A New Perspective

Well, my first two posts are two journals I archived from my EzBoard, soon to be Yuku, journal. I've been journaling my aikido classes and experiences for over a couple of years now. Usually I log the techniques sometimes I talk about my feelings.

Friday night was a great class. The first one since I decided not to test in November for shodan. It was the first time I felt really relaxed, and of course, I felt like I learned something. Over the past few months, I really have not felt like I had made any progress or learned very and going to class has just been going through the motions for me. It was a nice class Friday night.

Sempai taught techniques from yokomenuchi with an irimi opening. It's the irimi opening were you enter in and cut down on uke's striking arm. Sempai emphasized completing the entry. Your arms should be relaxed and almost drop down on uke's striking arm. The other hand is a strike to the face.

Next we did jiyuwaza. Sempai emphasize to keep moving and to go from one attacker to the other. Keep your movement going will keep them from all closing in on you. My favorite techniques in randori seem to be udekime, iriminage, kaitennage, kotegaeshi, kokyunage. I don't like doing shihonage as it takes to long. And I seem for forget about all the "kyos" and other kokyunages like the otoshi type throws.

• Gokyo-I made sure I entered deeply enough on this an made sure I gave my uke a nice sincere strike. I've worked with him in the past on this technique so I made sure I got his balance from the start, otherwise it can be difficult to to do.
• Hijikoshi (at leaste I think its called that...I'll call it hijikogoshi for the sake of brevity)-this is one where you enter irimi and your forward/outside arm hooks around uke's striking arm and then you pivot your hips back applying an armbar lock on uke's elbow then as uke comes back around your pivot your hips back.
• Shihonage-on this one I was working with a very tall uke that can be very lanky to deal with. I tried hard to keep his extensive and to draw him out. Sempai come over and showed me a variation if they stiffen up or lock out on you. It's the version sensei teaches where you push their elbow. Doing so will get uke to turn away enough so that you get their balance
• Kotegaeshi-as of late my kotegaeshi has been really sucky. I don't know what's wrong with it. It was really good up until a few months ago. Somehow I lost it with this one. And, it was yucky again Friday night. Sempai told me not to get too in tight with uke and keep his hand down. I do but for some reason, I'm bringing the hand back up. I know I'm not doing this right, I guess I need to work on this one.
• Kaitennage-Here, you enter in irimi then go under uke's arm uchi then do kaitenage

Next, we did some work with the tanto. Initially we were doing tsuki kotegaeshi and disarming but then Sempai switched up to practice working on three different strikes. He did a combo of a yokomenuchi then you come back with a back slash then tsuke. Nage blocks the yokomenuchi (like we had been doing all class) then both draw back then Uke comes in with a back slash nage blocks again, then both draw back then uke tsuki and nage applies kotegaeshi.