Element

Have you ever had one of those classes that you would just love to have again? I had one the other day. Everyone but Sensei, Patrick and I had left after the first class, and Sensei broke into the unopened can of techniques, so to speak. We really dug into juji-nage and examined its corresponding ma-ai, extension, timing, and so forth for about a third of the hour.

We then played with kotegeashi from tsuki. I learned about the timing of the tenkan and its importance in the projection aspect of kotegeashi. Patrick and I had a little fun with it; he tried to get me airborne enough to land me on my feet (which we almost accomplished).

To top it all off, we demolished a large heaping of yokomenuchi udekime-nage redirection. As uke strikes, nage irimis in (apologies to Japanese verb tense) and brings the arm in. Just before the throw is complete, nage launches uke into a roll. I learned a lot as far as ukemi goes; I was uke for a lot of the time. Boy do I love thrashings. Boy do I love aikido. Suffice it to say, it was AWESOME.

-gHopper