It's called 'training' for a reason!
I have to admit, I was tempted to use this entry to vent my frustrations concerning tonight's class. It just seemed as if nothing went well. Realizing that my frustration is probably just due to my insecurities, I have decided to remain positive; I'm sure nobody wants to hear a grown man whine (Plus, I already got it off my chest when talking to my wife!).
Kuribayashi Sensei was the instructor tonight, and we began by practicing standing breakfalls. Sensei likes to explain things a lot, and that really shows his desire to help us. He spent a significant amount of time showing us how to place our legs and feet when we fall, and he also made a point to show us exactly how far we should roll onto our backs. It was good to receive such detailed explanation.
Next, we practiced controlling uke when doing tenkan (turning when held by one wrist). It was new for me; sensei showed us how to lead uke around the mat after tori turns (uke has an awkward grasp on tori's wrist and can easily be steered around the mat). It was pretty interesting. I made the mistake of guiding my uke backwards -- all this did was cause him to straighten up again and regain control! Next, we practiced downing uke by catching him off balance after turning. By stepping forward and sweeping the grasped hand toward uke, he can easily be pushed down onto the mat.
During katate-dori shiho-nage, sensei noticed when I was doing ukemi, I was going from a kneeling position directly to my back: I should have gone from kneeling to hips to back. He had me do ukemi quite a few times for him until I got it right (while about half the class was sitting and watching!). I think I finally got it right.
The last thing we always do is line up in seiza to bow and formally end class (tonight sensei had to tell us to fix our uniforms; apparently some guys had their uniform coats open a little too wide -- a sign of disrespect). First we bow to the portrait of O-sensei (the founder of aikido) and then we bow to sensei. After we bow to the portrait, if we are sitting at the edge of the mat, we should turn a little so that we are facing sensei before bowing to him. Most students (including me) kept facing forward, so sensei had to say, "I'm not in the corner; I'm here in the center. Face me." We/I got the hint and repositioned our bodies so we were then facing sensei. I'm sure this seems like common sense, but I have never been told this, so I didn't see my error at first.
Anyway, I felt like I did so many things wrong tonight including etiquette. But I guess it's called 'training' for a reason!
Kuribayashi Sensei was the instructor tonight, and we began by practicing standing breakfalls. Sensei likes to explain things a lot, and that really shows his desire to help us. He spent a significant amount of time showing us how to place our legs and feet when we fall, and he also made a point to show us exactly how far we should roll onto our backs. It was good to receive such detailed explanation.
Next, we practiced controlling uke when doing tenkan (turning when held by one wrist). It was new for me; sensei showed us how to lead uke around the mat after tori turns (uke has an awkward grasp on tori's wrist and can easily be steered around the mat). It was pretty interesting. I made the mistake of guiding my uke backwards -- all this did was cause him to straighten up again and regain control! Next, we practiced downing uke by catching him off balance after turning. By stepping forward and sweeping the grasped hand toward uke, he can easily be pushed down onto the mat.
During katate-dori shiho-nage, sensei noticed when I was doing ukemi, I was going from a kneeling position directly to my back: I should have gone from kneeling to hips to back. He had me do ukemi quite a few times for him until I got it right (while about half the class was sitting and watching!). I think I finally got it right.
The last thing we always do is line up in seiza to bow and formally end class (tonight sensei had to tell us to fix our uniforms; apparently some guys had their uniform coats open a little too wide -- a sign of disrespect). First we bow to the portrait of O-sensei (the founder of aikido) and then we bow to sensei. After we bow to the portrait, if we are sitting at the edge of the mat, we should turn a little so that we are facing sensei before bowing to him. Most students (including me) kept facing forward, so sensei had to say, "I'm not in the corner; I'm here in the center. Face me." We/I got the hint and repositioned our bodies so we were then facing sensei. I'm sure this seems like common sense, but I have never been told this, so I didn't see my error at first.
Anyway, I felt like I did so many things wrong tonight including etiquette. But I guess it's called 'training' for a reason!
posted by Chad at 9:30 PM
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