tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63770452368484637882012-01-27T08:14:56.422-05:00Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.comBlogger201100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-80226846676112498852010-02-19T20:33:00.005-05:002010-02-19T20:47:13.137-05:00

Friday nights are "open mat" nights at our dojo. It's nice to have a more laid-back time to just focus on whatever you want to focus on. I got to work with an experienced student who walked me through 3rd kyu.I was kind of surprised; I didn't feel as dumb as I thought I would, considering I haven't been around faithfully for about two months or so. Anyways, going through nights like these remind

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-62418666121390991752010-01-04T17:51:00.012-05:002010-01-05T09:41:59.287-05:00

I was watching some women MMA on youtube a few minutes ago. Let me tell you something--it is NOT pretty. There is nothing attractive with two women in just sports bras and shorts beating the juice out of each other.Being a tomboy myself, I know where they're coming from. Some girls love to fight and scrap. I'm one of them. But there comes a point where a woman needs to be a woman. Women were

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-78973162380156637592009-12-31T10:04:00.004-05:002010-01-05T09:50:02.533-05:00

I was reminded yet again of the great importance of openings.We had a small group of three for a class, and Sensei decided that the tanto would get the limelight for weapons evening. Uke attacked shomen, as nage entered omote, irmi-ed, kaiten-ed, and tenshin-ed, bringing the arm down in the process.I got frustrated after several futile attempts to bring uke's arm all the way down to the mat.

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-74576861282922678512009-11-06T08:51:00.006-05:002009-11-06T09:05:30.322-05:00

I sorta noticed - there have been no recent posts since September! Big blog no-no. Oops. School's been a priority lately, thus less aikido, thus less to blog about. But, I found something! (Yay)Last night, our dojo received a pleasant surprise. Tonya, who recently finished her sentence as an uchi-deshi at New York Aikikai, dropped by the dojo for a quick hello. Did you fall for that? No, she

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-59455466033062471152009-09-17T21:48:00.002-04:002009-09-17T21:57:31.946-04:00

Tonight was a good night on endurance. That doesn't sound right grammatically, and frankly, I'm too tired to care; sorry. There were four people in all; a nice, round number. One person would be uke, the other, nage. Once nage threw uke eight times, they switched roles. Uke was to give hard, fast, committed attacks each time. It worked out great, and the great and merciful Sensei allowed us to

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-54610816080595277042009-09-05T07:53:00.003-04:002009-09-05T08:04:48.041-04:00

The sun is up, and I, barely. Yep, it's Saturday morning, and the bed is still whining for me, nipping at my heels. "Back!" I say, "Back!"Aikido on Saturday has quite a different "feel" as opposed to aikido on a monday night. It's the "Oh-I-love-aikido through yawns" feel. I don't know. Maybe I'm just weird...-gHopper

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-79582029065249355092009-08-29T17:23:00.003-04:002009-08-29T17:38:03.409-04:00

A few principles I've heard regarding randori:DON'T FREAK OUTOnce you make contact with one uke, immediately shift your focus to another.Use quick and easy techniques.Move with uke; don't clash. It's aikido randori, not a jousting tournament.If all else fails, scream, cry, and run away try, try, try again.Oh, how can something so fun be so daunting? *sighs and looks at the sky*-gHopper

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-62531846143234857292009-08-22T14:50:00.007-04:002009-08-22T15:57:25.867-04:00

Well, well, well. Today I received good advice on a tenkan version of kokyu-nage. This kind soul of a shodan pointed out that if I move diagonally through uke, it would make for a more proficient technique. It was most gratefully received, as this particular kokyu-nage tends to be on of my many "blegh" techniques. I suspect it may be due to lack of extension, as my arms tend to be shorter than

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-18752827521455228812009-08-20T20:51:00.006-04:002009-08-20T21:10:11.893-04:00

Have you ever felt that you've been stuck in a training rut for so long, and then you finally break through and realize you're a lot more proficient than you were a month (or two, or three) ago? Yeah. You know what I'm talking about. I'm in the rut stage right now. I can't wait 'till I break through and see the light. Well, I take that back. I can wait, but do I want to? Nope. See, that's why

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-51259861138390761792009-08-06T19:49:00.000-04:002009-08-15T21:18:58.473-04:00

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

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-48120350348018798862009-08-01T11:29:00.000-04:002009-08-15T21:18:58.473-04:00

I enjoy learning about the different aspects of techniques, such as their counter-points, purposes, and so forth. I worked with a hardcore nidan today who really knows his stuff. He showed me a few things about tenchi-nage. It's kind of hard explaining in words, but here goes.Good ma-ai and extension are crucial for this one. You have to synchronize the entire side that you step in on. For

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-34257708027197541992009-07-25T21:34:00.000-04:002009-08-15T21:18:58.473-04:00

Today we had a great seminar by Grady Lane Sensei of Brevard Aikikai, a well known and respected 6th dan shidoin. Lane Sensei teaches in a slow, precise, and technically proficient manner. He had us practice some techniques I have never seen before, as well as some familiar techniques. We had several techniques from yokomenuchi strikes. One was a shihonage from a more direct irimi opening.

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-18564695150595090702009-07-13T11:06:00.000-04:002009-08-15T21:18:58.473-04:00

I tested for 4th kyu Saturday. :) It was a good test; I found some things to work on.Posture- Stop bending over for throwing and pins.Speed- Mine arch-enemy. SLOW DOWN!Pace- I got tired after the third or fourth techniqueFinish- Finishes needed to be more crisp.Refine footwork and body placementTight pin- They don't call 'em pins fer nuthin'.Precise pin- Wrist, elbow, wrist, elbow...Nikkyo

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-41715739988278485882009-07-09T22:36:00.000-04:002009-08-15T21:18:58.473-04:00

Today served another reminder to me to SLOW DOWN. There is a delicate balance between good speed and rush hour in randori. I tend to barrel away through poor ukes.I find that when I go too fast, I lose entrance and technique opportunities. Another problem of mine is aggression, and I think it is one of the results of my spectacular speed. I end up throwing mini-punches that borderline innocent

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-91306735440607512732009-07-01T07:33:00.000-04:002009-08-15T21:18:58.474-04:00

Never before have I seen so many versions of tenchi-nage. My Sensei went to a seminar hosted by Grady Lane featuring Robert Zimmerman and came back with about four versions of what I thought was one of the simplest technique of our time.It wasn't too bad I guess. Two of them required you to step back, and two of them emphasized exxagerated hip turns. I'm sure I missed some. Oh well.-gHopper

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-23259882207741582092009-06-26T10:46:00.000-04:002009-08-15T21:18:58.474-04:00

Apparently the entrance that we do for shihonage omote has a name. Something like "sokomen", if I remember correctly. I had no idea; I thought it was just irimi. However, because we are changing directions, it becomes "sokomen". Again, I have no clue, that's just what I heard.I find it interesting to break down all the names of the entrances, movements, techniqes, and so on. Bring on the

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-23091197949906149712009-06-23T20:33:00.000-04:002009-08-15T21:18:58.474-04:00

With an exhilarating night of bokken comes some thought. (Wow, how sentimental can this get?)I think I found myself drifting from aikido to complete and utter savage primordial instinct. Somehow, my being nage turned into uke. I could see the fear in "uke's" eyes as I slashed wildly at the poor fellow. Not exactly the best illustration of the "art of peace". I says to myself, "What's wrong with

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-80074341200410042182009-06-23T16:12:00.000-04:002009-08-15T21:18:58.474-04:00

Last night we did some bokken form and work. Let me tell you, I don't like bokken. I LOVE bokken. There's just something about that wooden sword that I thoroughly enjoy. I even named mine "Bo." Not "Beau". Bo.Rant and rave aside, practicing with the bokken gives me a better sense of centering, balance, and blah blah blah. With this one particular kokyu-nage we did, we had to be stable enough so

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-32897824892692467812009-06-21T08:45:00.000-04:002009-08-15T21:18:58.474-04:00

They say you don't know what you have until you lose it. I get it now. At 3:28 this morning, I saw my little brother off to a week with the Boy Scouts of America to Camp Ottari in Pulaksi, Virginia. It's only 8:50 a.m and I miss him already.This week I had planned to attend a seminar at Brevard Aikikai featuring Robert Zimmerman. The seminar is on the day that my brother returns. As of this

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377045236848463788.post-10741247065240838072009-06-20T13:23:00.000-04:002009-08-15T21:18:58.475-04:00

One of the problems I seem to have is speeding through techniques. I think my brain is moving faster than my body. Very frustrating for me.It's not just in aikido, though. Often times, I find myself thinking so fast that I can't speak. In our youth services at church, I turn the lights on way to fast. (And it looks very very weird.) Once in first grade, I rushed so fast through my test that I

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550830709776399071noreply@blogger.com0