Steve Sensei announced that, in accordance with tradition (who's or from where I have no idea), all the students above the rank of sixth kyu would have to teach or demonstrate one technique from the somewhere in 2010 for the class. The technique could come from a kyu test, a seminar, a camp, or just from class. It was a small turnout last night, as there were only seven people in attendance, including Steve Sensei.
When it came to be my turn I demonstrated ushiro katadori kokyunage, as seen below. I don't remember the day we learned this technique, but I used it on my third kyu test. I had to do three different techniques on a ushiro katadori attack, and this was one that I chose to do. For whatever reason, I've been really good at this technique from the start. I think perhaps it has to do with all the motion from start to finish. I don't do as well on techniques that start from a completely static position, as so many do when we practice. I remember the vocal reaction from my uke the first time I performed this technique on him while training for my test. It took him totally by surprise, and from the reaction, it was clear there was simply nothing he could have done to stop me from doing this to him. The difference, of course, is that unlike this video, our ushiro katador always has uke starting from in front of nage, and moving around to grab from behind. For that to work, uke must come at nage as though he was going to grab nage, but nage puts up a blocking arm that forces uke to move around to behind nage. That's where the motion in this technique comes in.
Overall, class was very good. The last 20 minutes or so was spent practicing randori with two attackers. We took turns being nage, doing about four throws each, then trading off and being uke for the other two students. Hmm, I have to do randori with two partners at the end of my second kyu test. Think Sensei was trying to get me ready for my test? It is not beyond the realm of possibility. Over time he has said many supportive things to me, and helped me work through many techniques that were very difficult for me. I know he's really pushing for me to do well, not just on test, but in all my practice.
There was also a moment when we stopped our randori practice and Sensei asked one student from each group (there were two groups of three going) to switch and move to the other group. I honestly didn't want to switch, but I made sure I was the first person in my group to jump up from seiza and move to the other group. I wanted to make sure Sensei knew I was paying attention and being attentive to his directions.
Between all the different techniques, the randori, and some bokken work (with my new bokken!), I was exhausted by the time we finished. It was a great way to finish off the year.
Here's to 2011, and all the wonderful practice yet to come.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Fast, Slow, Fast
I really enjoyed last night's class. I got to work with lots of different people, which improves my Aikido, because not everyone moves the same. Some people don't move well at all, so learning to move with them takes patience, and more importantly skill. My "skill" seems to come and go like the weather, although it's staying around a lot longer than it's gone. I think there were eleven students, plus Sensei, so the mat was crowded in a good way. I think I worked with eight or nine of the eleven.
We had the opportunity to do suwari waza ikkyo last night. It's been a while since I've done any suwari waza, and as usual, I was having trouble getting going. I felt more centered than before, since I'm focusing more on my center and less on uke. I bought the two-book set, Best Aikido: The Fundamentals, and The Aikido Master Course: Best Aikido 2 with the gift cards I received from my students for Christmas this year. Both are written by Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba, with the former also written by Kisshomaru Ueshiba, the former Doshu. The point being that in those books, the photos clearly show Doshu doing suwari waza techniques, and it looks to me that he is paying almost no attention to uke. He is simply staying as centered as can be, doing the techniques as though there is no uke present. Actually, to me it seems that he does all his techniques that way. So for me, when I have that opportunity to do suwari waza, I try to focus on staying centered, and it seems that my techniques work better. Duh, one might say, that's the point of Aikido: Stay centered. Well, that A-ha moment was important to me, but we've not had too many chances to do suwari waza. Staying centered while doing our standing techniques seems much less of an issue for me. The osteoarthritis in my hips and knees seriously slow me down in suwari waza, or hanmi-hantachi.
Sadly, my knees and hips were working against me, so that when it was my turn to be nage, I was having trouble blending with my uke - a first kyu who is also 100% military. He is very good. I think he said he studied with Toyoda Sensei from Chicago, and of the American Aikido Association. Fortunately, when he saw me struggling, he slowed his attacks way down - almost to the point of being painfully slow. Once he did that, however, my technique was not bad at all. A couple times he said that I was taking his balance, and really moving him around the mat. I also notice that I've stiffened up a bit while on Christmas break. I move around a lot more when I'm teaching. On break I spend much more time sitting, even though I'm reading and grading papers, and developing enrichment projects for my students. I also need to start working out again while off the mat; school and family kind of take all my time off the mat. I do not mind this, however, as I love both my family and my teaching career.
Among others, we also worked on a kokyu-nage that began like a shiho-nage on a yokomen-uchi, but added another circular movement. The technique ended with uke doing a forward roll without the leading arm. I am humbly grateful that Sensei decided to use me as the demonstration uke. All night long he stressed quiet, relaxed no-arm rolls, and this was no exception. Forward rolls, no leading arm. I had trouble with these when we first started practicing them in earnest about one month ago, but I'm at the point now where I can get into them pretty well. I must have done about six or eight when Sensei said, "Two more, and listen to how quiet he rolls," or something like that. The second of my rolls did not go well, and I slid away from him at the end of my roll. "Two more, and he better roll quietly," Sensei half-joked. The other students laughed. Luckily, both rolls were very quiet, although I was really out of breath by this time. I then practiced with Sensei, who said I did a very good job.
We had the opportunity to do suwari waza ikkyo last night. It's been a while since I've done any suwari waza, and as usual, I was having trouble getting going. I felt more centered than before, since I'm focusing more on my center and less on uke. I bought the two-book set, Best Aikido: The Fundamentals, and The Aikido Master Course: Best Aikido 2 with the gift cards I received from my students for Christmas this year. Both are written by Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba, with the former also written by Kisshomaru Ueshiba, the former Doshu. The point being that in those books, the photos clearly show Doshu doing suwari waza techniques, and it looks to me that he is paying almost no attention to uke. He is simply staying as centered as can be, doing the techniques as though there is no uke present. Actually, to me it seems that he does all his techniques that way. So for me, when I have that opportunity to do suwari waza, I try to focus on staying centered, and it seems that my techniques work better. Duh, one might say, that's the point of Aikido: Stay centered. Well, that A-ha moment was important to me, but we've not had too many chances to do suwari waza. Staying centered while doing our standing techniques seems much less of an issue for me. The osteoarthritis in my hips and knees seriously slow me down in suwari waza, or hanmi-hantachi.
Sadly, my knees and hips were working against me, so that when it was my turn to be nage, I was having trouble blending with my uke - a first kyu who is also 100% military. He is very good. I think he said he studied with Toyoda Sensei from Chicago, and of the American Aikido Association. Fortunately, when he saw me struggling, he slowed his attacks way down - almost to the point of being painfully slow. Once he did that, however, my technique was not bad at all. A couple times he said that I was taking his balance, and really moving him around the mat. I also notice that I've stiffened up a bit while on Christmas break. I move around a lot more when I'm teaching. On break I spend much more time sitting, even though I'm reading and grading papers, and developing enrichment projects for my students. I also need to start working out again while off the mat; school and family kind of take all my time off the mat. I do not mind this, however, as I love both my family and my teaching career.
Among others, we also worked on a kokyu-nage that began like a shiho-nage on a yokomen-uchi, but added another circular movement. The technique ended with uke doing a forward roll without the leading arm. I am humbly grateful that Sensei decided to use me as the demonstration uke. All night long he stressed quiet, relaxed no-arm rolls, and this was no exception. Forward rolls, no leading arm. I had trouble with these when we first started practicing them in earnest about one month ago, but I'm at the point now where I can get into them pretty well. I must have done about six or eight when Sensei said, "Two more, and listen to how quiet he rolls," or something like that. The second of my rolls did not go well, and I slid away from him at the end of my roll. "Two more, and he better roll quietly," Sensei half-joked. The other students laughed. Luckily, both rolls were very quiet, although I was really out of breath by this time. I then practiced with Sensei, who said I did a very good job.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Hiya Meshi O Michi
Class at the dojo last night was intense. Not because what we did was so difficult, but because I made it difficult for myself. There is a word in Japanese, 'shugyo,' that means 'intense practice.' I've got about one year before my next test - for my brown belt. I have decided that I need to make the most of this year's practice if I intent to be truly ready for both my test, and for what is to come beyond the test. For me, at least, the brown belt carries an obligation to practice hard in order to toughen by body and sharpen my skills.
There is another phrase, "hiya meshi o michi," or, "the way of cold rice," that is also associated with dojo practice. If you've ever eaten cold rice, you know how awful it tastes, but nutritionally, it is identical to warm rice. To follow the way of cold rice is to endure what is difficult, or distasteful, in order to improve oneself from the inside. To follow budo, or the "martial way," means to improve oneself physically, mentally, and, most important, spiritually. Students who are well taught are constantly striving to become better people, to do what is right, to be generous, to be friendly and helpful.
The usual routine in class is to first warm up. After warm ups, Sensei will demonstrate a technique several times with the help of a student, who is either thrown or pinned.
There is another phrase, "hiya meshi o michi," or, "the way of cold rice," that is also associated with dojo practice. If you've ever eaten cold rice, you know how awful it tastes, but nutritionally, it is identical to warm rice. To follow the way of cold rice is to endure what is difficult, or distasteful, in order to improve oneself from the inside. To follow budo, or the "martial way," means to improve oneself physically, mentally, and, most important, spiritually. Students who are well taught are constantly striving to become better people, to do what is right, to be generous, to be friendly and helpful.
The usual routine in class is to first warm up. After warm ups, Sensei will demonstrate a technique several times with the help of a student, who is either thrown or pinned.
We started out with our first technique, and I worked with a twenty-something guy who is in Japanese Studies at one of our local colleges. We started slowly, and worked up to a breakfall. We must have done the breakfall at least eight times each. I have to guess that our practice impressed our Sensei enough that he had everyone else in the class sit down while the two of us demonstrate the technique. Each of us performed the technique once, while the other did the breakfall. It was nice to be recognized.
At the end of class we worked on a koshi-nage, or hip throw. I basically am terrible at these, mostly because my knees are so bad that it truly hurts to squat down far enough to get uke over my body, and me under uke's hips. The 1st kyu who took over at the end and was teaching this particular technique said something to me about "corkscrewing down," which really helped once I thought about it for a second. Once I stepped in I turned and dropped, and my technique improved quite a bit. It's not where I want it to be, but I have about a year to fix it, so I'm not feeling a ton of pressure.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
One Ukemi Challenge
The good stuff first: Steve Sensei came up to me after class and commented on how hard I was working last night. That's encouraging to hear, that someone at least recognizes that I'm stepping up my work in class. I'm trying harder to work at what I think is a 2nd kyu level. I should have enough hours to test for 2nd kyu by the fall of 2011. On the one hand, I'm excited and looking forward to having that brown obi tied around my waist. On the other hand, and as I'm getting used to, I feel that there are these enormous walls I have to scale to overcome the challenges of attaining higher rank.
Last night, for example, had some good and some bad. I'm pleased that my break falls are progressing as nicely as they are. There are even some times when I do the break fall and it's not even required; it's just something that naturally seems to happen. I am less than pleased that I cannot seem to master a forward roll that does not somehow use a leading arm. We were practicing a technique from shomenuchi where nage would grab the incoming wrist and elbow of uke, pivot, then drop to the knees. Uke must either break fall or do a forward roll without the use of the leading arm, because nage is using it to control the throw. I could not get it. I kept going into a break fall. When Sensei told me to just to a relaxed roll, I couldn't do it. I kept going back to a break fall type of roll, or worse yet, I kept my trailing foot on the ground in some attempt to stay planted, which forced me to rotate around nage at a 45 degree angle. You do not want to do this, because it hurts. A lot. I have a pain a couple inches to the left of my spine, right over the left side of my pelvis. It felt similar to me trying to do the break fall from irimi nage. I am still having a terrible time with that, too.
So I'm working hard, doing fairly well on my break falls, but falling short on certain kinds of rolls, no pun intended. My techniques? Oh, they're fine, it's just my ukemi that's bad.
My lovely wife also made her traditional batch of Christmas cookies for the dojo, and as tradition would have it, one of our members tried to take them all for himself. I guess his wife just doesn't bake, so he likes to take the ones I bring in. My wife warns me when I leave for the dojo, that she doesn't want me coming back into the house with any cookies - at all. Fortunately I'm able to share them with the other dojo members, although some don't take any at all, as they take this whole fitness thing way too far.
Last night, for example, had some good and some bad. I'm pleased that my break falls are progressing as nicely as they are. There are even some times when I do the break fall and it's not even required; it's just something that naturally seems to happen. I am less than pleased that I cannot seem to master a forward roll that does not somehow use a leading arm. We were practicing a technique from shomenuchi where nage would grab the incoming wrist and elbow of uke, pivot, then drop to the knees. Uke must either break fall or do a forward roll without the use of the leading arm, because nage is using it to control the throw. I could not get it. I kept going into a break fall. When Sensei told me to just to a relaxed roll, I couldn't do it. I kept going back to a break fall type of roll, or worse yet, I kept my trailing foot on the ground in some attempt to stay planted, which forced me to rotate around nage at a 45 degree angle. You do not want to do this, because it hurts. A lot. I have a pain a couple inches to the left of my spine, right over the left side of my pelvis. It felt similar to me trying to do the break fall from irimi nage. I am still having a terrible time with that, too.
So I'm working hard, doing fairly well on my break falls, but falling short on certain kinds of rolls, no pun intended. My techniques? Oh, they're fine, it's just my ukemi that's bad.
My lovely wife also made her traditional batch of Christmas cookies for the dojo, and as tradition would have it, one of our members tried to take them all for himself. I guess his wife just doesn't bake, so he likes to take the ones I bring in. My wife warns me when I leave for the dojo, that she doesn't want me coming back into the house with any cookies - at all. Fortunately I'm able to share them with the other dojo members, although some don't take any at all, as they take this whole fitness thing way too far.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
2nd Kyu Test, So Far, So Near
I'm about one year away from my 2nd kyu test. For me this is a daunting test. Unlike previous test - yokomenuchi, kote gaeshi, omote and ura - this on seems more free flowing; less concrete. When I test, the sensei will call out, not a technique, but an attack. It will be my challenge to harmonize with the attack, and demonstrate multiple techniques to neutralize the one attack. Another attack, another set of techniques. I've got to be fluid and flexible. I've got to think fast, or have ready exactly what I'm going to do ahead of time.
I've also talked to another student who took the same test about one year ago. His recommendation was to not just have different techniques, but techniques from different "families" of techniques, if you will. His thought was to have one pin, such as an ikkyo or nikkyo, a throw from the koshi nage family, another from the irimi nage or kokyu nage group. I also know jujinage, sumi otoshi, kaiten nage. I've got to mix them all in, and prove that I can do mostly any technique from any attack.
Daunting, yes, but oddly, I'm looking forward to it. It also means that I'll earn a brown belt for the first time in my "martial way" life. I started a long, long time ago, gave it up (for many reasons), and then started again. I'm glad I started again. I find this all much more satisfying than the bicycling I was doing, even though I enjoyed that, too. I'll never forget that one time, riding with the group, looking down at my speedometer and seeing that I was riding just a whisper under 40 miles per hour, inches away from the other riders. It was exciting, but doesn't compare to what I do at the dojo, and the feeling that has become part of me now that I study Budo through Aikido. It doesn't hurt that I also feel safer at the dojo than on the road. When I was riding I had people throw things at me, swear at me, try to run me off the road. I was also hit by a car once. As much as I'm thrown around on the mat, it feels much safer than being on the road. My wife and children appreciate that additional safety, too.
I've also talked to another student who took the same test about one year ago. His recommendation was to not just have different techniques, but techniques from different "families" of techniques, if you will. His thought was to have one pin, such as an ikkyo or nikkyo, a throw from the koshi nage family, another from the irimi nage or kokyu nage group. I also know jujinage, sumi otoshi, kaiten nage. I've got to mix them all in, and prove that I can do mostly any technique from any attack.
Daunting, yes, but oddly, I'm looking forward to it. It also means that I'll earn a brown belt for the first time in my "martial way" life. I started a long, long time ago, gave it up (for many reasons), and then started again. I'm glad I started again. I find this all much more satisfying than the bicycling I was doing, even though I enjoyed that, too. I'll never forget that one time, riding with the group, looking down at my speedometer and seeing that I was riding just a whisper under 40 miles per hour, inches away from the other riders. It was exciting, but doesn't compare to what I do at the dojo, and the feeling that has become part of me now that I study Budo through Aikido. It doesn't hurt that I also feel safer at the dojo than on the road. When I was riding I had people throw things at me, swear at me, try to run me off the road. I was also hit by a car once. As much as I'm thrown around on the mat, it feels much safer than being on the road. My wife and children appreciate that additional safety, too.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Humph
I went to the dojo yesterday, and overall had a great class. I'm still a bit tired, so that means I worked pretty hard. I felt good about what I did, although I was far from perfect. The only real challenge I faced yesterday was on a partner bokken exercise - although I don't remember the name - where my partner, a higher rank, really didn't know what he was doing. As nage, he was supposed to hit my bo off to my outside (right) so that I could raise my bo and move to my inside (left). The problem is that he kept hitting my bo off to my left, so when he raised up to a shomenuchi, I had no place to go. I feigned confusion and asked Sensei for help. We got the issue solved and moved on. I know this guy is a higher rank and all, but his weapon's technique is a bit rough. It's always a challenge working with him. I find that I can work better with several other student whose technique with bo or jo is much better. After we changed partners, I found myself working with a first kyu, and really moving fast, and pretty well, too. I even started to relax a bit, which made me even faster, and that's always good.
I cannot wait for Christmas so that I can use my new bo and weapons bag.
I cannot wait for Christmas so that I can use my new bo and weapons bag.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Kids' Classes
I've been thinking about teaching a kids' Aikido class ever since Steve sensei asked if I'd like to give it a go. I found a really useful web site about teaching Aikido to kids, including a sample curriculum that spirals over eight weeks to increase student learning, and a number of games that incorporate Aikido skills. I'm getting excited about this.
We also discussed whether we'd want a short-term introductory class, or something ongoing. We decided on an introductory class first, mostly as an introduction, followed by the ongoing class. Steve sensei also mentioned that we could grow the dojo by getting parents to join after their children start. This would be an added benefit.
We had a 90 minutes weapons class today; bokken and jo. It was a repeat of something I remember we did months ago, but it was an opportunity work on skills that I actually remember beyond the regular suburi, and jo work.
I used my own bo today, which is a lightweight red oak. As the class progressed and we were switching between weapons, I used other students' bokken as well. About an hour ago, I went downstairs to the basement, and slid my new bokken out of the new weapons bag; both of which I'll get for Christmas (Oh, Sweetie, how did you know?). It felt incredible. The balance is outstanding. The weight, at 750 grams, is empowering. It felt like a true weapon in my hand. I could do some serious damage with this, as it stacks up beautifully against anything else I've used at the dojo. One of the students has a bo made from hickory, which I've seen online, and I don't particularly care for it. When I've used it, I can feel the wood grain in my hands, like it's in need of a good sanding. He's happy with it, which is all that counts, I suppose, but I can hardly wait to take my new bo to it's first weapons class.
We also discussed whether we'd want a short-term introductory class, or something ongoing. We decided on an introductory class first, mostly as an introduction, followed by the ongoing class. Steve sensei also mentioned that we could grow the dojo by getting parents to join after their children start. This would be an added benefit.
We had a 90 minutes weapons class today; bokken and jo. It was a repeat of something I remember we did months ago, but it was an opportunity work on skills that I actually remember beyond the regular suburi, and jo work.
I used my own bo today, which is a lightweight red oak. As the class progressed and we were switching between weapons, I used other students' bokken as well. About an hour ago, I went downstairs to the basement, and slid my new bokken out of the new weapons bag; both of which I'll get for Christmas (Oh, Sweetie, how did you know?). It felt incredible. The balance is outstanding. The weight, at 750 grams, is empowering. It felt like a true weapon in my hand. I could do some serious damage with this, as it stacks up beautifully against anything else I've used at the dojo. One of the students has a bo made from hickory, which I've seen online, and I don't particularly care for it. When I've used it, I can feel the wood grain in my hands, like it's in need of a good sanding. He's happy with it, which is all that counts, I suppose, but I can hardly wait to take my new bo to it's first weapons class.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Another Honor for kohai * with Edit
I must be developing my aiki spirit or something. Good things keep happening, and I haven't asked for any of it.
I was sick for the first three weeks of November, then my daughter had a concert I attended, then parent/teacher conferences, then Thanksgiving. I finally made it to class on Tuesday, and it was really amazing to be back on the mat. I moved well, my ukemi was good, and my techniques were smooth with well focused ki.
The next two days I was sore from the waist down from all the standing back up again after getting thrown. Today I felt good enough again to get back to the dojo. At first it was just Sensei and me. I arrived at 9:15, and Sensei was already there, so we started putting down the mats. My daughter came with me, and acted as my otomo. She likes helping out by carrying my weapons bag. Today she tried to carry mats with me, but they were too heavy for her, so I had her straighten out the velcro flaps that keep the mats together. Sensei and I had the mat together quickly, which had him say, "It looks like it just might be you and me today." I was fine with that, but I had a feeling that some others might show before 10:00 - and I was right. Three more students showed up, including two who tested last night (Friday) at the Midwest Aikido Center in Chicago.
While we were putting the mats together, Sensei said, "How would you feel about teaching a children's Aikido class?" I was floored, frankly. I replied, "If you think my Aikido is good enough, I'd be happy to." He said he gets many emails each year asking about children's classes, and so far we have not offered any. We decided that I would investigate some opportunities to advertise, such as a Park District flyer. I also said that since I was home in the summer I thought that would be the best time to schedule it. I also said I thought a class of anywhere between four and 10 students would be ideal, because it would be small enough that I could watch everyone and offer individual assistance as needed. When I told my wife, she thought it was wonderful and was very proud of me. I was really honored.
And once again, Sensei asked about how soon I could test for 2nd kyu. I must have something going on that I don't yet see in myself. Mostly I feel very good about classes these days, but once in a while I just don't feel good about some aspect of my Aikido. Today was no different. We were practicing doing a break fall from irimi nage for the very first time. I was having a difficult time of it, I'll tell you. Instead of flipping vertically, I was flipping horizontally, and it was awful. I had to try at least a dozen times before I got even slightly vertical. By the time Sensei said, "Yame," (stop) I was basically getting it. One side was clearly better than the other. Once or twice I had a nice fall on my good side, but I still need some work on my "stupid side," as our resident shodan calls it, as in, "we all have a smart side and a stupid side."
* (edit) I don't know what I did yesterday at class, but I can't believe how sore I am today, particularly in my upper body. Nothing comes to mind. Even the weapons work didn't seem that taxing, so I am at a loss.
* (edit) I don't know what I did yesterday at class, but I can't believe how sore I am today, particularly in my upper body. Nothing comes to mind. Even the weapons work didn't seem that taxing, so I am at a loss.
Friday, November 26, 2010
One Month Off
One huge problem with being a teacher is that I am constantly exposed to vast amounts of germs. I've been sick for about one month. The virus progressed from chills, to stuffy nose, to sore throat and a cough. Each week it was something new. My doctor didn't prescribe anything, because we both knew it was a virus. It did go on at length, though, and after two weeks of coughing and sore throat, I was given three days of a broad-spectrum antibiotic. That was Monday, and by Wednesday, I was no longer coughing and my sore throat had disappeared. Yesterday I was thinking, 'When can I get back into the dojo? I miss my Aikido.' I think it's great that as soon as I feel better, I want to go play Aikido. This is a very good sign. I still have to cough up a little phlegm, but it's nothing like what it was before.
While I was at home not going to the dojo, I ordered a heavyweight white oak Aikido bokken from e-bogu.com. It weighs 750 grams, or about 1lb. 11 oz. It has a flat "tip" like the high-end bokken the other dojo students use. I will let my fabulous wife give it to me for Christmas. She is so thoughtful. She knew exactly what I wanted.
I was tempted to order a new weapons bag from e-bogu for $10 plus shipping, but I decided not to - and I'm glad I didn't. Yesterday in the Menard's (home improvement store) flyer, I saw an ad for a 52 inch shotgun bag for $3.99. When I saw the bag, I noticed how it was shaped exactly like the high-end weapons bags used by other dojo members. What's nice about this one is that the material is very sturdy, the bag is heavily padded, and the end where the shotgun barrel would go has a big rubber pad at the end, which should protect the ends of my weapons. The bad part is that it's made for a shotgun, so the handle is positioned to balance a shotgun, not wooden weapons. It doesn't carry parallel to the ground, but for the price, I'm not going to pick at the little things.
While I was at home not going to the dojo, I ordered a heavyweight white oak Aikido bokken from e-bogu.com. It weighs 750 grams, or about 1lb. 11 oz. It has a flat "tip" like the high-end bokken the other dojo students use. I will let my fabulous wife give it to me for Christmas. She is so thoughtful. She knew exactly what I wanted.
I was tempted to order a new weapons bag from e-bogu for $10 plus shipping, but I decided not to - and I'm glad I didn't. Yesterday in the Menard's (home improvement store) flyer, I saw an ad for a 52 inch shotgun bag for $3.99. When I saw the bag, I noticed how it was shaped exactly like the high-end weapons bags used by other dojo members. What's nice about this one is that the material is very sturdy, the bag is heavily padded, and the end where the shotgun barrel would go has a big rubber pad at the end, which should protect the ends of my weapons. The bad part is that it's made for a shotgun, so the handle is positioned to balance a shotgun, not wooden weapons. It doesn't carry parallel to the ground, but for the price, I'm not going to pick at the little things.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Missing the Mat
I have fallen, or been thrown several times and landed next to the mat, but in this case, I had other things to do, and did not go to the dojo this morning. Instead, my whole family went grocery shopping. My wife has been taking a class that meets on Saturday, but class was canceled today. We took advantage of the time together to get our shopping done today, which would give us more time to relax tomorrow. There was no school on Thursday and Friday, and today feels like Sunday, so I'm looking forward to tomorrow as an "extra" day off. Aside from missing class this morning, it's been a great weekend.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Little Sleep
I got very little sleep last night. I worked at a fairly intense level at yesterday's practice and by the time I got to bed the pain and muscle fatigue had really set in. I just can't sleep when I feel that way. This morning my knees were killing me - still are, and the deep red marks around my wrists and forearms are a testament to last night's workout.
There was one technique that I still don't remember the name of, but we practiced from a katatedori wrist grab, gyakuhanmi where we ended up pushing uke's elbow directly back at uke and up, and then throwing uke away with the same elbow. It was a strange technique. I'm tired, but feeling good.
And in regard to yesterday's post, sad and pathetic are the only words I can use for that person's life. I know it sounds like I'm dwelling or whatever, but working past it has opened my eyes to what I was previously blind to. The connection here is that letting go has been a really good thing. I'm happier now than I have been in a very long time.
And that is now enough of that.
There was one technique that I still don't remember the name of, but we practiced from a katatedori wrist grab, gyakuhanmi where we ended up pushing uke's elbow directly back at uke and up, and then throwing uke away with the same elbow. It was a strange technique. I'm tired, but feeling good.
And in regard to yesterday's post, sad and pathetic are the only words I can use for that person's life. I know it sounds like I'm dwelling or whatever, but working past it has opened my eyes to what I was previously blind to. The connection here is that letting go has been a really good thing. I'm happier now than I have been in a very long time.
And that is now enough of that.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Reaching a New Plateau
"You've reached a new plateau, and you're looking very good on the mat." Sensei told me.
"Thank you," I said. "It seems like a small plateau, but yes, I feel that I'm improving."
"How many hours to you have at rank?"
"About 50"
"And how many hours before you're able to test?"
"About 135. I think I'll be there in about one year"
"Good. We need more brown belts at the dojo."
I am very happy with my progress lately. I am trying to bring a more serious self on to the mat each time I'm at the dojo. Take Tuesday, for example. Besides having the above conversation with Sensei, I also really held it together when I got smacked in the face by my training partner about ten minutes before the end of class. We were practicing jujinage, and I was uke. My partner took hold of my incoming arm, but instead of feigning atemi to my face in order to grab my other arm, he went ahead and just hit my face. I had my hand up to block his strike, but when his hand came in, I saw it come over my hand, then down to my face. The hit was solid.
He apologized again, and again, but it was not necessary. My face stung a bit, but there was no damage. My first thought was that I'd get a bloody nose, but it never hurt enough for me to seriously consider it. I think in all we stopped training for perhaps 15 seconds at most.
Between that event, my overall improvement, and Sensei's observation about five minutes earlier of my willingness to do breakfalls contributed (I think, anyway) to his comment after class.
The next change I've made that has paid big dividends is my approach to forward rolls. Previously, I was dropping my hand down to the mat with the outside edge of my hand touching the mat first in the traditional manner. My forward rolls were fine, but less than good. Recently, I was watching one of our dojo members who has practiced many of Donovan Waite's ukemi techniques doing forward rolls, and noticed that he puts his palm down first and points the fingers of that leading hand directly (or almost) back at himself. I tried it myself, and I could not believe how my rolls changed. I've been using this technique at the last two sessions, and my forward rolls have smoothed out considerably. I'm also getting my head lower to the mat on approach, which makes the whole fall much less jarring on my body. I also make sure I keep my eyes wide open. That helps, too.
Finally, I've let go of the past. I know that sounds strange, and it wouldn't seem to apply to Aikido, but it does for me. Many years ago, I met someone who I really cared about, but I found out that the feelings were not reciprocated. In fact, I was nothing more to her than a one "weekend" stand. For years I had that "what if" thought in the back of my mind, simply because that is the type of person I am. When I care about someone, even someone who doesn't care about me, those feelings are strong and difficult for me to let go of. I am not one to give up easily on anything or anyone.
I recently "stumbled" across this woman's blog and happily realized that I am the luckiest guy in the world. I read a half dozen entries with a clear mind, and that was all it took for me to see her for what she was, and still is. I let go of all the thoughts of "what if," and a sense of relief washed over me. I felt a weight lift off me. Letting go of all that baggage has led me to move on and live in the present, concentrating only on the here and now for the first time in a long, long time. That focus has followed me into the dojo as well. There is a brown belt out there with my name on it, and I am heading toward it on the warrior's path feeling very, very good indeed.
"Thank you," I said. "It seems like a small plateau, but yes, I feel that I'm improving."
"How many hours to you have at rank?"
"About 50"
"And how many hours before you're able to test?"
"About 135. I think I'll be there in about one year"
"Good. We need more brown belts at the dojo."
I am very happy with my progress lately. I am trying to bring a more serious self on to the mat each time I'm at the dojo. Take Tuesday, for example. Besides having the above conversation with Sensei, I also really held it together when I got smacked in the face by my training partner about ten minutes before the end of class. We were practicing jujinage, and I was uke. My partner took hold of my incoming arm, but instead of feigning atemi to my face in order to grab my other arm, he went ahead and just hit my face. I had my hand up to block his strike, but when his hand came in, I saw it come over my hand, then down to my face. The hit was solid.
He apologized again, and again, but it was not necessary. My face stung a bit, but there was no damage. My first thought was that I'd get a bloody nose, but it never hurt enough for me to seriously consider it. I think in all we stopped training for perhaps 15 seconds at most.
Between that event, my overall improvement, and Sensei's observation about five minutes earlier of my willingness to do breakfalls contributed (I think, anyway) to his comment after class.
The next change I've made that has paid big dividends is my approach to forward rolls. Previously, I was dropping my hand down to the mat with the outside edge of my hand touching the mat first in the traditional manner. My forward rolls were fine, but less than good. Recently, I was watching one of our dojo members who has practiced many of Donovan Waite's ukemi techniques doing forward rolls, and noticed that he puts his palm down first and points the fingers of that leading hand directly (or almost) back at himself. I tried it myself, and I could not believe how my rolls changed. I've been using this technique at the last two sessions, and my forward rolls have smoothed out considerably. I'm also getting my head lower to the mat on approach, which makes the whole fall much less jarring on my body. I also make sure I keep my eyes wide open. That helps, too.
Finally, I've let go of the past. I know that sounds strange, and it wouldn't seem to apply to Aikido, but it does for me. Many years ago, I met someone who I really cared about, but I found out that the feelings were not reciprocated. In fact, I was nothing more to her than a one "weekend" stand. For years I had that "what if" thought in the back of my mind, simply because that is the type of person I am. When I care about someone, even someone who doesn't care about me, those feelings are strong and difficult for me to let go of. I am not one to give up easily on anything or anyone.
I recently "stumbled" across this woman's blog and happily realized that I am the luckiest guy in the world. I read a half dozen entries with a clear mind, and that was all it took for me to see her for what she was, and still is. I let go of all the thoughts of "what if," and a sense of relief washed over me. I felt a weight lift off me. Letting go of all that baggage has led me to move on and live in the present, concentrating only on the here and now for the first time in a long, long time. That focus has followed me into the dojo as well. There is a brown belt out there with my name on it, and I am heading toward it on the warrior's path feeling very, very good indeed.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Day by Day
I take my progress in Aikido, and look at it as a day-by-day progression. We have classes three days per week, and I've been to thirteen classes so far this month. I've missed one day, and one day was canceled due to a seminar at the Midwest Aikido Center in Chicago - I did not attend. I am less than enthusiastic about attending seminars, which seem like advanced study, because I feel I have so much to learn at a basic level. I am improving; I feel that. I still have days where I feel I'm not making any forward progress, or worse, taking backwards steps, but I'm having more good days than bad days.
We have some very good fourth and fifth kyu students, and sometimes I feel they are every bit as good as me, despite my rank of third kyu. Part of that thinking begins with their age: they are all quite a bit younger than me, and they move like it. Perhaps it might me more accurate to say that I am older, and I move like it, yet I move with a certain level of confidence on certain techniques. I also see an increase in my ki, and my ability to move from my center. I have been told as much as well. Our instructor has told me that I am moving better and better. I am happy about that since certain health issues slow me down and limit my ability to move in certain ways. Thursday, for example, was a very rough day at the dojo for me. Every part of my body hurt, no matter what I did. Today, however, I felt that I was moving really well. I was able to enter into techniques with more energy and life - both as nage and uke. I really enjoyed today's class. I could not say the same for Thursday.
Once again, patience and humility must rule the day.
We have some very good fourth and fifth kyu students, and sometimes I feel they are every bit as good as me, despite my rank of third kyu. Part of that thinking begins with their age: they are all quite a bit younger than me, and they move like it. Perhaps it might me more accurate to say that I am older, and I move like it, yet I move with a certain level of confidence on certain techniques. I also see an increase in my ki, and my ability to move from my center. I have been told as much as well. Our instructor has told me that I am moving better and better. I am happy about that since certain health issues slow me down and limit my ability to move in certain ways. Thursday, for example, was a very rough day at the dojo for me. Every part of my body hurt, no matter what I did. Today, however, I felt that I was moving really well. I was able to enter into techniques with more energy and life - both as nage and uke. I really enjoyed today's class. I could not say the same for Thursday.
Once again, patience and humility must rule the day.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Where's the Focus?
No class today. There's a wedding at the church, and they need the common room for the reception. We will meet again on Tuesday. The announcement email noted that this is why we need to move the dojo to our own space where these types of surprises will not occur.
Thursday's class was very nice. On Friday I had a run-in with one of my students that shocked my student teacher to no end. Yes, I know that they are only fourth grade students, but there is no time like the present to remind them about (Dimensions of Learning) Dimension 5, which states in part, that students must be aware of the consequences of their behavior. They must also actively engage in tasks even when the outcome or purpose of those tasks are not readily apparent.
This student has a habit of pretending to be sick when things are not going his way. I've already had one discussion with Mom about how this kid behaves inappropriately while all the time watching me and smiling. He's looking for attention, and yesterday he got just what he was looking for.
I was teaching math. My student teacher was there, but was observing and documenting behavior for two other students who are practically guaranteed to fall through the cracks if they don't get additional help now. There was also an ELL teacher observing. She notice the student in question sitting in his desk at the back of the room while I was speeding through a quick review. He was in his math journal drawing in pen all over the page we were working on. She went to him and asked him what he was doing, and should he be doing that. He said, 'it didn't matter because 'we' never turn those pages in.'
My student teacher told be all about this after the math lesson finished. Knowing what I know about this student, I went to his desk, asked him to open up his book to the page he destroyed and explain what the destruction was all about.
I continued questioning him about his actions and the consequences of those actions for about two minutes. When I was done, he was shaken to the core. My student teacher said she'd never seen me like that, and had no idea where all that had come from. She notice I had never raised my voice above a whisper, but could tell that I was not a person to be messed with. Period.
"It all comes from my Aikido, and from Budo. This is the side of me you see at the dojo."
"Whoa," was all she could say.
Thursday's class was very nice. On Friday I had a run-in with one of my students that shocked my student teacher to no end. Yes, I know that they are only fourth grade students, but there is no time like the present to remind them about (Dimensions of Learning) Dimension 5, which states in part, that students must be aware of the consequences of their behavior. They must also actively engage in tasks even when the outcome or purpose of those tasks are not readily apparent.
This student has a habit of pretending to be sick when things are not going his way. I've already had one discussion with Mom about how this kid behaves inappropriately while all the time watching me and smiling. He's looking for attention, and yesterday he got just what he was looking for.
I was teaching math. My student teacher was there, but was observing and documenting behavior for two other students who are practically guaranteed to fall through the cracks if they don't get additional help now. There was also an ELL teacher observing. She notice the student in question sitting in his desk at the back of the room while I was speeding through a quick review. He was in his math journal drawing in pen all over the page we were working on. She went to him and asked him what he was doing, and should he be doing that. He said, 'it didn't matter because 'we' never turn those pages in.'
My student teacher told be all about this after the math lesson finished. Knowing what I know about this student, I went to his desk, asked him to open up his book to the page he destroyed and explain what the destruction was all about.
I continued questioning him about his actions and the consequences of those actions for about two minutes. When I was done, he was shaken to the core. My student teacher said she'd never seen me like that, and had no idea where all that had come from. She notice I had never raised my voice above a whisper, but could tell that I was not a person to be messed with. Period.
"It all comes from my Aikido, and from Budo. This is the side of me you see at the dojo."
"Whoa," was all she could say.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Back in the Saddle
As of today, I have a record of three classes in a row. It's been a rough fall. First, school started on September 1st. Those first two weeks were exhausting and I missed several classes. Afterward, I picked up a sinus infection that also involved my chest, and I'm still coughing a lot. I went to half a dozen classes in September. October just began, and I've already attended half as many classes. I only missed last Saturday because I was still feeling sick, and I'd only started taking the antibiotics the doctor prescribed for me.
This has been a nice week, I practiced a wide variety of techniques, including some really obscure variations of some pretty basic techniques, and I've stayed injury free. Not too bad.
One thing I've noticed is a decrease in my range of motion in my right shoulder. I'm not sure if it's my osteoarthritis, or if it's just because I tend to sleep on my right side, and after so many years of this, my shoulder is just screwed up from the weight of me sleeping on that side all night long. I've noticed that the pain in my shoulder comes very early when I'm doing ukemi during the nikkyo and sankyo pins. Far earlier than on my left side.
I've also had a "light bulb" moment on my shikko, or knee walking. I've been able to figure out how to take a step forward so that I make an obtuse angle between my legs instead of something a lot closer to a right angle. That means I'm able to travel farther on each step. My steps aren't very fast, but since I'm able to cover more ground, I don't fall so far behind. I always thought that the arthritis in my hips would keep me from stepping forward that far, but somehow I've been able to make it happen. Maybe I'm thinking more consciously about bringing up my trailing leg, I don't know, but I'm making it work better than I ever have before. At least I'm improving somewhere.
This has been a nice week, I practiced a wide variety of techniques, including some really obscure variations of some pretty basic techniques, and I've stayed injury free. Not too bad.
One thing I've noticed is a decrease in my range of motion in my right shoulder. I'm not sure if it's my osteoarthritis, or if it's just because I tend to sleep on my right side, and after so many years of this, my shoulder is just screwed up from the weight of me sleeping on that side all night long. I've noticed that the pain in my shoulder comes very early when I'm doing ukemi during the nikkyo and sankyo pins. Far earlier than on my left side.
I've also had a "light bulb" moment on my shikko, or knee walking. I've been able to figure out how to take a step forward so that I make an obtuse angle between my legs instead of something a lot closer to a right angle. That means I'm able to travel farther on each step. My steps aren't very fast, but since I'm able to cover more ground, I don't fall so far behind. I always thought that the arthritis in my hips would keep me from stepping forward that far, but somehow I've been able to make it happen. Maybe I'm thinking more consciously about bringing up my trailing leg, I don't know, but I'm making it work better than I ever have before. At least I'm improving somewhere.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
A Step Backward, At Least it Feels Like One
School's been in session for two weeks and three days. I've missed almost every Aikido practice during that time. Hey, life happens. There was the Parent Information Night, the Potluck Supper, and a few other nights when I was just plain tired. Then there was the night when my daughters begged me to stay home.
I've also started reading to my younger daughter again. Somehow we got out of the habit, but now we're starting up again, because it's important.
I went to the dojo Thursday, and had a good practice, except that I torqued my elbow when I was uke on a really nasty pin. It's almost better today, so that's good. I also went today, but took a very bad fall and felt a nerve pinch when I hit the ground. I felt something like an electric shock start at the base of my neck and travel down my right arm. My hand went numb for about five minutes before the feeling slowly came back. I continued to practice with no other ill effects, even until now, except a slightly stiff neck. I'll put some cream on it tonight, and see how it feels tomorrow.
This is probably the one thing that gets to me most about practice: I'm not young anymore, and my body lets me know that at every opportunity. I would say that even after what feels like a very thorough warm up, it still takes me another twenty or thirty minutes of practicing techniques before I truly feel warmed up. That leaves a pretty good window for me to hurt myself during falls or pins. During that first twenty minutes or so, I grimace at every fall or roll, and grunt during every pin. The pain I feel during those fall keeps me from relaxing into the fall, which in turn makes it more likely that I'm going to get hurt. It seems like a vicious cycle that I need to get through. The problem is that other than warming up well, which I've already noted only has a minimal effect, I'm not sure how to get through it.
I've got some thinking to do.
I've also started reading to my younger daughter again. Somehow we got out of the habit, but now we're starting up again, because it's important.
I went to the dojo Thursday, and had a good practice, except that I torqued my elbow when I was uke on a really nasty pin. It's almost better today, so that's good. I also went today, but took a very bad fall and felt a nerve pinch when I hit the ground. I felt something like an electric shock start at the base of my neck and travel down my right arm. My hand went numb for about five minutes before the feeling slowly came back. I continued to practice with no other ill effects, even until now, except a slightly stiff neck. I'll put some cream on it tonight, and see how it feels tomorrow.
This is probably the one thing that gets to me most about practice: I'm not young anymore, and my body lets me know that at every opportunity. I would say that even after what feels like a very thorough warm up, it still takes me another twenty or thirty minutes of practicing techniques before I truly feel warmed up. That leaves a pretty good window for me to hurt myself during falls or pins. During that first twenty minutes or so, I grimace at every fall or roll, and grunt during every pin. The pain I feel during those fall keeps me from relaxing into the fall, which in turn makes it more likely that I'm going to get hurt. It seems like a vicious cycle that I need to get through. The problem is that other than warming up well, which I've already noted only has a minimal effect, I'm not sure how to get through it.
I've got some thinking to do.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
I Need a New Set
I missed Aikido on Tuesday and Thursday due to prior school commitments. Today was a completely different story. My wife began a new class today - human development - that is scheduled to run every Saturday from now until December. Her class gives me the opportunity to go to Saturday weapons class each week. I'm looking forward to that.
We did some good work today with the bokken. I had a lot of fun. Since I was senior student, I worked with Sensei Chris on all the demonstrations. And if you ask me, I think I did a pretty good job as his uke.
That last two weapons classes have made clear to me that I need new weapons. I got mine nearly two years ago as a set. The set included a red oak bo, and a read oak jo staff. When it arrived, the jo had a thick clear finish that stuck to my hands when they got sweaty. I sanded off the finish and put on a few coats of wood oil. It has worked fine for me since then, but it's really gotten beat up over the past two years. It's really dinged up pretty badly now. When I slid the jo up and down my hands, it feels like Swiss cheese moving under my fingers.
The bokken, while it still looks good and works well, is simply too light for me. For the last two classes I've put mine aside, and taken out a white oak bokken from our dojo supply cabinet. There are several bokkens in the cabinet, but I always reach for the thickest, heaviest bo in the cabinet. My forearms clearly feel the weight difference during class, but I find it better than using something that now feels like a toothpick. This particular bokken is finished similarly to the way my jo staff came, but if my hands stick to the bo, it doesn't bother me. When I get my own, I'll sand it down like I did my jo staff. I'm going to show our chief instructor both white oaks bos and ask him to find me one of the thicker, sturdier ones. I feel I am clearly ready for it, and I don't see myself outgrowing it any time soon.
We did some good work today with the bokken. I had a lot of fun. Since I was senior student, I worked with Sensei Chris on all the demonstrations. And if you ask me, I think I did a pretty good job as his uke.
That last two weapons classes have made clear to me that I need new weapons. I got mine nearly two years ago as a set. The set included a red oak bo, and a read oak jo staff. When it arrived, the jo had a thick clear finish that stuck to my hands when they got sweaty. I sanded off the finish and put on a few coats of wood oil. It has worked fine for me since then, but it's really gotten beat up over the past two years. It's really dinged up pretty badly now. When I slid the jo up and down my hands, it feels like Swiss cheese moving under my fingers.
The bokken, while it still looks good and works well, is simply too light for me. For the last two classes I've put mine aside, and taken out a white oak bokken from our dojo supply cabinet. There are several bokkens in the cabinet, but I always reach for the thickest, heaviest bo in the cabinet. My forearms clearly feel the weight difference during class, but I find it better than using something that now feels like a toothpick. This particular bokken is finished similarly to the way my jo staff came, but if my hands stick to the bo, it doesn't bother me. When I get my own, I'll sand it down like I did my jo staff. I'm going to show our chief instructor both white oaks bos and ask him to find me one of the thicker, sturdier ones. I feel I am clearly ready for it, and I don't see myself outgrowing it any time soon.
Monday, September 6, 2010
No Training This Week
I won't be hitting the dojo this week, because too much is happening at school. Tuesday is "Parent Information Night." I'm a bit upset, since this was originally scheduled for Wednesday. A couple weeks ago, we were told that Wednesday is a religious holiday, so Parent Info night was moved to Tuesday.
Thursday is a meeting for parents whose children are joining band or orchestra and need to be fitted for their instruments. Our older daughter wants to play viola, so that's the night we have to attend the meeting. I'm glad she's joining something. We sort of wanted it to be a sport, but this is a nice second choice. Our main reservation is that she'll need to practice on her own time, which she won't. At least with a sport, she'll have practice built in to the regular game schedule. Yes, I know there are orchestra practices, just like band or choir - I did that when I was young. Playing an instrument still demands at least 30 minutes of practice each day no matter what.
I have no idea when the second meeting will end, but if it's early enough, I might be able to get to the dojo. I have no idea right now. On the other hand, my lovely wife will want me to come straight home after the meeting to drop off our daughter, and once I get home, I'm not getting out again.
There is one good thing that begins this week: My wife starts a new class at school this Saturday. Her class coincides with our dojo practice, so I'll drop her off at school, play Aikido, then pick her up after practice. Her class runs through mid-December, so I have at least that many classes guaranteed. That will be nice.
Thursday is a meeting for parents whose children are joining band or orchestra and need to be fitted for their instruments. Our older daughter wants to play viola, so that's the night we have to attend the meeting. I'm glad she's joining something. We sort of wanted it to be a sport, but this is a nice second choice. Our main reservation is that she'll need to practice on her own time, which she won't. At least with a sport, she'll have practice built in to the regular game schedule. Yes, I know there are orchestra practices, just like band or choir - I did that when I was young. Playing an instrument still demands at least 30 minutes of practice each day no matter what.
I have no idea when the second meeting will end, but if it's early enough, I might be able to get to the dojo. I have no idea right now. On the other hand, my lovely wife will want me to come straight home after the meeting to drop off our daughter, and once I get home, I'm not getting out again.
There is one good thing that begins this week: My wife starts a new class at school this Saturday. Her class coincides with our dojo practice, so I'll drop her off at school, play Aikido, then pick her up after practice. Her class runs through mid-December, so I have at least that many classes guaranteed. That will be nice.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Rank is Arbitrary, Except
There is a young woman at the dojo who tested for 3rd kyu about ten months before me, then she left to try out horseback riding. During that time I had an opportunity to "catch up" in training hours. I think I'm within half a dozen hours of her, although she still has more, so she lines up to my right. What excites me is that since we are so close in training hours, we should take our next rank test together - provided we both keep training at our current pace. I know her, I really like her, and I would enjoy the opportunity to test along side her.
That said, she returned to the dojo Thursday, and we trained together for the first time in months. She was rusty. On a kokyu nage, she was putting her elbow right into my throat, rather than circling my chin up and back. I know she'll be back in form in no time, though. One thing for certain, her ukemi has always been nothing short of amazing. It's really wonderful to have her back.
Starting next Saturday, my wife has a class that gets her closer to her nursing degree. That means that I have almost no choice, but to drop her off at school, then continue on to the dojo. What else am I going to do? Stay home? The girls can come with me and play in the church's play room. As long as they clean up the toys when it's time to leave, nobody cares. I'll have the opportunity to go to every Saturday class from now until mid-December. If our dojo moves to a new location, they can still come with me every Saturday.
I have a student teacher in my classroom this quarter. She is terrific.
That said, she returned to the dojo Thursday, and we trained together for the first time in months. She was rusty. On a kokyu nage, she was putting her elbow right into my throat, rather than circling my chin up and back. I know she'll be back in form in no time, though. One thing for certain, her ukemi has always been nothing short of amazing. It's really wonderful to have her back.
Starting next Saturday, my wife has a class that gets her closer to her nursing degree. That means that I have almost no choice, but to drop her off at school, then continue on to the dojo. What else am I going to do? Stay home? The girls can come with me and play in the church's play room. As long as they clean up the toys when it's time to leave, nobody cares. I'll have the opportunity to go to every Saturday class from now until mid-December. If our dojo moves to a new location, they can still come with me every Saturday.
I have a student teacher in my classroom this quarter. She is terrific.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Iwama and Aikikai
Our instructor explained the difference between Aikikai Aikido, and Iwama Aikido. Okay, perhaps not the difference, but I'm learning that difference quickly, but the genesis of the two.
Our two first kyus are both from the Iwama style of Aikido. I worked with both last night. I worked with everybody last night. There were ten students in the class, and Sensei kept saying, "New partners," each time we worked on something. When it came time to work with our newest member, we were doing an entering Irimi nage: block with the first hand, do the technique with the trailing arm. Straight in, no irimi step, almost like a clothesline. During one of my partner's turns, he hit me hard enough on the side of my neck to make me see stars. I did my best to give as good as I got, but I was also trying to do my best to learn the technique. I did 'okay' last night. I had a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep. My body hurt, and my muscles were twitching as I lay in bed, making it all the harder to find sleep.
We bought a new MacBook yesterday, as well as a router. I've never set up a router before, but I finally figured out how to make it work. It's nice being wireless.
Our two first kyus are both from the Iwama style of Aikido. I worked with both last night. I worked with everybody last night. There were ten students in the class, and Sensei kept saying, "New partners," each time we worked on something. When it came time to work with our newest member, we were doing an entering Irimi nage: block with the first hand, do the technique with the trailing arm. Straight in, no irimi step, almost like a clothesline. During one of my partner's turns, he hit me hard enough on the side of my neck to make me see stars. I did my best to give as good as I got, but I was also trying to do my best to learn the technique. I did 'okay' last night. I had a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep. My body hurt, and my muscles were twitching as I lay in bed, making it all the harder to find sleep.
We bought a new MacBook yesterday, as well as a router. I've never set up a router before, but I finally figured out how to make it work. It's nice being wireless.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Ring, Ring
I had no intention of going to the dojo last night. I was tired, and my wife wanted me to stay home, since she likes being with me. We like being with each other. It's a nice arrangement. Besides, my throat was still hurting from Tuesday's choke fest.
The on tap event at the dojo was a trip to the Midwest Aikido Center in Chicago to take a class, then watch rank testing. This was all happening today. We were going to leave from the dojo today at 3:15 to drive south to Chicago. I guess they were going to get something to eat before class, which explains the early departure time.
I'd said I wanted to go as well, since I'm on summer vacation. Sensei was going to take a final count last night to make sure everyone who wanted to go had a ride. Well, like I mentioned, I wasn't going to go last night. So what happens at 7:05 last night? The phone rings. It's Sensei. He wants to know if I'm coming to class, and if I'm going to the MAC. I explain my position, he says, 'okay,' and we hang up.
Now having just spoken with Sensei, I'm not about to plop myself back down on the sofa and watch TV and be with my wife, no matter how tempting it is. I grab my bag, head to the car, and go to the dojo. Guilt is a great motivator. It was a good class, too.
I am not going to the MAC because upon my arrival home last night, my garage door opener started acting up. I'm waiting for the repair man to get back to me now.
The on tap event at the dojo was a trip to the Midwest Aikido Center in Chicago to take a class, then watch rank testing. This was all happening today. We were going to leave from the dojo today at 3:15 to drive south to Chicago. I guess they were going to get something to eat before class, which explains the early departure time.
I'd said I wanted to go as well, since I'm on summer vacation. Sensei was going to take a final count last night to make sure everyone who wanted to go had a ride. Well, like I mentioned, I wasn't going to go last night. So what happens at 7:05 last night? The phone rings. It's Sensei. He wants to know if I'm coming to class, and if I'm going to the MAC. I explain my position, he says, 'okay,' and we hang up.
Now having just spoken with Sensei, I'm not about to plop myself back down on the sofa and watch TV and be with my wife, no matter how tempting it is. I grab my bag, head to the car, and go to the dojo. Guilt is a great motivator. It was a good class, too.
I am not going to the MAC because upon my arrival home last night, my garage door opener started acting up. I'm waiting for the repair man to get back to me now.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Hard to Swallow
Tuesday was an unusual day. Our long-time 1st kyu taught class. I'm not sure where everyone else was, but it was fine. Mostly fine, I'd say. I have always been very particular about things. My wife, from Brasil, says "Cu do ferro," or iron butt. I suppose that's why I graduated from my Master's program with a 4.0 grade average. I see how things ought to be, and that's the way I carry those things out.
So we had class Tuesday. Our resident 1st kyu is trained in another style of Aikido; iwama, I think he said. It seems to be a harder style than the aikikai style we practice. We worked on three techniques that seemed more "battle ready." Two techniques used tonto. All the techniques used controlled pins. That means that we either held our uke down with a pin after a throw, or we moved from attack into a choke hold.
I worked with a 6th kyu girl on the choke pin. This girl is big, and she is not aware of her own strength. Even today, I feel as though I have something stuck in my throat; like a big pill I tried to swallow that never made it past my larynx. It hurts. That said, I was not the only one who made that same comment after class. At least one other student said the same. I hope that a) we don't do any choke holds tonight, and b) my throat feels better soon. If it goes on for a while I'll see the doctor, but honestly I don't know what he'd be able to do. Even if my hyoid bone or some other area is damaged, there is nothing to do, but give it time to heal.
Lastly, and I know I'm not being courteous here, but our new 1st kyu, Joe, is quickly becoming someone I'm not too fond of. It is common for him to be the ranking sempai in class, so he determines how we line up in class. The problem is that he lines up however he feels like, rather than learning the ways of our dojo. We have always lined up the same way since the dojo's inception - at least that is what I've been told. When we line up we place our knees along the line created between the first and second rows of mats. It's simple and makes sense, because if we line up with our knees on the "line," we are lined up straight across. I remember that it was one of my very first classes when someone made it very clear to me that this was how we lined up; knees on the line.
It seems to me that no one has told him, and if they have, he does not heed the instructions. On Tuesday at the end of class, for example, the sensei said, "Line up," and the five or six students of lower rank all lined up very quickly - centered in front of the Kamiza, and with our knees on the line. Simple, easy to figure out. Joe lines up last, and even though there were six students already lined up the way we were supposed to, he plops himself down in seiza away from the other students.
I was the next ranking student in class. Instead of sitting down to my right, he sits about a foot off to my right and about a foot ahead of the line - in other words, at about 45 degrees ahead and to the right. That meant that even though everyone was already down, we all had to move ourselves to adjust to him - even though he was not in the correct place. It bothers me that the five or six of us who lined up correctly had to move and therefore had to line up incorrectly just to line up next to him. As I see it, there seems to be a very strong ego in this guy - something we at this dojo are not used to. In fact, the lack of student (and sensei) ego was one of the things that attracted me to this dojo in the first place.
My very first sensei in Tomiki Aikido also had a tremendous ego. I remember once doing randori - as this is common practice in Tomiki Aikido - with that sensei. At one point as he attacked with the rubber tonto, I grabbed his hand and executed a very nice shiho nage (if I do say so myself) which landed sensei right down on his backside. He had this astonished look on his face, as though he could not believe that one of his white belt students (as all his students were at that time) was able to defend one of his attacks. Well he was not going to take that at all. He got up and slammed that knife into my chest time and time again, as if to say, 'don't every make one of your techniques work on me again.' I had bruises on my chest for days. His ego was the primary reason I quit Tomiki Aikido, and almost quit Aikido altogether.
I'll say that Joe's ego is nowhere near as bad as my first sensei, but I still don't like the idea that he is so oblivious to our dojo's traditions. I'll be as humble as I can and follow along. Maybe I'll learn something, but this is going to be hugely challenging, as I like sticking to procedures that are well established. Sticking to procedure is one of the things that makes me who I am, for better or worse. As a teacher myself, I know that procedures are important, and when students know and accept procedure, it makes everyone's life much easier, and makes learning happen quicker, with less wasted time.
So we had class Tuesday. Our resident 1st kyu is trained in another style of Aikido; iwama, I think he said. It seems to be a harder style than the aikikai style we practice. We worked on three techniques that seemed more "battle ready." Two techniques used tonto. All the techniques used controlled pins. That means that we either held our uke down with a pin after a throw, or we moved from attack into a choke hold.
I worked with a 6th kyu girl on the choke pin. This girl is big, and she is not aware of her own strength. Even today, I feel as though I have something stuck in my throat; like a big pill I tried to swallow that never made it past my larynx. It hurts. That said, I was not the only one who made that same comment after class. At least one other student said the same. I hope that a) we don't do any choke holds tonight, and b) my throat feels better soon. If it goes on for a while I'll see the doctor, but honestly I don't know what he'd be able to do. Even if my hyoid bone or some other area is damaged, there is nothing to do, but give it time to heal.
Lastly, and I know I'm not being courteous here, but our new 1st kyu, Joe, is quickly becoming someone I'm not too fond of. It is common for him to be the ranking sempai in class, so he determines how we line up in class. The problem is that he lines up however he feels like, rather than learning the ways of our dojo. We have always lined up the same way since the dojo's inception - at least that is what I've been told. When we line up we place our knees along the line created between the first and second rows of mats. It's simple and makes sense, because if we line up with our knees on the "line," we are lined up straight across. I remember that it was one of my very first classes when someone made it very clear to me that this was how we lined up; knees on the line.
It seems to me that no one has told him, and if they have, he does not heed the instructions. On Tuesday at the end of class, for example, the sensei said, "Line up," and the five or six students of lower rank all lined up very quickly - centered in front of the Kamiza, and with our knees on the line. Simple, easy to figure out. Joe lines up last, and even though there were six students already lined up the way we were supposed to, he plops himself down in seiza away from the other students.
I was the next ranking student in class. Instead of sitting down to my right, he sits about a foot off to my right and about a foot ahead of the line - in other words, at about 45 degrees ahead and to the right. That meant that even though everyone was already down, we all had to move ourselves to adjust to him - even though he was not in the correct place. It bothers me that the five or six of us who lined up correctly had to move and therefore had to line up incorrectly just to line up next to him. As I see it, there seems to be a very strong ego in this guy - something we at this dojo are not used to. In fact, the lack of student (and sensei) ego was one of the things that attracted me to this dojo in the first place.
My very first sensei in Tomiki Aikido also had a tremendous ego. I remember once doing randori - as this is common practice in Tomiki Aikido - with that sensei. At one point as he attacked with the rubber tonto, I grabbed his hand and executed a very nice shiho nage (if I do say so myself) which landed sensei right down on his backside. He had this astonished look on his face, as though he could not believe that one of his white belt students (as all his students were at that time) was able to defend one of his attacks. Well he was not going to take that at all. He got up and slammed that knife into my chest time and time again, as if to say, 'don't every make one of your techniques work on me again.' I had bruises on my chest for days. His ego was the primary reason I quit Tomiki Aikido, and almost quit Aikido altogether.
I'll say that Joe's ego is nowhere near as bad as my first sensei, but I still don't like the idea that he is so oblivious to our dojo's traditions. I'll be as humble as I can and follow along. Maybe I'll learn something, but this is going to be hugely challenging, as I like sticking to procedures that are well established. Sticking to procedure is one of the things that makes me who I am, for better or worse. As a teacher myself, I know that procedures are important, and when students know and accept procedure, it makes everyone's life much easier, and makes learning happen quicker, with less wasted time.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Smooth Operator
I am exhausted this morning. I can feel last night's workout in every cell of my body. Forearms, elbows, knees, quads, back.
Everything we did last night revolved around morote dori (two hands on one wrist), with the exception of our first technique: Hanmi handachi kaiten nage, uchi style, omote and ura.
This technique was part of my 3rd kyu test, as was the same technique in soto style, i.e. going outside instead of under uke's arm. I like these techniques, not because I'm good at them; at best I'm so-so, due to my bad knees, plus I need a few more years of practice to get them down to where I'd like them to be. Perhaps a few years beyond that to get them to where they should be.
I like that technique because of the concentration it takes, and the need to move from the kneeling position. While other martial arts have their kata forms, we have these. I know I'm never going to be fighting someone from a kneeling position. I can't remember the last time I went into a Tokyo tea house - oh, that's right. I've never been to a Tokyo tea house. It's being able to perform a technique from a position that makes moving so difficult for me. These are painful for me, but I like doing them anyway. It is a test of my fortitude, no matter how small a test.
Everything else was from morote dori. Irimi nage three ways, and shiho nage omote and ura. At the end of class, we practiced henka waza, or a variety of techniques from the morote dori attack. I began my henka waza practice with a beginner; one who does not yet know how to fall. It was a practice in patience for me, since I had to take everything so slowly. My partner was baffled as to what to do. I could see she was in that state we all find ourselves in at the early stages where we are all just so overwhelmed by so many techniques that we freeze and become unable to do any techniques at all. So I suggested she do the shiho nage we had just practiced. I could see the idea take hold, and the "deer in the headlights" look vanished from her face. She was good from then on. At some point, Sensei came over and relieved her of her duties as my partner. He and I started working on our henke waza. He was going some great things to me, and I to him. He even threw me in a break fall, and I went with it just as I should have. When it was my turn, not everything was great, but I felt good. I wish I'd had more time to practice, as there were techniques I did not have time to do.
After class, Sensei told me that I was really moving smoothly. This is nice to hear. I've got upper level students from 2nd kyu all the way to 4th dan throwing the occasional compliment my way. While I'm not consciously seeking compliments, it's nice that others see the improvements I'm making that usually escape me, because I'm focusing on so many details, both big and small.
Two more things: We had a visitor - a young, and very pregnant, woman from New York. What she's doing in this small city I don't know. Sensei said she was 1st or 2nd kyu and worked with the Tohei Sensei from New York (not the Tohei Sensei from Chicago) and practiced three to four hours a day. She said she wanted to start up with us a mere two weeks after she has her baby. Cool.
Secondly, our resident shodan has diabetes. Usually he controls things really well. Last night I worked with him twice, and both times I found him to be weak and disoriented. I was really worried. He had finished his first of two bottle of Gatoraide, so I thought he'd be okay. But that was not the case. The second time we worked together, we were supposed to be doing one technique, and he was doing something completely different, and did not seem to know the difference. I'll mention it to Sensei, but as an adult, he is responsible for himself. He's had diabetes his whole life, and should be able to sense when things are good or bad, but I am still worried.
Hiya meshi o Michi
Everything we did last night revolved around morote dori (two hands on one wrist), with the exception of our first technique: Hanmi handachi kaiten nage, uchi style, omote and ura.
This technique was part of my 3rd kyu test, as was the same technique in soto style, i.e. going outside instead of under uke's arm. I like these techniques, not because I'm good at them; at best I'm so-so, due to my bad knees, plus I need a few more years of practice to get them down to where I'd like them to be. Perhaps a few years beyond that to get them to where they should be.
I like that technique because of the concentration it takes, and the need to move from the kneeling position. While other martial arts have their kata forms, we have these. I know I'm never going to be fighting someone from a kneeling position. I can't remember the last time I went into a Tokyo tea house - oh, that's right. I've never been to a Tokyo tea house. It's being able to perform a technique from a position that makes moving so difficult for me. These are painful for me, but I like doing them anyway. It is a test of my fortitude, no matter how small a test.
Everything else was from morote dori. Irimi nage three ways, and shiho nage omote and ura. At the end of class, we practiced henka waza, or a variety of techniques from the morote dori attack. I began my henka waza practice with a beginner; one who does not yet know how to fall. It was a practice in patience for me, since I had to take everything so slowly. My partner was baffled as to what to do. I could see she was in that state we all find ourselves in at the early stages where we are all just so overwhelmed by so many techniques that we freeze and become unable to do any techniques at all. So I suggested she do the shiho nage we had just practiced. I could see the idea take hold, and the "deer in the headlights" look vanished from her face. She was good from then on. At some point, Sensei came over and relieved her of her duties as my partner. He and I started working on our henke waza. He was going some great things to me, and I to him. He even threw me in a break fall, and I went with it just as I should have. When it was my turn, not everything was great, but I felt good. I wish I'd had more time to practice, as there were techniques I did not have time to do.
After class, Sensei told me that I was really moving smoothly. This is nice to hear. I've got upper level students from 2nd kyu all the way to 4th dan throwing the occasional compliment my way. While I'm not consciously seeking compliments, it's nice that others see the improvements I'm making that usually escape me, because I'm focusing on so many details, both big and small.
Two more things: We had a visitor - a young, and very pregnant, woman from New York. What she's doing in this small city I don't know. Sensei said she was 1st or 2nd kyu and worked with the Tohei Sensei from New York (not the Tohei Sensei from Chicago) and practiced three to four hours a day. She said she wanted to start up with us a mere two weeks after she has her baby. Cool.
Secondly, our resident shodan has diabetes. Usually he controls things really well. Last night I worked with him twice, and both times I found him to be weak and disoriented. I was really worried. He had finished his first of two bottle of Gatoraide, so I thought he'd be okay. But that was not the case. The second time we worked together, we were supposed to be doing one technique, and he was doing something completely different, and did not seem to know the difference. I'll mention it to Sensei, but as an adult, he is responsible for himself. He's had diabetes his whole life, and should be able to sense when things are good or bad, but I am still worried.
Hiya meshi o Michi
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Was I or Wasn't I?
Am I over-thinking? Did I have a good class last night or not? I thought I did. Our chief instructor was there. We started by practicing blows: Shomen-uchi, Yokomen-uchi, Tsuki. This is the first Aikido dojo I've attended where we end tsuki with our fist held sideways. Yes, I understand why, but since no one on earth punches that way, I'm not sure why we do it that way, other than to have us perform our techniques in a certain way.
Then practiced techniques that utilized those strikes. We did irimi nage against shomen uchi. We did forms of ikkyo and gokyo against yokomen uchi, then did a kokyu nage where we held uke by the wrist and elbow of the same arm and entered deeply thereby taking uke down into a back fall, a back roll, or a break fall. We used tonto on the last one.
It all felt pretty good. I worked with Joe (1st kyu) on the irimi nage. I worked with our "regular" instructor on the ikkyo and gokyo, and finally, with a beginner on the kokyu nage.
I was going to say something to our regular instructor after class about how I see myself improving, but then I saw him talking to Joe. They were sort of buddy-buddy, talking about how good their time working together was; how intense of a workout it was. At that point I stopped short. I know my work was good, but it wasn't up to the standards that a nidan or an ikkyu would consider acceptable.
And I guess that's the point: I know I'm improving. I've been told so by a shodan and Joe (the ikkyu), but the road ahead is still long and winding. I cannot see any end in sight. I am 174 hours away from taking my nikkyu test (2nd kyu). At the rate I'm working, I'll test for nikkyu in March of 2012. I feel the baby-step improvements, but that's small comfort when the road ahead has no end in sight. This is the way of Aikido.
I'm sure Thursday will be better.
Then practiced techniques that utilized those strikes. We did irimi nage against shomen uchi. We did forms of ikkyo and gokyo against yokomen uchi, then did a kokyu nage where we held uke by the wrist and elbow of the same arm and entered deeply thereby taking uke down into a back fall, a back roll, or a break fall. We used tonto on the last one.
It all felt pretty good. I worked with Joe (1st kyu) on the irimi nage. I worked with our "regular" instructor on the ikkyo and gokyo, and finally, with a beginner on the kokyu nage.
I was going to say something to our regular instructor after class about how I see myself improving, but then I saw him talking to Joe. They were sort of buddy-buddy, talking about how good their time working together was; how intense of a workout it was. At that point I stopped short. I know my work was good, but it wasn't up to the standards that a nidan or an ikkyu would consider acceptable.
And I guess that's the point: I know I'm improving. I've been told so by a shodan and Joe (the ikkyu), but the road ahead is still long and winding. I cannot see any end in sight. I am 174 hours away from taking my nikkyu test (2nd kyu). At the rate I'm working, I'll test for nikkyu in March of 2012. I feel the baby-step improvements, but that's small comfort when the road ahead has no end in sight. This is the way of Aikido.
I'm sure Thursday will be better.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Sticky Bo
Wonderful weapons class today. I noticed that our chief instructor usually does not teach weapons class. I think in the time that I've been at the dojo, and because I don't always go to class, I have only seen him teach one weapons class. I think he prefers to teach open hand.
Our "regular" instructor taught a wonderful class today. Yes, it was very basic. We reviewed a few of the suburi for bo and some for jo, and saw the connection between the two. Nice. We also practiced the two (three and four, I think) suburi as partner practice. They go together nicely with one as uke and the other as nage. Uke would strike three times, nage would block and end with a wrist cut. My partner and I were going all the way back and fourth on the mat, so each would get in five or six cuts before we had to stop. At first we were just going through the two suburi, then we held ourselves to the three strikes and the one cut before we changed roles. Sensei had the two of us show the rest of the class (I guess) how it was "supposed" to look, although he still had some corrections to make. Mostly we were using a part of the blade that was a little too far back, rather than just the few inches at the top of the bo.
After, we practiced the 31 jo kata. I like that kata. I need to learn it on my own through YouTube, I suppose, because I'd like to be able to practice the entire kata on my own. Right now I know the first six moves. It doesn't sound like much, and it certainly doesn't seem like much, but it is a start. And we all have to start somewhere.
Our "regular" instructor taught a wonderful class today. Yes, it was very basic. We reviewed a few of the suburi for bo and some for jo, and saw the connection between the two. Nice. We also practiced the two (three and four, I think) suburi as partner practice. They go together nicely with one as uke and the other as nage. Uke would strike three times, nage would block and end with a wrist cut. My partner and I were going all the way back and fourth on the mat, so each would get in five or six cuts before we had to stop. At first we were just going through the two suburi, then we held ourselves to the three strikes and the one cut before we changed roles. Sensei had the two of us show the rest of the class (I guess) how it was "supposed" to look, although he still had some corrections to make. Mostly we were using a part of the blade that was a little too far back, rather than just the few inches at the top of the bo.
After, we practiced the 31 jo kata. I like that kata. I need to learn it on my own through YouTube, I suppose, because I'd like to be able to practice the entire kata on my own. Right now I know the first six moves. It doesn't sound like much, and it certainly doesn't seem like much, but it is a start. And we all have to start somewhere.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Break Falls
I am not a fan of break falls. I first learned to do them about 35 years ago, when I studied Tomiki Aikido. We learned them from kote gaeshi. It's been about that many years since I've done them. Going into last night's class, I was in no way expecting that we were going to focus on techniques that required a break fall.
I missed Tuesday's class, because I spent the day working out in our yard. I cut the grass, and finished the small retaining wall in the back yard. Silly, I know; it was only eight blocks that sat just above, and a few inches behind, the other eight blocks I'd laid about two weeks ago. Since that time we've had some very warm, humid weather, and enough rain that our basement had seeping water more than once. I'd drenched myself in sweat throughout the morning, and my hands hurt from carrying and placing the blocks. Arthritis is not fun. My recommendation is not to get old. I did, however, end the day with a feeling of accomplishment, since my wife had been asking me to take care of the wall. I did not like looking at the extra long grass in the yard. Still, when 7:30 came, and I was sitting on the sofa, I had that awful feeling I get when I am not in class. If you think about Martin Sheen's opening dialogue in "Apocalypse Now" where he explains that not being in the bush means that Charlie is getting stronger while he is getting weaker, you'll get the idea.
Last night I was determined to go. And I did. We would work on a technique using regular ukemi, then ramp up the technique so that uke had to do a break fall. We did shiho-nage first. My take away from it was that during a "normal" (and I use that word advisedly) shiho-nage, I would do a back fall or back roll. Last night nage cranked uke's arm out to the side a bit after the irimi step so that a break fall was the only way to go. As uke, I really had to work hard to position myself so that I could face nage just as I was going into the break fall. It was the turn that gave me a bit of trouble. With nage so close to me, it was difficult to get my elbow over nage's shoulder, and make the turn to face him so that I could fall the proper way. What I noted was that once I did the first break fall, I had little trouble going into the others.
We also worked on two different versions of koshi nage that were almost exactly like the Yamada sensei video I posted on my last entry. We did the technique to both sides.
On both techniques I was honestly okay with doing break falls. My only hesitation was on the first fall. Once I got that one under by belt, I was okay with doing the rest of them. And there were plenty more to do.
Unfortunately, on one of my koshi nage break falls, something happened. I don't know if I did something wrong, or my nage did something different that caused me to do something wrong. Whatever it was, I landed flat on my back. I felt my neck snap back like I was in a rear-end collision in my car. I felt the back of my head bounce off the mat, then I felt a spasm of some sort start at my neck muscles on the left, and travel down my right arm to my elbow. Ouch.
I stood off to the side for about a minute to let the feeling pass. Once it did I got back on the mat and took another break fall or two just to get back "on the horse." Luckily I could feel that I'd be sore today, but that my injury was not serious.
Today my neck is sore on the left side, but otherwise I'm good.
I missed Tuesday's class, because I spent the day working out in our yard. I cut the grass, and finished the small retaining wall in the back yard. Silly, I know; it was only eight blocks that sat just above, and a few inches behind, the other eight blocks I'd laid about two weeks ago. Since that time we've had some very warm, humid weather, and enough rain that our basement had seeping water more than once. I'd drenched myself in sweat throughout the morning, and my hands hurt from carrying and placing the blocks. Arthritis is not fun. My recommendation is not to get old. I did, however, end the day with a feeling of accomplishment, since my wife had been asking me to take care of the wall. I did not like looking at the extra long grass in the yard. Still, when 7:30 came, and I was sitting on the sofa, I had that awful feeling I get when I am not in class. If you think about Martin Sheen's opening dialogue in "Apocalypse Now" where he explains that not being in the bush means that Charlie is getting stronger while he is getting weaker, you'll get the idea.
Last night I was determined to go. And I did. We would work on a technique using regular ukemi, then ramp up the technique so that uke had to do a break fall. We did shiho-nage first. My take away from it was that during a "normal" (and I use that word advisedly) shiho-nage, I would do a back fall or back roll. Last night nage cranked uke's arm out to the side a bit after the irimi step so that a break fall was the only way to go. As uke, I really had to work hard to position myself so that I could face nage just as I was going into the break fall. It was the turn that gave me a bit of trouble. With nage so close to me, it was difficult to get my elbow over nage's shoulder, and make the turn to face him so that I could fall the proper way. What I noted was that once I did the first break fall, I had little trouble going into the others.
We also worked on two different versions of koshi nage that were almost exactly like the Yamada sensei video I posted on my last entry. We did the technique to both sides.
On both techniques I was honestly okay with doing break falls. My only hesitation was on the first fall. Once I got that one under by belt, I was okay with doing the rest of them. And there were plenty more to do.
Unfortunately, on one of my koshi nage break falls, something happened. I don't know if I did something wrong, or my nage did something different that caused me to do something wrong. Whatever it was, I landed flat on my back. I felt my neck snap back like I was in a rear-end collision in my car. I felt the back of my head bounce off the mat, then I felt a spasm of some sort start at my neck muscles on the left, and travel down my right arm to my elbow. Ouch.
I stood off to the side for about a minute to let the feeling pass. Once it did I got back on the mat and took another break fall or two just to get back "on the horse." Luckily I could feel that I'd be sore today, but that my injury was not serious.
Today my neck is sore on the left side, but otherwise I'm good.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Saturday
Okay, I'll admit: I didn't stick around for the weapons class afterward, but the one-hour open hand class was terrific.
One thing I have learned is not to show up too early on Saturday. On this particular Saturday I showed up at 9:45 for a 10:00 class. Bad form, one might say, as that's too late to help move the tables and set up the mats. The dojo belongs to all of us, and we all need to help with its maintenance.
The chief instructor showed up at 9:55. He was the only one with the key. What's the point of showing up at the dojo early just to wait around 20 minutes to get it? It's not like occasionally someone shows up early with a key, and we all get in by 9:15 to start setting up. No. Never. At best, early means 9:30, but that only happens in the winter.
Doesn't matter, though. We spent an hour practicing a variety of techniques from ryotatori (two hands grab two wrists). It was fun. I had fun, I had good endurance, and my techniques were working smoothly and effectively. It doesn't get too much better than that for me.
One thing I have learned is not to show up too early on Saturday. On this particular Saturday I showed up at 9:45 for a 10:00 class. Bad form, one might say, as that's too late to help move the tables and set up the mats. The dojo belongs to all of us, and we all need to help with its maintenance.
The chief instructor showed up at 9:55. He was the only one with the key. What's the point of showing up at the dojo early just to wait around 20 minutes to get it? It's not like occasionally someone shows up early with a key, and we all get in by 9:15 to start setting up. No. Never. At best, early means 9:30, but that only happens in the winter.
Doesn't matter, though. We spent an hour practicing a variety of techniques from ryotatori (two hands grab two wrists). It was fun. I had fun, I had good endurance, and my techniques were working smoothly and effectively. It doesn't get too much better than that for me.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Running Out of Air
Maybe it was the fact that I skipped class on Tuesday. Maybe it was the heat in the dojo last night. Maybe it's because I'm getting old, but there was one point in class where I really ran out of gas.
I had a plumbing problem on Tuesday that took much of the day. By the time I had things under control, I was too tired to make it to class. I hate not going to class. I was exhausted the other night, but my imaginary class ran through my head the way it always does on Tuesdays, or Thursdays, or Saturdays when I'm not there. 7:30 rolls around, and it clicks in my head that everyone else is bowing in. Sometime around eight, I'll look at the clock and wonder what technique they're working on. 8:30? Ah, they must be bowing out, except that we're not bowing out until almost 9:00 these days. Oh, maybe that's it. Maybe class is going longer, so it's taking more out of me. That, and the heat, perhaps.
One really good thing about last night was that I had the opportunity to work with every body on the mat. I'm guessing that everybody else did the same. That meant about ten "gozaimas'ta"(s) with the bow at the end of class. But it also meant that I had the chance to work with beginners, intermediate students, and advance students - even though we are all "beginners" in Aikido.
The downside was that I had to work with one fifth kyu student who has this annoying habit of taking any technique that involves a throw, and turning it into a break fall opportunity. We were working on a type of koshinage from a ryotatori (two hands on two wrists). Our technique was sort of like this, except instead of using our hips to throw, we went down on one knee, and brought uke over our head in to a forward roll.
Whenever this guy did the technique to me, he kept holding on to my wrists and pulling them in towards him as I went down. The result of this meant that my shoulder was the first thing to hit the ground, as the rest of me flipped forward; almost a break fall. I don't mind break falls. As a matter of fact, I've gotten much better at them, but I still don't like doing them. I also worked with this same guy on a different technique that involved a similar type of throw, and he did the same thing to me on that one, too. Instead of letting go of my leading arm so I could go easily into a roll, he held on to it, and actually pulled up on it, which increased my rolling momentum, putting me into a break fall. Ah, well, I'll try to work around him the next class or two. Or I could just work with him on techniques that don't involve throws.
I also discovered that if I wait more towards the end of class to work with our class' shodan, it works better for me. By the last half of class, he's tired. He has a medical issue which limits his endurance. Now that I've discovered that, it's easier to work with him later on. This guy knows his techniques from the Ueshiba Schools of Aikido, and to say that he is wicked is an understatement. I don't know if everyone from that style is as intense has he is, but he is certainly a force to be reckoned with.
So despite my lack of "wind," it was a good class. It was sweaty and intense, but the mood through class was good. Everybody worked up to their potential (it seemed with me, anyway), and I felt that I made some improvements along the way.
Earlier yesterday, I met the girl who will be my student teacher for the fall. I like her. I don't know how well she teaches yet, but that's the point, I think. It reminds me of Aikido. We practice again and again, and eventually we begin to see little improvements. When we start to add up all the little improvements, we realize how far we've come along the path.
Hiya Meshi o Michi
- Uruwashii
I had a plumbing problem on Tuesday that took much of the day. By the time I had things under control, I was too tired to make it to class. I hate not going to class. I was exhausted the other night, but my imaginary class ran through my head the way it always does on Tuesdays, or Thursdays, or Saturdays when I'm not there. 7:30 rolls around, and it clicks in my head that everyone else is bowing in. Sometime around eight, I'll look at the clock and wonder what technique they're working on. 8:30? Ah, they must be bowing out, except that we're not bowing out until almost 9:00 these days. Oh, maybe that's it. Maybe class is going longer, so it's taking more out of me. That, and the heat, perhaps.
One really good thing about last night was that I had the opportunity to work with every body on the mat. I'm guessing that everybody else did the same. That meant about ten "gozaimas'ta"(s) with the bow at the end of class. But it also meant that I had the chance to work with beginners, intermediate students, and advance students - even though we are all "beginners" in Aikido.
The downside was that I had to work with one fifth kyu student who has this annoying habit of taking any technique that involves a throw, and turning it into a break fall opportunity. We were working on a type of koshinage from a ryotatori (two hands on two wrists). Our technique was sort of like this, except instead of using our hips to throw, we went down on one knee, and brought uke over our head in to a forward roll.
Whenever this guy did the technique to me, he kept holding on to my wrists and pulling them in towards him as I went down. The result of this meant that my shoulder was the first thing to hit the ground, as the rest of me flipped forward; almost a break fall. I don't mind break falls. As a matter of fact, I've gotten much better at them, but I still don't like doing them. I also worked with this same guy on a different technique that involved a similar type of throw, and he did the same thing to me on that one, too. Instead of letting go of my leading arm so I could go easily into a roll, he held on to it, and actually pulled up on it, which increased my rolling momentum, putting me into a break fall. Ah, well, I'll try to work around him the next class or two. Or I could just work with him on techniques that don't involve throws.
I also discovered that if I wait more towards the end of class to work with our class' shodan, it works better for me. By the last half of class, he's tired. He has a medical issue which limits his endurance. Now that I've discovered that, it's easier to work with him later on. This guy knows his techniques from the Ueshiba Schools of Aikido, and to say that he is wicked is an understatement. I don't know if everyone from that style is as intense has he is, but he is certainly a force to be reckoned with.
So despite my lack of "wind," it was a good class. It was sweaty and intense, but the mood through class was good. Everybody worked up to their potential (it seemed with me, anyway), and I felt that I made some improvements along the way.
Earlier yesterday, I met the girl who will be my student teacher for the fall. I like her. I don't know how well she teaches yet, but that's the point, I think. It reminds me of Aikido. We practice again and again, and eventually we begin to see little improvements. When we start to add up all the little improvements, we realize how far we've come along the path.
Hiya Meshi o Michi
- Uruwashii
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Another New Guy and an Old Guy
I've been a member of my current dojo since October 2008, although I cannot believe it has been that long. If I'm not mistaken, and at my age I probably am, this is the longest continuous period of time that I've studied Aikido. I studied Tomiki Aikido in high school for about this long, but perhaps not. While in college I studied at a dojo affiliated with the American Aikido Association dojo in Chicago run by Toyodo Sensei prior to his untimely death from an infection. That lasted about as long as this, but again, perhaps not.
Ours is a small dojo. I believe there were three regular members prior to my joining in 2008. The sign in sheet lists many names, but again, only three showed up regularly - and that included the instructor. There were many days when, according to the people who were there, that there were only two people at a practice: The instructor, and one student.
From what I am told, the dojo began to grown about the same time I joined. Around the same time I joined the dojo, a 1st kyu also joined. We are on our second person who has joined the military, mostly as a result of unemployment. The sign in sheet lists everyone who has ever joined the dojo since its inception in 2002. Many people came, they practiced, they disappeared. Right now we have - more or less - 12 regular member who may practice at any one time. It can become a very crowded mat. These 12 are split nearly evenly with six members being those who have returned after absences, and another six, including me, who are new since '08. Most of the "new" six are new members as of this year.
Today was a perfect example of the blend of old and new. Our chief instructor led the class. He is a fourth dan from the Midwest Aikido Center in Chicago. Our three brown belts included one person who was original from '02, another from '08 (around my time), and another who just joined last week. Today's blue belts included me (from '08), and a fourth kyu who is joining us from Cincinnati. There was also a fifth kyu from the dojo's early days, and two more fifth kyu students who joined last year as beginners.
It was a terrific class today. All open hand techniques. Practice was fairly intense, but not so much that I'll feel exhausted all day. Sensei used me as uke for one set of techniques. I really like it when I get the opportunity to work with Sensei during demonstrations. I work as hard as I can to stay relaxed and be a good uke, so that Sensei's demonstration is good. At one point during this particular demonstration that I attacked him "tanto, shomen-uchi." He did a kokyu-nage where he has my knife hand (left for example, in his left hand), with my left side to his right side (we are facing the same direction), while his right hand comes up under my chin and puts me into a back ukemi roll. As I go down, he keeps hold of my hand, still holding the tanto (knife). He turns me over, a la kote gaishi pin and takes the knife away.
Once while he had me pinned, he showed the class how Doshu would do the pin. Doshu would make uke drop the knife, then, as Doshu went down on his knees to finish the pin, one of his feet would kick the knife (tanto) so it would go spinning away from uke. It was so cool, that I had to turn my head - a move that is completely not good form - so that I could look at him and watch him kick the knife away. Sometimes you have to use bad form just to see what's going on. It hurts more, but it is really worth it.
Ours is a small dojo. I believe there were three regular members prior to my joining in 2008. The sign in sheet lists many names, but again, only three showed up regularly - and that included the instructor. There were many days when, according to the people who were there, that there were only two people at a practice: The instructor, and one student.
From what I am told, the dojo began to grown about the same time I joined. Around the same time I joined the dojo, a 1st kyu also joined. We are on our second person who has joined the military, mostly as a result of unemployment. The sign in sheet lists everyone who has ever joined the dojo since its inception in 2002. Many people came, they practiced, they disappeared. Right now we have - more or less - 12 regular member who may practice at any one time. It can become a very crowded mat. These 12 are split nearly evenly with six members being those who have returned after absences, and another six, including me, who are new since '08. Most of the "new" six are new members as of this year.
Today was a perfect example of the blend of old and new. Our chief instructor led the class. He is a fourth dan from the Midwest Aikido Center in Chicago. Our three brown belts included one person who was original from '02, another from '08 (around my time), and another who just joined last week. Today's blue belts included me (from '08), and a fourth kyu who is joining us from Cincinnati. There was also a fifth kyu from the dojo's early days, and two more fifth kyu students who joined last year as beginners.
It was a terrific class today. All open hand techniques. Practice was fairly intense, but not so much that I'll feel exhausted all day. Sensei used me as uke for one set of techniques. I really like it when I get the opportunity to work with Sensei during demonstrations. I work as hard as I can to stay relaxed and be a good uke, so that Sensei's demonstration is good. At one point during this particular demonstration that I attacked him "tanto, shomen-uchi." He did a kokyu-nage where he has my knife hand (left for example, in his left hand), with my left side to his right side (we are facing the same direction), while his right hand comes up under my chin and puts me into a back ukemi roll. As I go down, he keeps hold of my hand, still holding the tanto (knife). He turns me over, a la kote gaishi pin and takes the knife away.
Once while he had me pinned, he showed the class how Doshu would do the pin. Doshu would make uke drop the knife, then, as Doshu went down on his knees to finish the pin, one of his feet would kick the knife (tanto) so it would go spinning away from uke. It was so cool, that I had to turn my head - a move that is completely not good form - so that I could look at him and watch him kick the knife away. Sometimes you have to use bad form just to see what's going on. It hurts more, but it is really worth it.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
I Wanna Go Again
Let's just begin by saying, yes, there is air conditioning in the building that houses our dojo. Let me follow that up by saying, no, it's not strong enough to keep us all from sweating. Profusely. Last night was one perfect example of how one person's sweat can double, or even triple, the weight of a gi jacket.
Not only was I sweating, but I was also a bit nauseated. First, I ate a pre-marinated, lemon-pepper flavored pork loin, and I don't think it agreed with me. At all. I ate it on Monday, and my body was still doing things that would have embarrassed me to no end on Tuesday evening. At 6:30 I was still having doubts about going. So I forced myself to go, and I told myself I was going to enjoy it.
Between the heat and the awful rumbling in my gut, I was working hard just to get through the entire workout. Add on to that the intensity of last night's class, and I was nearly ready to call it quits.
Now I feel that I'm in pretty good shape. I can get through a pretty intense practice, and, while breathing hard during some of it, I usually don't have to tell my practice partner to slow down or give me a moment to catch my breath. Last night I felt like an old man.
We had a new person try out a free class last night to see if he wanted to join. He lives south of the border, but, as he related in a recent conversation he had, it makes a whole lot more sense to drive north to our dojo, than drive 50 miles south to the "big city" to attend the Midwest Aikido Center. And oh, by the way, there is no parking at the MAC, so drive around a bunch and see if you get lucky.
So the guy looked to be older than me (51); maybe close to 60. He looked like a middle distance runner: very lean, little body fat to speak of, but with a solid amount of muscle. In other words, he's everything I am not. He's also an ikkyu, but wore his white belt. He and I practiced an entering move from a shomen-uchi that led into a kote-gaeshi. He was very good with terrific endurance. I moved well last night - quick and light - but my endurance suffered due to my stomach trouble. It was nice working with him because we could both practice quickly and with solid ki. He put the hurt on me more than I few times, and I think I did the same for him. In other words, I think we were doing exactly what we were supposed to be doing.
After we switched partners, though, I saw him working with a couple of the "younger" guys - both fourth kyu students. They were working with this same guy and everybody was doing break falls and there was a lot of mat slamming going on. Geez, I can't keep up with that on my best day. I suppose if I'd been doing this without my 30-year hiatus, I could do that, too. But since I've only picked this up again less than two years ago, and since I have been "blessed" with arthritis and a few other "issues" that make intense practice really painful, I have to pull back a bit. Maybe I am only practicing at 75%. Maybe 75% is wishful thinking and I'm working at a far lower level. Maybe I'm working at a higher level. I am not a good judge of myself. I don't know, but when I practice, I give it whatever it is that I have on that day. That's all I can do.
But after yesterday's class, and unlike the typical feeling that I need a day's recovery between classes, I would love to go back to the dojo again today. Too bad there isn't a class to attend. I am already looking forward to tomorrow's class.
Not only was I sweating, but I was also a bit nauseated. First, I ate a pre-marinated, lemon-pepper flavored pork loin, and I don't think it agreed with me. At all. I ate it on Monday, and my body was still doing things that would have embarrassed me to no end on Tuesday evening. At 6:30 I was still having doubts about going. So I forced myself to go, and I told myself I was going to enjoy it.
Between the heat and the awful rumbling in my gut, I was working hard just to get through the entire workout. Add on to that the intensity of last night's class, and I was nearly ready to call it quits.
Now I feel that I'm in pretty good shape. I can get through a pretty intense practice, and, while breathing hard during some of it, I usually don't have to tell my practice partner to slow down or give me a moment to catch my breath. Last night I felt like an old man.
We had a new person try out a free class last night to see if he wanted to join. He lives south of the border, but, as he related in a recent conversation he had, it makes a whole lot more sense to drive north to our dojo, than drive 50 miles south to the "big city" to attend the Midwest Aikido Center. And oh, by the way, there is no parking at the MAC, so drive around a bunch and see if you get lucky.
So the guy looked to be older than me (51); maybe close to 60. He looked like a middle distance runner: very lean, little body fat to speak of, but with a solid amount of muscle. In other words, he's everything I am not. He's also an ikkyu, but wore his white belt. He and I practiced an entering move from a shomen-uchi that led into a kote-gaeshi. He was very good with terrific endurance. I moved well last night - quick and light - but my endurance suffered due to my stomach trouble. It was nice working with him because we could both practice quickly and with solid ki. He put the hurt on me more than I few times, and I think I did the same for him. In other words, I think we were doing exactly what we were supposed to be doing.
After we switched partners, though, I saw him working with a couple of the "younger" guys - both fourth kyu students. They were working with this same guy and everybody was doing break falls and there was a lot of mat slamming going on. Geez, I can't keep up with that on my best day. I suppose if I'd been doing this without my 30-year hiatus, I could do that, too. But since I've only picked this up again less than two years ago, and since I have been "blessed" with arthritis and a few other "issues" that make intense practice really painful, I have to pull back a bit. Maybe I am only practicing at 75%. Maybe 75% is wishful thinking and I'm working at a far lower level. Maybe I'm working at a higher level. I am not a good judge of myself. I don't know, but when I practice, I give it whatever it is that I have on that day. That's all I can do.
But after yesterday's class, and unlike the typical feeling that I need a day's recovery between classes, I would love to go back to the dojo again today. Too bad there isn't a class to attend. I am already looking forward to tomorrow's class.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Sensei is Cryptic or I am Dense
As I wrote in my last entry, we practiced the 31 Jo Kata at our last class. I had a blast, but it was very challenging for me. I was tired, and I'd never done a jo kata before. A few days later, sensei sent out an email with an attachment from "Fudebukado: The Way of the Exploding Pen." Look it up if you want. Find the "gallery" and look for the 31 jo kata. It's really very funny, and is very much how I am performing the kata at this point. "Sod it. Bow."
I replied to thanked him for the link, as I thought it was pretty funny. I seem to remember seeing it before, but now the cartoon had new meaning, as I could make a "text to self" connection.
He, in turn, replied again to me with the following:
"At your convenience, let's talk about how to align body and mind along the path.
You are a Yudansha .."
I left the line break in, as I thought it was important. The thing is, I am not presently a Yudansha. Rather, I am a Yukyusha - 3rd kyu since March.
I am not sure what he means by this note. Does he think I am improving on a regularly enough basis that one day he is sure I will be a Yudansha? I doubt that he thinks I am ready now, as I leave the dojo frustrated by my technical ability more often than not, yet he writes, "You are a Yudansha." "Are" being the word that creates the most confusion here.
I wish sensei were a little less cryptic. I'd like to know what he means by this, yet I know it would be bad form for me to ask outright. I would not want for either of us to lose face by my clumsy inquiries.
Sod it.
Bow.
I replied to thanked him for the link, as I thought it was pretty funny. I seem to remember seeing it before, but now the cartoon had new meaning, as I could make a "text to self" connection.
He, in turn, replied again to me with the following:
"At your convenience, let's talk about how to align body and mind along the path.
You are a Yudansha .."
I left the line break in, as I thought it was important. The thing is, I am not presently a Yudansha. Rather, I am a Yukyusha - 3rd kyu since March.
I am not sure what he means by this note. Does he think I am improving on a regularly enough basis that one day he is sure I will be a Yudansha? I doubt that he thinks I am ready now, as I leave the dojo frustrated by my technical ability more often than not, yet he writes, "You are a Yudansha." "Are" being the word that creates the most confusion here.
I wish sensei were a little less cryptic. I'd like to know what he means by this, yet I know it would be bad form for me to ask outright. I would not want for either of us to lose face by my clumsy inquiries.
Sod it.
Bow.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Riding 50 Miles
Back in an earlier life I used to ride my bicycle to the tune of about 2,500 miles each year from March through November. A lot of those miles were racked up while on group rides. I admittedly wimped out during the winter. There were many guys who went out in the coldest weather in January, but not me. There was something about riding for hours with snot frozen to my upper lip, my lower lip, my chin, and the front of my jersey that just didn't appeal to me. I also didn't like the idea of freezing my fingers and toes off. When the weather turned cold, I stayed inside, firmly planted to the sofa. I had all the equipment to ride inside, but for me that was about as exciting as cleaning frozen snot off my face.
When we did ride, though, we rode fast. Our rides almost always followed the same 50-mile out-and-back route. By mid summer we'd be up to about a 22 mph average, with sprints reaching up towards 40 mph. The only way I could keep up is by sitting in on the back. Once in a while I'd get into the middle of the pack. I was pretty good at riding shoulder-to-shoulder and wheel-to-wheel, but I've fallen a few time and got some pretty nasty scars on my knees and elbows, I've been hit by a car, and I wiped out once and broke my collar bone. That last one was in 1999. I put the bike away, began my Master's in education, and never looked back. I think back about where I'd be now if I'd started Aikido again back in 1996 rather than getting on the bike. Even so, I'd only have been able to play for three years at the most before I would have had to quit when I returned to school.
The point is that I'm happy that I did things the way I did. I rode in several century rides (100 miles in a single day) - something I never thought I'd do before deciding I'd do it. Getting my Master's allowed me to teach. Teaching means that I haven't "worked" a single day since I started in September 2001 - that's how much I love teaching. Are there frustrations? Of course. But there are challenges in any profession, and if someone can't deal with a few minor challenges, then they have no business being a teacher, or having anything to do with children.
I have my lovely wife. I have my amazing children. I stood by my eldest daughter's side while she studied Tae Kwan Do on Tuesdays and Thursdays, even though I knew there was an Aikido dojo practicing on the same evenings, and there was no way I could do both. When my daughter decided to quit, that was my chance to play Aikido one more time. Now I've been back for about one and one half years, and I'm having fun, and I'm getting better. I'm really starting to get better at Aikido.
The point here is that today we had a two hour weapons class. We worked on happo giri (sic?) hapo giri?; we worked a technique that we did with weapons and open had alternately; and one small part of the 31 jo kata. We worked about six or seven steps with a partner, then ran the whole kata several times by following sensei as he did the entire 31 steps. I don't remember much of what we did any more, but it was fun and I am exhausted. How exhausted? About as exhausted as a 50-mile ride with my group would leave me. And not once did I break a bone or get hit by a car.
When we did ride, though, we rode fast. Our rides almost always followed the same 50-mile out-and-back route. By mid summer we'd be up to about a 22 mph average, with sprints reaching up towards 40 mph. The only way I could keep up is by sitting in on the back. Once in a while I'd get into the middle of the pack. I was pretty good at riding shoulder-to-shoulder and wheel-to-wheel, but I've fallen a few time and got some pretty nasty scars on my knees and elbows, I've been hit by a car, and I wiped out once and broke my collar bone. That last one was in 1999. I put the bike away, began my Master's in education, and never looked back. I think back about where I'd be now if I'd started Aikido again back in 1996 rather than getting on the bike. Even so, I'd only have been able to play for three years at the most before I would have had to quit when I returned to school.
The point is that I'm happy that I did things the way I did. I rode in several century rides (100 miles in a single day) - something I never thought I'd do before deciding I'd do it. Getting my Master's allowed me to teach. Teaching means that I haven't "worked" a single day since I started in September 2001 - that's how much I love teaching. Are there frustrations? Of course. But there are challenges in any profession, and if someone can't deal with a few minor challenges, then they have no business being a teacher, or having anything to do with children.
I have my lovely wife. I have my amazing children. I stood by my eldest daughter's side while she studied Tae Kwan Do on Tuesdays and Thursdays, even though I knew there was an Aikido dojo practicing on the same evenings, and there was no way I could do both. When my daughter decided to quit, that was my chance to play Aikido one more time. Now I've been back for about one and one half years, and I'm having fun, and I'm getting better. I'm really starting to get better at Aikido.
The point here is that today we had a two hour weapons class. We worked on happo giri (sic?) hapo giri?; we worked a technique that we did with weapons and open had alternately; and one small part of the 31 jo kata. We worked about six or seven steps with a partner, then ran the whole kata several times by following sensei as he did the entire 31 steps. I don't remember much of what we did any more, but it was fun and I am exhausted. How exhausted? About as exhausted as a 50-mile ride with my group would leave me. And not once did I break a bone or get hit by a car.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Moving from My Center
I'm moving very slowly this morning. Last night's class was very long and very intense. Is it because it's summer and sensei wants to take more time? Is this the way it's going to be from now on? I wish I could answer those questions. We had close to a 90 minute class last night, which, during the summer is not a problem, but will be once school is in session again. The time that class normally ends came and went, and we were still working out.
There were seven or eight students last night, and I worked with each of them at least once. One sempai commented that I was really moving from my center, so my techniques were more effective. I was working with this same second kyu on one technique where we were breaking a katate tori (wrist hold) three different ways, then quickly stepping into an irimi nage position. We did not do the irimi nage, but simply moved into position where we would begin the technique. This is when he said what he did.
In our next technique, we took one of the katate tori breaks, and used it to follow through with the entire irimi nage. I worked with a shodan who comes to us from another style. He is very centered, and despite his demeanor, can really "put the hurt on." Every time he threw me he just about twisted my head right off. I tried to turn my head the way I've been taught, but his technique forces my head the opposite way, so I'm looking in the absolute wrong way. When he throws someone, it really hurts. I'm getting used to it, but I am not a fan of being his uke.
At the end of class, we - and I can't remember the Japanese/Aikido term, as my brain is still pretty empty from last night - broke into partners and uke did shomen uchi five times and nage would go through five different techniques. It's only now that I remembered that I could have done kaiten nage. It was on my test - eight different ways, no less - but I completely forgot about it last night. We haven't worked on that technique in months, but I have to keep all the techniques I know top of mind, so I can use them all in class.
My MIL would like to come to class one day to see what I do. I think a Saturday class would be best. I'm not getting home until 9:30 at night on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I think that's a bit late for her. On the other hand, Saturday classes are even longer than the weekday classes. Still, what's one Saturday out of one person's life? I think it will be fun.
There were seven or eight students last night, and I worked with each of them at least once. One sempai commented that I was really moving from my center, so my techniques were more effective. I was working with this same second kyu on one technique where we were breaking a katate tori (wrist hold) three different ways, then quickly stepping into an irimi nage position. We did not do the irimi nage, but simply moved into position where we would begin the technique. This is when he said what he did.
In our next technique, we took one of the katate tori breaks, and used it to follow through with the entire irimi nage. I worked with a shodan who comes to us from another style. He is very centered, and despite his demeanor, can really "put the hurt on." Every time he threw me he just about twisted my head right off. I tried to turn my head the way I've been taught, but his technique forces my head the opposite way, so I'm looking in the absolute wrong way. When he throws someone, it really hurts. I'm getting used to it, but I am not a fan of being his uke.
At the end of class, we - and I can't remember the Japanese/Aikido term, as my brain is still pretty empty from last night - broke into partners and uke did shomen uchi five times and nage would go through five different techniques. It's only now that I remembered that I could have done kaiten nage. It was on my test - eight different ways, no less - but I completely forgot about it last night. We haven't worked on that technique in months, but I have to keep all the techniques I know top of mind, so I can use them all in class.
My MIL would like to come to class one day to see what I do. I think a Saturday class would be best. I'm not getting home until 9:30 at night on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I think that's a bit late for her. On the other hand, Saturday classes are even longer than the weekday classes. Still, what's one Saturday out of one person's life? I think it will be fun.
Monday, June 28, 2010
The girls fell asleep very early last night, considering it's summer vacation. They were both completely out well before 8:00. MIL went to bed soon afterward, and I could hear here snoring from the hall. I feel sorry for the girls. They both complain about her snoring, but there's really nothing that can be done; we only have two bedrooms. We live in the epitome of the "not so big house."
I love my little house, but I do wish we had larger bedrooms. Even two feet in either direction would make a huge difference in our nighttime comfort. Hell, one foot. Out oldest complains that she want her own bedroom, but Lu and I both know that they'd still end up sleeping together every night. Our old house had four bedrooms on two floors, but this smaller house feels bigger.
But I digress. . . Now that my MIL is here, my wife has gone into overdrive. Normally she tries to stay very laid back, but once she's in the same room as her mother, she wants to do everything herself. I just try to stay out of the way. I also ask if there is anything I can do, but the answer is almost always 'no.' The last time MIL was here it was the same way. I'd try to be helpful, but Lu said she could take care of everything. Later I heard that MIL wondered why I never helped around the house. I could have started a huge argument, but I don't do conflict (hence the Aikido - fight by not fighting). I am afraid this year will be the same. One difference this year is that MIL is going only staying about half as long as before - about six weeks. I hope things go well. So far, so good, despite the bit about wanting to do everything herself.
MIL promised that she would get each of our girls a Nintendo DS. We bought the "Lite" version, since the more expensive versions had features I didn't think the girls needed. They picked them out today; Gaby got "World of Zoo" which doesn't seem challenging at all. Isadora got the (relatively) new "Alice in Wonderland" game, which, for a six-year-old, seems very challenging. I pause when my oldest daughter chooses to take the easy way out. I don't say anything, and I support and love her with all my heart. I just know she has a lot of growing up to do in that area. I'd like her to be more willing to take on a challenge. I do have hope, though. I see her sense of empathy growing solidly where I saw so little not long ago. I have hope - lots of hope. She's going to be okay, I know it. I have to learn more patience.
Anyway, they played their games for most of the afternoon. I didn't want to buy the games until Gaby returns from Girl Scout camp, but I was overruled by, well, everyone else. It's tough being the only man in the house.
I finally heard from my student teacher. Although 'finally' is not exactly right, since I wasn't expecting to meet her until the first day of school. We'd both like to meet, but she says she works every weekday and plays in some softball league on the weekends. She was willing to take a day off work to meet me, but I don't want to make her miss a day's pay just to see me and talk. We're going to have to work something else out.
I love my little house, but I do wish we had larger bedrooms. Even two feet in either direction would make a huge difference in our nighttime comfort. Hell, one foot. Out oldest complains that she want her own bedroom, but Lu and I both know that they'd still end up sleeping together every night. Our old house had four bedrooms on two floors, but this smaller house feels bigger.
But I digress. . . Now that my MIL is here, my wife has gone into overdrive. Normally she tries to stay very laid back, but once she's in the same room as her mother, she wants to do everything herself. I just try to stay out of the way. I also ask if there is anything I can do, but the answer is almost always 'no.' The last time MIL was here it was the same way. I'd try to be helpful, but Lu said she could take care of everything. Later I heard that MIL wondered why I never helped around the house. I could have started a huge argument, but I don't do conflict (hence the Aikido - fight by not fighting). I am afraid this year will be the same. One difference this year is that MIL is going only staying about half as long as before - about six weeks. I hope things go well. So far, so good, despite the bit about wanting to do everything herself.
MIL promised that she would get each of our girls a Nintendo DS. We bought the "Lite" version, since the more expensive versions had features I didn't think the girls needed. They picked them out today; Gaby got "World of Zoo" which doesn't seem challenging at all. Isadora got the (relatively) new "Alice in Wonderland" game, which, for a six-year-old, seems very challenging. I pause when my oldest daughter chooses to take the easy way out. I don't say anything, and I support and love her with all my heart. I just know she has a lot of growing up to do in that area. I'd like her to be more willing to take on a challenge. I do have hope, though. I see her sense of empathy growing solidly where I saw so little not long ago. I have hope - lots of hope. She's going to be okay, I know it. I have to learn more patience.
Anyway, they played their games for most of the afternoon. I didn't want to buy the games until Gaby returns from Girl Scout camp, but I was overruled by, well, everyone else. It's tough being the only man in the house.
I finally heard from my student teacher. Although 'finally' is not exactly right, since I wasn't expecting to meet her until the first day of school. We'd both like to meet, but she says she works every weekday and plays in some softball league on the weekends. She was willing to take a day off work to meet me, but I don't want to make her miss a day's pay just to see me and talk. We're going to have to work something else out.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Thursday and Saturday
Missed Tuesday - I admit I sort of wimped out. I had a slight headache that used for an excuse not to go, then I felt terrible because at about 8:30 I remembered one of our members tested on Tuesday. She's headed to Switzerland to teach English for the second time in as many summers that I know of. She took her fifth kyu test, and I am told she did very well. So she goes to Europe as a yellow belt.
Thursday came around, and I was determined to go. Our regular sensei taught class. We worked on some advanced techniques, since there are no tests in the near future. I felt good about being there, but I was less successful with the techniques. One technique started similar to a shiho-nage, but then there was another irimi step, and then we were supposed to pull uke through so that we were both facing the same direction and nage would pull uke backwards and down into a fall. I was not so good on that one, as it felt much more natural for me to pull the uke backwards to the incorrect side - when I should have pulled uke through on my left, it felt much more natural for me to pull my uke to the right. I fixed the issue, but then I felt like I was tripping over myself.
Saturday's are different. Each Saturday I promise myself I'll leave later than the Saturday before, and each Saturday I get there way too early. We got into the dojo late, because no one had the key. Today we had two hours of weapons, rather than one hour of weapons and one hour of open hand - or vise versa, depending on who is teaching.
At one point during class we talked about adding the naginata to our weapons regime. Some thought is was a good idea, other thought not because it was a "woman's weapon." I mentioned that in ancient paintings of samurai, they were shown on the battlefield with katana and naginata. Besides, I said, when it's time for the coming zombie apocalypse, I'd like to know how to handle a naginata. I love my katana (so okay, it's a bokken), but I'd like to be able to use both effectively.
Thursday came around, and I was determined to go. Our regular sensei taught class. We worked on some advanced techniques, since there are no tests in the near future. I felt good about being there, but I was less successful with the techniques. One technique started similar to a shiho-nage, but then there was another irimi step, and then we were supposed to pull uke through so that we were both facing the same direction and nage would pull uke backwards and down into a fall. I was not so good on that one, as it felt much more natural for me to pull the uke backwards to the incorrect side - when I should have pulled uke through on my left, it felt much more natural for me to pull my uke to the right. I fixed the issue, but then I felt like I was tripping over myself.
Saturday's are different. Each Saturday I promise myself I'll leave later than the Saturday before, and each Saturday I get there way too early. We got into the dojo late, because no one had the key. Today we had two hours of weapons, rather than one hour of weapons and one hour of open hand - or vise versa, depending on who is teaching.
At one point during class we talked about adding the naginata to our weapons regime. Some thought is was a good idea, other thought not because it was a "woman's weapon." I mentioned that in ancient paintings of samurai, they were shown on the battlefield with katana and naginata. Besides, I said, when it's time for the coming zombie apocalypse, I'd like to know how to handle a naginata. I love my katana (so okay, it's a bokken), but I'd like to be able to use both effectively.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
My Day
My darling daughters helped me celebrate Father's Day. They wrote personal cards, mostly, "I love you, Daddy." These are priceless to me. I have a bulletin board behind my desk at school that is filled with notes from my daughters and my students. Both are constant reminders of how I am loved.
Money can't buy this kind of feeling.
My wife made me feel wonderful just because she always makes me feel wonderful.
Money can't buy this kind of feeling.
My wife made me feel wonderful just because she always makes me feel wonderful.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Farmer's Tan
Our Aikido dojo has classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. We work out in the common room of a Baptist church. Today there was an unexpected meeting of some sort of disaster relief group in that same common room. We didn't ask, so I don't know what disaster they were trying to relieve.
My daughters decided to come with me to the dojo today, and we got there a little early. When we arrived, I met a woman and a man coming out of the building wearing bright yellow t-shirts. She asked if I was with the Aikido group. I said I was, and she proceeded to tell me the story about the room. My daughters and I sat on the bench just outside the door and waited for some of the others to show up. Little by little they did. It was very close to ten A.M. when we finally had a quorum. Call it "quits," or have class outside? We had class outside.
It was a bright, sunny day today in southeastern Wisconsin. It was also hot. It's still hot. Class was two hours, the senior student who often teaches weapons class used me for technique demonstration for the first hour, so I was moving non-stop. I'd help demonstrate, then practice with a junior student; demonstrate, practice, demonstrate, practice. I am tired.
Gabriella, my oldest, sat in on the class for a while. She used my wooden sword (bokken, or bo), as well as my jo staff. I never got a chance to work with her, but a few of the beginning student did, and they told her she did a great job. The day's instructor also worked with her, and had equally good things to say. She wants to join the dojo when she becomes 16. If she's still interested at that time, I'll have her join. It will be a great father-daughter thing for us to do.
My feet also hurt. I wore a pair of athletic shoes, but no socks, since I thought I'd be taking them off when I changed into my gi. Due to our outside practice, I wore my shoes for most of the two hours we were outside. This was a huge mistake, as the shoes rubbed my toes and my ankles. I took off my shoes for about the last half-hour of class, but it was too late. Now I have some minor irritations on my feet and ankles.
After class I took my daughters and went to Sam's Club to buy frozen cod fillets; sore feet and all. My wife adores those, and we've been out for a while, so she's been craving these for some time now. She practically doesn't eat meat any more, so I wanted her to have something nice to eat.
I also cut the front lawn of our neighbors as they are out camping. I did this right after I came home from class, then I took another shower.
I got my Father's Day gift early. We went to Target and I bought one of those Tomtom GPS systems. I read some on-line reviews of this model after I brought it home (which is typical for me to do it afterwards), and as basic systems go, it received very good reviews. It normally sells for about $160, but was on sale for $94. After I applied my $25 Target gift card that I received from one of my students, the final price was $69. I thought that was a good deal.
It's not that I go so many places that I'm going to use it all the time, but we have to take Gabriella to Girl Scout camp in Delavin, Wisconsin. I have no idea where that is, so the GPS will come in handy. I also have to take a Supervision of Student Teachers class at a private university north of Milwaukee, and I don't know how to get there, either. So I think it was the right time to buy one.
Speaking of Father's Day gifts, both my daughters decided to "make" me some sort of gift. This was done this afternoon, and all done with a great deal of secrecy. It started when they found these small Christmas gift bags. I'm not sure how they came to be in our possession. They probably held gifts that I received from students either this year, or in the past. Now they both keep walking around the house carrying the bags with them. They keep telling me not to look inside, and that I'm going to love my gifts. I already love them.
My daughters decided to come with me to the dojo today, and we got there a little early. When we arrived, I met a woman and a man coming out of the building wearing bright yellow t-shirts. She asked if I was with the Aikido group. I said I was, and she proceeded to tell me the story about the room. My daughters and I sat on the bench just outside the door and waited for some of the others to show up. Little by little they did. It was very close to ten A.M. when we finally had a quorum. Call it "quits," or have class outside? We had class outside.
It was a bright, sunny day today in southeastern Wisconsin. It was also hot. It's still hot. Class was two hours, the senior student who often teaches weapons class used me for technique demonstration for the first hour, so I was moving non-stop. I'd help demonstrate, then practice with a junior student; demonstrate, practice, demonstrate, practice. I am tired.
Gabriella, my oldest, sat in on the class for a while. She used my wooden sword (bokken, or bo), as well as my jo staff. I never got a chance to work with her, but a few of the beginning student did, and they told her she did a great job. The day's instructor also worked with her, and had equally good things to say. She wants to join the dojo when she becomes 16. If she's still interested at that time, I'll have her join. It will be a great father-daughter thing for us to do.
My feet also hurt. I wore a pair of athletic shoes, but no socks, since I thought I'd be taking them off when I changed into my gi. Due to our outside practice, I wore my shoes for most of the two hours we were outside. This was a huge mistake, as the shoes rubbed my toes and my ankles. I took off my shoes for about the last half-hour of class, but it was too late. Now I have some minor irritations on my feet and ankles.
After class I took my daughters and went to Sam's Club to buy frozen cod fillets; sore feet and all. My wife adores those, and we've been out for a while, so she's been craving these for some time now. She practically doesn't eat meat any more, so I wanted her to have something nice to eat.
I also cut the front lawn of our neighbors as they are out camping. I did this right after I came home from class, then I took another shower.
I got my Father's Day gift early. We went to Target and I bought one of those Tomtom GPS systems. I read some on-line reviews of this model after I brought it home (which is typical for me to do it afterwards), and as basic systems go, it received very good reviews. It normally sells for about $160, but was on sale for $94. After I applied my $25 Target gift card that I received from one of my students, the final price was $69. I thought that was a good deal.
It's not that I go so many places that I'm going to use it all the time, but we have to take Gabriella to Girl Scout camp in Delavin, Wisconsin. I have no idea where that is, so the GPS will come in handy. I also have to take a Supervision of Student Teachers class at a private university north of Milwaukee, and I don't know how to get there, either. So I think it was the right time to buy one.
Speaking of Father's Day gifts, both my daughters decided to "make" me some sort of gift. This was done this afternoon, and all done with a great deal of secrecy. It started when they found these small Christmas gift bags. I'm not sure how they came to be in our possession. They probably held gifts that I received from students either this year, or in the past. Now they both keep walking around the house carrying the bags with them. They keep telling me not to look inside, and that I'm going to love my gifts. I already love them.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Heart and Home
I dwell in the past too much. My principal says that I am an extraordinarily thoughtful teacher. Sometimes thoughtfulness gets in the way of progress.
My life, my wife, my children. All are amazing. There is nothing to dwell on. There is only goodness and love. This morning my lovely wife brought me coffee in bed. She made an amazing dinner today. She puts up with me and my Aikido dojo. I still have over 10 weeks of vacation ahead of me.
I still need to learn some fundamentals of project based learning. I have two books by Tarry Lindquist, who seems to hit the benchmark when it comes to these practices. I just have to put it all together, with what little I have. Kind of like trying to build a car with only a handful of nuts and bolts.
My life, my wife, my children. All are amazing. There is nothing to dwell on. There is only goodness and love. This morning my lovely wife brought me coffee in bed. She made an amazing dinner today. She puts up with me and my Aikido dojo. I still have over 10 weeks of vacation ahead of me.
I still need to learn some fundamentals of project based learning. I have two books by Tarry Lindquist, who seems to hit the benchmark when it comes to these practices. I just have to put it all together, with what little I have. Kind of like trying to build a car with only a handful of nuts and bolts.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
I am Working on My Aiki Spirit
Last night's class was exhausting and exhilarating, and I was glad to be back on the mat. It was a crowded mat, too. There were probably 15 people plus instructor(s). I am still in awe that of all the people there, I was the third one to line up. Only our Nidan instructor, and shodan sometimes-instructor were ahead of me when we lined up. The three other people who would have lined up ahead of me were not in attendance last night.
We started out fairly easy with a ki exercise that worked into a gyaku-hanmi shihonage omote and ura. I worked with a college student (4th kyu) who had also missed quite a few classes over the last few weeks. We were both quickly out of breath, although I felt my endurance start to come back as the class went on. He and I worked together on the next technique, too, but we added another college student (newly belted 6th kyu Melissa) to our group. We took turns, but kept getting confused with our rotation. None of us is particularly adept at doing the three-person nage/uke rotation.
I also had the opportunity to work with a brand new member of our dojo. Normally new members are pretty lost most of the time. They don't know the etiquette, or the routines, and have trouble picking up the most basic of Aikido techniques (although Aikidoka know there is no such thing as a "basic" technique). Last night, however, was a very different story. Our new member is (was) a practitioner of Tai Chi. First of all, he had an amazing amount of power. His ki, or in his case chi, is already very well developed. Secondly, he picked up the technique very quickly. By the third time he practiced the four variations he was seriously taking my balance. On the ura, he was pulling me around his center and hurling me to the ground. Of course, I helped him with that, so I'll take my bit of credit. He's good and it was a lot of fun working with him.
I am disappointed that I missed an outdoor weapons practice we had a couple weeks ago. The church where we practice had a wedding reception or something going on in the common room, so practice was moved to a nearby forest preserve/park. I enjoy weapons class, and I seem to have a knack for using weapons, both the bokken and the jo staff. I even enjoy working with them when I'm not in class. I'll go out in my back yard and practice suburi.
Finally, Aikido is good for my Aiki spirit. It was toward the end of a very long and difficult time in my life. I was having some very serious personal relationship issues. She came into my life unexpectedly, and made that difficult time even worse. I have never been treated so badly before, or since. The Aikido helps me deal with the feelings I still carry. I would like to forgive, but I am not in that place yet. It has never affected any part of my daily life, but if you were to ask, I'd immediately tell you that, no, I haven't forgotten, nor have I forgiven. I would like to be able to forget. I'm not sure about the forgiving part, though. Maybe I'll never get the one without the other.
We started out fairly easy with a ki exercise that worked into a gyaku-hanmi shihonage omote and ura. I worked with a college student (4th kyu) who had also missed quite a few classes over the last few weeks. We were both quickly out of breath, although I felt my endurance start to come back as the class went on. He and I worked together on the next technique, too, but we added another college student (newly belted 6th kyu Melissa) to our group. We took turns, but kept getting confused with our rotation. None of us is particularly adept at doing the three-person nage/uke rotation.
I also had the opportunity to work with a brand new member of our dojo. Normally new members are pretty lost most of the time. They don't know the etiquette, or the routines, and have trouble picking up the most basic of Aikido techniques (although Aikidoka know there is no such thing as a "basic" technique). Last night, however, was a very different story. Our new member is (was) a practitioner of Tai Chi. First of all, he had an amazing amount of power. His ki, or in his case chi, is already very well developed. Secondly, he picked up the technique very quickly. By the third time he practiced the four variations he was seriously taking my balance. On the ura, he was pulling me around his center and hurling me to the ground. Of course, I helped him with that, so I'll take my bit of credit. He's good and it was a lot of fun working with him.
I am disappointed that I missed an outdoor weapons practice we had a couple weeks ago. The church where we practice had a wedding reception or something going on in the common room, so practice was moved to a nearby forest preserve/park. I enjoy weapons class, and I seem to have a knack for using weapons, both the bokken and the jo staff. I even enjoy working with them when I'm not in class. I'll go out in my back yard and practice suburi.
Finally, Aikido is good for my Aiki spirit. It was toward the end of a very long and difficult time in my life. I was having some very serious personal relationship issues. She came into my life unexpectedly, and made that difficult time even worse. I have never been treated so badly before, or since. The Aikido helps me deal with the feelings I still carry. I would like to forgive, but I am not in that place yet. It has never affected any part of my daily life, but if you were to ask, I'd immediately tell you that, no, I haven't forgotten, nor have I forgiven. I would like to be able to forget. I'm not sure about the forgiving part, though. Maybe I'll never get the one without the other.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Alice Cooper Sings
Today is officially the first day of my summer break. Friday was the last day for the children. We had our awards assembly, then a short party afterward before we dismissed at 11:00. At the awards assembly I said that I have two daughters at home, but at school it felt like I had nine. I had to take several very long pauses in order to keep the tears from flowing freely. I really loved this class. Funny though, some of the parents told me that the students thought I couldn't think of anything nice to say, which was why I was taking so long to speak. Kids.
I got rave reviews from my principal on my end of the year report card comments. I am thoughtful and diplomatic, I was told. There were a couple of parents who I'd really like to tell them a thing or two about their precious children.
Yesterday was the teacher workday, as prescribed by our contract. What's not prescribed by my contract is how many days I'll spend this summer putting together lessons for next year. So yesterday I organized my room and turned in grade sheets and my classroom inventory list. I usually have kids do my inventory the week before school is out. There is lots to do, but some kids need the diversion.
The kids had a terrific last week, too. In what turned out to be a truly authentic task, I told them that I had to update my classroom web site and that they were going to do all the work for me. They broke up in to teams, and each team took a different subject or classroom activity. Some worked on disciplines like math or science, while others wrote about our field trips or the fourth grade musical. They also looked over the CDs I had and chose photos to go along with their writing. What made it extra special is that I said I would give them credit for writing. So on the bottom of each page, I'll write the first names and last initials of the students who wrote that particular page. They thought that was great.
Which leads me to my final bit here. This summer I am going to make an attempt at putting together some project-based learning activities for next year's class. I'd like to integrate the curriculum, but it's going to be a challenge in a number of ways. First, my math is set in stone. We use the U of Chicago Everyday Math program. The best I can do is work in the quarterly skills into whatever project we might do, if that is even possible or practical. Second, my science and social studies curricula don't fit together well at all. Science comes in kits from our district, and while I can fit water and ancient history together in first quarter, after that, it gets tricky. Finally, if I try to work reading chapter books in to my plan, I am again tied in only to those literature sets that the district has on hand. I am familiar with the book sets the district has on hand, and it is not a pretty picture.
Finally, I guess I forgot, I am going to the dojo tonight for the first time in at least two weeks. The end of the school year always does this to me. I am looking forward to practice, but worried that I can keep up. My lovely wife and I worked in our front garden on Sunday, and my hamstrings are still very sore.
I got rave reviews from my principal on my end of the year report card comments. I am thoughtful and diplomatic, I was told. There were a couple of parents who I'd really like to tell them a thing or two about their precious children.
Yesterday was the teacher workday, as prescribed by our contract. What's not prescribed by my contract is how many days I'll spend this summer putting together lessons for next year. So yesterday I organized my room and turned in grade sheets and my classroom inventory list. I usually have kids do my inventory the week before school is out. There is lots to do, but some kids need the diversion.
The kids had a terrific last week, too. In what turned out to be a truly authentic task, I told them that I had to update my classroom web site and that they were going to do all the work for me. They broke up in to teams, and each team took a different subject or classroom activity. Some worked on disciplines like math or science, while others wrote about our field trips or the fourth grade musical. They also looked over the CDs I had and chose photos to go along with their writing. What made it extra special is that I said I would give them credit for writing. So on the bottom of each page, I'll write the first names and last initials of the students who wrote that particular page. They thought that was great.
Which leads me to my final bit here. This summer I am going to make an attempt at putting together some project-based learning activities for next year's class. I'd like to integrate the curriculum, but it's going to be a challenge in a number of ways. First, my math is set in stone. We use the U of Chicago Everyday Math program. The best I can do is work in the quarterly skills into whatever project we might do, if that is even possible or practical. Second, my science and social studies curricula don't fit together well at all. Science comes in kits from our district, and while I can fit water and ancient history together in first quarter, after that, it gets tricky. Finally, if I try to work reading chapter books in to my plan, I am again tied in only to those literature sets that the district has on hand. I am familiar with the book sets the district has on hand, and it is not a pretty picture.
Finally, I guess I forgot, I am going to the dojo tonight for the first time in at least two weeks. The end of the school year always does this to me. I am looking forward to practice, but worried that I can keep up. My lovely wife and I worked in our front garden on Sunday, and my hamstrings are still very sore.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Sometimes I Feel Like a Prodigal Son
I'll be the first to admit that I've slacked. I had my kyu test on March 20, and since then I think I've hit the dojo about a half dozen times. It's been sad.
Two weeks ago, I slept in a strange position and my back muscles had spasm issues. Last Thursday we had its all-school music program. All the grades, k-8, sang, and the teachers had to be there to watch our students, and make sure they all got where they belonged on time and quietly. Needless to say, there was no Aikido last week.
This Tuesday I took my class of 24, plus about 14 chaperons on our annual trip to Madison, Wisconsin. We toured the university, the historical museum, and the state capital. We also ate at this place called Ella's Deli, which, I'm told, is a Madison landmark. The restaurant decor features lots of antique toy collections, all interestingly displayed. They also have a 100-year-old carousel, and all the kids got to take a ride. After, we went to the state capital building. We got to meet our state assemblymen, and took a tour of the building. We sat in the senate and assembly chambers, too.
I think we got home a bit before 7:00 PM, and once all the kids were picked up, and I had put everything I was responsible for back into the classroom, it was close to 7:30. Again, no dojo.
I finally got a chance to practice last night. We had in attendance, one nidan, one shodan, one first kyu, one second, one third (me), one fourth, and one fifth. We had a very intense practice, including a few techniques that ended in breakfalls. I took more than I gave. But I have to admit, my breakfalls are getting better. At one point not too long ago, I was pretty hesitant to do a break fall, now I'm getting more comfortable with the idea, and even had a few good ones. I'm tired today, but I feel good. We have practice again tomorrow, but I'm conflicted in that I really need to buy a new car.
And that's a whole 'nother story.
Two weeks ago, I slept in a strange position and my back muscles had spasm issues. Last Thursday we had its all-school music program. All the grades, k-8, sang, and the teachers had to be there to watch our students, and make sure they all got where they belonged on time and quietly. Needless to say, there was no Aikido last week.
This Tuesday I took my class of 24, plus about 14 chaperons on our annual trip to Madison, Wisconsin. We toured the university, the historical museum, and the state capital. We also ate at this place called Ella's Deli, which, I'm told, is a Madison landmark. The restaurant decor features lots of antique toy collections, all interestingly displayed. They also have a 100-year-old carousel, and all the kids got to take a ride. After, we went to the state capital building. We got to meet our state assemblymen, and took a tour of the building. We sat in the senate and assembly chambers, too.
I think we got home a bit before 7:00 PM, and once all the kids were picked up, and I had put everything I was responsible for back into the classroom, it was close to 7:30. Again, no dojo.
I finally got a chance to practice last night. We had in attendance, one nidan, one shodan, one first kyu, one second, one third (me), one fourth, and one fifth. We had a very intense practice, including a few techniques that ended in breakfalls. I took more than I gave. But I have to admit, my breakfalls are getting better. At one point not too long ago, I was pretty hesitant to do a break fall, now I'm getting more comfortable with the idea, and even had a few good ones. I'm tired today, but I feel good. We have practice again tomorrow, but I'm conflicted in that I really need to buy a new car.
And that's a whole 'nother story.
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