Class with Hiroko. We did 100 cuts to warm up, then standing iai 1, 2, 4b, 6, and 8. We then switched to shinai and worked on one step techniques 9 and 10, and finished with one attack parry with a focus on flow and instinctual response.
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Class with Sal, Steven, Joshua, Jesse A, and Elijah (though Steven had to sit out most due to continued injury). Stretch and requirements once through, then I instructed on Akira for everyone (a new move for Jesse A and Elijah). We took a break, then doe one attack parry, switching through a few partners, and finished with a pretty simple balance 1 and 2.
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Only Brad and I showed up for karate, so we went through kata Gion several times, then did some light kumite, and finished with several throwing techniques.
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Class with Joshua, Jesse A, Elijah and Jesse B. Sal, Chris and Steven all called out. Stretch, then requirements once through. After a break, we started with a multi-opponent drill. I had constructed a four-opponent kata for bunkai (roughly, “application”) during the break, and as we resumed I taught it to the students.
The person in the middle (Primary) starts with The Tradition as an attacker comes in with a head attack, then the Primary pivots 180 right with a thrust toward a second attacker that is closing from behind. The second attacker begins to step back, evading the thrust and Primary completes Dragons Tail. A third attacker attacks from Primary’s right with a neck cut to Primary’s left. Primary rises in right stance with a left head/neck block, making it a deflection to dash the third attackers blade to the side, causing the third attacker to begin to retreat. Primary cross steps in with a short chop to the neck or temple. The fourth attacker comes from behind with a left leg attack. Primary rotates 180 with a downward leg block, then continues the sword arc combined with a cross step diagonally left and forward to make a counter leg attack. With all four opponents down, Primary rotates 90 to the left, returning to the original orientation.
We cycled everyone through the center (Primary) position, taking turns as the various opponent roles. The key focus that I stressed was on flow, precision technique and economy of motion, not on speed.
We then moved to a multi-point machinegun drill (triangle, Jesse B having had to step out due to an issue with his knee). All targets were open, though each opponent had to signal they were coming (kiai or equivalent) before making their attack. We finished with linear two-attack machinegun drill, still with all targets open. -
Class led by Brad. Stretch and then warm up with a couple movement/footwork drills, first solo, then working with a partner to apply some of the ideas. Finished with some light kumite.
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Class with Ivan. First we did a few rounds of partner drills 1 – 5, then did some one attack parry and finished with some three attack parry.
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Class with Sal, Chris, Joshua, Steven, Jesse B and Elijah (Jesse A called out). Stretch and just five or six pushups with lateral extenders. Requirements a couple times through, while I first reviewed Jesse B now that he’s rejoining, and then reviewed Elijah to see what he needs to work on for his Green Braid. After a break, we had 31 one on one matches.
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Class led by Brad. Stretch followed by progressive katas, Taikyoko Shodan, Heian Shodan through Godan. Finished with some add-on like drills.
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Class with Sal, Chris, Steven, and Elijah. Stretch and five burpees, then requirements once through. I instructed Elijah on Jumping Tiger 1 (reviewing for Steven). After the break, we constructed technique chains (3 to 5 techniques), practicing them a couple to few passes back and forth across the dojo. We finished with some machinegun drill, but I changed it to be two attacks from each opponent to improve the attackers’ stances.
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Class with Sal, Steven, Joshua, Jesse and Elijah. Stretch and frog burpees (2 dojo lengths). Paired off for requirements (once through for Sal and I, twice for everyone else), then I had Sal instruct Elijah on The Tradition while I covered Double Chop with the other three. During the break, we armored up and in the second half had one on one matches in a limited quarters sparring square.
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Class led by Brad. Stretch and then a hip warm up, followed by kata jyu-te, then heian godan (including mirrored), and finished with some sanbon kumite trying applying some of the blocks in jyu-te.
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Class with Hiroko. Kneeling iai 1 – 8, One step techniques 1 – 8.
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Class with Sal, Steven, Joshua and Elijah. Jesse called out. Stretch and requirements. Sal and I went through our cuts, blocks and cutting patterns, then he worked alone while Steven and Joshua paired and I worked with Elijah, reviewing his requirements and adding The I Move to his list. After a break, we had one on one sparring totaling 34 matches.
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Special class with Kaiden Gad today, and I handed over my sword book for review. Vea and I reviewed Silver Chain requirements with Gad at the Half Moon Bay dojo. We went over Battle Stance, the 9 deflections (with steel), and reviewed some of the advanced blocks, plus I discussed some of my ideas regarding head blocks. Gad suggested I do a full write-up and submit to the council for review. We went over several new practiced moves:
– Aku (and Flying Aku): From shinkageryu with sword vertical, make and arching thrust to the chest
– Shadow: From defensive stance, make a decap, pull back, pause for a reaction, and then chop
– Gad’s Bane: From warriors stance, make a leap to close distance while making a pinwheel full circle cut to the neck
– Rolling Thunder: From battle stance, make a high right to left feint followed by a right to left torso draw cut, returning to battle stance
– Spike: From defensive stance, thrust one handed to the face (generally, eye opposing dominate hand)
After a break, we reviewed some notes on sword and shield, including modifications/application for The Tradition, Thorn, Dragons Tail, The I Move, and Jumping Tiger 1.
We finished with some hand to hand training, with Gad getting a sense of my current hand to hand level and then covering two restraints, a take down, and some tips on escapes. -
Class with Sal, Steven, Joshua, Jesse and Elijah. Stretch and requirements (once through for Sal and I paired, twice through for the other four paired). While working with Sal, covered Draw Cuts and the first six deflections. Break, then fortress defense (defend a roughly one meter circle, back to a fence), first for just head or neck, then for any attack. Followed with 100 full circle cuts (Sal and I with steel). Finished with Balance 1 and 2.
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Class with Sal, Steven, Jesse and Elijah. Both Chris and Joshua called out. Stretch and requirements, then I reviewed The Mantis (new move for Elijah). After the break, we had one on one sparring totaling 21 matches.
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I had the opportunity to travel to the SKA headquarters dojo between Santa Barbara and Ventura to train with Shihan Oshima Sensei. There were two classes, first a morning Brown Belt practice lead specifically by Oshima Sensei, then an afternoon all-ranks session lead by Mori Sensei with a lot of input from Oshima Sensei.
During the Brown Belt practice, we did some kihon and reviewed the kata Basai. In the later session we did some more kihon, sanbon kumite, and my rank group worked on Heian Nidan. Notably, he corrected my initial Heian Nidan block, adjusting my upper (horizontal) arm to be a little lower in order to be much more effective. The principle difference that I felt internally was a transferring of the power from the the upper shoulder muscles to more of a core muscles focus. Some other key points were the importance of rounding the shoulders, focusing the strength forward, not backwards out the shoulder blades, and of placing the center of balance in the correct location in front and back stance to avoid sweep susceptibility and ensure smooth movement. -
Class with Sal, Chris, Steven, Joshua, Jesse and Elijah. In seiza and briefly introduced the issue of ensuring a victory is certain. Quick stretch, and then reviewed the various kill targets, and why they are a kill. We then began going through requirements, myself observing and correcting. I finished the first half with a few rounds of refined strikes.
After the break, I started with 200 full circle cuts (myself 100 with iron sword, the second 100 with steel). Elijah was all boken, everyone else had 100 with steel, 100 with boken. We finished with multi-opponent machinegun drill, first with head attack only, then a second round with head or neck attacks. -
First day of Shadowwood. There were a number of melee matches, with a field of 16 fighters. In addition to several last-fighter-standing matches, there was a two team match, a Hunger Games inspired match (half as many weapons as fighters in a pile at start), and an additional two-person team match where one had the last used weapon of the previous match, and the other started with none.
Before taking dinner, I tested for and received the rank of Crimson Chain and was awarded full Kaidenship. Details to follow in a separate log.
After the dinner, there were two castle sieges, for which I was on the attacking force both times (and died both times at the gate in our attempt to break through). -
Class with Sal, Chris, Joshua, Steven, Jesse and Elijah. Requirements for the first half, one on one sparring for the second half. During the break, I did unarmored parry with Elijah.
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Class led by Brad. Stretch, then kihon warm up. Focused on Heian Sandan several times through, then finished with sanbon kumite. After class, I reviewed all of my kata.
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Class with Hiroko and Ivan. 100 cuts with iato to warm up, then switched to shinai. Did a few rounds of Refined Strikes, then a few rounds of partner drills 1 – 5.
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Class with Sal, Joshua, Steven, Jesse and Elijah. Stretch and requirements (Sal I did ours while the others did theirs twice). I reviewed Thorn (instructing Elijah on it), then we took a break. Sal I worked with steel, doing our cuts and blocks, cutting pattern 1 and cutting pattern 2, and finishing with refined strikes. Main class resumed with boken and we did a few rounds of refined strikes, then I went through two rounds of steel defense where the students got to hold steel and defend as I called out an attack and made that attack, several attacks in a row. When Sal came up in the line, we used the opportunity to do unarmored steel parry. We finished class with three training stations, two to a station: thrust rings, refined strikes, and cutting pattern 1 on a balance 1 beam. Rotating through to everyone had twice at each station.
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Class led by Brad. Stretch, then kihon in the form of Taikyoko Shodan several times through using the various basic blocks, then went through all the Heian katas, Tekki and Basai a couple or few times each.
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Class with Sal, Chris, Steven, and Joshua. Stretch and requirements. I reviewed Chris’ White Rope requirements, then reviewed Steven. After the break, we had one on one sparring and ended with three melees.
Conditions tonight were wet, muddy and treacherous.