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Last night's class (Tuesday--July 20th) was enjoyable. However I was having stomach problems and had several moments where I wanted to risk embarrassment by ripping off my hakama and running to the upstairs bathroom. (I know I can't be the only Aikidoka who has had that problem!) I lasted okay though (but barely).
Us, Amy, Mark, Peter, and Larry were there. We did the 13 steps with the Jo and then we paired up and did some practical Jo "fighting"---never did that before! Like being partnered up with somebody using the bokkens only we used steps in the Jo kata. Neat!
Technique-wise, we did an entering/blocking beginning (hard to describe---step in with uke striking tsuki and push/block their punch and enter in with other hand) and different variations of Irimi Nage. At the end we formed a line and took turns doing the 3 Irimis. Lastly, we took turns doing Randori each with 3 attackers. I did "okay". Got stuck once maybe. Even Amy got to do that and she was nervous but that's fine since she's a beginner.
Got to get back to packing! Leaving really early tomorrow morning! Too early in fact! >yawn<
Last Thursday (July 15th) was our 4 year anniversary of our first Aikido class! I'm so glad that we've survived this long and we have sure learned and grown a lot (thinking back of our first years of classes).
Class that night was us, Amy, Jim, Sensei Mark, Larry, and Stark! Jim was teaching Amy Tae Kwon Do kicks and this guy came in and he looked vaguely familier. When he said his name was Stark, I remembered him instantly! He came for a couple of classes in April last year and I remember doing Irimi Nage with him (20 year version) and he picked things up quickly! Glad to see him back trying it again!
It was a fun class. I and Larry were Mark's uke's all night. We did Sankyo techniques and I was in that strange mood where I couldn't help giggling everytime I felt the Sankyo torque!
Saturday's class---Us, Amy, Jim, and Mr. Larry. We did Kotegaeshi and Shiho Nage. It was wonderful practice! However, it was really hot and I was dripping wet and I ended up being Mr. Larry's uke for almost the entire class!!! I was getting nausiated from being too hot and too tired and almost went to go sit out for a bit but I'd get a slight wind back and I just made it to the end of the class by the skin of my teeth. (I felt please to have lasted especially since I was actually honored to be uke for so long!) Mr. Lar
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Ah! It was a great, fun, encouraging class last night! (Tuesday 7/13/04)
My mom, me, & Amy arrived early but Mark did too. Larry and Peter also came. I announced to Mark that this Thursday would be the 4 year anniversary of when we started Aikido. Hurray for us for surviving this long! While my mom helped Amy with the rolls and practiced techniques with her, Mark "played" with me and I did terrible (maybe worse than usual). He'd strike Yokomen and I kept stepping to the side and OUT instead of to the side and IN. That made a huge difference as I'd be too far away and he'd get a 2nd (and 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc.) strike in before I could do anything!
After the bokkens and Peter helped Amy do backrolls on one side of the mat while the rest of us formed a line and did Kokyus, we did Tenshi Nage for the rest of the class (with variations). I was Sensei Mark's uke the whole time.
Poor Amy got discouraged because Larry (not Mr. Larry who teaches on Saturdays but the other Larry) was making it difficult for her to do the techniques correctly and he was expecting too much from a beginner too.
But my mom and I felt very encouraged because we remember learning Tenshi Nage from the 1, 2, 3 steps and how much we've progressed. We still mess things up all the time but we've come a LONG way!!! It took me 2 months just to be ab
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Saturday turned out to be a lot of fun! 7/10/04 Whether Saturday's class was really for intermediate/"advance invited" or not has been the question up in the air for a long time! Last week, I finally just came right out and asked Mr. Larry and he said that it's okay with him if beginners want to come! (Maybe people just didn't want us to come on Saturday's when we started almost 4 years ago because they might have been working on Dan level/preparing the guys for teaching then.) Anyway, I told Amy that if she wanted to come then she could. She did come but she planned to only watch but that didn't work out as Peter and Jim talked her onto the mat and Jim even went over and took her shoes off for her. (So I guess beginners are really welcome onto the mat on Saturdays!) Wayne was there too.
Since Mr. Larry had finished all the weapons classes, he has started with back with basics (5th kyu). It was a really fun class even though it was very hot! I was Mr. Larry's uke part of the time (and Peter was his other uke) and we did Ikkyo omote & ura and Irimi Nage (20 year version). Mr. Larry would come tell/help me sometimes whether I was with a beginner or someone like Peter or Jim and gave me great tips to polish my techniques. Thanks!
After class (since he took them off, Jim had to put Amy's shoes back on her--funny!), we went to coffee as usual and that was fun. I was very happy to have such an enjoyable class and that Amy came and felt welcome.
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I had a few interesting experiances last night! Due to our van having problems and that my mom would have to leave half way through class anyway for Praise Team practice at church, my mom decided not to go last night. It was weird without her there but thankfully, Amy was going so I could ride with her to class.
Mark said he was going to get there about 5:30 so we got there early, ate at the Taco Bell across the street and went to the dojo. I changed and we stretched. Jim showed Amy some Tae Kwon Do kicks and punches and then Mark made her practice some forward rolls. Then all 4 of us did a slow Round Robin and Mark would pick a technique and do it first on all of us and then we each had a turn trying to do it. We did that until class officially started. Wayne arrived about 10 minutes before it did (start, I mean).
We mostly did Ushiro Tekubitori techniques (mostly Kotigeashi--sp?) and those are always fun. Jim and I were Mark's ukes all night and since there were two beginners there, we rotated between working with either Amy or Wayne. That was fine.
When I was Mark's uke one time, he did something SO weird, and SO odd that it will probably stay with me for years to come (and maybe even keep me awake at night)! We were having trouble figuring out how to do a step and movement with our hand for one o
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It was indeed a very small class last night! Just my mom and I, Amy, and Peter arrived maybe 10 after 6! Peter had a class of all women! It's a great thing that he showed up though otherwise we wouldn't have had a teacher and my mom and I would have had a more difficult time trying to show Amy easy techniques.
Class started and Peter led us in warm-up-stretches, a little bit of bokkens, low forward rolls around the mat, forward rolls from standing (Amy still was working on the low rolls), and backward rolls around the mat from low then standing, & shikko.
For techniques, we practiced the Yokomen strike/entrance and the basic steps/blending mostly for Amy's sake but it's great for us too. Then we formed a line and we did Yokomenuchi Shiho-Nage. My mom and I both had a hard time doing Shiho-nage with Amy because she didn't know what she was supposed to do and kept turning out of it. (At first she could because we were afraid of hurting her arm so we did it too gently on purpose.) That can be frustrating but it's really good practice for us as most people don't know what to do anyway so we're learning that we really have to be able to do it correctly instead of uke just standing there. Peter showed us that the reason why she was able to keep turning out (when we were trying to do it right on her) was because we were letting her wander out too far away instead of being shoulder to shoulder close &
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Nice class last night! Amy rode with us again. Jim was there (as usual) and Mark arrived just after us. Talked, changed, stretched, etc. Peter, Larry, & new guy Wayne also came. Mark helped Amy with her rolls while Jim and my mom and I reviewed the bokken/footwork from last Thursday.
Class started and Mark had ME lead the bokkens! It's been awhile since I've done that and because it seemed like there were a lot of people there, I felt self-conscious. I knew that I should have explained about the turns or said something to remind Amy about turning her foot so she wouldn't twist her knee but my words got all tangled up so I just counted and called out the turns, etc. Besides getting my words mixed up in my brain I figured Amy would be okay as we had just reminded her about the turns and her knee about 30 minutes before at Taco Bell and Mark was right next to her, helping. When I said, "bokkens down", I was afraid I saw Mark look at me with an odd look which made me worry. Later I asked him if I was a "bokken disgrace" and he said, "no! I wouldn't let you go up there if you were". I felt better after that.
For techniques we worked on Kosidori (sp?) Kotigiaishi (sp?), forward roll Ude, and a little bit of Nikkyo. I was with Amy more than I got to be on Tuesday. Particularly, the Nikkyo! I LOVE Nikkyo!!! Both doing it and having it done on me! It didn't take much b
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My mom just arrived home from work to pick me up for Aikido when my friend, Amy, drove up (she was finally coming & was going to ride with us). My mom and I tried to explain Aikido to her all the way there and even in the Taco Bell across from the dojo while we were eating. After we ate, we let ourselves into the dojo and my mom and I changed into our gi's. Amy surprised me because she was doing all sorts of neat cartwheels and flips on the mats! I didn't know she could do that and I'd kill myself if I tried.
Sensei Mark soon arrived with Larry and I introduced her to them. Peter walked in later. Mark told Larry to show her how to stretch and later the stances and rolls (my mom helped with that) while he changed, put on his hakama, stretched, and then he let me come "play" with him. I did terrible again as usual but I had fun. He made me realize that I was giving uke back some distance while doing Irimi Nage when he would suddenly turn and grab me in a bear hug--to show that I was "loosing him". I hope I'll remember that so I can work on it.
Mark started class and we did the bowing and breathing and I realized I forgot to tell Amy about that. Then we did basic stances and turns for Amy's sake and watching her out of the corner of my eye, I realized I also forgo
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07-21-2004 08:41 PM 
It's been awhile since I've done that and because it seemed like there were a lot of people there, I felt self-conscious. I knew that I should have explained about the turns or said something to remind Amy about turning her foot so she wouldn't twist her knee but my words got all tangled up so I just counted and called out the turns, etc. Besides getting my words mixed up in my brain I figured Amy would be okay as we had just reminded her about the turns and her knee about 30 minutes before at Taco Bell and Mark was right next to her, helping. When I said, "bokkens down", I was afraid I saw Mark look at me with an odd look which made me worry. Later I asked him if I was a "bokken disgrace" and he said, "no! I wouldn't let you go up there if you were". I felt better after that. 
