Today was the last practice of the year for me. So much has happened this year. So many great experiences, new achievements, friends and contacts. I'm satisfied with 2012, and hope 2013 is even better.
I started with some kata practice again, before the official practice started. I was eager to show off that I had mastered nanahon-me at home doing shadow kata alone in my living room. I had Ino-san and Koyama-san help me again today. I was happilly much more confident with roppon-me than I was last week, though I completely forgot shidachi's final move into hidari-jodan at the end. D'oh!
And as eager as I was to show off my new nanahon-me skills, of course, it was still clunky and inaccurate. I managed not to fall this time, and could mostly bring myself down into a crouch smoothly. We worked mostly in the complicated footwork involved in nanahon-me. I bruised my right kneecap again, but I got some valuable tips for creating the right distance and strike. They tried to include some advice as far as feeling and intensity go, but I can't focus on that until my muscles have memorized the correct motions.
Practice felt good today. I opted out of choyaku-suburi again so I wouldn't have clogged airways for the rest of practice. We did a bunch of kirikaeshi wall to wall. I did my best to keep my arms up and my left fist centered again and was mostly successful. We did some stamina exercises involving an ai-waza followed by a continuous five strikes. I'm getting better at these.
Mawari-geiko was a lot of fun too. I got to fight Ino-san again and once again was scolded to go straight and not veer around my opponent. I got to fight Murata-san again. I swear he switched hands for the long shinai. I got a nice bruise on my upper arm for my efforts and wasn't able to strike him once. I was leaning forward too much, and Itou Sensei corrected me on that. It was hesitation and indecision getting in the way of correct kendo, unfortunately. Mawari-geiko must have lasted longer than usual because after a 5 minute break I was stunned to see we only had 10 minutes left.
I used the time to ask Koyama-san to help me correct my dou-uchi. He started me with some very basic stationary strikes, followed by a one step strike and some dou-kirikaeshi. His dou strike is incredibly strong! I'm envious, but I don't want to attempt to strike a strong dou right now while my form is still incorrect. Chances are I'll end up hurting someone or myself. I'm glad to have nanahon-me as an excuse to ask for more dou-uchi instruction.
After five minutes of large motion dou-uchi we did some small motion dou-uchi and then some tiny motion dou-uchi and finally microscopic motion dou-uchi (I exaggerate but still). The point was to get used to making a small, quick strike at the side for nanahon-me. He also corrected my footwork. In an attempt to focus on where my hands are, I have neglected my feet, and as a result, step too far to the right. Instead, I need to work on stepping forward, slightly to the right with a small step. This will ensure that my strike hits the side of the dou and not the front.
We closed practice with a final round of kirikaeshi though I did it twice because Koyama-san was correcting my strikes.
At the end of practice, Itou Sensei called us together to remind us about the importance of correct distance and correct seme. He said that to continuously strike your opponent without care is selfish kendo. That instead we must hold out, pressuring each other with our seme until we cannot hold out any longer. Then we strike boldly at our opponent. I will do my best next year to apply this to my kendo.
To everyone reading, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'll continue to fill out the rest of the website over the break and hope to continue to bring you coverage of my kendo experience in Kyoto throughout 2013.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Final Women's Practice of the Year
I love the way the Butokuden smells. I think it comes from having many fond childhood memories of wood cabins and camp fires. The Butokuden, being a large, entirely wood structure has that amazing old wood smell that makes me feel both nostalgic and comfortable.
I've wondered (and asked) if the Butokuden structure as it is retains the same wood that it was built with over a hundred years ago. No one I've asked so far has known. Certainly, there are some planks and beams that look old, and some that are obviously new. There are also new amenities such as electric lights and glass on the windows, but the over all feel of the Butokuden remains old, rooted and historical. I like it.
Women's practice today went well, I think. It was a moderately sized group, evenly divided between older and younger members. I still sit somewhere in the middle. While there are women my age who attend practice, their dan is higher than mine. Because of that, I can't entirely be grouped in the older group (their dan starts at yon-dan) nor can I be completely a part of the younger group, which consists mostly of high school girls. Today I floated between being motodachi and participating in the drills, as rotation required.
We did the normal stretching and warm up routine, with a nostalgic twist at the end. Kuzuta Sensei had the younger half of the class do a kiai drill. It was just a standing drill, in kamae but it brought back memories of running back and forth across the length of a gymnasium screaming myself purple.
Predictably, the first round had very weak kiai. We went back and forth in a sort of kiai competition to encourage the younger girls to be louder and more energetic. The kiai should come from the stomach, not the throat. You get a stronger voice this way, and a longer breath to use. Furthermore, vitality comes from tanden, the spot just below the navel. Kiai should come from the stomach and subsequently store energy in the tanden. This energy is then released explosively when we complete ki ken tai and lingers on in zanshin.
From there, we put on our men and did several rounds of kirikaeshi. We rotated as motodachi so the impact of 6 rounds of kirikaeshi was not felt as much. The focus was on striking large, accurate hits. My focus was keeping my left hand in the center. Itou Sensei corrected my sayu-men a little while back. My tenouchi slips on the left swing and I lose a lot of power through the subsequent awkward angle of my wrists.
We followed this up with some kihon drills. Since none of the male teachers were going to be in attendance today, the focus of the practice was kihon. When practicing men-uchi in particular, we were asked to be aware of not just our arms, but our knees, legs and body. Correct timing and a crisp, audible sound with fumi-komi-ashi is key to completing a valid hit. Likewise, the distance cannot be crossed with arms and body alone. Leaping forward the correct distance and keeping the upper body straight keeps strikes correct and beautiful looking.
Following these drills we took our ten minute break. Fortunately, my lower back was a little more forgiving today. My breathing still hasn't reached it's full efficiency again, however. As irritating as that is, there's nothing for it. Little by little at least, my airways are clearing and kendo is becoming easier again.
After the break, we dove into the more complicated drills and waza. This is the part that I like best, aside from the actual keiko part. We did hiki-waza which I'm really glad for. Hiki-waza are my favorite waza. The timing of them just feels good, I think. We did hiki-men and hiki-dou (my dou has become so horrible) and then things got complicated.
We did a drill that involved on person to do men-hiki-men. The motodachi then had to chase the first person and hit men. We did this for a few rotational rounds, and then changed the final men to kote-men. These I could do easily, but then the pattern became more and more complicated. Waza were added into the mix until it became an impossible Simon game that I couldn't understand anymore. I asked my motodachi exactly what it was that we were supposed to be doing and she answered with such a long string of varied waza that I could only shrug my shoulders helplessly.
We finished practice with a few rounds of three minute mawari-geiko and some kakari-geiko. It was interesting practicing with some of the younger girls there. I could see myself in my early years in them. It made me realize how far I've come, and how I am now in a position to help those younger than me. I could see their mistakes, because I've made them, and I know how to react to them now because I've had so many good teachers in my study. It was an interesting experience.
Unfortunately, another practice was arriving, and I suppose they needed us out quickly and we had to finish early..
After practice, we said our end of the year aisatsu and that was the last women's practice of the year. I was complimented on timing again, which is uplifting to hear, considering I practice with so many high ranked, and skilled people. To be told that, at the very least, I can keep a good timing with them is more than validation enough. My dou though I was told, truthfully enough still needs work. It will be something to focus on in the new year.
The end of the year nomi-kai will be on January 16th. Apparently, the February women's practice will be held in Osaka! I hope I'm able to attend!
I've wondered (and asked) if the Butokuden structure as it is retains the same wood that it was built with over a hundred years ago. No one I've asked so far has known. Certainly, there are some planks and beams that look old, and some that are obviously new. There are also new amenities such as electric lights and glass on the windows, but the over all feel of the Butokuden remains old, rooted and historical. I like it.
Women's practice today went well, I think. It was a moderately sized group, evenly divided between older and younger members. I still sit somewhere in the middle. While there are women my age who attend practice, their dan is higher than mine. Because of that, I can't entirely be grouped in the older group (their dan starts at yon-dan) nor can I be completely a part of the younger group, which consists mostly of high school girls. Today I floated between being motodachi and participating in the drills, as rotation required.
We did the normal stretching and warm up routine, with a nostalgic twist at the end. Kuzuta Sensei had the younger half of the class do a kiai drill. It was just a standing drill, in kamae but it brought back memories of running back and forth across the length of a gymnasium screaming myself purple.
Predictably, the first round had very weak kiai. We went back and forth in a sort of kiai competition to encourage the younger girls to be louder and more energetic. The kiai should come from the stomach, not the throat. You get a stronger voice this way, and a longer breath to use. Furthermore, vitality comes from tanden, the spot just below the navel. Kiai should come from the stomach and subsequently store energy in the tanden. This energy is then released explosively when we complete ki ken tai and lingers on in zanshin.
From there, we put on our men and did several rounds of kirikaeshi. We rotated as motodachi so the impact of 6 rounds of kirikaeshi was not felt as much. The focus was on striking large, accurate hits. My focus was keeping my left hand in the center. Itou Sensei corrected my sayu-men a little while back. My tenouchi slips on the left swing and I lose a lot of power through the subsequent awkward angle of my wrists.
We followed this up with some kihon drills. Since none of the male teachers were going to be in attendance today, the focus of the practice was kihon. When practicing men-uchi in particular, we were asked to be aware of not just our arms, but our knees, legs and body. Correct timing and a crisp, audible sound with fumi-komi-ashi is key to completing a valid hit. Likewise, the distance cannot be crossed with arms and body alone. Leaping forward the correct distance and keeping the upper body straight keeps strikes correct and beautiful looking.
Following these drills we took our ten minute break. Fortunately, my lower back was a little more forgiving today. My breathing still hasn't reached it's full efficiency again, however. As irritating as that is, there's nothing for it. Little by little at least, my airways are clearing and kendo is becoming easier again.
After the break, we dove into the more complicated drills and waza. This is the part that I like best, aside from the actual keiko part. We did hiki-waza which I'm really glad for. Hiki-waza are my favorite waza. The timing of them just feels good, I think. We did hiki-men and hiki-dou (my dou has become so horrible) and then things got complicated.
We did a drill that involved on person to do men-hiki-men. The motodachi then had to chase the first person and hit men. We did this for a few rotational rounds, and then changed the final men to kote-men. These I could do easily, but then the pattern became more and more complicated. Waza were added into the mix until it became an impossible Simon game that I couldn't understand anymore. I asked my motodachi exactly what it was that we were supposed to be doing and she answered with such a long string of varied waza that I could only shrug my shoulders helplessly.
We finished practice with a few rounds of three minute mawari-geiko and some kakari-geiko. It was interesting practicing with some of the younger girls there. I could see myself in my early years in them. It made me realize how far I've come, and how I am now in a position to help those younger than me. I could see their mistakes, because I've made them, and I know how to react to them now because I've had so many good teachers in my study. It was an interesting experience.
Unfortunately, another practice was arriving, and I suppose they needed us out quickly and we had to finish early..
After practice, we said our end of the year aisatsu and that was the last women's practice of the year. I was complimented on timing again, which is uplifting to hear, considering I practice with so many high ranked, and skilled people. To be told that, at the very least, I can keep a good timing with them is more than validation enough. My dou though I was told, truthfully enough still needs work. It will be something to focus on in the new year.
The end of the year nomi-kai will be on January 16th. Apparently, the February women's practice will be held in Osaka! I hope I'm able to attend!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
The Pain and the Rewards
Wow! Two things really.
First of all, I can't believe how much my legs hurt after that thirty minute nanahon-me kata practice! I've seriously been hobbling up and down the stairs the past two days! Also, the bruise on my knee cap has turned a lovely shade of purple/pink. Is it a coincidence that my favorite colors always manage to turn up on my bruises?
Secondly, even though it hurts like a hundred forks in my leg, I've been reviewing nanahon-me by myself whenever I can find a space big enough to swivel around in, and void enough of people so that no one gives the crazy woman flailing her arms around at an imaginary enemy strange looks. The first day I spent reviewing roppon-me and nanahon-me just in my head, going over the footwork and the timing that I learned on Monday. The second day, I shadow kata'ed with myself and wow! Amazingly, not only was I able to (painfully) get myself down into the after dou crouch in nanahon-me but I was able to pivot (painfully) without falling on my backside!
This is really uplifting for me right now. It's just what I needed after the last two weeks of a very slow start back into kendo. I really can't stress enough the power of visualizing your goals. Your mind can train your body just as effectively as pumping your muscles. Likewise, it seems that my decision to just go, despite not feeling into it, and not effectively 100% able to breathe yet was a good one. There's no cure for lethargy but to move. I still need to make sure that the bronchitis doesn't relapse, but I can get through most of a practice without suffering, so I'll push as far as I can go.
First of all, I can't believe how much my legs hurt after that thirty minute nanahon-me kata practice! I've seriously been hobbling up and down the stairs the past two days! Also, the bruise on my knee cap has turned a lovely shade of purple/pink. Is it a coincidence that my favorite colors always manage to turn up on my bruises?
Secondly, even though it hurts like a hundred forks in my leg, I've been reviewing nanahon-me by myself whenever I can find a space big enough to swivel around in, and void enough of people so that no one gives the crazy woman flailing her arms around at an imaginary enemy strange looks. The first day I spent reviewing roppon-me and nanahon-me just in my head, going over the footwork and the timing that I learned on Monday. The second day, I shadow kata'ed with myself and wow! Amazingly, not only was I able to (painfully) get myself down into the after dou crouch in nanahon-me but I was able to pivot (painfully) without falling on my backside!
This is really uplifting for me right now. It's just what I needed after the last two weeks of a very slow start back into kendo. I really can't stress enough the power of visualizing your goals. Your mind can train your body just as effectively as pumping your muscles. Likewise, it seems that my decision to just go, despite not feeling into it, and not effectively 100% able to breathe yet was a good one. There's no cure for lethargy but to move. I still need to make sure that the bronchitis doesn't relapse, but I can get through most of a practice without suffering, so I'll push as far as I can go.
Monday, December 10, 2012
On Being Told to Chill Out and Warm Up
Today's Fuchou practice was a little better than the last two. My body has grown a little lazy from the November of inactivity, so I resolved to recondition myself as fast as I could.
Fortunately, it was snowing this morning, so I had a little extra motivation to haul ass up the mountain to see the city scape under the snow. The snow fall didn't last long, but the air was crisp and clean and it was pretty going up, with the temple under a light white blanket. It was good to be moving again. I realize that since bicycles are so convenient in Japan, I don't walk nearly as much as I used to. I would like to walk to work, but carrying my bogu with me for the 40 minute walk would be too much, I think, especially considering the hour and a half walk from work to Fuchou, and the 2 hour walk from Fuchou back home. It would certainly be good exercise, but I don't know if my body could handle that. Instead, I'll incorporate an hour walk up and down the mountain and around the neighborhood in the morning to make up what I would be walking in Canada.
I was still feeling a little uninspired for kendo today, even after the walk, but really, there's nothing to help that feeling but to keep going, so I went, and I'm glad that I did.
I practiced kata with Koyama san and Ino san. Ippon-me to gohon-me felt a little smoother today than it did on Thursday, but I could still feel a few clunks in the works. I need to practice making myself more fluid. Mostly they worked me on roppon-me and nanahon-me which I know very little of.
The footwork of roppon-me was tripping me up a bit. I always get a little confused as to which foot goes where for the side stepping kata like nihon-me, yonhon-me, roppon-me and nanahon-me. Since roppon-me happens so fast, I had to keep asking to stop and analyze what they were doing and what I was doing. It's such a tiny motion, the side step with the left foot, the forward step with the right foot and the suriage-kote that I needed to do it a bunch of times on my own before I felt confident enough to do it in the kata itself. Fortunately I have really patient teachers.
Eventually I was able to do it to my own satisfaction, but it'll take more work to make it perfect. Nanahon-me, however, I couldn't complete today. It took a long time to get the dou footwork correct (I'm still not comfortable with it) and during that time my poor left leg took the task of supporting my weight awkwardly as I tried to pivot in a crouch.
What it came down to was, I continue the pivot directly into a charlie horse or I fall on my ass. I fell on my ass. Everyone got a good chuckle out of it, but a chuckle is better than a scolding. In the end it came down to my leg being too weak to perform the motion, so I'll be doing more squats as well in the morning to make sure I'll be able to swing down into that kneeling position again.
By the end of kata practice I was wheezing, but practice was starting so there wasn't much time to clear myself out. The suburi drills went by as usual, though I couldn't do choyaku-suburi today. I wasn't going to attempt it while already wheezing from just kata.
We went through the usual men-uchi and kote-men-uchi drills as well as some kirikaeshi. I pushed myself through all of them, not at full strength, but at least thankful that I could do them better than last week. Itou Sensei caught me, however, and told me I should take a rest. So, I sat out and watched the rest of the drills and a round of mawari-geiko. I tried to jum in for the second round but Itou Sensei told me to sit out again. In the end, I managed to pop in for the third round and had a decent fight with Ino san. I was happy that some of the fight had come back to me. By that time, I actually did want to fight again, which was a welcomed relief. It's hard doing kendo when you don't feel like fighting.
After that one keiko, however, I sat out for the rest of practice. I need to push myself, and force myself to go, and to try and to recondition my body, but I can't break myself. I've been out of practice too long now. I don't want to miss even more.
So watching from the side lines how people moved and hit, Itou Sensei tells me it's cold and I need to put on a jacket. I wasn't feeling cold at the time, but he reminded me how often I get sick, and so I relented and got my winter coat. Even at 27, I still need someone to tell me to put my coat on when it's cold outside.
I love kendo.
Fortunately, it was snowing this morning, so I had a little extra motivation to haul ass up the mountain to see the city scape under the snow. The snow fall didn't last long, but the air was crisp and clean and it was pretty going up, with the temple under a light white blanket. It was good to be moving again. I realize that since bicycles are so convenient in Japan, I don't walk nearly as much as I used to. I would like to walk to work, but carrying my bogu with me for the 40 minute walk would be too much, I think, especially considering the hour and a half walk from work to Fuchou, and the 2 hour walk from Fuchou back home. It would certainly be good exercise, but I don't know if my body could handle that. Instead, I'll incorporate an hour walk up and down the mountain and around the neighborhood in the morning to make up what I would be walking in Canada.
I was still feeling a little uninspired for kendo today, even after the walk, but really, there's nothing to help that feeling but to keep going, so I went, and I'm glad that I did.
I practiced kata with Koyama san and Ino san. Ippon-me to gohon-me felt a little smoother today than it did on Thursday, but I could still feel a few clunks in the works. I need to practice making myself more fluid. Mostly they worked me on roppon-me and nanahon-me which I know very little of.
The footwork of roppon-me was tripping me up a bit. I always get a little confused as to which foot goes where for the side stepping kata like nihon-me, yonhon-me, roppon-me and nanahon-me. Since roppon-me happens so fast, I had to keep asking to stop and analyze what they were doing and what I was doing. It's such a tiny motion, the side step with the left foot, the forward step with the right foot and the suriage-kote that I needed to do it a bunch of times on my own before I felt confident enough to do it in the kata itself. Fortunately I have really patient teachers.
Eventually I was able to do it to my own satisfaction, but it'll take more work to make it perfect. Nanahon-me, however, I couldn't complete today. It took a long time to get the dou footwork correct (I'm still not comfortable with it) and during that time my poor left leg took the task of supporting my weight awkwardly as I tried to pivot in a crouch.
What it came down to was, I continue the pivot directly into a charlie horse or I fall on my ass. I fell on my ass. Everyone got a good chuckle out of it, but a chuckle is better than a scolding. In the end it came down to my leg being too weak to perform the motion, so I'll be doing more squats as well in the morning to make sure I'll be able to swing down into that kneeling position again.
By the end of kata practice I was wheezing, but practice was starting so there wasn't much time to clear myself out. The suburi drills went by as usual, though I couldn't do choyaku-suburi today. I wasn't going to attempt it while already wheezing from just kata.
We went through the usual men-uchi and kote-men-uchi drills as well as some kirikaeshi. I pushed myself through all of them, not at full strength, but at least thankful that I could do them better than last week. Itou Sensei caught me, however, and told me I should take a rest. So, I sat out and watched the rest of the drills and a round of mawari-geiko. I tried to jum in for the second round but Itou Sensei told me to sit out again. In the end, I managed to pop in for the third round and had a decent fight with Ino san. I was happy that some of the fight had come back to me. By that time, I actually did want to fight again, which was a welcomed relief. It's hard doing kendo when you don't feel like fighting.
After that one keiko, however, I sat out for the rest of practice. I need to push myself, and force myself to go, and to try and to recondition my body, but I can't break myself. I've been out of practice too long now. I don't want to miss even more.
So watching from the side lines how people moved and hit, Itou Sensei tells me it's cold and I need to put on a jacket. I wasn't feeling cold at the time, but he reminded me how often I get sick, and so I relented and got my winter coat. Even at 27, I still need someone to tell me to put my coat on when it's cold outside.
I love kendo.
Friday, December 7, 2012
A Winter Freeze
Tonight's practice wasn't one of my better ones. I've been feeling uninspired and unenthusiastic about most things recently, and I'm hoping that it's just a product of the medicine I've been taking. I haven't really wanted to do anything, kendo included, but I forced myself to go. The longer I'm out, the harder it will be to get back in. It was really hard to muster a can do attitude today. Mostly all that came was a "why do I keep doing this to myself?" sort of feeling.
Everyone goes through these periods, and it's just a matter of continuing to make myself go to practice until things start to feel right again. I'm hoping once I can breathe easier again the feeling will pass and I'll be able to pick up where I left off.
On the whole, today's practice wasn't a bad one, just an uninspired one. I realized half way through that I just wasn't in the mood to fight anyone. Practice followed the usual routine; warm up, suburi, basic drills, mawari-keiko and ju-geiko. Fukao Sensei said my men was looking good. Some of them felt good, to be sure, but others felt crooked. I was leaning to the right again today and my right leg cramped up real bad again.
Since my run of medication has finished this week, I'm going to do my best to increase my daily exercise and get my body back into kendo working condition.
I'm taking every precaution at work to avoid getting sick again; vitamin C, masks and (even more) obsessive hand washing have become part of my daily routine. I really do love practicing kendo in Japan. It's been a great experience, and the level of kendo I'm challenged with has really forced me above and beyond what I thought I could be capable of in the past. Sometimes though, it seems that Japan is trying its best to keep me from practicing, with the heat in the summer and the barrage of illnesses in the winter.
Everyone goes through these periods, and it's just a matter of continuing to make myself go to practice until things start to feel right again. I'm hoping once I can breathe easier again the feeling will pass and I'll be able to pick up where I left off.
On the whole, today's practice wasn't a bad one, just an uninspired one. I realized half way through that I just wasn't in the mood to fight anyone. Practice followed the usual routine; warm up, suburi, basic drills, mawari-keiko and ju-geiko. Fukao Sensei said my men was looking good. Some of them felt good, to be sure, but others felt crooked. I was leaning to the right again today and my right leg cramped up real bad again.
Since my run of medication has finished this week, I'm going to do my best to increase my daily exercise and get my body back into kendo working condition.
I'm taking every precaution at work to avoid getting sick again; vitamin C, masks and (even more) obsessive hand washing have become part of my daily routine. I really do love practicing kendo in Japan. It's been a great experience, and the level of kendo I'm challenged with has really forced me above and beyond what I thought I could be capable of in the past. Sometimes though, it seems that Japan is trying its best to keep me from practicing, with the heat in the summer and the barrage of illnesses in the winter.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Back to Business
I had a day off today! With my work schedule constantly changing I have to rearrange my kendo schedule as well, and I was a little disappointed to lose my Thursday evenings. Today though, my student was absent, so I jumped on the opportunity to go to Ren Shin Kai again.
As Majima-san said, it was incredibly cold. Only half the people even showed up. Even Sugaya Sensei was absent. Some of the women and I got into a discussion as to which is better to practice in, the heat of summer or the chill of winter. Only one person suggested that summer was better and we all kind of exchanged looks like she was crazy. Sure, it's freezing cold in the winter time, but at least you can warm your body up during practice. There's no escaping the heat of summer.
Majima-san was excited to practice kata and so was I, though I really need to ask Koyama-san to go over roppon-me and nanahon-me with me. I'll need them for san-dan and I want to be able to practice all the way through the kata forms in the near future when people ask. Unfortunately I was a bit rusty today. I could feel that I was a bit stiff and unbalanced. Majima-san complimented me as always, but it didn't feel as fluid as it usually does. More practice is needed. She suggested that (as shidachi) I take larger steps back to center in sanbon-me. I think that's what I'll work on next in kata training; being able to accurately place myself back to center, and to remain on a straight line.
Practice was tough today. I hadn't been to practice since the women's practice a week and a half ago, which put a lot of strain on my still recovering respiratory system. I've been taking it a little easy in the hope to heal quickly. Also the medicine the doctor gave me makes me a bit sleepy so I haven't been inspired to do much more than slug around the house.
But one can't hibernate the winter away as was demonstrated today. Stamina was low, in part because I still don't have full lung capacity yet and in part because I haven't been moving much recently. My muscles got stiff very quickly and my body wasn't working in sync with itself. I was reaching too much with my arms and not lunging far enough with my leg. More than once my left leg got left behind and my right arm extended too far. Amateur mistakes that I could absolutely feel I was making. I did my best to make up for it with ki and kiai, but there's only so far that can get you. I ended up with another nice bruise from a dou hit that went too high.
My last fight went a little bit better. Body had warmed up a bit and I was feeling a little more cleared out in the lungs. My opponent however, was shorter than me, so he kept creeping in closer than I would have liked. It forced me to either attack before I was ready or retreat. Retreat is rarely the better option, so all that remained was to make myself ready faster and try to catch my opponent off guard. It was a good fight, but I was exhausted by the end of it. I'll need to up my training some more and try to recover some lost stamina. I'll go to Fuchou tomorrow and see what I can do there.
As Majima-san said, it was incredibly cold. Only half the people even showed up. Even Sugaya Sensei was absent. Some of the women and I got into a discussion as to which is better to practice in, the heat of summer or the chill of winter. Only one person suggested that summer was better and we all kind of exchanged looks like she was crazy. Sure, it's freezing cold in the winter time, but at least you can warm your body up during practice. There's no escaping the heat of summer.
Majima-san was excited to practice kata and so was I, though I really need to ask Koyama-san to go over roppon-me and nanahon-me with me. I'll need them for san-dan and I want to be able to practice all the way through the kata forms in the near future when people ask. Unfortunately I was a bit rusty today. I could feel that I was a bit stiff and unbalanced. Majima-san complimented me as always, but it didn't feel as fluid as it usually does. More practice is needed. She suggested that (as shidachi) I take larger steps back to center in sanbon-me. I think that's what I'll work on next in kata training; being able to accurately place myself back to center, and to remain on a straight line.
Practice was tough today. I hadn't been to practice since the women's practice a week and a half ago, which put a lot of strain on my still recovering respiratory system. I've been taking it a little easy in the hope to heal quickly. Also the medicine the doctor gave me makes me a bit sleepy so I haven't been inspired to do much more than slug around the house.
But one can't hibernate the winter away as was demonstrated today. Stamina was low, in part because I still don't have full lung capacity yet and in part because I haven't been moving much recently. My muscles got stiff very quickly and my body wasn't working in sync with itself. I was reaching too much with my arms and not lunging far enough with my leg. More than once my left leg got left behind and my right arm extended too far. Amateur mistakes that I could absolutely feel I was making. I did my best to make up for it with ki and kiai, but there's only so far that can get you. I ended up with another nice bruise from a dou hit that went too high.
My last fight went a little bit better. Body had warmed up a bit and I was feeling a little more cleared out in the lungs. My opponent however, was shorter than me, so he kept creeping in closer than I would have liked. It forced me to either attack before I was ready or retreat. Retreat is rarely the better option, so all that remained was to make myself ready faster and try to catch my opponent off guard. It was a good fight, but I was exhausted by the end of it. I'll need to up my training some more and try to recover some lost stamina. I'll go to Fuchou tomorrow and see what I can do there.
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