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.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
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.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
A Beginner's Point of View 335-336
Day 335:
Iaido, 1-12, going faster, more effort, should slow, but going from swing to swing should be more emphasized, instructor commented that cuts in standing kata should be horizontal, not down
Kendo, new warm-ups, run around circle of bokken, many ashi drills, partners back and forth, men, kote, kote-men, then break into men-nuki-men and kiri-kaeshi, instructor tells me after class that my stamina is not improving, should walk on days not in class, try to incorporate
Day 336:
Iaido, free practice until half-way through class, practice test, nervous, forget to clear right side of hakama for 1st kata, toes down for 2nd kata, ki-saki not high enough for 3rd kata, tsuka too high for 4th kata, cut up too high on 5th kata, final time 6:06, need 1 breath, not two
No kendo, chest still sore from last class
Day 336.5
I missed the extra Iaido class today. It wasn’t at the same time as last week so it was over by the time I remembered it. I went for a walk instead.
Iaido, 1-12, going faster, more effort, should slow, but going from swing to swing should be more emphasized, instructor commented that cuts in standing kata should be horizontal, not down
Kendo, new warm-ups, run around circle of bokken, many ashi drills, partners back and forth, men, kote, kote-men, then break into men-nuki-men and kiri-kaeshi, instructor tells me after class that my stamina is not improving, should walk on days not in class, try to incorporate
Day 336:
Iaido, free practice until half-way through class, practice test, nervous, forget to clear right side of hakama for 1st kata, toes down for 2nd kata, ki-saki not high enough for 3rd kata, tsuka too high for 4th kata, cut up too high on 5th kata, final time 6:06, need 1 breath, not two
No kendo, chest still sore from last class
Day 336.5
I missed the extra Iaido class today. It wasn’t at the same time as last week so it was over by the time I remembered it. I went for a walk instead.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
A Beginner's Point of View 333-334
Day 333:
In Iaido, we had free practice. I practiced my full set of kata. During number eleven, I accidentally did zanshin in jodan like I was finishing the seventh kata. It can be awkward to remember. We had a practice test at the end of class. I got 5:30 for a time, very nice. The instructor told me that 5:45 is an ideal time to try for.
In Kendo, I led the class in warm-ups and did not forget any stretches this time. Very good. I should try to remember the sequence to avoid embarrassment like that. For class, we did Kendo bokken waza kata. The drills of men-kote-doh-tsuki, kote-men, harai-kote, and men-keashi-doh were a nice change of pace. Then we put on men for kiri-kaeshi, men-ouchi, kote-ouchi, doh-ouchi, and finally kakari-geiko for the students.
At the end of class, the instructor confided in me that the motion I used with my left arm when I rei after a drill is wrong. I was just imitating Sensei when he bows out of a match. I guess I’m not supposed to do that. However, I really would have liked to have known that a lot sooner. Now I’ve got about three years of muscle memory to unlearn.
Day 334:
In Iaido, we started with some free practice, but then went into practice tests. We learned about the set-up and commands for the test. On the first test, I messed up the act of putting the saya in my obi. It just wouldn’t go in. I rushed it and had to speed through my kata. I got a time of 5:45, but it didn’t look good. The instructor commented about how I might be marked down in score even though I got a good time. The second test, I nailed it the first time and slowed down. I got 5:50 without any errors. Much better.
We had a discussion at the end of Iaido practice about the upcoming seminar, so we missed Kendo opening rei-hou. I put on doh and tare and stepped into line at the end of the student line. I did not miss warm-ups or suburi. The instructor went through the exercises at double the pace. If I was a beginner, I would have had to stop and catch my breath. I’m used to the exercises and I’m in better shape than when I had started taking Kendo, I was able to finish. Some of the mudansha were really suffering from lack of breath. One had to stop outright twice to avoid having her breathing stop all together.
Today we had more of the bokken waza. We practiced men-kote-doh-tsuki, kote-men, and men-nuki-men. We kept extra spacing for safety, of course. After practicing those waza with bokken, we switched into full bogu and repeated the drills with shinai and full striking. Very nice way to practice.
Day 334.5
Today we had a special day of Iaido. Normally, we have 45 minutes for a class. We had 2 hours of uninterrupted Iaido. It was like a mini-seminar. We had about a half-hour of free practice and then we went into deep discussion and practice of individual kata. We would practice each kata without interruption, and then we would do them by stopping our motion and posture with each significant sword motion, like a cut, chiburi, or thrust. The instructor would come by each of us and give minor corrections. Then we would repeat the kata with the adjusted motions. We practiced 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. We were supposed to save some time for practice tests, but time ran out. Next week, we’ll finish up the kata and save perhaps half an hour or so for practice tests.
In Iaido, we had free practice. I practiced my full set of kata. During number eleven, I accidentally did zanshin in jodan like I was finishing the seventh kata. It can be awkward to remember. We had a practice test at the end of class. I got 5:30 for a time, very nice. The instructor told me that 5:45 is an ideal time to try for.
In Kendo, I led the class in warm-ups and did not forget any stretches this time. Very good. I should try to remember the sequence to avoid embarrassment like that. For class, we did Kendo bokken waza kata. The drills of men-kote-doh-tsuki, kote-men, harai-kote, and men-keashi-doh were a nice change of pace. Then we put on men for kiri-kaeshi, men-ouchi, kote-ouchi, doh-ouchi, and finally kakari-geiko for the students.
At the end of class, the instructor confided in me that the motion I used with my left arm when I rei after a drill is wrong. I was just imitating Sensei when he bows out of a match. I guess I’m not supposed to do that. However, I really would have liked to have known that a lot sooner. Now I’ve got about three years of muscle memory to unlearn.
Day 334:
In Iaido, we started with some free practice, but then went into practice tests. We learned about the set-up and commands for the test. On the first test, I messed up the act of putting the saya in my obi. It just wouldn’t go in. I rushed it and had to speed through my kata. I got a time of 5:45, but it didn’t look good. The instructor commented about how I might be marked down in score even though I got a good time. The second test, I nailed it the first time and slowed down. I got 5:50 without any errors. Much better.
We had a discussion at the end of Iaido practice about the upcoming seminar, so we missed Kendo opening rei-hou. I put on doh and tare and stepped into line at the end of the student line. I did not miss warm-ups or suburi. The instructor went through the exercises at double the pace. If I was a beginner, I would have had to stop and catch my breath. I’m used to the exercises and I’m in better shape than when I had started taking Kendo, I was able to finish. Some of the mudansha were really suffering from lack of breath. One had to stop outright twice to avoid having her breathing stop all together.
Today we had more of the bokken waza. We practiced men-kote-doh-tsuki, kote-men, and men-nuki-men. We kept extra spacing for safety, of course. After practicing those waza with bokken, we switched into full bogu and repeated the drills with shinai and full striking. Very nice way to practice.
Day 334.5
Today we had a special day of Iaido. Normally, we have 45 minutes for a class. We had 2 hours of uninterrupted Iaido. It was like a mini-seminar. We had about a half-hour of free practice and then we went into deep discussion and practice of individual kata. We would practice each kata without interruption, and then we would do them by stopping our motion and posture with each significant sword motion, like a cut, chiburi, or thrust. The instructor would come by each of us and give minor corrections. Then we would repeat the kata with the adjusted motions. We practiced 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. We were supposed to save some time for practice tests, but time ran out. Next week, we’ll finish up the kata and save perhaps half an hour or so for practice tests.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
A Beginner's Point of View 331-332
Day 331:
No class today because of the holiday.
Day 332:
Today was a special day. Last practice of the year. We had an extra-long Iaido practice. We went through our kata under the supervision of the instructor. We then had a structured class where we all practiced each of the first five kata together and had group comments. The instructor was lumping me together with a shodan as the ‘advanced students’. Kinda weird being ‘advanced’ when I don’t have a rank. Apparently, I’m in a gray area because I know all twelve kata where the other rankless students do not. We even had a practice test. We would bow in, do the first five kata, then bow out, all under six minutes. The instructor timed us and my time was 5:30, which is what it should be. I made sure to be extra slow in the beginning, but then sped up by the end. I couldn’t loop the sageo properly at the end, but it did not touch the ground.
Afterwards, we had Kendo class. It was a combined beginner/advanced class. Even though it was late, I stayed for it all. We had warm-ups and suburi by our ikkyu. Then we had free keiko with anyone we wanted for any time we wanted. I had keiko with three people of varying ranks, received kakari-geiko from two others, and had an intense keiko with a sandan. I was holding my own the whole way. It was a lot of fun.
At the end, we took time to practice kata. I was paired with the ikkyu, so we practiced the first three kata. I was encouraged to teach the fourth kata. We didn’t have time for a full lesson, so I showed the shidachi side. One of the instructors was watching and not interrupting, so I think he was judging my ability to teach. I gave some corrections about the ikkyu’s first and third kata, and then we practiced it a couple of times. Running through the fourth kata was harder, but rewarding.
We finished class and had some good pointers from the instructors. They outlined along the year when various tournaments and testings can be expected.
No class today because of the holiday.
Day 332:
Today was a special day. Last practice of the year. We had an extra-long Iaido practice. We went through our kata under the supervision of the instructor. We then had a structured class where we all practiced each of the first five kata together and had group comments. The instructor was lumping me together with a shodan as the ‘advanced students’. Kinda weird being ‘advanced’ when I don’t have a rank. Apparently, I’m in a gray area because I know all twelve kata where the other rankless students do not. We even had a practice test. We would bow in, do the first five kata, then bow out, all under six minutes. The instructor timed us and my time was 5:30, which is what it should be. I made sure to be extra slow in the beginning, but then sped up by the end. I couldn’t loop the sageo properly at the end, but it did not touch the ground.
Afterwards, we had Kendo class. It was a combined beginner/advanced class. Even though it was late, I stayed for it all. We had warm-ups and suburi by our ikkyu. Then we had free keiko with anyone we wanted for any time we wanted. I had keiko with three people of varying ranks, received kakari-geiko from two others, and had an intense keiko with a sandan. I was holding my own the whole way. It was a lot of fun.
At the end, we took time to practice kata. I was paired with the ikkyu, so we practiced the first three kata. I was encouraged to teach the fourth kata. We didn’t have time for a full lesson, so I showed the shidachi side. One of the instructors was watching and not interrupting, so I think he was judging my ability to teach. I gave some corrections about the ikkyu’s first and third kata, and then we practiced it a couple of times. Running through the fourth kata was harder, but rewarding.
We finished class and had some good pointers from the instructors. They outlined along the year when various tournaments and testings can be expected.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
A Beginner's Point of View 328-330
Day 329:
Today in Iaido, I practiced my kata for a while until the instructor looked for supplies to run the club. Then he called for a class. We went thorugh the steps to rei-hou for over half the class time. I learned to twist the saya when pushing the sword to the right hand to help keep track of the sageo when moving into to-rei.
In Kendo, the instructor led the class in warm-ups. I’m glad, because I still forgot a few exercises. We took pains to learn proper sonkyo and then we put on men. I had to sit out and put on my doh and tare first. There was no break between classes. We moved into lines and I received men, kote, doh, and kiri-kaeshi. Then we had a few keikos. From my recovery over the weekend, I did much better. Not huffing and puffing at all. It was either the rest or no fans running during practice.
Day 330:
In Iaido, I did my kata over and over. The instructor watched me for a while, but did not say anything. Maybe he didn’t have any advice. I’m getting better and throwing my weight on my back foot for chiburi. I just need to slow down and do it deliberately. Also, I’m getting a little better and keeping my heels down after the first and second kata rather than them being high up in the air.
In Kendo, I led the class in reihou while the instructor led the class in warm-ups, suburi, and footwork drills. Then we had a mock shiai. The ones without bogu did a kind of competitive kihon. 2 men, 2 kote, 2 doh. The judges would hantei for a winner. I helped by receiving for one of them.
Then it was time for the students in bogu less then 18 years old. There were four of them. They did a round-robin style tournament like usual. In the end, the girl who was ikkyu won. At the conclusion of her second match, her opponent started crying. At first we thought he was struck in the ear, but that turned out to be not the case. He said that at the end of his match, he just had a mass of anxiety that he could not keep out, so he cried it out for ‘no good reason’. Either that girl’s spirit crushed his, or maybe all of the high-intensity constant drill of kiai-strike-zanshin-kiai-strike-zanshin-etc just got to him. After a few minutes outside to recover, he was fine.
In the adults bracket, I was one of three people. I fought the other shodan and a girl from mudansha. I actually played it smart and baited-counterbaited to trick my opponents off-guard. Sometimes it worked. I struck, passed through, screamed my head off, and turned around, over and over. Occasionally, I saw the opening and struck quickly enough to get a point. I won both my matches 1-0. Afterwards, I led the class in ending rei-hou.
Today in Iaido, I practiced my kata for a while until the instructor looked for supplies to run the club. Then he called for a class. We went thorugh the steps to rei-hou for over half the class time. I learned to twist the saya when pushing the sword to the right hand to help keep track of the sageo when moving into to-rei.
In Kendo, the instructor led the class in warm-ups. I’m glad, because I still forgot a few exercises. We took pains to learn proper sonkyo and then we put on men. I had to sit out and put on my doh and tare first. There was no break between classes. We moved into lines and I received men, kote, doh, and kiri-kaeshi. Then we had a few keikos. From my recovery over the weekend, I did much better. Not huffing and puffing at all. It was either the rest or no fans running during practice.
Day 330:
In Iaido, I did my kata over and over. The instructor watched me for a while, but did not say anything. Maybe he didn’t have any advice. I’m getting better and throwing my weight on my back foot for chiburi. I just need to slow down and do it deliberately. Also, I’m getting a little better and keeping my heels down after the first and second kata rather than them being high up in the air.
In Kendo, I led the class in reihou while the instructor led the class in warm-ups, suburi, and footwork drills. Then we had a mock shiai. The ones without bogu did a kind of competitive kihon. 2 men, 2 kote, 2 doh. The judges would hantei for a winner. I helped by receiving for one of them.
Then it was time for the students in bogu less then 18 years old. There were four of them. They did a round-robin style tournament like usual. In the end, the girl who was ikkyu won. At the conclusion of her second match, her opponent started crying. At first we thought he was struck in the ear, but that turned out to be not the case. He said that at the end of his match, he just had a mass of anxiety that he could not keep out, so he cried it out for ‘no good reason’. Either that girl’s spirit crushed his, or maybe all of the high-intensity constant drill of kiai-strike-zanshin-kiai-strike-zanshin-etc just got to him. After a few minutes outside to recover, he was fine.
In the adults bracket, I was one of three people. I fought the other shodan and a girl from mudansha. I actually played it smart and baited-counterbaited to trick my opponents off-guard. Sometimes it worked. I struck, passed through, screamed my head off, and turned around, over and over. Occasionally, I saw the opening and struck quickly enough to get a point. I won both my matches 1-0. Afterwards, I led the class in ending rei-hou.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)