<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>

<!--
	Downloaded: 05-25-2013 11:47 AM
	From AikiWeb Aikido Forums, http://www.aikiweb.com/forums
	Userid: 5749
	User Name: Susan Marie
-->

<blogEntries>
<blogEntry id="1310">
	<title><![CDATA[Variations on a Tsuki...]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[December 14, 2004, Variations on a Tsuki…

I was the only person in the class last night that’s testing this Thursday, so Sensei taught all 4th kyu techniques.

Tsuki irmininage is on my 4th kyu test.  Last night Sensei showed four variations of it.  I had only been practicing one.  So I got a little bit nervous.  I was told by a shodan to do the one I’d been practicing and the variation where you step off the line, block the tsuki with the outside hand and step in with the other arm straight into iriminage.  I was having a lot of trouble with one of the variations, as was my shodan partner.  Sensei demonstrated it several times for us, but I still couldn’t get it.  He wasn’t pleased.

Ushiro tekubidori sankyo was another one that I had some trouble with last night.  There’s a “quick” version which I’d only touched on briefly in my practicing, but that is the one that he demonstrated last night.  The “quick” variation, if you can picture it, is when you grab uke’s hand as they reach for your hand and then tenkan under their arm, at the same time you’re holding uke’s hand in sankyo.  And instead of making uke back up by applying your other hand to their fingers you just cut down and proceed to the pin depending on whether you’re doing omote or ura.

Sensei was really watching me last night.  

In the past couple of days I’ve been dealing with some personal/family issues.  A year ago I would have let these things really get to me.  I would’ve allowed myself to be eaten up inside over things that are beyond my control (ie: other people’s actions).  I credit my aikido training for keeping me level headed about what’s going on.   ]]></body>
	<date>12-14-2004</date>
</blogEntry>
</blogEntries>