On the 2nd Floor

This morning someone in the locker room told me that our class would be in the 2nd floor dojo. I was glad because it's about twice as big as the dojo we normally use on the 4th floor. It also meant our lesson would be much more intense due to the extra room; the more space we have, the faster and harder our practice is.

It was good to practice katate-dori nikyo (pin #2 with uke grabbing tori's wrist). This is a combination that I have never done. I helped my partner with the move because she wasn't very familiar with nikyo in general. I helped several of my partners today; I guess that's a sign that I'm progressing.

It's always awesome to watch Irie-sensei demonstrate moves in front of the class. He is so hard on his uke! It's a relief that he isn't that hard on us white belts. But in time...

My partner for shomen-uchi shiho-nage today was a bit hard on my wrists when he downed me. He was very polite and asked me if it was too hard. I told him it was a little bit hard. After several injuries due to my macho silence when tori is too hard, I now let my partners know when they are going past the breaking point -- and I always seem to feel when they are reaching that point! (My joints are bent just a little too unnaturally.) I don't feel that I'm being too soft; I just think it's important to communicate with one's partner to avoid any unnecessary injuries.

After class, I asked three people (two of them were black belts) if they would accompany me to the regular class next week, and all of them turned me down. One black belt said the beginner's class is tiring enough! I was surprised.

I did, however, learn about a midsummer drinking party for members of Hombu dojo next Sunday. I haven't gone to them because the price is a bit high -- around 4,000 yen ($40). There are two "official" drinking parties every year at Hombu: one is at the end of the year, and the other is during the summer. At the end of class (after we formally bow) when everyone is still in seiza, a senior student sits in front and announces the party to everyone. It's usually held at a nearby izakaya (Japanese-style restaurant and bar). I just might attend if I can scrape together the extra money. I was told that there would be quite a few native English speakers at the party. I guess that was an incentive for me to come!

It's Official

Well, I guess it's official: I am a lightweight when it comes to summer aikido training. On the news last night, the temperature at 9:00pm was 30 degrees celcius, and the humidity was 60%. During the day it was of course higher. That makes for some tough training.

In the dojo today, everyone was exclaiming, "Atsui, ne?" (It's hot, isn't it?) I didn't feel like such a wimp since everyone was complaining (and they were Japanese people, I might add!). I couldn't bring myself to go to the regular class; it was hard enough just to finish a beginner's class.

I might mention that there is no air conditioning or fan in the dojos at Hombu; there are some small ventilation fans near the ceiling, but those don't count. I read once that Doshu wants students to adapt with the seasons, so air conditioning is considered unnatural. Well, at least the showers feel good after a sweltering time of training! (There is no hot water in the locker room, so summer is the only time when guys take showers after class.)

Today during yonkyo (pin #4), my partner was fairly new to aikido, so he didn't know how to apply the pressure on the wrist during the pin. I tried to tell him (in my broken Japanese) and demonstrate, but he still didn't get it. I finally asked Kobayashi-san, a yudansha who was training next to me, for his help in explaining yonkyo to my partner. While he was showing my partner, Irie-sensei had us stop, so my poor partner will have to wait until next time to figure it out.

While I was taking ukemi for Irie-sensei during katate-dori nikyo (one-hand grab, pin #2), he told me in English that he thinks I'm ready to test for 4th kyu. I told him that I already have 4th kyu rank. I often hear that the exam for 3rd kyu is really difficult and that people usually fail the first time they take it, so I took that chance to ask Irie-sensei. He said it was indeed true! Apparently there is a gap between 4th and 3rd kyu as far as requirements on the exam (all the requirements for each exam can be found on the Hombu website -- click the link on the right).

After class, there were only two things on my mind: find the nearest drinking fountain and then jump in the cold shower!

Asian Summer

I always seem to forget how humid the summers are in Japan. Every season I try and tolerate the extremely humid days, but I still seem surprised when summer comes around again. I guess once it's over, I quickly try and forget it all.

Today when I entered the dojo in my keiko-gi (uniform), I immediately felt the stifling heat all over my body. After we warmed up and I started to sweat a lot, I actually felt cooler since my uniform was becoming drenched.

I attended Irie-sensei's beginner's class because it has been several weeks since I last trained. I didn't feel like getting my butt kicked all over the place in the regular class. We started with tenkan (turning while partner grabs one wrist). My partner (uke) was 1st kyu rank, so he gave me some pointers concerning the placement of my hands after I turn and release ki energy. He showed me that I should lower my palms more and force his hand down more. I was pleased with the results.

By the way, the Japanese female students at Hombu never cease to surprise me. Most of them are small, slender, and in their 20s or 30s, but just under that exterior lurks a ferocious ambition. Today I was partners with two different women, and my main concern was going extra easy on them so I wouldn't cause any injuries. (Because of my size, I have to be careful, especially since a lot of the students are small.) Well, when it was their turn to execute the moves on me, I was amazed at how rough and strong they were.

For those of you who are reading this and don't know a lot about Japanese popular culture, the cuter something or someone is, the cooler it is. That goes for schoolgirls and young women as well. But in aikido, the "cute" culture doesn't exist, and only serious, determined students train here. I am glad for that!

As I was putting on my shoes in the lobby after class, I saw Irie-sensei in his street clothes taking some dishes to the kitchen. I commented on how hot it was, and he responded by saying, "It's Asian summer, isn't it?" It sure is!