Shinsa

After the normal 7.30-9pm tonight, Eda-sensei asked us to "practice more kata"... So despite having a totally empty stomach, I choose to do it with them. I could have escaped but ended up staying... until 10pm!

Tanaka sensei made the class into mock Shinsa, showing them how the correct reigi is, and everyone had a few brief fights for 1 min... and we went on and do 1-min mawari keiko for a few more rounds. I heard there are 100+ taking that grading in 2 days...

Points to note are mainly about not losing mentally. Not feeling losing at least. A shinsa Men has to cut 100% with zanshin - not floppy here and there and footwork went everywhere (I know he's talking about me)...

Sensei doesn't want people taking grading having an injury 2 days before.. So we switched to kata practice for 1/2 hr. I got grabbed by a girl taking shodan, a women taking nidan, and a senpai taking sandan (!!). My self-comment is that, I lost half of my nanahome already. Oh well...

After class we got stuck outside the gym (still in the building of the sports centre) where Eda-sensei asked us to do kata ON OUR OWN... Empty air with imaginary opponents... For a moment I think that'll be good for my Iaido, so I stayed and went through #1-7 for both sides.

-- No I am not taking Shinsa again!! Not now!! AAaaaaaah---!!

When I finish and say bye to sensei, she told me to keep the next grading in mind (1.5 years to go... that soon?) Because there is no competition to go to, right now, for me, so I can work on more basics. I must admit that is what is lack in London - with less than half of the sessions I went every week is purely about basics.

There are 100+ foreigners coming for Godou keiko tomorrow, and sensei particularly reminds me to "go get the Japanese university girls" - because there aren't many here, as in any other place outside Japan. Much like endangered species that everyone has to pay extra attention to.