Day 672:
In Iaido, I was worried about my back. I went carefully but powered through two sets and ten kata. Afterwards, Sensei wanted to have the class go over the final five kata together. That was the end of class. My back feels okay.
In Kendo class, both sensei decided that the class needed time to practice kata. It was decided that half of the class should be decided to focus on kata so I was asked to lead an intense class. To me, intense means lots of repetition. So, we did 5-7-9 of repetitions of kihon, ai-kote-men, uchikomi-geiko, and kote-men. We finished with a single kiri-kaeshi and I had to allow the student in the out spot to practice on me at the end.
I love kata. I got to practice the first seven kata as shidachi. Then we did the shoto kata. We had some trouble from not doing the kata for a while. In the eighth kata, I have to remember that I’m in an exaggerated stance. Very exaggerated like a classic gunfighter stance where my right should is very far forward. In the ninth kata, I am in chudan and must remember to step forward to close space. In the tenth kata, I am in geidan and must step forward during the uchidachi’s attack on my doh. Turning the elbow in both ninth and tenth katas in important to visually show I did it.
Day 673:
In Iaido, I performed one and a half full sets of kata before Sensei decided to have us perform stretches together as a class. We did walking lunges across the floor and then we practiced two sets of the four-way cutting drill. I did have a question to him about the horizontal cut going into the vertical cut in the eleventh kata. I mentioned that others at the seminar were whirling their blades fast, seemingly almost out of control. He mentioned that the scenario is that the opponent is constantly stepping back so you need to keeping attacking without pause. We also talked after class about waki-gamae as a stance. I have apparently been doing it wrong for years and NOBODY has been calling me out on it, not even sensei. I’ve passed three kata-based Kendo exams with wrong footwork. Ugh. You need to turn your back foot only 45 degrees off center and NOT point it backwards like I’ve been doing.
In Kendo class, the other nidan was here today, so it was his turn to teach the class. We did suri-ashi drills, kihon, the harai-kote pressure trick, kakari-geiko, and finished with rounds of ji-geiko.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Saturday, April 18, 2015
A Beginner's Point of View 670-671
Day 670:
I felt questionable at the start of Kendo class. I was trying to decide if I should go home and not risk injury but both sensei decided I should start teaching classes. I was told to start with keeping the class in 15 minute chunks. Keep each chunk with a certain theme and then move on.
I taught the class with the schedule of suri-ashi, kihon, suriage/harai, and ji-geiko. I was given advice sporadically through class about speaking clearly and only occasionally giving demonstrations. I gave one demonstration about doing a drill on harai-kote. I was praised for the pacing today.
Day 671:
Overall, I’m healing but my left leg is sore. Still, I felt so focused today. I powered through three sets of Iaido and still had time for leftover exercises, such as cutting across the floor and the four-way Maai.
In Kendo, I was asked to teach again. This time I decided to just go right into men-tsuke. We did kihon, seme drills, suriage/harai drills, and then multiple ji-geiko. I got advice form sensei about I always make huge openings before attacking. I should be making smaller, quicker openings. He said I should believe that I can get into smaller openings.
I got positive feedback for the class. The criticisms were that I need to always demonstrate new or unfamiliar drills and also I need to always speak the proper names of the waza. That makes sense. Personally, I think I should start thinking about themes for classes instead of randomly picking waza.
I felt questionable at the start of Kendo class. I was trying to decide if I should go home and not risk injury but both sensei decided I should start teaching classes. I was told to start with keeping the class in 15 minute chunks. Keep each chunk with a certain theme and then move on.
I taught the class with the schedule of suri-ashi, kihon, suriage/harai, and ji-geiko. I was given advice sporadically through class about speaking clearly and only occasionally giving demonstrations. I gave one demonstration about doing a drill on harai-kote. I was praised for the pacing today.
Day 671:
Overall, I’m healing but my left leg is sore. Still, I felt so focused today. I powered through three sets of Iaido and still had time for leftover exercises, such as cutting across the floor and the four-way Maai.
In Kendo, I was asked to teach again. This time I decided to just go right into men-tsuke. We did kihon, seme drills, suriage/harai drills, and then multiple ji-geiko. I got advice form sensei about I always make huge openings before attacking. I should be making smaller, quicker openings. He said I should believe that I can get into smaller openings.
I got positive feedback for the class. The criticisms were that I need to always demonstrate new or unfamiliar drills and also I need to always speak the proper names of the waza. That makes sense. Personally, I think I should start thinking about themes for classes instead of randomly picking waza.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
A Beginner's Point of View 668-669
Day 668:
No class today as I am ill.
Day 669:
Back to class after being sick and injured. I feel off but I need to go back to class for exercise.
In Iaido class, I did two sets of kata and did well. Even remembered to turn my feet towards my thrusting opponent in the tenth kata. Sensei called myself and another student to show a new student the scenario for the tenth kata. Afterwards, we were done. We finished a few more spare kata and class was over.
In Kendo class, I was behind the others in class with suburi but that’s to be expected. We did several round of kiri-kaeshi and kihon waza. I could feel my strength ebbing with each new drill. After a new drills of men and then ai-men and then kote-men and then finish with ai-kote and men I got some chest pains. That’s my body’s sign for “You’re done”. I completed half of class and sat out the rest. I missed some more hard drills and ji-geiko.
I forgot to pay dues today. There’s a meeting we’ll have later this week so I’ll bring dues then.
No class today as I am ill.
Day 669:
Back to class after being sick and injured. I feel off but I need to go back to class for exercise.
In Iaido class, I did two sets of kata and did well. Even remembered to turn my feet towards my thrusting opponent in the tenth kata. Sensei called myself and another student to show a new student the scenario for the tenth kata. Afterwards, we were done. We finished a few more spare kata and class was over.
In Kendo class, I was behind the others in class with suburi but that’s to be expected. We did several round of kiri-kaeshi and kihon waza. I could feel my strength ebbing with each new drill. After a new drills of men and then ai-men and then kote-men and then finish with ai-kote and men I got some chest pains. That’s my body’s sign for “You’re done”. I completed half of class and sat out the rest. I missed some more hard drills and ji-geiko.
I forgot to pay dues today. There’s a meeting we’ll have later this week so I’ll bring dues then.
Monday, April 6, 2015
A Beginner's Point of View 666-667.5
Day 666:
No class today as I am injured.
Day 667:
No class today as I am injured.
Day 667.5 Tournament:
For the tournament, I arranged a carpool with 4 other guys. Even taking into account picking everyone, we arrived on time. This tournament was arranged a little different from the regular schedule I’m used to. They push all the final matches until a long string of matches at the end of the tournament. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. However, it means that shodan-nidan division is before lunch. That’s good.
In my first match, my opponent tried to taunt me before we stepped in by mocking my dojo symbol. In the match, I matched him swing for swing, messing up his attacks, then trying to strike the openings. After a long set of exchanges, I scored a men strike and then the time was up. In my second match, my opponent tried to do some questionable tactics. He would let me try to strike men but counter by grabbing my shinai under his arm and hold it to his body. I chose to let go with the right hand and hold it above my head to block. He eventually scored two men against me.
Lunch was a beef teriyaki and it was good.
Our team went right up against a formidable team of dans that outclassed us at every turn. I fought against someone who was either sandan or yandan. I actually scored a men strike against him but lost the match 2-1. I suppose I could have just ran out the clock but I really felt I was matching him and I tried to win.
The end time of the tournament was delayed for at least an hour from waiting until shinpan were available for fighting in final matches. Ugh. I hope we don’t do that for our tournament. After the tournament was over, we all went out to a steakhouse for a meal. Good thing as I was starving. The trip back went faster than going up. One of the guys wanted to talk about tournament fighting compared to the clean waza we did in the dojo.
The next day, my back was sore and my guts were suffering from a mild case of food poisoning. I think I’ll skip one practice next week to make sure I recover.
No class today as I am injured.
Day 667:
No class today as I am injured.
Day 667.5 Tournament:
For the tournament, I arranged a carpool with 4 other guys. Even taking into account picking everyone, we arrived on time. This tournament was arranged a little different from the regular schedule I’m used to. They push all the final matches until a long string of matches at the end of the tournament. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. However, it means that shodan-nidan division is before lunch. That’s good.
In my first match, my opponent tried to taunt me before we stepped in by mocking my dojo symbol. In the match, I matched him swing for swing, messing up his attacks, then trying to strike the openings. After a long set of exchanges, I scored a men strike and then the time was up. In my second match, my opponent tried to do some questionable tactics. He would let me try to strike men but counter by grabbing my shinai under his arm and hold it to his body. I chose to let go with the right hand and hold it above my head to block. He eventually scored two men against me.
Lunch was a beef teriyaki and it was good.
Our team went right up against a formidable team of dans that outclassed us at every turn. I fought against someone who was either sandan or yandan. I actually scored a men strike against him but lost the match 2-1. I suppose I could have just ran out the clock but I really felt I was matching him and I tried to win.
The end time of the tournament was delayed for at least an hour from waiting until shinpan were available for fighting in final matches. Ugh. I hope we don’t do that for our tournament. After the tournament was over, we all went out to a steakhouse for a meal. Good thing as I was starving. The trip back went faster than going up. One of the guys wanted to talk about tournament fighting compared to the clean waza we did in the dojo.
The next day, my back was sore and my guts were suffering from a mild case of food poisoning. I think I’ll skip one practice next week to make sure I recover.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
A Beginner's Point of View 664-665
Day 664:
In Iaido, I completed 3 sets of kata. My back feels okay but I don’t want to overdo it. I remembered to ask about the footwork in the tenth kata. You don’t need to turn your front foot exactly towards the opponent. Keep your feet pointed towards the opponent but offset by about 45 degrees. They’re parallel and turn on the balls of your feet, not heels.
In Kendo class, we started class with kihon. I decided to not push myself too hard to not roll dice against ym injuries. We had a lot of mixed-up waza to keep everyone thinking. Kiri-kaeshi, kote-kiri-kaeshi-with-tsuki, doh-kiri-kaeshi-with-tsuki, men-debana-kote, and then ai-ouchi-men.
We then start a new set of drills. Sensei wanted us to fight like a kyu. So, I wound up obviously and struck men. My partners got beaten a lot until they adapted. Then sensei wanted me to fight like a “good kyu”, which I think means ikkyu. I was faster and started to swing farther away. Finally, we were told to fight normally. The students got better as we kept fighting. Then the dans fought and I pushed myself. Then we all lined up for ippon ji-geiko. I fought against sensei and I struck two good men. However, the first did not have good zanshin. I made sure to take chudan afterwards and he relented.
I hope I didn’t overdo it.
Day 665:
I overdid it.
No class today as I am injured.
In Iaido, I completed 3 sets of kata. My back feels okay but I don’t want to overdo it. I remembered to ask about the footwork in the tenth kata. You don’t need to turn your front foot exactly towards the opponent. Keep your feet pointed towards the opponent but offset by about 45 degrees. They’re parallel and turn on the balls of your feet, not heels.
In Kendo class, we started class with kihon. I decided to not push myself too hard to not roll dice against ym injuries. We had a lot of mixed-up waza to keep everyone thinking. Kiri-kaeshi, kote-kiri-kaeshi-with-tsuki, doh-kiri-kaeshi-with-tsuki, men-debana-kote, and then ai-ouchi-men.
We then start a new set of drills. Sensei wanted us to fight like a kyu. So, I wound up obviously and struck men. My partners got beaten a lot until they adapted. Then sensei wanted me to fight like a “good kyu”, which I think means ikkyu. I was faster and started to swing farther away. Finally, we were told to fight normally. The students got better as we kept fighting. Then the dans fought and I pushed myself. Then we all lined up for ippon ji-geiko. I fought against sensei and I struck two good men. However, the first did not have good zanshin. I made sure to take chudan afterwards and he relented.
I hope I didn’t overdo it.
Day 665:
I overdid it.
No class today as I am injured.
Monday, March 16, 2015
A Beginner's Point of View 660-663
Day 660:
Today we had another structured class today. We practiced the first 5 kata together. Then we did a pair of practice tests. I got 5:52 and then 5:20. I was actually upset for getting 5:20 for a time. It feels too quick. I tried to space out the kata without being too slow. The act of tying the sageo can cause me trouble.
In Kendo class, the Head Sensei showed up. Wow, nobody saw that coming. Today was more of a day of accuracy rather than hard endurance. There were more lectures about the feel and the seme of the strike. We haven’t had a good lecture and demonstration like that in a long time.
We got lectures on clipping the shoulder of opponents when striking doh, bumping opponents during kiri-kaeshi, and take the space. Some people would find it contradictory to other sensei’s advice of not bumping or clipping your opponent. I know that for lower-ranking students, you’re trying not to hurt them.
I didn’t get any personal advice, so I guess I did okay.
Day 661:
In Iaido class, we had 2 tests. I fumbled my sageo, which gave me a time of 5:52. I decided to try to master it for the second test. Being careful gave me a time of 5:39, which is much better.
I skipped Kendo class out of caution to avoid possible injuries.
Day 661.5 – Iaido Seminar and Testing:
Today was the Iaido seminar I’ve been waiting for a year to attend. At least I didn’t get sick or injured to ruin it all. The format was supposed to be a much better version than last year. The first day was supposed to be half a day of instruction and then the second half was the promotion exam. The second day was supposed to be a half day of tournament with a jodo seminar afterwards.
The day of the seminar went very well. There were many long speeches which made us go over time, but it was very instructional. We did get out on time. I made sure to eat lunch to keep up my strength.
It turns out that a lot of things we did for the past year were wrong.
In the 4th kata, do not raise your kisaki after stabbing the opponent behind you. Just raise the tsuka and then cut. Also, the final cuts for the first 4 kata are not just a tad lower then horizontal. It’s deliberately lower than horizontal.
In the 5th kata, make sure your left hand remains in the center after the cut.
In the 7th kata, be sure you always push seme for the opponent in front of you. I’m glad to see this as I’ve been practicing this for the past year.
In the 9th kata, be sure to touch your right thumb to your hip and only thrust forward a little bit. Grip the sword halfway down the sword. You must bend your left knee, which is wrong. However, grabbing the saya to pull it back corrects you into the right position. Not messing up will not get you to the right stance.
In the 10th kata, you always must turn your feet towards your current opponent. Do not stand with feet sideways. The forward foot should face your opponent and the back foot must be about 45 degrees off.
The test went well. I really brought the seme to compensate for how sticky the floor was.
The tournament was a lot like last year. I was up early and got soundly defeated. No flags. Then I was done for the day. It’s a waste to compete. I think I may skip it next year. Although I did have a weak first cut but I brought it back by the end.
By the end of the seminar I had multiple injuries. Sprains, pulled muscles, headache, and fatigue. Even sitting down doesn’t get rid of the pain totally.
Day 662:
No class today as I am injured.
Day 663:
No class today as I am injured.
Today we had another structured class today. We practiced the first 5 kata together. Then we did a pair of practice tests. I got 5:52 and then 5:20. I was actually upset for getting 5:20 for a time. It feels too quick. I tried to space out the kata without being too slow. The act of tying the sageo can cause me trouble.
In Kendo class, the Head Sensei showed up. Wow, nobody saw that coming. Today was more of a day of accuracy rather than hard endurance. There were more lectures about the feel and the seme of the strike. We haven’t had a good lecture and demonstration like that in a long time.
We got lectures on clipping the shoulder of opponents when striking doh, bumping opponents during kiri-kaeshi, and take the space. Some people would find it contradictory to other sensei’s advice of not bumping or clipping your opponent. I know that for lower-ranking students, you’re trying not to hurt them.
I didn’t get any personal advice, so I guess I did okay.
Day 661:
In Iaido class, we had 2 tests. I fumbled my sageo, which gave me a time of 5:52. I decided to try to master it for the second test. Being careful gave me a time of 5:39, which is much better.
I skipped Kendo class out of caution to avoid possible injuries.
Day 661.5 – Iaido Seminar and Testing:
Today was the Iaido seminar I’ve been waiting for a year to attend. At least I didn’t get sick or injured to ruin it all. The format was supposed to be a much better version than last year. The first day was supposed to be half a day of instruction and then the second half was the promotion exam. The second day was supposed to be a half day of tournament with a jodo seminar afterwards.
The day of the seminar went very well. There were many long speeches which made us go over time, but it was very instructional. We did get out on time. I made sure to eat lunch to keep up my strength.
It turns out that a lot of things we did for the past year were wrong.
In the 4th kata, do not raise your kisaki after stabbing the opponent behind you. Just raise the tsuka and then cut. Also, the final cuts for the first 4 kata are not just a tad lower then horizontal. It’s deliberately lower than horizontal.
In the 5th kata, make sure your left hand remains in the center after the cut.
In the 7th kata, be sure you always push seme for the opponent in front of you. I’m glad to see this as I’ve been practicing this for the past year.
In the 9th kata, be sure to touch your right thumb to your hip and only thrust forward a little bit. Grip the sword halfway down the sword. You must bend your left knee, which is wrong. However, grabbing the saya to pull it back corrects you into the right position. Not messing up will not get you to the right stance.
In the 10th kata, you always must turn your feet towards your current opponent. Do not stand with feet sideways. The forward foot should face your opponent and the back foot must be about 45 degrees off.
The test went well. I really brought the seme to compensate for how sticky the floor was.
The tournament was a lot like last year. I was up early and got soundly defeated. No flags. Then I was done for the day. It’s a waste to compete. I think I may skip it next year. Although I did have a weak first cut but I brought it back by the end.
By the end of the seminar I had multiple injuries. Sprains, pulled muscles, headache, and fatigue. Even sitting down doesn’t get rid of the pain totally.
Day 662:
No class today as I am injured.
Day 663:
No class today as I am injured.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
A Beginner's Point of View 658-659
Day 658:
No class today as I am ill.
Day 659:
In Iaido class, we started off free form. I completed 2 sets of Iaido. Afterwards, we had another test. We did 1-3-6-9-11 instead of the first 5 kata. My time was 5:32. Darn it, I tried to slow down. I got to remember to slow down more, especially after the cut.
In Kendo class, we had a hard day of kihon at first. Over and over it was kihon waza. I had decided to stop halfway through to keep myself from overburdening my health. However, I kept going.
We did some good drills, like step-seme-men as well as the step-respond-with-anything drill. We finished with several rounds of ji-geiko. Today’s lesson was getting ready for testing and promotion exams later in the year.
No class today as I am ill.
Day 659:
In Iaido class, we started off free form. I completed 2 sets of Iaido. Afterwards, we had another test. We did 1-3-6-9-11 instead of the first 5 kata. My time was 5:32. Darn it, I tried to slow down. I got to remember to slow down more, especially after the cut.
In Kendo class, we had a hard day of kihon at first. Over and over it was kihon waza. I had decided to stop halfway through to keep myself from overburdening my health. However, I kept going.
We did some good drills, like step-seme-men as well as the step-respond-with-anything drill. We finished with several rounds of ji-geiko. Today’s lesson was getting ready for testing and promotion exams later in the year.
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