Class with Sal, Steven, Joshua and Jesse. Chris and Charlie called out. Stretch and requirements once through, then a focus session on Double Thrust (a new move for Joshua and Jesse). After a break, we did some advanced response training (one at a time, boffers, me in helmet attacking, they evade and counter), followed by five sets of full circle cuts (100/100/100/100/50, the first and last with iron sword and rest with boken for me). We finished with Balance 1 & 2.
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Class with Sal, Chris, Steven, Joshua and Jesse. Medical call out for Charlie. Seiza and stretch, requirements twice through for the lower ranks while Sal and I went through our full requirements together. During the break, Sal and i did cutting pattern 3 with steel. After the break, I marshaled one-on-one matches between the students.
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Day two of my second weekend at Arata’s Farm. Today, we had two rounds of steel melees as well as one round of boken melees. I used one handed for the second set of steel.
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I returned for my second weekend at Arata’s Farm. Today, we had three rounds of steel melees as well as a round of boken melees. I used one handed for the second set of steel.
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Class with Hiroko. We did 100 cuts to warm up, then standing iai 1, 2, 3, 4b, and 5. We finished with one steps 1, 2, 3 and 4.
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Class with Sal, Steven, Joshua and Jesse. Chris and Charlie called out. Stretch and requirements twice. After mine in solo, I worked with Jesse and Joshua to review their cuts and blocks. I discussed with the class the physics and geometry of sword fighting, talking about how the rotation of the sword and where the impact is made affects the direction of the force, and how that affects how and where we block. After a break, we did some evasion training with me wielding a boffer and them taking turns evading until I struck them, then a round robin of refined strikes and finished with balance 1 & 2 including a medium leap.
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This was my second day at Arata’s this year. We had a total of 50 steel melees (15/15/20). I had intended to use one handed sword today to continue working on my Complete Blade requirements. Gad insisted that I also use a shield to be better prepared to instruct on it for my students. Generally, I did fairly well for my first time using a shield. I used a very low stance to provide better target coverage. I need to work on my timing so that a block and counter strike are simultaneous, not a one-two. I did successfully use an adaptation of the original Phantom to bind my opponents blade with the shield, roll (cw spin) around them, and make an effective cut and draw to their exposed torso. In post analysis, having a barrier at their back was likely significant in preventing them from escaping too easily with an extended retreat.
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Today marked the 2011 Best of the Best tournament, held this year at the Arata’s Farm coliseum. There were nine steel ranked and battle capable fighters present (including Gad) and two boken fighters. Kaiden’s Kris and Craig assisted with marshaling. I tied for fourth place with a 55% victory in 19 matches, Vea won the tournament with an 80%. Notably my students Sal (red rope) and Steven (trainee) participated, too. After the tournament, we finished with five melees as a finale.
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Class with Sal, Steven, Joshua and Jesse. Charlie observed due to personal injury, Chris called out. Stretch and requirements once through, then I went over Jumping Tiger 1 (a new move for Joshua and Jesse). After a break, we had one on one sparring in the rain and mud (altered terrain, all weather).
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Class with Sal, Steven, Joshua and Jesse. Chris and Charlie called out. Stretch and requirements twice. After a break, Sal and I worked cutting patterns in steel, then the class rotated through partners for refined strikes several times and with finished with machine gun drill, first for head or neck, then for neck or leg.
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I attended a special training held at the Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Redding Shibu, training in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, lead by Nidan Sensei Craig Dunn. We did some basic warm-ups and focus on receiving and countering a punch attack as one motion/breath, then he went through four of the basic katas that teach how to work angles and distance.
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Class with Hiroko. 50 continuous cuts, then standing iai 1, 2, 3, and 5 to warm up. Followed with one step techniques 1 – 5.
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Class with Chris, Steven, Joshua and Jesse. Stretch and requirements. I instructed Joshua and Jesse on Thorn. After a break, we had a total of 42 one on one matches.
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Class with Ivan. A few kihon passes doing one block followed by three attacks, then one steps 1 – 5.
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Class with Steven, Joshua and Jesse. Sal, Charlie and Chris all called out. Stretch and requirements three times through, rotating each of the students through a session with me. After a break, we did Balance 1 and 2 for a while, then moved to rotating stations of full circle cuts, Refined Strikes, and thrust ring practice, completing two circuits (total of 150 full circle cuts for me).
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I worked with Gad and Vea today on requirements. Gad reviewed both Vea and myself for our upcoming intended Crimson Chain test. It was also an opportunity for me to check a few things with Gad regarding left-handed vs right-handed students, and some technique questions. In total, we reviewed my Steel Red Rope requirements, Boken (one-handed) White Rope requirements (for the Complete Blade), and Boken (two-handed) Crimson Chain requirements.
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Class with Sal, Chris, Charlie, Steven, Joshua and Jesse. After the stretch, I instructed on the updated Dragon’s Tail, then paired people off for requirements. I initially worked with Sal, instructing him on Cutting Pattern 3, then with Charlie instructing him on Cutting Pattern 2, after which I paired them together for requirements while I walked the class. After a break, we got into armor and had one on one sparring for all students. Steven, Joshua and Jesse each had three matches with me, followed by three with Sal. Sal, Chris and I filled in matches between while the loaner armor was exchanged.
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Class with Sal, Chris, Charlie, Steven, Joshua and Jesse. Stretch and requirements a couple times through. I worked with Charlie, instructing him on his first two chop cuts and the advanced thrust, and I worked with Steven, instructing him on Double Thrust.
After the break, we did light armored parry. I started with Sal, going over what I wanted from him, then split us to take pair once with each of the other students, with me taking the three newer students prior to passing them over to Sal. We finished with some machinegun drill using any head, neck, or decap cut.
After the main class, Sal and I took up our steel and reviewed five of his practiced moves and then went through cutting pattern 1 a couple times. -
Class with Ivan. Standing Iai 1, 2, 4b. Partner exercises 1 – 6.
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Class with Sal, Charlie, Steven, Joshua and Jesse. Stretch and requirements. I worked with Steven going through all his requirements, then did unarmored parry with Steven, Joshua and Jesse, each. After a break, Sal and I did armored steel parry, then Sal, Charlie and I had 24 one on one matches and a final last man standing match for the three of us.
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Class with Sal, Chris, Steven, Joshua and Jesse. Stretch and requirements. I went through Sal’s requirements first, then Joshua, then Jesse, and then instructed Steven, Joshua and Jesse on The Tradition. After a break, I started with dagger and knife training, talking about the differences between them as well as how weapons are everywhere, they don’t have to have a blade, and moving on to targets and how to approach them. We completed the section with dagger refined strikes, then moved back to boken for refined strikes and finished class with machine gun drill with any head, neck or decap attack. Everyone cycled through as defender, and then Sal and I had one further stint making counter attacks after the defense.
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Class with Sal, Chris, Charlie, Joshua and Jesse. While in seiza, briefly spoke about how you generally do not get to choose when or where to fight, so the best you can do is prepare for any circumstance. I went over The Mantis (new for Steven, Joshua, and Jesse) and we went through requirements a couple times.
After the break, Sal and I did armored steel parry, then Sal, Chris, Charlie and I had one on one boken matches. -
Class with Hiroko and Ivan. We started with kihon practice, doing each of our cuts down and back across the gym, including thrusts. We then worked on combinations, myself creating two, then one each from Hiroko and Ivan.
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Class with Sal, Chris, Charlie, Steven, Joshua and Jesse. Seiza and stretch. Paired Chris and Joshua, Charlie and Jesse, myself with Steven and Sal on his own initially, then put Steven with Sal and swapped Joshua and Jesse while I did my own requirements.
Near the end of the break, Sal and I did some steel cutting patterns 1 and 2, then the class did 200 full circle cuts (myself and sal with our iron swords), followed by a few rounds of Refined Strikes, and we finished with machine gun drill with just head cuts/blocks. -
Class with Sal, Chris, Charlie, Joshua and Jesse. Stretch and requirements. Initially Chris and Charlie with Sal supervising while I worked with Joshua and Jesse. I then moved Joshua over to Charlie, Chris with Sal, and I continued with Jesse. After a break, Sal and I did some steel requirements (cuts, blocks, cutting patterns), then we had one-on-one boken matches for the remainder of class.