 1-12. On the last time I did the eleventh kata, I felt wobbly, like I was dizzy. I slowed down a bit.
One of the senior students advised me to let my arms be more loose and natural in using hasso after the fifth kata. After class, I was glad to go home.
Well, I’ve been talking to the doctor and he’s found something potentially serious inside me. It might equally be just a nuisance, but it’s best to be careful. I’m going to finish the tests and visit him again for a check-up. I’m going to take a break from Kendo for a while until I’m in the clear, just to be safe. I’m mostly recovered from last weekend’s overexertion at the demo and lack of blood. Let that be a lesson. Never give blood and then do Kendo. It ruins your whole weekend.
I went to Iaido class so I can keep exercising and maintaining discipline. I did my 1-12 again and at first I was doing very well. Good posture and control. I need to keep flexing my wrists to make the circular movements nicely. As the class went on, my energy ebbed and I found it harder to keep control. I need to relax my feet so my heels can come down to almost on the floor.
Day 346:
Today was a good day for Iaido. At first, my sword swung freely in my hands. Much smoother than usual. The steel blade felt lighter than usual. I had good energy. However, halfway through the class I started losing energy. My hands were shaky and the blade felt heavier and heavier. My heart rate increased and I started to get winded. I had completed four full sets of 1-12. On the last time I did the eleventh kata, I felt wobbly, like I was dizzy. I slowed down a bit.
One of the senior students advised me to let my arms be more loose and natural in using hasso after the fifth kata. After class, I was glad to go home.
Monday, February 13, 2012
A Beginner's Point of View 343-344
Day 343:
I’m back to Iaido class. I’m skipping Kendo because I’m not well enough for it yet. I get winded just walking up and down stairs. Still, I’m stir-crazy, so some exercise will be good for me. I practiced my 1-12 as usual. My sword seems lighter. I’m swinging it almost as fast as the others swinging their aluminum-zinc swords. My heart rate got up to over 140 beats per minute twice tonight. I needed to sit and rest a bit before continuing. Still, I got through class without pain.
Day 344:
In Iaido, I went through my kata like usual. I had some wobble to my motion so I need to slow down and keep my balance more backwards than forwards. The instructor made mention that there’s been a correction to the fifth kata. When we draw and slash diagonally upwards, we follow up with a slash back down the same path but we do not bring our back foot up into a normal stance. We keep it back for stability. Then we slide the right foot widely back into normal hasso-no-kamae. I had just gotten used to bringing it up. Oh, well. I also had to concentrate at the end of the twelfth kata, making sure to slide my right foot back when doing chiburi.
Day 344.5:
We had a demonstration of Kendo at an elementary school today. Just a half of an hour, I’m sure I can last through it all. However, when we all show up, myself and another shodan are the highest-ranking Kendoka there. She took the role of announcer and I led the class. She wanted to do it the way the club did it before I joined. Stretches and suburi first, then rei-hou. It felt weird.
Still, that’s what we did. When it was time to assemble, I led us into a circle and we stretched while the kids filed in and sat upon the floor. I led us in a speedy set of stretches and suburi. Then we swapped our bokken out for shinai and grabbed our men. We lined up facing the class and did rei-hou.
I organized the class into two lines of three each and we did kiri-kaeshi both ways, menouchi both ways, koteouchi both ways, and dohouchi both ways. I stayed in my spot as the anchor to keep mixing up the partners. By now another student showed up and I put him in the odd position.
We finished with some keiko using only men and kote. We each fought twice. My first keiko was all right. I was trying to show good form. However, my second keiko drained me of energy. I found myself using stalling tactics to catch my breath.
Once the demo was over, we lined up, took off men, did rei-hou and the kids applauded for us. We even attended their little finishing ceremony for themselves and then packed up to go home.
I actually followed one of my friends to his house to help him assemble a ‘Franken-shinai’ out of spare pieces. I felt destroyed. Not good at all. Earlier in the week I gave the doctor seven vials of blood for lab analysis across three days. I learned not to push myself after giving so much blood. Ugh.
I’m back to Iaido class. I’m skipping Kendo because I’m not well enough for it yet. I get winded just walking up and down stairs. Still, I’m stir-crazy, so some exercise will be good for me. I practiced my 1-12 as usual. My sword seems lighter. I’m swinging it almost as fast as the others swinging their aluminum-zinc swords. My heart rate got up to over 140 beats per minute twice tonight. I needed to sit and rest a bit before continuing. Still, I got through class without pain.
Day 344:
In Iaido, I went through my kata like usual. I had some wobble to my motion so I need to slow down and keep my balance more backwards than forwards. The instructor made mention that there’s been a correction to the fifth kata. When we draw and slash diagonally upwards, we follow up with a slash back down the same path but we do not bring our back foot up into a normal stance. We keep it back for stability. Then we slide the right foot widely back into normal hasso-no-kamae. I had just gotten used to bringing it up. Oh, well. I also had to concentrate at the end of the twelfth kata, making sure to slide my right foot back when doing chiburi.
Day 344.5:
We had a demonstration of Kendo at an elementary school today. Just a half of an hour, I’m sure I can last through it all. However, when we all show up, myself and another shodan are the highest-ranking Kendoka there. She took the role of announcer and I led the class. She wanted to do it the way the club did it before I joined. Stretches and suburi first, then rei-hou. It felt weird.
Still, that’s what we did. When it was time to assemble, I led us into a circle and we stretched while the kids filed in and sat upon the floor. I led us in a speedy set of stretches and suburi. Then we swapped our bokken out for shinai and grabbed our men. We lined up facing the class and did rei-hou.
I organized the class into two lines of three each and we did kiri-kaeshi both ways, menouchi both ways, koteouchi both ways, and dohouchi both ways. I stayed in my spot as the anchor to keep mixing up the partners. By now another student showed up and I put him in the odd position.
We finished with some keiko using only men and kote. We each fought twice. My first keiko was all right. I was trying to show good form. However, my second keiko drained me of energy. I found myself using stalling tactics to catch my breath.
Once the demo was over, we lined up, took off men, did rei-hou and the kids applauded for us. We even attended their little finishing ceremony for themselves and then packed up to go home.
I actually followed one of my friends to his house to help him assemble a ‘Franken-shinai’ out of spare pieces. I felt destroyed. Not good at all. Earlier in the week I gave the doctor seven vials of blood for lab analysis across three days. I learned not to push myself after giving so much blood. Ugh.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
A Beginner's Point of View 341-342
Day 341:
No class today as I am sick.
Day 342:
No class today as I am sick.
Day 342.5
I had to cancel my trip to the Iaido seminar because I am not well enough for a full day of swinging a steel sword over my head. I get winded just doing it for 2 hours.
No class today as I am sick.
Day 342:
No class today as I am sick.
Day 342.5
I had to cancel my trip to the Iaido seminar because I am not well enough for a full day of swinging a steel sword over my head. I get winded just doing it for 2 hours.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
A Beginner's Point of View 339-340
Day 339:
No class today as I am sick.
Day 340:
No class today as I am sick.
Day 340.5
No class today as I am sick.
No class today as I am sick.
Day 340:
No class today as I am sick.
Day 340.5
No class today as I am sick.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
A Beginner's Point of View 337-338
Day 337:
In Iaido class, we had free practice for all twelve kata. I really need to try not to swing the sword so hard. It’s hard to stop that steel when it comes down fast. For the first four kata, the saki must be a couple of inches below horizontal. For the standing kata, the saki must be horizontal.
I did not attend Kendo class as I was feeling bad all weekend. I’m going to rest.
Day 338:
In Iaido class, we practiced all twelve kata freely again. The instructor would walk around and give personal comments. I need to slow down and do it better. I get so excited that I often rush. This makes me lean forward too much and be off-balance.
In Kendo, I led the class in warm-ups. I tried hard not to forget anything, but I forgot the neck stretches. Darn it. I keep showing myself to be incompetent. That and it’s embarrassing. We did lots of suri-ashi drills today. We had a new drill where the instructor brought out long stretches of elastic. We would loop it around someone who would fumi-komi and charge as hard as they could for a few paces. Then the person behind would allow themselves to be dragged forward. All the way down we did this and then back, then we switched partners. That was fun and interesting. I had the strongest person in the dojo and I could resist the elastic until I chose to move. Then I had to resist flying into him from behind. We finished the basic class with renzoku-men and somen charges.
Then we put on bogu. Today I was not motodachi because we had an extra sensei show up. That’s okay. I wanted to work harder anyhow. We did kiri-kaeshi, menouchi, koteouchi, and keiko. I had a keiko with our extra sensei, who did a stunning yaku-doh upon me. It shattered my mind when he did it because it looked so wrong and yet struck so true. I complimented him on it afterwards.
At the end of class, I had an extra keiko with my fellow shodan, trying to see if my stamina was better. It was better, but something was wrong.
After class, the instructor showed me video of my feet. They looked bad. No fumi-komi at all, short strides, and my back foot was up almost sixty degrees. This pushes my hips too far forward and puts my weight on my front foot. This requires me to give huge fumi-komi which is wrong. I need to learn to lean my hips back and lower my back foot. Trying out one fumi-komi like that improved my stride greatly. I’ll have to practice that like when I started Kendo.
I really think I’ve been feeling better this week. The only thing different is that I’ve been eating more and resting. Maybe I’ve been overtaxing myself.
Day 338.5
This time I made it to the extra Iaido session. I was sick the last couple of days from work and I was upset that I might miss class today.
We started with some stretching in freeform. I just did some men and kote suburi for warm-ups. Then we did some drills we might see in a seminar, like lunges. That’s where you take chudan, raise up and strike down vertical while leaning forward on one knee. Then you raise up and do the same strike with the other knee. You travel this way all the way down the floor and back.
We also did other exercises where you kinda do the first kata forward, with little chiburi to the side. Then you do it to the right, then you do it to the rear using the left foot, then to the left with the left foot. You do the whole thing again and you wind up back where you started.
We also did matoburi-suburi except when you come up, you rotate the sword horizontal as if using uke to save your life. First pointing the blade to the left and then to the right.
Then we spent most of the time doing all twelve kata one at a time as a class. The instructor would give us pointers to follow and we would do it a couple of times. This took up most of the class.
We finished with a practice test. I felt like I was too slow on rei-hou so I did not breathe between kata. My time was 4:50 or so. I need to breathe between kata to slow down. The instructors also got 5:15 or so, so they need to slow down.
In Iaido class, we had free practice for all twelve kata. I really need to try not to swing the sword so hard. It’s hard to stop that steel when it comes down fast. For the first four kata, the saki must be a couple of inches below horizontal. For the standing kata, the saki must be horizontal.
I did not attend Kendo class as I was feeling bad all weekend. I’m going to rest.
Day 338:
In Iaido class, we practiced all twelve kata freely again. The instructor would walk around and give personal comments. I need to slow down and do it better. I get so excited that I often rush. This makes me lean forward too much and be off-balance.
In Kendo, I led the class in warm-ups. I tried hard not to forget anything, but I forgot the neck stretches. Darn it. I keep showing myself to be incompetent. That and it’s embarrassing. We did lots of suri-ashi drills today. We had a new drill where the instructor brought out long stretches of elastic. We would loop it around someone who would fumi-komi and charge as hard as they could for a few paces. Then the person behind would allow themselves to be dragged forward. All the way down we did this and then back, then we switched partners. That was fun and interesting. I had the strongest person in the dojo and I could resist the elastic until I chose to move. Then I had to resist flying into him from behind. We finished the basic class with renzoku-men and somen charges.
Then we put on bogu. Today I was not motodachi because we had an extra sensei show up. That’s okay. I wanted to work harder anyhow. We did kiri-kaeshi, menouchi, koteouchi, and keiko. I had a keiko with our extra sensei, who did a stunning yaku-doh upon me. It shattered my mind when he did it because it looked so wrong and yet struck so true. I complimented him on it afterwards.
At the end of class, I had an extra keiko with my fellow shodan, trying to see if my stamina was better. It was better, but something was wrong.
After class, the instructor showed me video of my feet. They looked bad. No fumi-komi at all, short strides, and my back foot was up almost sixty degrees. This pushes my hips too far forward and puts my weight on my front foot. This requires me to give huge fumi-komi which is wrong. I need to learn to lean my hips back and lower my back foot. Trying out one fumi-komi like that improved my stride greatly. I’ll have to practice that like when I started Kendo.
I really think I’ve been feeling better this week. The only thing different is that I’ve been eating more and resting. Maybe I’ve been overtaxing myself.
Day 338.5
This time I made it to the extra Iaido session. I was sick the last couple of days from work and I was upset that I might miss class today.
We started with some stretching in freeform. I just did some men and kote suburi for warm-ups. Then we did some drills we might see in a seminar, like lunges. That’s where you take chudan, raise up and strike down vertical while leaning forward on one knee. Then you raise up and do the same strike with the other knee. You travel this way all the way down the floor and back.
We also did other exercises where you kinda do the first kata forward, with little chiburi to the side. Then you do it to the right, then you do it to the rear using the left foot, then to the left with the left foot. You do the whole thing again and you wind up back where you started.
We also did matoburi-suburi except when you come up, you rotate the sword horizontal as if using uke to save your life. First pointing the blade to the left and then to the right.
Then we spent most of the time doing all twelve kata one at a time as a class. The instructor would give us pointers to follow and we would do it a couple of times. This took up most of the class.
We finished with a practice test. I felt like I was too slow on rei-hou so I did not breathe between kata. My time was 4:50 or so. I need to breathe between kata to slow down. The instructors also got 5:15 or so, so they need to slow down.
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