Cramming for Tests

Well, the AKI organization has spring testing and it's due to happen in April. This means that from now until then, my dojo will have Saturday and Sunday classes. This is great, except the soreness I feel on Monday morning (after regular Sunday class), I will now feel on Sunday morning- only to be renewed fresh for Monday.

In other dojos, one day will be strenuous and maybe the next will be kind of relaxed. It just depends on the teacher that day or what techniques are being taught. Well, EVERY AKI class is strenous. At then of class, we all take ukemi (falling) from the teacher and/or senior students. We take it until we are panting and our legs are heavy. At this point, that doesn't take long for me.

Also, since I will be testing, I am now generally working with the senior students. This means more falling down, more getting up, and more knee-walking than when working with beginners. I'm sure, in 20 years, I'll look back and smile.

Family Heirloom Update

So it turns out (either J-Pop came clean or he just remembered), our family heirloom bokken (bokto) was not owned by either Grandfather. J-Pop bought it himself twenty years ago! Why? Was he hiding some kendo/kenjutsu/aikido/iaido/*.do/*.jutsu in his past? Nope. In America, we keep the baseball near the front door- maybe in a closet. He bought it in case of home invaders! We made a few jokes about why it's bent. Is it his secret technique? Defenders don't know where to block? Did he hit someone with it? So far, he can't remember.

Homage

I was searching online for some Iaido information when I stumbled across a familiar webpage. I checked it out and lo and behold I found two of my aikibuddies! I was surprised to see them. I knew they did iaido but I think they really look sharp! I don't have permission to use these pictures and if necessary I'll take them off and put pictures of Chuck Norris in their place. Seriously, both of these guys and their training regimens are inspirational. They are role models.

Before we knew his name, Noriko and I called him the Aikido Monk. He lives and breathes the stuff. (I have concealed his identity and now he does look rather like Snake Eyes).

If you ever want to see what someone looks like that is giving 200%, just train with this guy.

If either of you wish me to remove these photos, just ask. After a duel (with you winning) and an eat off of fugu (again with you winning and not dying), I'll think about it. Seriously, I'll take them off. Or I'll put a black bar over your faces.

The long and the sho-to of it.

I've only had three classes in three weeks, but at least it's been consistent. I had Noriko query Sensei a little further. The sho-to (short wooden sword) is used to perfrom the technique shomenuchi ikkyo. I still need to get a regular length bokken (or bok-to) to practice a couple of cuts. J-Pop gave me one that mysteriously showed up in his garage, but it has a lot of character (meaning it's warped and squiggly). I wonder if that means there's not much of a budo past in the family. The point of practicing is to learn to make a perfectly straight cut. It's kind of hard to do that swinging a three foot long "S." After our last class, Noriko said, "I like ikkyo. Omote. Ura." That she can even use these words in a sentence is nice. What a wonderful wife!

Happy Belated Valentine's Day

Well I didn't send anything back home in time for my Mother to get a card and I didn't want to compromise her email by using an online ecard so I made her a custom ecard.

The Eternal Beginner

Tonight was our second aikido class in Japan. This aikido journey in Japan is going to be interesting. I can't understand 90% of what is being said. Supposedly, that is how it should be. Students of yore were supposed to watch their sensei and "steal the technique." That's how you have people like Tomiki, Tohei, and Shioda, all students of Ueshiba, but they all have their own strain of aikido. They all stole/saw something different.

The loudest person in my aikido class isn't even there. It's Mike Pollack sensei and he's in my head. "Use your thumbs!" is his most common outburst. Mostly I hear him in my technique (by the way, i'm doing him a grave disservice by even comparing my technique to his). But I see him doing every technique right along with me. I'm doing my best to emulate him in class. I haven't seen anything yet that can replace all of those years of watching him teach.

I can't remember if I ran it down in the last entry. In Tulsa, I was a member of the Tulsa Aikido Club, which was in turn, affiliated with Aikido Schools of Ueshiba. Here, I'm a member of the Misakikai Dojo, which is in turn affiliated with Aikido Kenkyukai International.

Aoki-sensei also announced that I'm going to be testing in April. I can't believe it. 15 years after my first aikido class, I'm going to take a class for 5th kyu. After this long, it really doesn't have much meaning to me. He told Noriko I need to get a short bokken because I'll need it for the test. I've started aikido and I've quit aikido. Two months or two years later I've started and quit again. Three months later, I've finished a job and was able to start up lessons again. This has gone on for 15 years.

There are also some one day and two day training events coming up that I shouldn't miss. Some advice I received before coming to Japan was, "Train as much as you can." I'll do my best.

Dreaming of Mori

So last night, I had a strange dream. I was joining an aikido academy and I met with Morihei. We bowed and he slid a folded black hakama toward me across the tatami. That's the good part. I take that as a welcome sign. The rest of the dream turned into one of those "back-in-college-and-you're-late-for-class-and-you-can't-find-the-class-etc." dreams. I was running around this huge dojo complex looking for the dressing room. Then I had to stop and pee (wasting more time- thank goodness I didn't wet the bed). All i was thinking, "Ueshiba-sensei is going to be pissed that I'm late to his class."

Rowing To Beauty

I was watching an interview with an older Japanese actress, who was aging gracefully. They asked what her secret was. She said she does a certain exercise everyday. Lo and behold, she stood up and started doing the "rowing" exercise! I know that Ueshiba incorporated many ki-type exercises into his warmups but it was interesting to see someone outside of the aikido circle doing it (of course, for all I know, she is a hachidan somewhere).

For shots of what it looks like, visit:
http://www.aikido-world.com/highlights/technical%20_tips/rowing-grp-front-profile1a.htm

"Can you show me Nikkyo?"

The dojo locker room

Sunday finally came and with it, my first aikido class (this time around) and Noriko's first class, ever. Aoki Sensei was absent so somebody from another dojo was filling in. We had a class of four students. The substitute sensei brought his son to help out with any beginners. The style is very similar with my dojo from Tulsa (meaning I sucked at the same stuff as I sucked at in Tulsa).

Inside the dojo

We spent most of the class doing suwari waza) That translates, loosely, to "My knees are killing me know, because instead of doing techniques from a standing position, we did them from a kneeling position." Halfway through class, the sensei asked me if my knees were ok. I said, "Oh yes. They're fine."

Outside the dojo

While the sensei didn't speak much to me during the techniques, he did his best to demonstrate what I should be doing. That way works, I just need to do it about 1000 times (and then 1000 more and 1000 more...). He taught Noriko to do ikkyo, from a standing position, that was also a new way for me. Nage drives straight into uke and uke has to turn to take a roll (usually). He told her that if she learns this way first, then the other way is easier. For me, this way was really awkward, at first. Sometimes you have to kind of sweep uke's leg. We ended the last 20 minutes with a session of free techniques. You attack the sensei twenty times and then he attacks you twenty times. By the end of the session it's very hard to breathe. I've heard of other classes where they expect you to throw up when it's over.

After class

There are about 26 dojos in this area. The farthest one is about an hour away. Now that I'm a member of this dojo, I can visit any of the others and pay a small fee (~500-700 yen). Throughout the year, other dojos have seminars and taikai and other events that we're welcome to attend. Finally, Noriko asked me, "Can you show me nikkyo?" How sweet it that?

As an end to my evening, I had a nice long soak in the tub. Paradise.