We had a Sumi-sensei weekend again, and he dropped by our dojo today.
They were doing stretching when I got there, and I pretty much fall asleep lying comfortably on the dojo floor...
Had a torn-off blister under my little finger after a good round of suburi-keiko, again lasted for 30 mins. Obvious sign of not training regular enough.
Then 4 rounds of 3-string kirikaeshi as warm-up, followed by an endless amount of uchikomi-keiko (men-hiki-men/kote/do x3), when totally wore every kakarite out.
I was (un)fortunate enough to be standing opposite Sumi-sensei when he needs a uchikomi-keiko demo, and was forced to repeatedly correct my leaning-forward posture during hitting, and also moving to the side in between the set. These 2 bad habits will be what I should work up on before my sandan grading (hopefully). I was not *that* aware of these before, simply because only in demos against an 8th-dan sensei that I felt like putting up a better show when so many people are watching. Pressure is definitely good for me.
Five points to recap:-
1) Shinai tip shouldn't drop when raising up during suburi
2) Hit and receive on monouchi part of shinai - both motodachi and kakarite needs tobe aware
3) Seme-ashi first before every hit
4) Keeping back straight when hitting
5) Keeping a tsubazeriai kamae smoothly after hitting - should keep shinai at the same level after the hit, until tsuba almost touching opponent's men-gane, then drop hands
4 comments:
You are so fortunate, Jenny! To get personal feedback from Sumi Sensei is like getting gold.
When will you be going for your 3 Dan exam? In any case, I wish you success.
Ah. Thanks V. Shinsa is coming in early August. Gotta keep reminding myself too--!
I wish I knew what all these kendo terms mean but it's hard enough trying to get aikido and iaido straight. I'm almost tempted to take up kendo but I'm already pursuing too many interests in a mediocre fashion. Are you still training in iai, by the way? Good luck in the preparation for your sandan test.
Well... Many martial arts from Japan share the same jargon. I find nouns like "ashi" and "kochi" used everywhere. So nothing much of a challenge to remember individual words - you just get used to it.
I haven't touched by iaito for 2 years, and there are other interests that need my attention - too little time too many things too learn!
Post a Comment