A kan of WHOOMP @$$!

A picture of Satoshi Takeda Sensei (taken from an AKI member's website).

Knowing that Troy-san would be thouroughly beaten by the Aikido Monk (see earlier posts & pictures) if he didn't get the chance to train, we planned for a day of sightseeing in Kamakura and night of training at one of the dojos that is part of my organization. We ended up at the Wednesday night class that is taught by Takeda Satoshi Sensei, in the Kamakura Budokan. Noriko called around and after talking to a dojo representative, decided this was the class for us. Even she attended. They told her on the phone, "Yeah. Don't worry. It's a beginner's class." Ha. HA. HAHA.

It was FAR from being a beginner's class. Most of the techniques had kokyu as its core powersource. Kokyu and controlling your uke's mind. I'm all for this kind of training, I'm just saying, it's not a beginner's course!

As Noriko would tell people later, "Takeda Sensei loves gaijin!" As I would have to explain, immediately afterwards, "There is a difference between loving gaijin and loving to throw gaijin." Don't get me wrong. Takeda Sensei was a perfectly nice and kind man. He welcomed us and seemed to happy have us training (even with Troy as a guest from outside our organization). BUT, he does love to throw gaijin. Takeda Sensei did have piercing eyes. As you would come in with an attack they'd see right through you. In my mind, they were a piercing blue. But a Japanese with blue eyes is not the most common sight. I think it was part of his kokyu mind power.

Most sensei will call on one person to be uke for his technique. The sensei will show the technique a few times. The sensei will do it slow and fast and point out anything that needs pointing out. Takeda Sensei will demonstrate a technique on one person and then pick another. He'll go through about 5 different people of different levels. This is cool, because you get to see different levels of him doing the technique and see the different ukemi that the various students can do.

As visitors, Troy and I didn't even suspect that we might get called as uke. Ha. HA. HAHA. He wasted no time in getting Troy on the mat. At 6'6", Troy towers over 99% of the Japanese population. Takeda Sensei is definitely in this majority. In Troy would attack and WHOOOMP! Down he would go. Again, "KIAI!" And again, "WHOOOMP!" A couple of times, I even thought "DAMN! Troy sure landed hard." Troy handled the ukemi, fine, but he was sure surprised. Not as surprised as I was, when it was MY turn. "WHOOMP!" and "WHOOMP!" I have been thrown hard but never as hard as at this place. After I got home, I noticed that if I got on my back and turned my head a certain way, that the room would spin. Concussion?

It was a great class. We trained with yudansha most of the time and everybody was really nice to us. Noriko asked me to keep training with her, but I abandoned her to help her learn that nobody's going to hurt her. There was one Japanese guy that trained in D.C. with Saotome Shihan, once upon a time. There were three other gaijin in the class, as well. A young woman that is teaching at NOVA, I believe, a man named James (he might be teaching, as well), and another guy I didn't know. James is from Louisiana and his Japanese, while jozu, still had his accent.

Bruised, exhausted, and concussed, we headed home. At least, Troy wouldn't have anything to fear from the Aikido Monk. We joked that maybe in a few "dans" we'll head back. Well, Troy was joking, I was serious.

NOTE: The Aikido Monk warned Troy to be careful. He knew there was a possibility that a smaller statured person would really enjoy throwing such a tall guy. Maybe he knows from throwing Troy around, himself!