I just got back from a weekend seminar with Patty Saotome sensei (6th dan) in San Bernardino, CA, and I thought I'd write up some of my experiences.

Rather than driving down alone for seven hours each way from the Bay Area down to San Bernardino, I decided to dig up $80 for a round trip flight on Southwest. This proved to be a much more pleasant choice. Last time down at San Bernardino with Kevin Choate sensei, I found it was kind of tough to drive for seven hours after training for three hours. Besides, an hour flight (even with the ever-so communal Southwest Airlines) is much less stressful for me than a seven hour drive down Interstate 5.

The seminar itself was very well attended by people of all ranks from beginning white belts up to local instructors from around the area.

Patty Saotome sensei (henceforth "Patty Sensei," not from lack of respect but of convenience so as to not confuse her with Mitsugi Saotome sensei) has been a student of Mitsugi Saotome sensei for over twenty years, and it really shows. Her style and precision reflects a lot of what I have seen in Saotome sensei, especially her weapons work.

Patty sensei conducted all of the training sessions by starting out in a very vigorous manner. No dilly-dallying with tai-no-henko here; the first half of each session started out with very direct and dynamic techniques, and only after we were all sweating and panting did we switch over to static techniques to go over the principles. It was an interesting twist to go from fast, big techniques to working on static principles. I rather liked this approach as opposed to the usual method of going through the principles first and then trying to apply them, as it was a different manner of teaching and learning than I'd usually encountered.

Some of the techniques we went through through the weekend included katadori nikkyo (by rolling one's shoulder), tsuki kotegaeshi (by leading uke's attack rather than by redirecting it), ryotedori tenchinage (by really turning one's hips to draw uke), and some very wonderfully direct iriminage. A lot of what we worked on was very advanced and included things like sweeps, turning 360 degrees, and using uke's reaction to one direction of movement to elicit a different response with which to unbalance uke.

Patty sensei's techniques are very beautiful to watch (and great to feel!), as her movements are very direct and her posture very straight. Her teaching style is clear-cut and easy to follow. Patty sensei also came around to everyone on the mat while we practiced and gave great personal advice to everyone. Her perceptions were right on target, very helpful, and very well presented.

We worked on Saotome sensei's kumijo 1 through 6 on Sunday morning -- perfect timing for me, as I was considering performing these for my upcoming test. Patty sensei's weapons are really good. She has very exquisite, direct lines. Every gesture and movement in her kumijo had meaning; her strikes were right down the line, while her guards were right on her own line. Her empty handed techniques really incorporated a lot of her weapons movements, and it was great to see that.

Off the mat, Patty sensei is a wonderfully vivacious and friendly person. We had a great time at a Vietnamese restaurant on Saturday evening followed up by an evening of great conversation, laughter, Scotch, and cigars.

If I only took one thing from the seminar, it was Patty sensei's saying this to me. ""No matter what happens, darlin', never EVER back up! You may turn to get off the line to get out of the way, but that's not backing up." Taking a look back at her movements for both empty-handed and weapons, I see she really embodies that statement. I'll have to work on this.

I'm hoping Patty sensei will be able to come up to the Bay Area sometime. I have to say that Patty sensei is loads of fun both on and off the mat, a wonderful aikidoka, and a great teacher.

Jun