<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>

<!--
	Downloaded: 05-24-2013 03:39 AM
	From AikiWeb Aikido Forums, http://www.aikiweb.com/forums
	Userid: 2248
	User Name: John Boswell
-->

<blogEntries>
<blogEntry id="2206">
	<title><![CDATA[Iriminage... broken down]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[We started out last night working on iriminage. We didn't just do the technique, we broke it into peices and did it in stages.

Tai sabake: We worked on arm position, deflection of the attack, and coming around to get behind the uke. I'm starting to get better about controling the head, bringing it into my shoulder. I used to have a lot of "back-off" on that, but I'm getting better. My hands are so big, however, that I have to be careful to really capture the shoulder and not just grab and end up choking the uke! LOL :D

Then we worked on the hips. Once you have the uke captured, using the hips to move the uke is very key and we focused a lot on that last night. Bending the knees, turning the hips, opening foot to open the hips... and RAISING the arm! I still slip back into dropping the arm a bit, but it's getting better now. Taking time to think and analyze while off the mat has helped a great deal to figure out why I'm doing things a certain way and why I shouldn't do other things. Keeping it all in front of me... very important.

My hip action is really coming into play. When I was throwing in iriminage last night, I kept feeling my hip bumping the uke. That is something Kato Shihan does all the time. Being a skinny little guy, it can hurt! But me, being big and fat (not really, but I'm not skinny either) I've got a little more padding to make it easier on the uke. But boy... do I nail them! Madrid was telling me it actually gives him a little boost to help him roll. That's cool! Anything I can do to help as I'm chunkin' ya to the ground! I'm all for that. ;)

Was a good class!  Chaulk up 2 more hours for me.

On a side note, Sensei is completely finished with the office renovations and is eager, eager, eager to get the upstairs complete. I'm hoping to get an airless sprayer from the office so that Sensei can paint upstairs. Shouldn't be a problem, but I need to ask... don't want to just "borrow" it without asking.

Nov. 5 is coming up quick. That'll be Kato Shihan's next seminar, and I'm really looking forward to it. Anxious to see him again, and he's bringing two students with him from Japan. Should be VERY interesting! :D]]></body>
	<date>10-21-2005</date>
</blogEntry>
</blogEntries>