Dude Looks Like a Lady

It was a nice warm day; the sun finally decided to come out after a few weeks of nothing but grey skies and rain. It felt good to sit in seiza (sitting on heels with legs folded under) as we waited for sensei to come into the dojo. The only problem was that sensei didn't come! Class was supposed to start at 9:30 this morning, and at 9:45, one of the students had to go downstairs to see if sensei had forgotten about us because we were still without an instructor. Finally, Suzuki Sensei entered with an awkward look on his face. He is a shidoin (training to be shihan -- master). Oh well, mistakes happen...even at Hombu. It gave me time to do several minutes of zazen (meditation) though.

I was in the back row as we waited for sensei to enter, and I was noticing how Japanese people nowadays are not accustomed to sitting in seiza for periods of more than ten minutes. Everybody was shifting around due to numb feet and sore legs (myself included). There were a few men who actually changed and sat cross-legged ("Western style"). It was an interesting cultural observation. So it's not just foreigners who have trouble sitting in seiza!

Before class, I saw a friend of mine, Kobayashi-san, sitting in the back row, so I sat next to him and we chatted for a little bit. He is a yudansha (black belt) and his English is quite good. I haven't seen him in over a year. He was surprised at my appearance; he said I had lost a lot of weight. I was flattered. He said the last time he saw me (at a drinking party), I was overweight and my face was chubby "like Bill Clinton's," but now I "look like Robert Kennedy." I guess he follows U.S. politics a lot! Nevertheless, it made my day. We made plans to get together again to go drinking (a favorite pastime of many aikido practitioners!).

We worked on moves today that are typical for beginner's class: shomen-uchi ikkyo (standing and sitting), irimi-nage, and shiho-nage. I had trouble in the past with shiho-nage. When it was time to down my partner, my technique wasn't good enough for me to take him down. I realized today that I wasn't cutting down enough as I turned while walking under his arm. As I turned, I also cut down on the arm, thus making it easier to throw him off balance. I love it when I discover little gems like that. It makes me wonder why I didn't learn it before, but I guess that's why we need to train a lot; it comes with experience.

For the last ten minutes of class, Suzuki Sensei drilled us on how to turn and pivot (sitting and standing). Then we went through some exercises that reminded me of yoga: We did the splits (legs out to our sides as far as they can go) on the ground, put our hands on the floor in front of us, and lifted our bodies off the ground. We also tried this while sitting in some kind of lotus position. My upper thighs started cramping, so I had to stop. I had never experienced exercises like this in aikido. I'm not sure how I can spread my legs further apart; they just don't seem like they are designed to do that!

On my way out of the building, I checked my name on the signup sheet for the Aikikai demonstration next weekend at Nippon Budokan. It was still there, but I noticed that I had previously written my name under the wrong column; I was signed up in the women's category! I didn't notice the first time since almost all the names were written in Japanese, nor did I notice the categories marked (in Japanese) "men" and "women." Luckily the kanji characters for gender are easy enough for me to read. I'm not sure why I didn't catch it the first time though.

Back for More

Today was my first day back to the dojo. I was thinking about how glad I was to be returning. It felt good to put on my uniform once again. In the locker room was a man who had just bought his uniform at the front desk. He had to ask another guy how to fasten the drawstrings of the pants. It reminded me that I had not practiced in over a month! In a way I felt like a novice again.

The 4th floor dojo was closed during March for renovations, but the only thing I noticed was that the clock had been replaced; everything else looked the same. I wondered what else had been updated. Maybe I'll never know.

There were a lot fewer students in the dojo this morning. Technically, the Golden Week holiday ends today, so I imagine lots of people are still out of town. Still, between 25 and 30 were in attendance. It was noticeable in that I had lots more room during our warmup stretch routine.

Before class, I inquired at the front desk about participating in the annual demonstration later this month at the Nippon Budokan. There is a short segment where kyu- and dan-ranked members can participate in floor routines in one big group. I thought it would be interesting to be a part of it -- not to mention good blog material! All I had to do was sign my name on a sheet of paper in the dojo after class. It was as simple as that. There were quite a few names on the list already, but since it will be held at such a large place, everyone can be accommodated. However, we have to arrive with a partner, so I'll have to find one beforehand.

I learned something new about my ukemi today. We practiced kote-gaeshi (entering and grabbing uke's wrist and then turning and manipulating his wrist in a throw). This move intimidates me since it can cause severe damage to the wrist. I was taking ukemi for a yudansha, and I wasn't moving my feet enough because I was too busy anticipating the sudden twist to my wrist. Irie Sensei showed me that I need to follow tori as he leads me around in a circle. At least we weren't doing it at full speed today.

My partner for irimi-nage was a small college student. I usually work the hardest with small female college students because they have so much energy! I try and keep up with their pace and it really wears me out. Oh well, it's a good cardiovascular workout at least -- something I do need.

There is a foreign student that I have seen on Sunday mornings for the past year and a half. Since I am shy and not good at breaking the ice, he finally initiated after class and we talked for quite some time. He is from Sri Lanka, and we have several things in common. It's really good to get to know my fellow aikidoka!