(no details for this day)
Category: Uncategorized
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We reviewed standing iai one, two and three today to warm up, then did some work with the cutting pattern. As we worked through the cutting pattern, I made some refinements to the footwork, using a cross-step advance for the wrist and waist attacks (advance in kneeling stance for the second waist cut). This makes the attacks more agressive and helps work on combat movement.
I also brought in some padded practice weapons today, though we did not use them this time. We will likely begin using them as a precursor to shanai sparring, allowing us to spar more heavily while we obtain more protective gear.(no class last week due to holidays)
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I have concluded that with less than an hour available to us, it is simply not enough time to do a full requirements warm up still address specific skills and techniques, so I have backed away from the requirements at the beginning of each class.
Today we did a quick warm up with students choice of cuts, block, and multi-block and counter combinations. We then reviewed kneeling iai 1 through 7b and standing iai 1 through 3. I would have liked to have gone over kneeling iai 8, too, but I need to first review it further myself, using my previous notes to refresh my memory. -
Today I journeyed to Half Moon Bay in California for a WCoS event. The day portion of the event began some time in the afternoon, however I arrived close to 4 PM. I decided it would not be worth jumping into armor for just a few one on one matches before everyone stopped for dinner, though I later regretted not getting in those extra few battles. After the break, everyone geared up and we traveled to the Arrata Hay Bale Maze. Arriving near 7 PM, there was no moon though the sky was clear allowing a feeble starlight to barely illuminate once the eyes adjusted. Each fighter was given a glow stick and a tie to attach to their person, primarily for safety. Many simply attached it to the middle of their front, whether high or low, however I strategically attached mine to the left shoulder strap of my armor so that it could be worn externally, or tucked inside.
The first melee was a three-life (30sec res.) free for all with a few minutes to disperse into the maze. It had, of course, changed from the previous year’s incarnation. Once the battle was on, I quickly discovered that most of the fighters had immediately formed teams of two. I however had tucked my glowstick inside my armor and with sword held vertically by my body on the right, was able to move about at the ready without shedding any light to give myself away. This tactic was very successful in surprise, however I found that the glow sticks of my opponents coupled with the dark environment and some visibility issues with my own helmet grill had me misjudging distance. My first two offensive I took out one person, but the other two directly behind then took me at the same time. The second offensive was against a lone fighter and went well. The third I misjudged the distance and the pair took me in response. My last I managed to sneak close in an open space, then held still while my opponent walked right up to me unaware. Unfortunately, I again misjudged distance and only caught the last inch or two and in the ensuing exchange I was ultimately defeated.
The following melee was a two-team event in the central rotundra, then a two-team capture the flag through the maze, and last a general melee back in the rotundra again. The pure darkness continued to be an issue, causing a lack of proper distance gauging and an inability to detect incoming attacks to thence block.
I would very much have liked a couple more rounds of general melee in the maze, perhaps with some non-teaming rules to see how that would pan out, but it was a good night, if perhaps short. -
Today I started class with a lap on each of the basic cuts to get us warmed up, then one lap each of alternating left and right temple cuts and alt. left and right waist cuts (advancing in kneeling). I then created some patterns to generate openings (intiated response to use WCoS terminology). The first was right temple, left temple, right temple, left waist; the second I have currently forgotten (I’ll come back and fill it in if I recall it) ; the third was right temple, right temple, left wrist, right waist. After practicing these back and forth several times, we paired off with shanai and practiced the first and third patterns against each other. I felt it was a good class and I seemed that it really fostered some ideas in the others.
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Parry was the primary focus of today’s class. I started us with 1 attack, then 2 attack, and finally 3 attack. I spoke a bit on 3 attack, talking about setting up behavior patterns to create an opening (e.g. L temple, R temple, L waist). It was a good, high energy class.
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Lynette, Daryl and I worked through the green belt requirements today. I recently spoke briefly with Tom, our local sensei, relaying that the more advanced students could really benifit from even just ten or fifteen minutes of time learning one new technique, such as leg cuts or blocks, or relearnign or affirming one of the more advanced techniques covered near the end of the previous class Tom was running.
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Since March 9th I have been going once a week to an informal kendo class comprised of myself, a few other students from the original Kendo class, and a few new ones. The class met on Thursdays originally and switched to Fridays as of the 25th of August. Starting out, Hiroko and I took turns leading the class, however of late I lead class and we consult with each other on questions we are unsure of. Over the past few months, I have incorporated aspects of my Western Circle training, creating a cutting pattern #1 for the kendo class that is equivelent to the WCoS cutting pattern #1 and implementing WCoS training fundementals such as parry (one-attack sparring) and just recently the pairing off and demonstrating requirements as the warm up. I am pleased with the progress of the class and hope to start some light to medium sparring in the near future (with the kendo shanai, gloves, wrist protection, and helmets – throat protection and any other available protective gear will be recommended, though since it is shanai combat rather than boken, there is less worry of bodily damage).
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human haybale maze #2
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human haybale maze
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Castle and glade event
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GREEN BELT TEST
Tonight was my test for the rank of Green Belt, the first rank in the Myo Sim Kendo organization that I train with. The requirements that we went through were; kneeling iai one through five, standing iai one through three, fighting techniques one through six and the shooting star technique, plus a verbal test of our knowledge of the Japanese terms for different parts of the katana and saya. The test was taped for further review by Master Shaw, however Black Sensei granted me the rank of Green Belt upon completion of the test.
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Kihon and kata.
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We primarily reviewed all the material we would need to know for our Green Belt test the following class.
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Attended class by Brad.
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kihon, etc including a focus on the rear heel again
Heian Nidan
tsuki in kibidachi -
kihon, etc, including a focus on keeping the hind heel down during advancing techniques
ippon kumite and light jiyu kumite -
kihon, etc
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Tonights class was visited by Dallas Sensei and a student or two of his. We again focused primarily on what would be tested on Saturday. Kihon, ippon kumite, iai, and katas Heian Shodan and Heian Godan.
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Small class tonight. We primarily focused on what the people testing this coming weekend would need to know. Kihon, Taikioko Shodan, ippon and sanbon kumite, and Heian Needan were all covered.
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Tonight we reviewed and learned kneeling iai one through nine, standing iai one through ten, and one-step sparring techniques one through eight. Following is an attempt to summarize each move as a memory aid.
Kneeling Iai:
1) Rising to left knee, draw with right temple cut, head cut, shake and return
2) Turn 90 right rising to left knee, draw with right temple cut, head cut, shake and return
3) Turn 90 left rising to right knee, draw with right temple cut, head cut, shake and return
4) Turn 180 left rising to right knee, draw with right temple cut, head cut, shake and return
5) Rising to left knee, draw with right temple cut, advance to right knee with head cut, begin to put away sword and rise to right L stance, low block, raise to jodan bringing right foot up, drop to left knee with head cut to below knee, rise to right kendo stance with sword vertical at left, shake and return
6) Face 45 right, rising to right knee, blocking left head cut, stand and step to left kendo stance with head cut, L stance with sword vertical in back, shake and return
7a) Draw and stand with blade rising horizontally and directed left, step into right front stance with right-handed left kneck cut, left hand bracing sword at gedan, shift to L stance bring blade vertical next to forward right leg, S arc shake and return
7b) Draw and stand with blade rising horizontally, shifting back into left L stance, blade horizontal and directed forward, step into right front stance with right-handed left kneck cut, left hand bracing sword at gedan, shift to L stance bring blade vertical next to forward right leg, S arc shake and return
8) Draw and stand natural stance, blade going to jodan, advance right and left feet into wide natural stance making head cut, advance right and left feet into wide natural stance with chudan head cut, raise sword to jodan, sink to right knee with slow head cut to knee level, switch right hand grip and retrieve cloth, place sword across cloth on knee, clean and return
9) Rising on both knees together, draw with right temple cut, head cut parting knees to drop stance, shake and returnStanding Iai:
1) Draw with right waist cut right front stance, bring sword horizontal directed forward in right cat stance, thrust forward in right front stance, left head block in right L stance, flip opponents blade and place sword in jodan, cross step twice with head cut in right front stance, shift to right L stance with blade vertical behind, shake and return
2) Draw with vertical rising cut right front stance, turn 90 right by stepping even with left foot and right back stepping into left front stance with right kneck cut, shift into left L stance with right temple block, turn 180 by stepping even with right foot and back stepping into right front stance with left kneck cut, look 90 right, bring left knee up and blade vertical behind, stepping down into right L stance, shake and return
3) Sink into stance, draw vertically raising left knee, back step into right front stance with left kneck cut, place sword vertical on left, bring left knee up jumping and turning 180 right with right temple cut landing in right front stance, flip blade back into shoulder, rotate left 180 stepping back into right L stance, shake and return
4a) draw, cut right kneck, cut left kneck
4b) draw, cut right kneck, rotate 180 cut left kneck
5) draw, cut left kneck, bash with pommel, cut right kneck dropping to left knee
6) draw, block down right thrust, head cut, begin to put away, bash forword with pommel, complete draw, 180 left turn, advance and head cut, place blade in crook of arm, 180, shake and return
7) draw with 360 spin dropping to left knee, rise stepping back to left L blocking down right thrust, thrust forward
8) walking forward, stepping left front stance draw and turn 405 (1 and 1/8) with right waist cut, ending in left L stance with blade hidden behind hind leg, stepping forward to right kendo stance with rising vertical slap with blade, rotate blade 180 and shift forward into right front stance thrusting jodan
9) walking forward, stepping right forward, bash with pommel, look 180 and short stab with left hand guiding, palm blade and rotate right 180 horizontal slap blocking, short thrust, cross step into right front stance with jodan thrustOne Step Sparring:
1) Left head block, right wrist cut
2) Right head block, head cut
3) Right wrist block, one-handed right temple cut
4) Left wrist block, bash blade and right temple cut
5) Right waist block, bash blade and right waist cut
6) Left waist block, shift and left thrust
7) Left thrust block, step forward and out with right leg, shifting forward to right front stance with right temple cut, step back with left leg into right L stance making one-handed left temple cut
8) Right thrust block, blade goes horizontal toward opponent, drops low and bashes opponents blade to jodan, slide left in horse stance and cut opponents hind leg
9) Opponent has right gedan guard; advance with left gedan distraction, right gedan bash, head cut, opponent returns with head cut as you drop back into left L stance with left one-handed thrust
10) Opponent has left jodan guard; advance and engage opponents blade circling in clockwise motion flipping opponents blade high, opponent attempts counter but beat them with U or V cut to abdominal region -
Kihon, Taikioko Shodan, Heian Needan, ippon kumite and some jiyu ippon kumite drills.
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Kihon, kata Taikioko Shodan through Basai, ippon and sanbon kumite, ending with ippon “machine gun” drilling.
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We first practiced kneeling iai one through five and standing iai one through three tonight. We’re preparing as best we can for the upcoming testing which should occur within a month or so. Next we practiced fighting techniques one through six. Sensei then had us line up along the wall and called out pairs to perform what every he asked for. My focus was lacking this night and I did not do fighting techniques one and six correctly.
We then moved on and practiced the shooting star technique against an opponent that makes three strikes (head, temple, temple), retreats and charges with a jodan attack. -
Kihon with partners, then sanbon kumite, ending with machinegun ippon kumite.