Class with Nate, Don, Sabrina and Chris. Sal came and observed again. Started with requirements, pairing Sabrina and Don, Nate on his own, and I worked with Chris, reviewing what he knows and adding the remaining blocks. I reviewed a couple of each of the other students practiced moves (the ones they felt they needed the most work on) while Chris practiced the entirety.
After the break, we had thrusting and balance 1 (three hanging thrust rings in decreasing diameter, striding across three cinderblocks to a 6×6, passing to three bricks, a caber, a brick, platform, and one final caber). I finished with a few rounds of Blind Man’s Boffer.

Class with Don, Nate, Sabrina and Chris tonight. In seiza I discussed the reasons for all weather training, up coming events, the procuring of personal boken, sparring and dues. I led a short class stretch then paired Nate and Don, placed Sabrina on her own (to switch out with Nate after the first round), and worked with Chris on the remaining basic full cirlce cuts. After getting Chris going, I stepped in with Don to review his progress and touched bases with Sabrina and Nate. I finished the first half with introducing Chris to head blocks.
After the break, we got into armor and I did first armored parry, then light to mid contact sparring with Nate, Don and Sabrina, myself using my one handed boken.

Class with just Sabrina tonight. Nate, Don and Chris all called out. Being a one-on-one session, we focused on her requirements, working through details to refine her cuts and blocks, and improving her praticed moves. For the final part, I taught her Akira, her seventh move.

After class, I did my own personal training, going through Crimson Chain requirements with my steel and doing some thrusting practice with the new suspended thrusting ring targets.

Class with Sabrina, Don and Chris tonight. Nate called out and Sal observed. Sabrina and Don went through requirements while I covered Defensive Stance and head and neck cuts with Chris. I reviewed Sabrina’s and Don’s practiced moves, then finished with Chris. After the break, we had balance 1 and 2 including a hanging ring thrust on a platform. I designed the first, had the students design the second, then modified their for a final course. We finished with a leaping competition, marking the farthest leap.

Class with Nate, Don and Sabrina. Chris again observed class. During seiza I had a pop quiz on the three types moves, the six traditions, and the three rules of swordsmanship (straight offense, offensive defense and initiated response; warriors greeting, given steel, sword honor, sword respect, sword salute and sanctuary; patience, respect and awareness). We went through requirements, pairing Nate with Sabrina and Don with myself. After requirements I instructed all three on Kata Ich, then took a break.
During the break, I set up a combination gauntlet and balance (1 & 2) course including a hanging ring thrust target. The first run throughs had the gauntlet runner wielding a boffer and the others used boken to make a pose along the course. The runner had to use controlled clean cuts to exposed target areas to kill each person as they went through the course. After each of us had three consecutive attempts, I changed it to each person along the guantlet would make a half speed attack and the runner had to kill or block and get by. The last three passes the runner was only permitted to block with no counter attack.

Class with Nate, Don and Sabrina tonight, plus Bailey and Chris observed the full class and Eryka and Andi observed the first half. Started with a brief warm up stretch then requirements, pairing myself and Nate, and Don and Sabrina, then switching partners to myself with Don and Nate with Sabrina. After the break, we had balance one and two (thre bricks, a caber, a raised beam, cinder block, caber and final brick) with a hanging thrust ring target at the end of the balance 2 beam. After 10 or 15 minutes, I pulled Nate for armored parry, then Sabrina, then Don.
Both Bailey and Chris are interested in joining class. I informed them of the OSC and attendance requirements and expect them back next week.

All three students, Sabrina, Don and Nate, called out tonight, however Eryka, a potential new student, came to observe so instead she got a mini-lesson (20 minutes or so) as an introduction to the Western Circle. With her I covered defensive stance and head and neck cuts, and I also demonstrated all the basic and chop cuts and the Mantis to give her a general idea of the style.

Class with Nate and Sabrina. Short stretch followed by requirements. I then instructed Nate on the I Move and Sabrina on Lighting. During the break I asked Nate and Sabrina to setup a balance course and we got into armor. After a short bit of balance 1 and 2, I did armored parry with Sabrina, then armored parry with Nate followed by 10 matches of light to mid contact sparring.

Battle Log

Class with Don and Nate, Sabrina called out. Requirements for the first half. After the break, we got into armor and I did armored parry, then light contact sparring with Nate, then with Don, both with my one-handed boken, ten matches each (not including aiuchi). Match records follow.

Battle log

Class with just Don, Sabrina and Nate called out and Nivalis has spoken to me and is leaving the class. Being a one-on-one session, Don recieved a lot of personal instruction. For the first half we went through requirements; his for green braid, mine for crimson chain. After the break, we did armored parry for a bit.

(Conditions: 105 degrees)

Class with Nate and Sabrina, Don and Nivalis called out. Discussed the upcoming events this weekend and next, then had them go through their Green Braid requirements while I went through my Crimson Chain requirements. I then reviewed them and their requirements through once more individually, repeating everything they did in the way they should be striving to do it – confident, solid, good stance, etc. We took a break and got into armor and after the break we did armored parry. The only armor items lacking were wrist protection for Nate and shoulder and torso protection for Sabrina (though Sabrina wore the over-sized shoulder and chest protection tonight).