Round Hill Class - Thurs. 3/30/2006

I was really in the mood to do some ukemi so as soon as I was suited up I starting rolling around. I did just about every single roll I could think of and even something I'd never done before: zempo kaiten to oten (forward roll to cartwheel). I also threw a front handspring in there for fun because they're fun. When Brian showed up he asked us each to perform one of the rolls we were doing before he showed up and everyone had to do what was shown.

After that we were going to do some sojutsu (spear techniques) but since no one did their homework and made a spear we just worked with the bo. Brian had me show a couple of techniques without the bo and then we had to figure out how to incorporate the use of the bo. Since Shindenfudo Ryu is the theme this year and that's pretty much all I've been doing the past few weeks we started with nichi geki from a punch. With the bo it was pretty simple.

Uke: migi fudo ken
Tori: Shizen no kamae with bo in right hand. Step off to the inside and strike the arm with the bo. Bring the bo up smashing the other arm if it's there or just bring it up to the shoulder as you move into ichimonji no kamae taking the uke's balance. To me this wasn't really nichi geki because taking the balance with the legs wasn't applicable but it was nichi geki still because the uke is defeated the same way but only from a distance. This actually ties into something Jong said on Tuesday and I'll give my interpretation of what he said. If you view the techniques from the uke's perspective then how the uke ends up defines the technique more than how the tori performed it. Our nichi geki with the bo is a perfect example. I didn't perform the usual steps of nichi geki with my body but the uke ended up in the same position in the end.

The second technique was the second one from Shindenfudo Ryu: gekkan.

Uke: same
Tori: same except bring the bo up in an arching motion to strike the uke's head. This strike isn't a crushing blow to the face but more of a glazing blow up the forehead. Step in with the strike. This should cause the uke's head to go back. Keep the bo moving past the uke's head. At this point in gekkan you would have thrown a sokugyaku (kick with toes) to the groin or stomach area instead of stepping in but we skipped that and used the bow against the back of the head/neck to drive the uke to the ground as you stepped back into gedan ichimonji no kamae. You could also secure the uke's punching arm against your wrist and the bo. I didn't get to try that part against any other uke that evening but I want to practice it some more. I need to make some padded weapons.

Brian then talked about the jutte, who used it and why, then we did a simple defense against a sword cut (kesa giri). I had never touched one before and I don't think anyone else had either but I enjoyed working with it.

That was pretty much it. After class Brian talked about his plans for fixing up the dojo: installing windows, a door, and even a porch! It sounds like it'll be pretty nice once it's complete.

Springfield Class - Tues. 3/28/2006

Because of the rain no one showed. Wusses. So Jong and I watched the Shindenfudo Ryu tape from 1993. I had never seen it before so it was very interesting to me. Plus, it's the theme this year so those techniques on the video are likely to appear in a future class or seminar. Plus, plus, the first two levels were covered at the March 11, 12 New York seminar with Arnaud Cousergue so it was great to see the material again done slightly different. After that we talked for a bit about Shindenfudo Ryu, then how some shihan perform so much with so little movement. We also watched a couple of the BTSD web clips. Again, this was stuff I'd never seen before so it was great for me. You can subscribe to these web clips for $9.99 a month and I asked Jong if he felt they were a good value and he said it was because the material you are seeing is as fresh as it gets. The clips I saw were recorded right there in the hombu. Sometimes they are at a shihan's dojo, outdoors, or in an apartment Jong says. Occasionally they feature other instructors as I saw on one episode. The techniques the guest showed were interesting and reminded me of some Takagiyoshin Ryu kata where you are walking towards someone and attacking as you pass. Good stuff but I wouldn't subscribe to the service especially when you can buy dvds of all the episodes for each year starting with 2003 (not on the BTSD site yet but info is in the forum). This I would most likely do because the quality is hopefully better and sometimes extra stuff is added. The episdoes are currently in Real Media format and nobody I know uses or likes Real. The clips I watched were coverted to mpeg4. If the format were changed to something like divx, h.264, or mpeg4 it would be more appealing but at the moment no thanks. I've got plenty of other things to work on.

After that we broke out the shinai and tried to hit each other! Seriously. First we took turns doing daijodan shomengiri. As one of us was performing it the other stood in front just out of reach and watched the sword, the hands, the shoulders, the torso, the legs, then the feet looking for any signs of the impending cut. After that we stood within cutting distance and did the cut with speed. First we moved to the side just getting out of the way. Then we moved forward closing the distance. Jong hit me once in the shoulder after I got jumpy and moved way before the attack. I got him once in the arm. It's a great exercise we'll have to perform on everyone else some time.

After that we BSed some more then I went home. It was good times as usual.

Round Hill Class - Thurs. 3/23/2006

Being the senior most student at this class and with Brian's leg not fully functional I've been guiding/teaching the training lately. Lately being the last couple of classes. I've only been to a handful of these classes so far but I'm trying to make it a regular thing. So, as usual we started with ukemi (breakfalls i.e. recieving with the body). I demostrated zempo (forward) and koho (backward) kaiten (roll) with an emphasis on slow and controlled movement. After that we had a special treat in throwing boshuriken! It was kinda pointless though 'cause no one knows what they're doing. It was good though 'cause I haven't thrown them in a while and I'm a bit rusty. The rest of the class was spent performing very basic tehodoki (wrist escapes).

• same side grab one hand - one escape
  
• cross grab one hand - one escape
  
• both hands grabbed - four escapes
  

This is enjoyable because it is geared towards the beginners and it allows me to get back to the basics which I feel are very important. It also gives me the chance to teach some things which I've been itching to do but haven't really had the opportunity to.

another old video

This one is from the 1970's and is kinda bizarre. The flips are cool though!

cool old video

I found this from this guy's blog and it's really interesting to me because we did this very technique last time I was at the Tidewater dojo.

first blog

So I finally decided to be like everyone else and create a blog. I'm slow. Just yesterday I created a myspace account. Why? Just because. Will I ever use it? Unlikely. The blog will get more use though especially after JeffA's (from karljay.com) great idea. Some interest was sparked after I posted a blog with a picture from a recent Bujinkan seminar I attended. Suggestions were made that I continue blogging about the training so here it is. There will be posts about other things too but the training will be my main focus.