Kihon Shibu 12/19/2007

I just realized this was the last class of 2007. Matt joined Johnny and myself for this session since he's got some free time before the next semester. As usual we started with some うけみ、although this time we did it just like I used to do back at the Tidewater dojo. I would do a series of rolls and everyone would repeat them. Then we did some more synchronized そくほかいてん and よこながれ。After that we broke out a padded bo and commenced taking turns doing ぜんぽう、こうほう and そくほ　かいてん under it while two of us held it about waist height. Then we lowered it knee height and did ぜんほかいてん over it. Then we raised it again to do てんとび over it into a ぜんぽかいてん。After that we took two padded hanbos, set them on the floor some distance apart from each other, then practiced ひちょかいてん over the gap. We also laid two padded long bo staffs on the ground to create a landing strip. We incrementally increased the gap until we were doing ひちょかいてん over six feet of space. Johnny didn't dive roll that far but did exceptional for his first time.

Next was the さんしんのかた。We did this the same way as in the previous class. After that was some かまえ practice; standing in いちもんじのかまえ、moving from しぜんのかまえ to いにちもんじのかまえ in different directions, moving forward while switching かまえ、moving backward while switching かまえ、and also doing a basic つき。

We then continued the same kind of exercises from last class. First was the がんせきなげ like movement. Then we did a むしゃどり exercise where from くみうち you step back into いちもんじのかまえ on the same side as the sleeve that is being held. Anchor the うけの elbow as you pivot to the うけの outside. The next exercise was a variation of this one. From かたむねどり step into いちもんじのかまえ straight to the side that is held. At the same time pull the うけの elbow to you to achieve the むしゃどり lock.　At this point reposition your foot behind うけの foot as you lower your かまえ and lift the うけの elbow. The last exercise was also from かたむねどり。Depending on how the うけ is holding either step forward or backward into かまえ while anchoring the wrist to your chest.

That pretty much wrapped it up. The focus wasn't on the locks but instead of just moving with かまえ。

がんばってください！

Kihon Shibu 12/17/2007

Last night was just me and Johnny. We started off by practicing three consecutive ぜんぽうかいてん in various directions. Then we mixed ぜんぽう and こうほう　かいてん together. After that we practiced そくほうかいてん synchronized with each other then while each of us held onto one end of a bo. We then did the same thing with よこながれ。We finished up this set of うけみ with そくほうかいてん and じゅんながれ from いちもんじのかまえ。After a short breather we practiced some むとどり with a padded bokken. First we did a てんちとび exercise then a たいさばき exercise. The bokken was then replaced with a padded long bo. That concluded the うけみ for the evening.

Next we went through each of the さんしんのかた to help drill the movements and names into memory. いちもんじのかまえ exercises followed. First up was just standing in かまえ。Next we practiced moving into いちもんじのかまえ while in various grabs. First up was from くみうち moving back at an angle and taking the uke's balance using a light touch on the shoulders.

The second one was from くみうち again. Move straight back into かまえ、then さゆぎゃく back at an angle, then finally さゆぎゃく forward. This exercise inadvertently became がんせきなげ but we did not focus on that. The focus was moving through and maintaining かまえ.

The third one was from かたむねどり。Move straight back into かまえ on the same side that is held. Pivot around your front foot to the outside of the uke's front foot. Step so that your front foot is in line with the uke's foot/knee. Drop down into げだんいちもんじのかまえ using your front arm to help pull the uke off balance.

The final one was the same as the previous one except you step back with the opposite foot.

がんばってください！

Shima Dojo 12/13/2007

Class started with さんしんのかた as a warmup. Each technique we did started with: Uke does かたむねどり　じょだん　つき (lapel grab with punch). Tori moves back just within reach covering the grab as you assume いちもんじのかまえ on the same side as the attack. Uke strike the tsuki and with the same hand strike the face. Be sure to upset the balance and spine with this strike.

1. Pivot on your front foot towards your back side as you strike (うらしゅとけん) the inside of uke's arm or just push/pull them down. Control the uke as necessary and maintain かまえ throughout.
   


2. With this one it helps to move slightly off line to the outside. Lock the elbow by pushing down on the uke's wrist and holding the elbow joint with your free hand. Shift forward shoving the uke's shoulder into his face. This should place nearly all of his weight onto his rear foot. Use たいさばき to reach the rear leg for a sweep like a reverse がんさきなげ。A cross step or a shuffle step should do the trick but I prefer よこあるき。Control the uke as necessary and maintain かまえ throughout.
   


3. With this one after the uke strike hang onto that arm and forget about the strike to the face. Bend and raise the uke's arm so that the elbow points up and do がんせきなげ。An elbow （しゅきけん） strike can be applied here. Control the uke as necessary and maintain かまえ throughout.
   

Points Doug mentioned the past two classes were to be light on the feet so that you can dance with the uke. Don't forget about your elbows. Move just within reach. Drill a hole into the middle of uke's forehead with your intent.

After class Doug tested Mike for shodan and he made it. Congratulations Mike.

がんばってください！

Shima Dojo 12/11/2007

Doug and Michelle are back from Japan and had lots to share about their experience. Class started with a short talk about what the training was like in Japan. Then we went into the first kata of Kukishinden Ryu, Seion. First we practiced regular Seion then we practiced a couple of variations. None of the variations involved a kick. The first one had the tori using his elbow and footwork to take the uke's balance. The second one was much like the Shinden Fudo Ryu kata Nichi Geki. As uke moves in strike the back of his hip to break his attack and with the free hand strike down against the collar bone or ryumon kyusho. After this we played with the timing of uke's attack by moving just out of reach of his attack to make taking the balance easier.

Next we practiced the second kata Suiyoku. After that we practiced using the elbows again. This time against just two punches. Receive the first punch lightly　then when the second one comes advance with the free elbow covering uke's attack. Control the space and balance. Doug mentioned locking the spine out via the shoulder.

That concluded class and Doug then tested Shane for shodan. Several people were involved in the test and he passed. Ed and Michelle were also awarded nidan. Doug received godan while in Japan. Congratulations to everyone.

がんばってください！

Kihon Shibu 12/06/2007

Last Thursday was a larger mix of students and we covered much of the same material. We started with ぜんぽうかいてん　from しこ。After that we focused on the finer points of　ぜんぱかいてん and こうまうかいてん。After rolling around for a while it was requested that we give the knees a break so I suggested we practice some てんちとび。By the look on Mike's face that was not what he had in mind. Therefore we only spent a few minutes on that. Next up was the いちもんじのかまえ practice. Then to change things up entirely we practiced the いちもんじ　むとどり from ぎょっこりゅ。This was probably the most complicated thing some of them had seen before so we practiced it a bit solo before with an uke. Then we all lined up and took turns evading the cut. After this we spent a little bit of time on assuming ひちょのかまえ then a line drill on moving from いちもんじのかまえ to ひちょのかまえ。We then made a little exercise of this movement. Uke and tori are in いちもんじのかまえ。Uke throws a じょだんつき and tori receives to the inside then shifts forward moving into ひちょのかまえ and performing a ぜんぽう　そくぎゅくけん　げり。We finished with everyone lining up and taking turns being both uke and tori.

がんばってください！

Kihon Shibu 12/04/2007

With Doug in Japan he asked me to cover his classes this week. Tuesday had four students covering a wide range of skill. While still sticking to basic, basic stuff I tried to keep everyone's interests up. We covered the following material:

• しこ
• ざがた　ぜんぽ　うけみ
• しぜん　ぜんぽ　うけみ
• ざがた　こうほう　うけみ
• しぜん　こうほう　うけみ
• ぜんぽ　かいてん
• いちもんじ　の　かまえ
• たいさばき
• よこ　あるき
• ななめ　こうほう　あるき
  
• しほ　てんち　とび

We did several different types of drills of these skills and I believe everyone had a good time.

がんばってください！

Kihon Shibu 11/28/2007

After a string of no shows two guys that have shown interest in training have finally appeared. Ernie's first class was Monday actually. Vaun's first class was Wednesday. Ernie returned for Wednesday's session and Johnny finally had some free time and made an appearance.

As usual with any new blood we started from the ground up. The only difference was we started with instruction on the bowing in procedure since we're in a formal dojo. After that it was onto ぜんぽう うけみ(zenpou ukemi), both ざがた(zagata) and しぜん(shizen) forms. We followed that with basic movement from せいざのかまえ(seiza no kamae) into げだん　いちもんじのかまえ(gedan ichimonji no kamae) and then しこ(shiko) "knee walking". After that we covered ざがた　ぜんぽう　かいてん(zagata zenpou kaiten) then combined the しこ(shiko) and かいてん(kaiten) into an exercise.

After that we got to our feet and walked back and forth across the dojo a few times to cool off from all the rolling around. The only points made about walking were to keep your back straight, maintain your balance and make sure you're stepping with the heel-toe pattern. Then we did a simple leg exercise. Starting from しぜんのかまえ(shizen no kamae) take a large step forward and rotate your rear foot to the outside creating a slim body profile. Then pull your rear leg to your front and repeat, alternating sides. After that we added a basic punch from the hip up to the face. Next we took turns practicing this punch against a bag.

Next we went practiced standing in いちもんじのかまえ(ichimonji no kamae) with a mental checklist of things to lookout for. We also briefly practiced shifting from left to right. Then we covered walking forward in いちもんじのかまえ using よこ　あるき(yoko aruki). To wrap things up we went back to the ground and covered こうほう　うけみ(kouhou ukemi).

We went over the bowing out procedure then bowed out to end class. I had a good time and it was great seeing new and old faces.

がんばってください！

Kihon Shibu 11/07/2007

Last night it was just Tim and I so I showed him some of the things I've been covering since I started the training group. We went over zenpo and sokuho kaiten, hicho kaiten, the relationship between zenpo ukemi and zenpo kaiten, ichimonji no kamae, the relationship between ichimonji no kamae and hicho no kamae, tsuki, zenpo geri and the sanshin no kata.

Some things were a little bit different from what he was used to but he's on board with trying new things.

Gambatte kudasai!

Shima Dojo 11/01/2007

In Doug's absence I taught class to the handful of people that showed up. We started class with zagata zenpo kaiten followed by some stretching. Then we worked on ichimonji no kamae, moving forward in ichimonji no kamae while switching sides from left to right, yoko aruki from ichimonji no kamae moving forward and backward, jodan tsuki, the zig-zag line drill solo and with uke, zig-zag plus yoko aruki line drill, koho kaiten, zenpo ukemi, zenpo ukemi against a wall, koho ukemi, muto dori using ichimonji no kamae and yoko aruki, and muto dori staying in place but evading the cut.

Gambatte kudasai!

Shima Dojo 10/30/2007

We did the usual warm up routine of sanshin no kata and stretching. Afterwards we did the ichimonji drill where the uke does a jodan tsuki and the tori moves into a mirrored ichimonji no kamae to the outside of the attack. We then did the same kamae to the inside of the tsuki. From the opposite side kamae we also did musha dori, ganseki nage and muso dori. We also did a transition from musha dori to ganseki nage.

After that we did another kata from the Kukishinden Ryu and a couple of variations of it. The attack was migi jodan tsuki, hidari jodan tsuki, migi zenpo geri, hidari zenpo geri, and finally another hidari jodan tsuki. The tori responded with hidari jodan uke nagashi, migi jodan uke nagashi, migi fudoken tsuki, migi gedan uke nagashi, migi jodan uke nagashi, and finishing with musha dori dropping to the rear knee (in this instance the left knee). One variation was replacing the musha dori with muso dori. The other variation was after the second jodan uke nagashi hang onto the wrist and apply omote gyaku as the first zenpo geri comes. Also do the keri kaeshi that I don't know the actual name of. You can optionally add a fudoken tsuki to the face at this point.

In the kata Doug mentioned the tori's distancing starting large and getting smaller as the attacks progressed.

Good stuff. Congratulations to Dave on receiving godan.

Gambatte kudasai!

Shima Dojo 10/25/2007

The first half of the class followed the same format as the previous one. We started with stretching then sanshin and mixed ukemi among two uke nagashi drills. After that we revisited Chikusei from the Kukishinden Ryu Sabaki Gata followed by some variations. I don't quite remember all the details but here's the gist.

The first variation had the tori apply musha dori against the uke's final tsuki. With musha dori applied grab onto the uke's free wrist with the hand that has musha dori so that one arm controls both of uke's arms. Rotate away from the uke so he falls forward.

The second variation had the uke doing a katamune dori before applying the zenpo geri and final jodan tsuki. I believe the tori did the normal uke nagashi to each attack but after the last uke nagashi you held onto the wrist and with your free hand struck the inside of the uke's knee on the leg opposite the wrist you just grabbed. The idea was to open the uke's hips up and in turn rotate the shoulders. The arm that you are holding you want to rotate/twist so the uke is turning towards you and making it easy for you to extend their arm like an armbar and drop them on their back. Kicks at this point are welcome.

The last variation that I remember was performing a type of keri kaeshi {need to lookup}. When the uke performs the zenpo geri shift to the outside so it moves past you then extend your leg to catch the uke's balance.

Gambatte kudasai!

Shima Dojo 10/23/2007

We began class with sanshin no kata followed by a series a stretching exercises. Doug added a new exercise where you would stand a little more than arms length from a wall, lean forward to put your hands on the wall and then walk down and up the wall with your hands bending your knees as you went down. We repeated that a few times stepping further away from the wall.

Next we lined up and did zenpo kaiten across the dojo in both directions. Then we paired up and did a ichimonji exercise from the last class. Uke would throw a jodan tsuki while the tori would move from shizen no kamae to ichimonji no kamae to gedan ichimonji no kamae.

Then we lined up and did koho kaiten across the dojo in both directions. Then we paired up and did sui no kata with a partner. After that Doug showed a counter. As uke, when tori approaches with the omote shutoken shift back, catch the hand and apply omote gyaku.

After that we lined up for the last ukemi: zenpo kaiten followed by koho kaiten. Then we paired up and did ka no kata with a partner. After that we did another counter where the uke receives the uke nagashi atemi such that you can move that arm over to catch the incoming ura shutoken on the outside and apply muso dori.

Next we practiced a basic ura gyaku followed by a basic counter. The counter was when the tori would begin to apply the ura gyaku you stepped behind the tori's foot and forced your hand behind and around the tori's head.

We wrapped up the class with a kata from the Kukishinden Ryu. I believe it was Chikusei from the Sabaki Gata. Uke throws a jodan tsuki, a jodan tsuki, a zenpo geri and another jodan tsuki. Tori performs an uke nagashi on the first two attacks, holding onto the wrist after the second attack. When the zenpo geri comes tori applies omote gyaku to the uke's forearm while at the same time performing a gedan uke nagashi to ensure the attack is defeated. A jodan uke is applied with the same hand to the final tsuki. After that fudoken to the uke's face as you reach over to setup ura gyaku. If the uke resists the omote gyaku this should come easily. Apply ura gyaku as you strike the uke's ribs with a fudoken or happaken. Grab flesh and apply a simple sweep to drop the uke face first.

There were two variations on this. With the first one the tori would apply a musha dori like gyaku instead of ura gyaku. The hand that would do the ura gyaku does the musha dori as you step behind the uke and control him. With the second one the tori would move in and apply a simple sweep to the uke to drop him on his back instead of the ura gyaku. This would occur after the last uke nagashi when the tori would strike the uke in the face.

That was a lot of material covered in one class.

Gambatte kudasai!

Shima Dojo 10/16/2007

This class was much like a typical Kihon Shibu class. We started out with sanshin no kata to get the blood flowing. We followed that with a few stretches targeted at the hips. Then we worked on zenpo kaiten. Zenpo kaiten should be performed just like you were going to do zenpo ukemi. From shizen no kamae kneel onto one knee while turning it inward some, place the same side arm down as in zenpo ukemi and propel yourself with the opposite side foot. Next was koho kaiten. From a seated posture extend one leg and bend the other. Perform the kaiten by rolling over the shoulder opposite the extended leg. Then we strung the two together by performing zenpo kaiten, rotating in place, then performing koho kaiten.

Next we worked on ichimonji no kamae. With a partner one would assume ichimonji no kamae while the other would look for any openings and check our footwork. Then from ichimonji no kamae we practiced a jodan tsuki. Again our partner would check for errors.

The following exercises were applications of ichimonji no kamae. Before beginning there was a short talk about the role of the uke. The uke is training just as much as the tori. Therefore the attacks the uke performs must be sincere, otherwise, what are you really defending against?

1. Uke: Ichimonji no kamae, jodan tsuki.
   Tori: Shizen no kamae. When the uke performs the jodan tsuki you assume ichimonji no kamae. The kamae is the same side as the tsuki with your front hand to the inside of the uke and the rear hand to the outside of the tsuki. From there drop into gedan ichimonji no kamae toppling the uke. A variety of atemi may be applied with the most obvious being omote shuto.
   


2. Muso Dori
   Uke: Cross katate dori.
   Tori: As soon as the uke has you step back into ichimonji no kamae so that the hand that was grabbed is the rear hand. Then pivot on your front foot around 90 degrees to the outside. Your front knee and the uke's front knee should line up. Drop into gedan ichimonji no kamae.
   


3. Omote Gyaku (Kukishinden)
   Uke: Katamune dori.
   Tori: Grasp the wrist and step back into ichimonji no kamae (same side).
   


4. Omote Gyaku (Classic)
   Uke: Katamune dori.
   Tori: Step back into ichimonji no kamae (opposite side) as your front hand pushes against the uke's wrist away from your body. Use the rear hand to force the uke's grip free by pushing it upward and away. Step back with your front foot into another ichimonji no kamae as you apply omote gyaku.
   


5. Muto Dori
   We did three of these. The first was from shomen giri. The tori just rotated on one foot to evade the cut. The second was from migi kesa giri. The tori kneels and rotates hidari towards the cut. The third was from hidari kesa giri. The tori kneels and rotates migi towards the cut.
   

Good stuff.

Gambatte kudasai!

Kihon Shibu - 10/08/2007

We're finally back on our regular schedule and it's about time. With the change in season our whole training session is in the dark. And with the lack of rain our training spot has turned into a dirt pit. With all the grass gone the rocks, sticks and other debris have made themselves known.

We started the night out with combinations of three types of ukemi. After that we practiced zenpo kaiten from a more upright position as opposed to getting low to the ground first. Then I introduced tobi kaiten. Or at least tried to. We didn't have anything to really roll over and it was dark so that may have made it harder.

After that we did our first "applications of ukemi" exercise. All that amounted to was me doing the kihon torite gata with Johnny as uke. Now that the ice is broken we'll probably do this during every session.

Next was an uke nagashi drill. We started from shizen no kamae in front of each other with about an arms length distance between us. We both assumed ichimonji no kamae. The uke would throw a jodan tsuki and the tori would just evade. We focused on starting in good kamae, throwing a proper tsuki and evading with good kamae. We alternated left and right sides and uke/tori roles. After doing that for a while we added the uke nagashi and continued the drill until it was about time to go. With the last ten minutes or so we went through the sanshin no kata to clear up any questions.

This time we got a bit more dirty and were a bit more physical but had a great time. Things are moving along well.

Gambatte kudasai.

Shima Dojo 10/04/2007

It's always refreshing to resume training after a break. I wasn't the only one either because Tim showed up and we trained together for the first time since Daryl moved in June.

Class started with sanshin no kata. Then we broke off into pairs and practiced insdie jodan uke nagashi followed by a tsuki with the same hand, back and forth across the dojo, very similar to jumonji no kata. Next was the same exercise but to the outside. Next we did gedan uke nagashi followed by a jodan uke nagashi in response to uke's zenpo keri and tsuki. The jodan uke nagashi was performed with the rear arm in a jumonji like position. We've done this before. The last exercise was a zenpo keri and tsuki with the tori performing a gedan uke nagashi to the inside then a jodan uke nagashi to the outside.

After these exercises Doug had one person demonstrate a kihon happo or sanshin technique and everyone practiced that for a bit before Doug showed a henka or shinkin version.

1. Chi no kata. The henka/shinkin was from a one hand cross grab.


2. Jumonji no kata. The henka/shinkin was from a boxing style posture with a cross punch.


3. Oni kudaki. The henka was ura oni kudaki aka onu kudaki.

Next Doug showed the following technique. Uke performs jodan tsuki and tori step forward and to the inside with a ura shuto. This was expanded with an additional tsuki with the rear hand to the uke's ribs. This was done either simultaneously or just before the shuto ken atemi.

Class was finished with a kata from Kukishinden Ryu, the name of which escapes me. Uke performs migi tsuki, hidari tsuki, migi zenpo keri and migi tsuki. Tori performs inside uke nagashi for each except for the last one which is to the outside. Hanging onto the uke's wrist move into the uke to apply hon jime (I believe that's the one). The uke will resist with a shoulder shrug in which the tori will move the arm to strike with a shukiken to the ribs followed by stepping over the uke's leg to apply a throw whose name I don't know but it went like so. Maintaining control of the wrist rotate the arm upward as you step over the uke's leg. Hold the uke's arm close to your body as you drop to the knee on the leg that stepped over the uke's leg. The uke's knee should be locked out. Apply the throw. Two additional things: you can trap the uke's foot by bringing your foot around like a gedan ichimonji no kamae or apply the throw with your other shoulder.

It's been really slow getting back into the swing of things but next week I intend on resuming the regular training schedule.

Gambatte kudasai!

Karasukage 09/27/2007

Since this was the last class with Joe for a while a lot of people made it out. I have never seen the dojo that full before so we took the training outside into the dirt. Karasukage, Shima, and Buke dojos were all together plus Jeremy from Hampton.

The focus was the same as when I visited last and that is controlling the uke from the moment contact is made until you are done. This was accomplished by taking the uke's balance immediately upon physical contact, using gyakus, and striking when the uke is weak.

As usual the night was long and sweaty. It was a bit more dirty than normal though but always a good time. Hopefully we can all continue to gather in Joe's absence.

Gambatte kudasai!

Kihon Shibu 09/03/2007

We spent a lot of the time working on ukemi. We started with zagata zenpo and koho kaiten then shizen zenpo and koho kaiten. We also practiced zagata and shizen zenpo kaiten in the forward, forward-left, and forward-right directions. After that we practiced shizen sokuho kaiten and more koho kaiten. Next I introduced yoko nagare kaiten and we spent quite a bit of time on that and the differences between it and koho kaiten. After that we spent some time walking then turning to perform koho kaiten.

Next we spend a little bit of time practicing ten tobi from ichimonji no kamae. With this exercise we weren't aiming for height. We just wanted to get comfortable picking up both feet simultaneously with little jumping action. After we were comfortable with that we practiced switching the kamae in mid air. We didn't do any applications of this tobi sayu ichimonji no kamae but I told Johnny why you would do it. We'll save applications for later.

Then we practiced moving from ichimonji no kamae to hicho no kamae. We took turns with this exercise: one would do the exercise while the other would verify that no excessive movement was involved during the switch from ichimonji no kamae to hicho no kamae. After a few rounds of this we gave our legs a break and practiced moving from shizen no kamae to ichimonji no kamae in the cardinal directions: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW. We expanded on this exercise by having one of us stand in shizen no kamae with the eyes closed while the other moved around to some location and called out to the other. Upon hearing the call we would move into ichimonji no kamae hopefully pointing at the uke. I just made this exercise up on the spot so I'm not sure how much value it has yet. I went first and after my turn was over I realized that I never talked about stealth walking because I could clearly hear where Johnny walked to before he called out. For his turn I made sure I was quiet to make it more interesting. We only did one round each of that exercise and next time I'll be sure to discuss moving silently beforehand. That exercise was a good segue into a brief talk about intention training. I talked about what intention training entails and how that exercise would be a good candidate for it but that was it. We'll revisit that subject later.

Next we practiced some more ukemi. This time I introduced yoko nagare and we practiced it along side zenpo and koho ukemi. Then we practiced some more yoko nagare kaiten. I believe that concluded the evening. Good times.

Gambatte kudasai!

Shima 08/28/2007

Four training days in a row, I'm on a roll. Class actually started on time so I was late. I'm not sure what Doug was doing when I arrived but when I jumped in here's what happened.

1. Uke: Ichimonji no kamae tsuki to face.
   Tori: Move into ichimonji no kamae as if you were receiving from the inside but receive to the outside. In other words receive to the outside as usual except use the sayu (left/right; symmetry) of the kamae. Shift forward to strike the face. Sometimes we would move straight into a tsuki from the outside. You can also receive so that the uke's arm is caught in an armbar. Expanding on this receive with ichimonji no kamae and shift for a tsuki to uke's head and follow up with another tsuki to the butsumetsu as you move through.
   


2. Uke: Ichimonji no kamae tsuki to face.
   Tori: Receive to the inside with jumonji no kamae. With your rear hand apply ura gyaku. Use atemi where applicable.
   


3. Uke: Ichimonji no kamae tsuki to face.
   Tori: Receive to the inside with jumonji no kamae. With your rear hand apply ura gyaku. Pass the gyaku to your other hand while switching kamae. Use taiken with your hip to take the uke down.
   


4. Uke: Ichimonji no kamae tsuki to face.
   Tori: Receive to the inside with ichimonji no kamae as usual. With the rear foot apply sokuyaku geri to the inside of uke's front knee as you switch kamae then sokugyaku geri uke's rear leg. Use atemi where applicable.
   


5. Uke: Ichimonji no kamae zenpo geri to suigetsu.
   Tori: From shizen no kamae move to ichimonji no kamae to the outside of the attack receiving the attack with keri kaeshi then applying sokugyaku geri to the groin.
   


6. Uke: Ichimonji no kamae zenpo geri to suigetsu.
   Tori: From shizen no kamae rotate in place to the outside letting the attack slip past you and extend your front leg back to receive the uke's attack. From there sokuyaku geri to the groin.
   


7. Uke: Katamune dori, zenpo geri, tsuki.
   Tori: Receive the katamune dori with ichimonji no kamae, shift and gedan uke the geri, shift and jodan uke the tsuki. Remove the dori by applying ura gyaku. Shift in and strike the uke's chin with happken or shakoken. I don't know if the timing of the gyaku was with the jodan uke or with the happaken/shakoken. Taiken with your hip while pulling the uke's arm across your body throwing the uke.
   


8. Uke: Katamune dori, zenpo geri, tsuki.
   Tori: Receive the katamune dori with ichimonji no kamae, shift and gedan uke the geri, shift and jodan uke the tsuki. Remove the dori by applying ura gyaku while you shift towards the uke and juji geri uke's rear leg. Strike the uke's suigetsu as you place your foot back down after the juji geri then rotate away from the uke while you drop to your rear knee bringing the uke down. Maintain ura gyaku throughout.
   

After class Doug gave his first Bujinkan shodan test. I, among others, assisted in being uke (and tori for some things) for Calvin while Doug gave instructions on what he wanted Calvin to perform. Something Doug did that I found interesting was had Calvin be uke for the kihon happo to see how well he received the techniques. Calvin did well and was awarded the rank of shodan. Congratulations Calvin. Gambatte kudasai!

Kihon Shibu 08/27/2007

The Ninja Summit was fun but it's back to the basics for Johnny and I. Last night we worked on zenpo and koho kaiten. We did it a little bit differently though by starting in a crouched position on the balls of our feet. This method seems like it may be easier for complete newbies to learn. I just need some newbies to test it out on. After practicing zenpo and koho kaiten separately we combined them by going from zenpo kaiten, rotating, then performing koho kaiten.

Next we practiced standing in ichimonji no kamae. From shizen no kamae assume hidari ichimonji no kamae, move back to shizen no kamae, then into migi ichimonji no kamae. It's quite the workout if you're not used to it.

We followed that up by practicing shikanken tsuki from ichimonji no kamae. We practiced slowly being mindful of our body's structure.

After that we revisited the exercise of moving around the compass from ichimonji. Last time we focused on just getting around the compass and this time we focused on how we move from one stop to the next, using the hips to move the whole body.

Next we combined the tsuki and the evasion exercises. One of us would perform the tsuki while the other evaded. The focus was on performing your role the best to your ability and not really worrying about the other. All the tori had to do was get out of the way in time. We moved slowly so no one got clobbered.

I wrapped things up by showing the last of the sanshin: ku no kata. Johnny did a pretty good job of remembering the other four kata. Now that he has seem all five we can practice them together.

Gambatte!

Karasukage 08/23/2007

It was time again to visit my hombu and as usual it was a good time with lots of sweat, very little blood and never any tears. We had a special guest in Mr. Brown, long time martial artists and father of fellow buyu J. Brown, whose job is sending him back to Japan. The Ninja Summit may be the last time I train with him for a while so I'd better make it count!

Class started with a little bit of ukemi: three sets of three types of ukemi. I don't remember the exact combination or order but I know we did tobi kaiten, zenpo kaiten, koho kaiten, gyaku nagare, sokuho kaiten and I may have thrown a yoko nagare in there somewhere. Tenchi tobi muto dori was next followed by the night's lesson.

1. Uke: From ichimonji or jumonji no kamae tsuki to face.
   Tori: From shizen no kamae evade to the outside using yoko aruki or other taisabaki and gently take the balance before striking at just the right moment. Control the uke as they go down. This later became slightly evading to the inside and striking when/where the uke is weak. We also played with using a weapon as a distraction. Striking when the uke is weak is done with body language and control of the uke's balance.
   


2. Uke: From ichimonji no kamae tsuki to face.
   Tori: From ichimonji no kamae step past the uke to the outside being sure to maintain contact with your arm or body. Once you're behind the uke strike with shukiken to the nearest kidney. This can be done with either elbow.
   


3. Uke: Katamune dori then zenpo geri.
   Tori: Evade to the inside or outside and strike when the uke is weak. Control the situation.
   


4. Uke: Katamune dori then tsuki.
   Tori: Move the uke's elbow to take the balance and strike with sokkiken, fudoken, boshiken, etc.
   


5. Finally we practiced a three person exercise. The tori in this scenario was a third party to an altercation between two others. The uke would attack the innocent bystander with ryoumune dori or katamune dori with a fudoken tsuki or knife tsuki. The tori had to save the day.
   

Good times as usual.

Gambatte!

案山子

Kihon Shibu 08/15/2007

Last night was the first class in the last two weeks and Allison's first ever. For Johnny and Allison I kept things simple. We started out with some much needed junantaiso. After that I had Johnny demonstrate zenpo kaiten then promptly told Allison that what he did was our goal and that we probably wouldn't reach it tonight since her experience with this was nil. Therefore we started literally started from the ground and didn't get up. The same went for koho kaiten. Normally we would have spent more time of that but since Allison didn't have a gi and the grass and insects were taking their toll we left the ukemi at that and moved onto introductory kamae.

Naturally, ichimonji no kamae was the chosen kamae and we spent some time getting a general feeling and idea of what this posture is supposed to look like. I tried not to be too specific because you can't overload newbies but at the same time when you're new you don't do everything correctly so you have to pick certain things to correct and over time whittle away at it. We practiced standing in kamae, shifting forward and backward from left to right in place, and moving forward from left to right kamae.

To help reinforce the kamae we did a simple punching drill with the focus mits with the focus on the alignment of the body and using the legs to propel the fist. After that we switched back to taisabaki and did some zenpo and koho yoko aruki from ichimonji no kamae. We wrapped up the evening with chi no kata.

It was good to be training again and everyone had a good time.

Gambatte!

Kihon Shibu 08/01/2007

We were all over the place last night so I'll try and recall what we did.

We kicked off the evening with chi, sui, ka, and fu no kata. That lead us to a short exercise on one of the first things you do in four of the five sanshin and in nearly everything else we do: stepping off the line of attack. We practiced stepping off at a 45 degree angle by imagining a large compass beneath your feet. In shizen no kamae you would be standing in the center. Step back into ichimonji no kamae and you would be facing north with your rear foot on the south point or your body on the south line. If you were in hidari ichimonji you would be moving to the right in a counter clockwise circle. Your first step would place you facing northwest with your body/feet on the southeast line. The next step would place you facing west with your body on the east line, etc. We did this in both directions a few times.

We then lined up and as a pair practiced zenpo and koho kaiten back and forth across the yard. After the ukemi we practiced some atemi. Since fu no kata was the most recently introduced kata and it uses a boshiken, we broke out the punching mits. After a short talk on the boshiken we took turns striking the mit with a boshiken from ichimonji no kamae exactly the same as when we practice the standard fudoken atemi. When then did a simple application of this ken.

With uke and tori in ichimonji no kamae, uke performs a fudoken tsuki to the tori's face. Tori then evades with a gentle uke nagashi before rocking in with a boshiken to the ribs. Pretty straight forward. Be sure to evade correctly and maintain contact with your arm.

Next was the formal introduction to hira no kamae followed by a simple application. Uke is in ichimonji no kamae and performs a fudoken tsuki to tori's face. Tori is in hira no kamae and steps to the outside of the attack and strikes the uke's head/face with either a fudoken or happaken. The evasion was practiced two ways. The first being the tori moves from hira to hira and the uke pretty much runs into the atemi. The second being the tori moves from hira and does a more proactive atemi by shifting/leaning into the atemi. I mentioned the various targets of the head and which fist would be appropriate with this exercise. We then expanded on this exercise to include a sokuyakuken keri with the rear foot after the initial strike. Again, being aware of the target and the ken being used. We're not just throwing punches and kicks hoping they land on something.

Next we took this exercise and turned it into an atemi drill against one of the nearby trees. Pick a tree, gauge your distance and assume hira no kamae. Move off the line of attack striking with happaken followed up by the sokuyakuken keri. I chose a tree that was skinnier than the others we practice with so that the happaken atemi would be applied to the side of the tree much like the side of someone's head. It's probably better on the wrists too.

Finally, I formally introduced jumonji no kamae and the jumonji no kata from the kihon kosshi sanpo.

Gambatte!

Kihon Shibu 07/30/2007

Last night we started with performing the three basic kaiten (zenpo, sokuho, koho) in stride with your walk. After that I reintroduced jun nagare and introduced for the first time gyaku nagare. Naturally, that one was a bit more difficult because you're typically rolling from a higher position and therefore carrying a lot more momentum. As usual though if you break it down and practice slowly you'll get it.

Johnny then happened to mention cartwheels and since we were about at that place in the progression of ukemi I thought we'd go ahead and do them. We did migi and hidari oten from shizen no kamae and zenpo oten from ichimonji no kamae. Next was tenchi tobi from shizen no kamae. First we did two forms of ten tobi then chi tobi. After that we did zenpo tobi and koho tobi from ichimonji no kamae. Then we did zenpo, koho and sokuho tobi from shizen no kamae.

Next we revisited the chi, sui, and ka no katas of sanshin gogyo no kata and I introduced fu no kata. Then we did some uke/tori drills to practice the gedan uke since it was new. We did that from a low tsuki aimed at the stomach. We followed this with some jodan uke practice.

We wrapped up class by applying a counter attack to the uke's tsuki that incorporated basic atemi and taisabaki. Each attack was a tsuki to the face and each receive was done to the inside and outside. The first exercise was performing a jodan uke then moving through hicho no kamae to position for a sokugyakuken geri to the lower ribs (butsumetsu). The point here was being able to position yourself to perform an effective geri. The second exercise was performing a jodan uke then applying an omote shuto to the uke's arm as you switch from migi or hidari ichimonji no kamae taking the uke's balance with kamae and atemi. The point here was being able to fluidly switch from one ichimonji to another and properly place your lead foot/leg into position to affect the uke's balance.

Those last two exercises were a direct application of some of the taisabaki we practiced during the last class.

Gambatte!

Kihon Shibu 07/25/2007

First class in a while started off with a viewing of the Kobudo no Kihon dvd. I haven't seen the video before last night and didn't know exactly what it was about. To my surprise it covered pretty much everything the Richmond Kihon Shibu is about. Actually, that material was advanced for what I've been teaching lately. We're still in the very beginning stages. Last night was the first official class for the group and this is the first official blog post about it.

So the video lasted about an hour although it seemed much longer. Maybe that was because the first 30 minutes was spent doing everything possible to not look like a threat to Simon, the vicious guard dog. Actually, he's not vicious, as long as he likes you.

Again it was Johnny and myself and we started the night by first going over how to wear the gi and tie the obi. Then me moved into practicing zenpo kaiten, koho kaiten and sokuho kaiten from shizen no kamae. Next we practiced fudoken tsuki from ichimonji no kamae followed by zenpo kaiten. Then we practiced sokuyakuken zenpo geri from ichimonji no kamae. The focus here was maintaining the integrity of ichimonji as the atemi is performed. I also spoke briefly on hicho no kamae being the transitory kamae between the starting and ending ichimonji no kamae. The rest of the night was spent on taisabaki. We practiced two ways of switching between hidari and migi ichimonji no kamae. One where you stay in place and another where you advance forward. Then we practiced two forms of moving sideways in ichimonji no kamae. This lead nicely into moving forward and backward while switching between hidari and migi ichimonji no kamae. After that we practiced moving forward and backward without switching between hidari and migi by using yoko aruki. We practiced two forms of koho yoko aruki, one form of zenpo yoko aruki, and one form of naname koho yoko aruki, all from ichimonji no kamae.

I think that was about it. We went through a lot in about 1.5 hours and it went quickly. I can't wait to get back into the swing of training.

Gambatte!

Shima 07/17/2007

Class begun with sanshin gogyo no kata and then moved into practicing jumonji no kata from the koshi kihon sanpo. This was done in the usual format of the tori in the center with everyone else lined up to be uke. After that round we did it again slightly different. Now when the uke throws the first attack you forget about the uke nagashi and go straight for the boshiken. When the second attack comes you go straight for a fudoken tsuki to the face. Doug talked about the uke performing ukemi in response to the tori's atemi. Rather then being a tough guy and taking the punch, just go with it. So, when the uke was struck by the fudoken he or she would perform gyaku nagare, or gyaku zenpou kaiten. Optionally one could perform an oten. We noticed several opportunities to sneak kicks in as the uke would perform the ukemi but we didn't do that. I think it would be easier with the oten than the kaiten because less thought would be involved. With the oten one is likely to accidentally kick the tori but with the kaiten one has to think about kicking the tori.

Water break.

Next we moved into practicing tsuki komi, first with the boken, then empty hand, then with the rokushaku bo. With the boken and bo we did both versions, seimesen and shisen. It was nice to use a bo because everything lately has been sword or empty hand. Then we did tsuki kake with the boken. The boken and empty hand versions were the same as the last time so I won't go into that.

Uke and tori have a bo.

1. Seimesen Tsuki Komi with Rokushaku Bo
   Uke is in ihen or jodan no kamae and does the standard attack. Tori is in shizen no kamae. Step off the line of attack and angle the bo so that the uke's face runs into it.
   


2. Shisen Tsuki Komi with Rokushaku Bo
   Uke is in ihen or jodan no kamae and does the standard attack. Tori is in hira ichimonji no kamae. Step back and lightly parry the attack. Shift in to tsuki the uke in the face.
   

Gambatte!

1967 - America's First View of Ninja?

Edit: It has come to my attention from a reliable source that You Only Live Twice does NOT have Soke Masaaki Hatsumi in it or involved at all! So this whole post is BS. Oh well, it was a pretty cool movie anyway.

You Only Live Twice - The James Bond film released in 1967 in which Bond's mission takes him to Japan, turns him Japanese, and gives him a couple days of ninja training. Soke Masaaki Hatsumi served as a ninja advisor and according to the IMDB entry for the film he starred, uncredited, as the photo assistant on the train to the character Tiger Tanaka (cool name!). That was the reason I rented the film but when I watched it the first time I didn't recognize Soke at all. After learning which scene he was in I went back and captured these shots.

Man he's young! He is unrecognizable as Soke to me.




Here is the photo he was told to look into. The bad guy's boat is named Ninpo!



The film is standard Bond stuff but here are screen shots of things I found interesting or ninja related.

Successful Japanese guys have samurai armor in their offices.




Training time.











Machine gun jutsu.



You only live twice was an enjoyable film, to me at least. That may be because of my affinity for ninja and the Japanese culture so I gave it 4 out of 5 "shuriken" on netflix. It's worth a spot in your queue too.

Gambatte!

Shima 06/07/2007

We started the class with sanshin gogyo no kata then went into the practice of applying omote gyaku and urate gyaku from hicho no kamae with a few kicks involved. The idea was to apply kicks while maintaining your balance and applying the waza. After that we practiced tsuki komi with and without the sword and tsuki kake with the sword. It was a very hot and sweaty night. Good times though.

Gambatte!

Shima 06/05/2007

There was a fairly large group last night with about 14 total. That's partly because Kelly is back and partly because it was Daryl's last training session at Shima Dojo. He's off to Toronto in a week so he had the floor last night. We started with various combinations of zenpo and koho kaiten followed by a daijodan shomen giri muto dori. We used that muto dori movement as a basis for each of the kihon torite goho from a tsuki.

Uke performs suigetsu tsuki for each.

1. Omote Gyaku
   Evade to the outside shifting back and slightly tugging the uke's hand/wrist to disrupt his balance. Apply omote gyaku while striking the uke. Omote shuto, boshiken, zenpo sokugyakuken geri...
   


2. Urate Gyaku
   Evade to the inside shifting forward striking the face, shift back taking the hand and apply urate gyaku. Trap the foot, boshiken, fudoken, shakoken, zenpo sokugyakuken geri, hongyaku, takeori...
   


3. Musha Dori
   Evade to the inside shifting forward striking the face and apply musha dori. Urate shuto, boshiken, juji geri...
   


4. Oni Kudaki
   Evade to the inside shifting forward striking the koe or suigetsu and apply oni kudaki. Cover the knee. Zenpo sokugyaku geri, juji geri...
   


5. Ganseki Nage
   Evade to the inside shifting forward striking the face, move in and apply ganseki nage. Urate shuto, zenpo sokygyaku geri...
   

With all there are plenty of opportunities to apply additional atemi.

Class was really fun with all those people in attendance and Daryl did a good job keeping the energy up. Good times. Sayonara and good luck Daryl! We'll see you around!

Gambatte

Karasukage 05/30/2007

Tonight we covered just a handful of the Togakure Ryu methods of survival. Most of the techniques involved the use of the shuko. First we did various tehodoki with shuko. This was henka of the various ude tonso gata.

Taijutsu Ukemi

1. Kaeshi dori
   Uke: Daijodan shomengiri
   Tori: Zenpo kaiten into the uke kicking to the hara, groin or leg while covering with the shuko. Koho kaiten away. When you koho kaiten disarm the uke. Unleash shuriken or metsubushi if necessary. Some would say it's always necessary.
   


2. Ken nagare
   Uke: Daijodan shomengiri
   Tori: Hidari ichimonji no kamae. Quickly move into uke's space with a migi shikan ken to the hara and assuming a migi gedan ichimonji no kamae. Koho kaiten away disarming the uke. I don't remember how the shuko is used here.
   

Santo Tonko no Kata

1. Atekomi tonsou gata
   Uke: Daijodan shomengiri
   Tori: Hidari ichimonji no kamae. Quickly move into uke's space with a migi shikan ken to the hara and assuming a migi gedan ichimonji no kamae. Several take downs are available: you can stand up in between the uke's arms; reach up with the shuko, etc.
   


2. Ichinokamae
   Uke: Daijodan shomengiri
   Tori: Hidari ichimonji no kamae. Move in from the outside striking the uke's hand with the hidari shuko and striking the uke's face with the migi shuko. Pull the two points apart.
   


3. Ittoh dori
   Uke: Daijodan shomengiri
   Tori: Migi ichimonji no kamae. Switch to hidari ichimonji no kamae as you catch the blade. Lock the blade with the shuko. Kick to the hara, groin, or ribs as you take the sword.
   


4. Kubisugi tonsou gata
   Uke: Migite kubisugi
   Tori: Shizen no kamae. Reach up and grab the uke's hand as you turn and strike the ribs with an uke nagashi. Apply ura gyaku in an up-down motion to get the uke away from you.
   
   
   A few henka.
   
   1. Uke: Migite kubisugi
      Tori: Shizen no kamae. As you turn strike the ribs with an uke nagashi while rotating your head under and to the other side of the uke's arm. Apply ura gyaku. This is basically a shortcut of the kata.
      
   
   
   2. Uke: Migite kubisugi
      Tori: Shizen no kamae. As you turn strike the ribs with an uke nagashi followed by a fudo ken. Tenchi tobi into the uke's leg striking the knee with your rear foot and the top of the thigh with your front foot. This one is kinda hard to practice safely.
      
   
   
   3. Uke: Migite kubisugi
      Tori: Shizen no kamae with sword. This was actually the first one we did. Tsuki the uke's hara with the saya, draw the blade as you turn around and cut the uke down. Stay low.
      

As always I had a blast. Gambatte!

I'm always curious to the spelling and meanings of the techniques, which I'm sure many budoka are, so I looked at the materials I have on the Togakure Ryu and found this category of kata spelled two different ways: santo and zanto. Plugging both of those into my favorite dictionary and got the following:

三徳 (さんとく)
Santo - Three primary virtues.

竄匿 (ざんとく)
Zanto - Diving under cover and hiding.

Because this is Togakure Ryu I would put my money on zanto being the correct spelling but of course the video spells it santou. My notes show zanto tanko no kata meaning "escaping forms" and the video doesn't say what san tou ton kou means and more than three kata are shown. Usually when this happens you just look at the kanji but the kanji in the video don't match any I saw in the dictionary. Also, tonso is "fleeing" so I would guess "zanto tonso no kata" is a more accurate description. Oh well. This is part of the training.

Other terms.

首筋; 頸筋 (くびすじ)
Kubisugi - (noun) Back of the neck

首筋を違える (くびすじをちがえる)
Kubisugi - (expression) To wrench one's neck

遁走 (とんそう)
Tonso - fleeing; escape

Kaeshi - This spelling didn't return an exact match but the variation kaesu is congruent with the general meaning of kaeshi.

還す (かえす)
Kaesu - to send back

返す (かえす)
Kaesu - to return something

反す (かえす)
Kaesu - to change; to turn over; to turn upside down

Shima 05/24/2007

I postponed going to Chesapeake until today so I went to the Shima Dojo instead. It was a really small class with only four of us plus Doug. I believe we started with sanshin gokyo no kata then some tehodoki exercises. I don't know if there are offical names for these other than generic descriptions.

1. Uke: Single hand cross grab of the wrist (katate dori).
   Tori: Move into ichimonji to the side the attack is coming from.
   


2. Uke: Single hand cross grab of the wrist (katate dori).
   Tori: Bring your hand straight up underneath uke's chin, optionally striking it, while stepping forward locking out the knee. This will drive the uke straight back. You can also choose not to lock out the knee and instead strike it from the side causing uke to "buckle" in place.
   

After that we did a couple of the Kukishin sword katas followed by trying to apply those principles from the sword kata to a similiar taijutsu scenario. Then we did an exercise where the tori applied two successive strikes against the uke's initial punch (ie. uke nagashi followed by fudo ken) followed by a couple of flowing exercises where you tried to feel, take and direct the balance of the uke through their attacks.

Good times. Gambatte!

Noguchi Sensei

Japan, originally uploaded by mojmir_ch.

Great photo added to the Budo Taijutsu group on flickr.com

Karasukage 05/10/2007

So I went back to my home dojo for some much needed perspective, bruising, and good old training. It was good seeing old faces and new ones. We started with the way we used to do ukemi, which is, I do a series of ukemi and everyone tries to repeat what they saw. After that is was the up, down, and out of the way muto dori. Then we did a lot of exercises that emphasized using your intention, both projecting and receiving.

We went from shizen no kamae into whatever kamae fit for you from an uke's punch and projected the intent to stop the fight at that moment. Then we worked specifically with ichimonji no kamae. After that performing uke nagashi with the same intent. We got a little more physical after this point. From shizen no kamae the uke performs the classic lunging hook to the side of your head. Simply raise your arm to block it without moving, strike under the chin and use shakoken to the face to take them down. This was a type chi no kata. Then we did one of the basic koto ryu katas. Uke tsuki with a knife and tori just barely rotates to the outside to evade and capture the wrist. Smash the hand and apply omote gyaku. The more intention the better. Then we did additional intention exercises.

I was out really late and got beat up nicely. Can't wait 'til next time.

Gambatte!

Shima 05/01/2007

Tuesday was Paul's birthday so class was kinda short but there was a large turnout. It was the largest of any regular class that I'd seen there. We started with solo sanshin no kata and then continued with the shinken flavored torite kihon gata. We did jumonji and hicho no kata. After that we did a kata from the Kukishin Ryu (not sure which) that went as follows:

1. Uke: Seigan no kamae.
   Tori: Hira no kamae. Uke throws migi tsuki to the face and you uke nagashi to the inside. Uke throws hidari tsuki to face and you uke nagashi to the inside again. Uke throws a migi zenpo keri and you uke nagashi the thigh as you shift forward. Uke then throws another migi tsuki to the face and you uke nagashi by shifting into jumonji no kamae with your hands switched from their usual position. You uke nagashi is really just a block/catch to apply either oni kudaki or ura oni kudaki. You can then either kick or knee the groin or stomach and then step behind to take the uke down. The oni kudaki can be replaced with musha dori.
   


After that the movements were less complex.


2. Uke: Seigan no kamae. Migi then hidari tsuki to face.
   Tori: Hira no kamae. Uke nagashi up for the first one, uke nagashi straight down for the second one, then do whatever.
   


3. Uke: Seigan no kamae. Zenpo keri to stomach area.
   Tori: Hira no kamae. Move to the outside with hira no kamae while pushing straight down onto the uke's leg right above the knee.
   


4. Uke: Seigan no kamae. Zenpo keri to stomach area.
   Tori: Hira no kamae. Apply keri kaeshi.
   

That took about an hour and a half and then it was food and socializing.

Good times. Gambatte!

Shima 04/26/2007

We started with solo sanshin no kata then did an exercise similar to the one we did last time. One individual stood in the center of the dojo and applied ichimonji no kata to everyone else in turn. The kata was supposed to be applied with more of a shinken and flowing feeling. So instead of performing two distinct moves the kata was blended into one. Next we did simple counters/escapes from omote gyaku, urate gyaku, and musha dori. After that we reviewed some sword work. First we did tsuki komi and its sayu gyaku. Then we did what looked like the kiri age kata but we didn't use a kiri age cut. Uke performs daijodan shomen giri and the tori applies a tsuki to the face with or without a kai from seigan no kamae, the uke reacts by retreating and the tori follows through with a do cut to the left while stepping left. The sayu gyaku was cutting and stepping to the right. Next was kocho gaeshi. After that the uke attacked with kesa giri and the tori, from hasso no kamae, countered with the same cut aiming for the uke's front wrist. Calvin and I also practiced that from daijodan shomen giri and gyaku kesa giri. We wrapped up class with an unarmed defense against daijodan shomen giri. Tori baits the uke with his posture, switches to the outside to capture the hands and disarms the uke. Good times.

Gambatte!

UR 04/23/2007

Last class at UR for me. It was fun and hopefully those few students will continue. We did the sanshin no kata solo and with a partner. Then we did some free response exercises where the uke gave to attacks and the tori had to evade and perform something from the sanshin or kihon happo.

Good times. Gambatte!

Shima 04/17/2007

I went to Doug's on that Tuesday to coordinate travel and sleeping arrangements for that weekend's seminar in Bedford. It's been a while since I trained there and it was good to see old friends again and meet new ones, namely Russell. The material covered was...

We started with solo sanshin no kata. Then we each took turns mixing each of the koshi kihon sanpo with something from the kihon happo against everyone in attendance. It was a good, simple exercise. After that we alittle muto dori. Uke performed daijodan shomen giri and tori evaded to the side and disarmed the uke. Then we did the same thing but armed the tori with a tanto. Lastly we did something with no weapons. I can't remember if Doug showed something specific or not. I just remember Russell and I doing free response training.

Good times. Gambatte!

UR 04/16/2007

Second to last week for the UR class. If I remember correctly we did the sanshin no kata and koshi kihon sanpo with an emphasis on hicho no kata.

Gambatte.

UR 04/11/2007

Wednesday's class was kinda slow with only two students and three instructors. We did the usual stretching and ukemi. Then we covered the basic muto dori again from Monday's class. After that we did jumonji no kata and finally introduced hicho no kamae.

Gambatte!

UR 04/09/2007

Class is still going fairly well. Those who have stuck with it have made a lot of progress. Daryl is back in the driver's seat and we covered one basic muto dori movement then used that in a basic tehodoki gata. Then we moved into the following simple technique:

Uke: Migi tsuki to the face.
Tori: From shizen no kamae rotate to the outside dropping back into hidari ichimonji no kamae as you lightly catch the wrist. Apply takeori and oni kudaki as you step forward switching to migi ichimonji no kamae.

Good times. Gambatte!

UR 03/28/2007

Another small class with one-on-one instruction. This is good because WE get to talk less and train more. We practiced zenpo and koho kaiten, the ichimonji line drill but with a gedan uke nagashi, omote gayku and urate gyaku. Good times.

Gambatte kudasai!

UR 03/26/2007

We practiced the usual ukemi then a couple of ichimonji drills, then jumonji no kata from the kihon torite gata. The jutaijutsu of the evening was urate gyaku. We did two forms of it: one that was similiar to hon gyaku and then the typical one. We finished with omote gyaku. The class is nearly finished with only a month left.

Gambatte!

UR 03/21/2007

It was a really small class last night with only three students. With Daryl out of town that left one student for each teacher. We practiced zenpo and koho kaiten, oni kudaki, musha dori and introduced jumonji no kata.

Gambatte!

UR 03/19/2007

I took the helm for class last night and it went well. We did the usual stretching and practiced zenpo and koho kaiten; two ichimonji line drills, one for taisabaki practice, one for uke nagashi practice; two versions of ichimonji no kata from the kihon kosshi sanpo; and I introduced omote gyaku from the kihon torite goho. They seemed to really enjoy it. Good times.

Gambatte!

UR 03/14/2007

The classes are going by so fast. We practiced the sanshin gokyo no kata, an ichimonji line drill, ukemi and musha dori. Good times.

Gambatte!

UR 03/12/2007

Spring Break is over and class is back in session. Attendance has tapered off and leveled out at five or six students. It's good to be back after more than a week of no training. Not even Saturday classes for me.

Yesterday we did some sanshin gokyo no kata, zenpo geri, ukemi and musha dori. The time went by way too fast. As always it was good times, good times.

Gambatte!

UR 02/28/2007

Last class before Spring Break. Not surprisingly it was a small group. We covered the sanshin gokyo no kata again and then whatever each group wanted. Good times.

Gambatte!

UR 02/26/2007

Attendance has dropped. One guy had to quit because he had a pretty bad wrist injury from a previous martial art. I'm not sure what's up with the other guys. Maybe it's because this is the last week before Spring Break. If this keeps up it'll be an all girls class.

We went over all of the sanshin no kata. After Wednesday's class (tonight) they should have plenty to practice over the break.

Gambatte!

UR 02/19/2007

Things are moving along nicely. We've shown zenpo, koho, and yoko nagare ukemi, zenpo and koho kaiten, chi no kata, yoko aruki, jodan uke nagashi, zenpo geri, ichimonji no kata, oni kudaki and various taisabaki drills. Good times.

Gambatte!

Shima Class 02/15/2007

When I arrived they just finished sanshin no kata. The topic was more Kukishinden Ryu Shoden waza. Before that we did two movement exercises. The first was from a punch. Step forward and to the outside of the attack raising your rear hand to meet the uke's elbow. Perform yoko aruki and fudoken or boshiken the ribs. The second was from a series of punches and kicks. Evade in ichimonji no kamae either to the inside or outside.

1. Sei On
   


2. Sei On with katana and jutte. We've done this one before.
   Uke: Daijodan shomen giri.
   Tori: Shizen no kamae with jutte. Step forward and to the inside striking the uke's thumb on the rear hand with the jutte. Capture the other hand and step across the uke while driving the jutte into his neck. Control the weapon as the uke goes down and strike him to the temple with the jutte. Disarm the katana. I was stepping across with my rear foot and capturing the hand with takeori.
   


3. Sui Yoku
   Uke: Right tsuki, left sokuyaku keri.
   Tori: Shizen no kamae. Uke nagashi to the inside of the tsuki, uke nagashi to the inside of the keri and "bounce" that attack off the leg and into the Dragon's Gate. You can use either boshiken, sanshitan ken or just grab the collar bone. At the same time your other hand should be grasping the uke's forearm and applying omote gyaku. Drop to your rear knee as you off balance the uke. Restrain the uke.
   


4. Don't remember the name.
   Uke: Migi tsuki, hidari sokuyaku keri, hidari tsuki, migi tsuki.
   Tori: Uke nagashi to the inside of each except for the last one. Uke nagashi to the outside. Control the arm with your front hand as you move in switching from migi ichimonji no kamae to hidari ichimonji no kamae. As you move in disrupt the uke's balance with your front knee and fudo ken the uke in the face as you reach across and grab the inside of the left lapel. Apply hon jime and take the uke's balance. Control the arm and step back with your front foot allowing the uke to fall down. Shutoken the uke in the face as they fall. Restrain uke.
   


5. Same as above but a little different.
   Uke: Migi tsuki, hidari sokuyaku keri, hidari tsuki, migi tsuki.
   Tori: Same as above except when you punch through and attempt hon jime the uke "shrugs" your arm off. When that happens step in front of the uke's leg with your front foot, apply an armbar with your shoulder, and drop to your front knee applying the throw whose name escapes me.
   

Gambatte!

UR 02/12/2007

Attendance has been really good. The teacher-student ratio has been 1:2 the past few classes. We're going to be switching rooms starting next week because of the scheduling conflict with the dance group. Other than that things have been great and everyone has been doing well. Good times.

Gambatte!

UR 02/07/2007

My first Wednesday class at UR and the turnout has been pretty consistent. Richard leads the Wednesday session and he did well for his second day. All of the administrative stuff is out of the way and the only thing left is working out a time slot that doesn't conflict with any other group and is still convenient for the students.

Gambatte!

UR 02/05/2007

I'm really enjoying this class, which is a little surprising because I thought it would be boring. But there is nothing like starting from the beginning to see what you really know.

Gambatte!

Shima Dojo 02/01/2007

Since no one other than myself, Mike, and Ed showed up for class we pretty much just hung around throwing shuriken and cutting foam noodles.

Gambatte!

University of Richmond (UR) 01/29/2007

The first class of the semester and my first class where I'm assisting teaching. The other guys have been doing this for a while now and know the routine but even though it was new for me it felt pretty familiar. That's because it reminds me of when I first started. The training was offered at a gym with a bunch of newbies. I don't really want to train at such a low level but I said I would help out and I know it would be good to get back to the most basic level again. The only thing to do is keep going.

If you get confused, forget the confusion and just train. A quasi-quote from Soke.

Shima Dojo 01/25/2007

Some more Kukishinden Ryu Dakentaijutsu Shoden Gata. There were also a couple of weapons techniques to mix it up.

1. Sei On (Life Sound)
   Uke: Kumiuchi.
   Tori: Kumiuchi. Drop back into ichimonji no kamae pulling uke with you by holding onto the wrist. At the same time move your front hand to the closer lapel/collar to attack the neck with a boshiken. Use a push-pull action here. Apply a sokuto keri (knife edge kick) to uke's front leg just above and to the outside of the knee. Place your foot down behind uke naturally and drop to your rear knee pulling uke over. You can punch uke's face with your rear hand as they fall and break the elbow with front your knee.
   


2. Sui Sha (Water Wheel)
   Uke: Migi tsuki, hidari tsuki, hidari sokuyaku, migi tsuki.
   Tori: Ichimonji no kamae uke nagashi each. Be in close at the last attack. Smack down and grab the uke's front shoulder/collar area with your front hand while holding uke's wrist with your other hand. With your front foot kick the inside thigh of the uke's front leg then twist and kick the other thigh with the same foot and apply a judo ashi guruma like sweep as you pull the uke over. Henka: Instead of the sweep wrap your leg around the uke's leg (ashi makikomi) and pull up like hicho as you "throw" the uke's shoulder and arm up and over.
   


3. 
   Uke: Daijodan shomen giri.
   Tori: Hidari ichimonji no kamae with jutte. When the attack comes move in switching to migi ichimonji no kamae striking upward with the jutte to the uke's hands. "Bounce" off and strike the face with the jutte like an omote shuto.
   


4. 
   Uke: Daijodan shomen giri.
   Tori: Hidari ichimonji no kamae with jutte. When the attack comes move in switching to migi ichimonji no kamae striking downward with the jutte to the uke's hands. Shift in with the fork to the uke's neck. We covered this in a previous class.
   


5. 
   Uke: Lapel grab.
   Tori: Shizen no kamae with bo. Hit uke in face with bo and take him down. :-)
   


6. Kubi Wa (Neck Ring)
   Uke: Migi tsuki to face then migi sokuyaku keri.
   Tori: Hidari uke nagashi to the inside. Switch from hidari to migi ichimonji no kamae and fudoken or shikanken the inside of the thigh while maintaining contact with uke's wrist. "Bounce" your hand around to boshiken or sanshitanken the ryumon kyusho. Pull uke around as you drop to your rear knee.
   


7. 
   Uke: Lapel grab and tsuki to face.
   Tori: Shizen no kamae with kasari fundo. Drop back into ichimonji no kamae and uke nagashi with kasari fundo. Throw kasari fundo around uke's neck and move into jumonji no kamae rotating away from uke and taking him down to his back/side. Pull the kasari fundo tight and pin his head/neck with your rear knee. Keep your back straight, especially if the uke is still holding onto your lapel. Doing this can also apply an arm bar.
   

Gambatte!

Shima Dojo 01/23/2007

With the new year almost a month old we're getting into the routine of mixing in basic taijutsu with an emphasis on Kukishinden Dakentaijutsu. This class was a good mix of students with two mukyu and several kyu and dan grades. We started with the usual sanshin no kata with an emphasis on performing as if wearing armor and therefore making larger more pronounced movements. Then we covered the basic kamae: hira, hira ichimonji, hicho, seigan, and kosei. Notable differences with the kamae were the fists were usually in shikan ken and hicho kept both feet on the groun. Then we did zenpo, koho, and sokuho kaiten with the same idea of wearing armor. After all that we went into the first two of the shoden gata: sei on and sui yoku. Good times.

Gambatte!

Kaceminar Review @ Shima Dojo

Last weekend was the Kacem Zoughari Shinden Fudo Ryu Shoden and Jutte seminar and this week has been the review. I haven't been training in a while and it was good to start again on a night with all new material. Daryl lead the review and here's what was covered:

Juttejutsu
When holding the jutte in the normal fashion your thumb should be pressed against the area below the fork much like a koppo ken. When held in the reverse fashion nothing was said about how the fingers should be. However you're holding it though it should always be hidden. There were a couple of notes about kamae with the jutte. In ichimonji no kamae the jutte can be held in front of you with either hand in the reverse fashion and it should be hidden. You can also hold it with your rear hand hidden behind your leg. If you're facing a swordsman you should not extend your forward hand but instead place it on the inside of your thigh. A sideways jumonji no kamae was shown with the jutte too. In jumonji no kamae you would hold the jutte in the reverse position and it's easy to conceal. When handling the jutte you should be able to change between the forward and reverse hand grips with ease.

1. 
   Uke: Daijodan shomen giri.
   Tori: Hidari ichimonji no kamae with the jutte hidden behind your leg in the forward position and the fork on top. Shift to the outside slightly and bring the jutte straight up to intercept the sword. The jutte should travel from its hidden position straight into the sword. Some describe as a chi no kata movement. I think of it as a punch. Rotate the jutte so that the fork is against the blade. Move across the uke taking his balance.
   


2. 
   Uke: Daijodan shomen giri.
   Tori: Hidari jumonji no kamae with the jutte fork facing the outside. When the cut comes shift forward raising the jutte up to deflect the sword much like the bo ukemi. At the same time strike under the uke's arms into the chest. Timing is obviously important here. Trap the back of the blade with the jutte fork and drive the jutte and blade into the uke's groin. You can use your free hand/arm to assist.
   


3. 
   Uke: Daijodan shomen giri.
   Tori: Hidari ichimonji no kamae with the jutte hidden behind your leg in the forward position. When cut comes immediately move in switching kamae and bringing the jutte up to the uke's hands. The timing here is important and the movement must be quick to interrupt the cut. Your kamae should be low to give you room and time to move. If the uke flinch's use the jutte like an omote shuto against the uke's hand/wrist/head.
   


4. 
   Uke: Migi tsuki to the body.
   Tori: From shizen no kamae drop back to the inside with hidari ichimonji no kamae with your front hand lightly touching the uke's attack and your rear hand bringing the jutte up to strike the wrist from below. Shift forward driving the fork into the uke's wrist. Move the jutte up driving the fork into the uke's armpit while switching to migi ichimonji no kamae and locking the uke's knee or trapping the foot with your front foot. Rotate the jutte upward taking the balance so that the uke falls onto his back much like the hanbo techinque whose name escapes me. Maintain control of the wrist the entire time and finish with take ori and/or a strike with the jutte. In any restraining move you can position the jutte between your body and the uke to free up one hand.
   


5. 
   Uke: Migi tsuki to face.
   Tori: Jutte in left hand. From shizen no kamae drop back into hidari ichimonji no kamae to the inside of the attack performing an uke nagashi with the jutte. Shift in and move the jutte over the top of the uke's arm to perform musha dori with the jutte.
   


6. 
   Uke: Migi tsuki to face.
   Tori: Jutte in right hand. From shizen no kamae drop back into migi ichimonji no kamae to the outside of the attack performing an uke nagashi with the jutte. Switch to hidari ichimonji no kamae as you move the jutte over the top of the uke's arm to perform a reverse musha dori with the jutte. Trap the uke's leg with your front leg to help prevent the uke taking ukemi or move backwards while applying the gyaku.
   


7. 
   Uke: Migi tsuki to face.
   Tori: Hidari ichimonji no kamae with jutte in right hand in a reverse grip. Uke nagashi to the inside of the attack. Shift forward bringing the jutte up and placing the fork into the bend of the uke's arm. Switch to migi ichimonji no kamae and you drive the uke off balance and to the ground. Pin the arm with take ori.
   

Taijutsu

1. 
   Uke: Shizen no kamae migi lapel grab.
   Tori: Shizen no kamae. Cover from below with the left hand. Drop back into migi ichimonji no kamae and reach over and grab the hand with your right hand. Attack the kyusho near the thumb. Switch to hidari ichimonji no kamae and apply hon gyaku placing your front foot behind the uke's foot. Kick the uke's groin or rear leg with your right foot. Place your right foot behind you and drop to that knee taking the uke down onto their back. Force the uke onto their stomach using your knee that is up by applying an armbar.
   


2. 
   Uke: Shizen no kamae migi lapel grab.
   Tori: Shizen no kamae. Drop back into migi ichimonji no kamae as your use fingers to attack the kyusho on the uke's forearm. This should cause the uke to move with you and to keep his elbow/forearm close to your body. Shuto ken the neck or shako ken the face at the same time. Grab the shoulder as you drop back to your right knee. Keep the uke's arm in line with the shoulder as you drive the shoulder into the ground.
   


3. 
   Uke: Shizen no kamae migi lapel grab and hidari tsuki to face.
   Tori: Shizen no kamae. Cover with the left hand, drop back into migi ichimonji no kamae and uke nagashi with the right hand. Reach over and grab with the right hand. Switch to hidari ichimonji no kamae and apply hon gyaku placing your front foot behind the uke's foot. Transfer the gyaku from your right hand to your left hand and pull the uke off balance. Do this by pulling the arm down and away from the uke when the gyaku is transferred between hands. This releases the hon gyaku and allows the uke to fall. Otherwise the uke will want to rotate away from you because of the pain and that changes the balance.
   


4. 
   Uke: Migi tsuki to stomach.
   Tori: Shizen no kamae. Drop back into migi ichimonji no kamae and catch the hand with your left hand while striking down with the right. Grab the hand with your left hand and keep it in front of your stomach. Move forward by switching to hidari ichimonji no kamae. As you switch kamae move the uke's hand that you're holding in front of your body to the right then left so that when the transition is complete the hand is out of the way and behind the uke. At the same time shuto ken the neck or shako ken the face taking the balance like the previous technique.
   

In each of these restrain the uke or destroy him with take ori.