A journal of my martial arts training
Class with Miriam. Stretch and our respective requirements. Took a little tangent into Myo Sim Kendo and went over the three basic drawing techniques and the blocks available with the up-draw/down-strike.
After a break during which we got into armor, we had 18 one-on-one matches. I did the first 9 two-handed, the second 9 one-handed.
Class with Miriam. Stretch and our respective full requirements. Took a break. Started second half with continuous full circle cuts (myself 200 steel 2H, 100 for Miriam). Did a study session on Thorn, then a few rounds of Refined Strikes applying Basic Cuts to focus on quality and differentiation. Next were several sets of Advanced Response Training, and we finished with a few rounds of Add-On.
Class with Bryce and Miriam. Stretch and requirements. Study session on The Tradition. After the break, we had a total of 50 1-on-1 sparring matches. I swapped around between 2H (HNH), 1H, and full 2H longsword to give them different styles of opponents.
Class with Bryce and Miriam. Stretch and requirements. Study session on Jumping Tiger 2. After the break, we did 100 continuous full circle cuts (myself 2H steel), refined strikes, dagger training and dagger refined strikes, advanced response training, and finished with unarmored parry.
Class with Miriam. Stretch and full through our respective requirements. After a break, we got in 15 1-on-1 matches.
Class with Bryce and Miriam. Stretch and requirements. Worked with Bryce on his 13th move and The Samurai. Reviewed Miriam’s requirements. As a class we did a focus session on Jumping Tiger 2. After a break, we did 100 full circle cuts (2h steel for me), several sets of Refined Strikes, several passes of Advanced Response training, and finished with Balance 1 & 2.
Conditions: Medium rain and muddy.
Class with Bryce and Miriam. Stretch, reviewed Miriam’s requirements, and worked with Bryce on his 13th move (“defense chop”) and a new move for him, The Samurai, which we adapted for his one hand style. We all reviewed The Mantis a bit and then took a break. In the second half we got in 30 one-on-one matches total.
Class with Jesse, Bryce, and Miriam. First class of 2026, stretch followed by requirements. I reviewed each student as well as going through all of my own requirements with Jesse. For each of them, we discussed what requirements they are lacking for their next rank and what we need to be working on with them over the next 3 – 6 months. During the break, we reviewed some of the various rank requirements. In particular, Miriam needs more matches, Bryce needs matches, dagger throwing, dodging 2, and a couple more moves, and Jesse needs one more move and his 20 minute non-stop. The first half ran long, so in the second half we only got in 100 full circle cuts (myself 2H steel), a few rounds of Refined Strikes, and one round of unarmored switch parry for each of them.
Temp was around 40 degrees and not raining.
Class with Jesse, Bryce, and Miriam. Stretch and requirements, then a review of The Mantis. After the break, we did 100 cuts (myself 2H steel), several rounds of Adv Response Training, and finished with a few rounds of Blind Man’s Boffer, the final set being with 2 lives.
This concludes 2025 classes, they will resume early 2026.
Class with Jesse, Bryce, and Miriam. Stretch and requirements (I reviewed Miriam’s Green Braid requirements, matching her). Study session on Jumping Tiger 2. Break. 100 continuous full circle cuts (myself 2H steel). Several rounds of Refined Strikes. We finished the night with a long session of gourd cutting, as is tradition after Halloween. I alternately used my bear pommeled HNH, a couple different 1H, my katana, and my saw bladed axe (all blunted steel). We started with stationary targets at roughly head height, then moved on to cut the chunks tossed at us.
Class with Jesse and Miriam. Stretch and then reviewed some of Jesse’s requirements, followed by all of Miriam’s requirements. We all did a study on The Mantis. After a break, we did our 100 full circle cuts (me 2H steel) followed by a few rounds of Refined Strikes. We did a few sets of Advanced Response Training and finished with one round each of me with Jesse and then Miriam for Add-On.
Class with Bryce and Miriam. Stretch and requirements. Worked on Miriam’s two handed technique, reviewed Bryce’s practiced moves including his 13th move. We did a study on Jumping Tiger 1 and then took a break.
In the second half we started with 100 full circle cuts (me 2H steel). We then had a few rounds of Refined Strikes. We finished with a combo gambit of Balance 1 & 2 with refined strikes pels intermixed along the course.
Class with Jesse and Miriam. Stretch and requirements.
I worked with Miriam first, trying her on a 2 handed style to see if it will work out better for her. Its a bit late, she was so close to green braid, but I think it will be better for her in the long run, and so far she was positive about it.
I then worked with Jesse to review any of his sword+dagger technique that he had questions on.
As a class, we did a study/review on Mantis.
After a break, we did 100 full circle cuts (me 2H steel), some rounds of Refined Strikes, and finished with multi-opponent pel gambit.
Class with Bryce. Stretch and our respective requirements. 100 full circle cuts (me 2H steel). Refined Strikes, Advanced Response training, multi-opponent pel gambits.
Class with Jesse and Miriam. Reviewed Miriam’s requirements to bring her back up to speed since her hiatus, reviewed much of Jesse’s one handed requirements. We did a study session on The Tradition.
After the break, we had 100 continuous cuts (me 2H steel), some rounds of Refined Strikes, and some rounds of Advanced Response Training. I wrapped up with a couple Move Builders.
Class with Bryce. Requirements, drills.
Class with Jesse and Bryce. Stretch and requirements (I paired them, jesse doing second style white rope reqs, and I soloed). We did some additional drilling on Mantis to keep working on the updated leg cut.
During the break Bryce and I geared up and in the second half we started with sparring (Jesse marshaling). We only got in 5 matches and then Bryce pulled his shoulder. We wrapped up class with Balance 1 & 2 (myself and Bryce still in armor).
Class with Jesse and Bryce. Had them go through requirements (Jesse chose to go through his second style 1-handed white rope reqs) while I went through mine solo. We then did a study of Double Chop, including discussing outside vs inside leg targets, merits and drawbacks when performed by a 1-hander, and some factors when bringing an off-hand dagger or shield into it.
After the break we did 100 full circle cuts with our steel, a few rounds of Refined Strikes, several rounds of Advanced Response Training, and spent a while on a relatively short course of Balance 1 & 2.
I wrapped up by introducing sword drawing techniques as taught by Myo Sim Kendo, with discussion on how they can be adapted to the blades Jesse and Bryce are using.
Class with Bryce. Our respective requirements full through. Skills & drills in the second half including 100 full circle cuts with steel and Balance 1 & 2.
Class with Jesse. Our respective requirements full through. Skills and drills in the second half including 100 continuous full circle cuts with our steel.
Class with Bryce. Stretch and our respective requirements. Spent some time drilling on Kata Ni. After the break, started with 50 continuous full circle cuts (steel, myself 2H). Several rounds of Refined Strikes, then Add-On, and finished with some unarmored parry.
Class with Bryce and Rakta Nadi. Stretch and requirements (paired them and I soloed). Instructed Rakta Nadi on Jodan and advanced blocks (adv neck and thrust), reviewing for Bryce. After a break, we did 50 continuous full circle cuts with steel (myself 2h), then a few sets of refined strikes against the pels. Next was a several rounds of Advanced Response training, and we finished with a couple rounds of Add-On and one more of 2-attack Add-On.
Class with Rakta Nadi. Stretch and our respective requirements. Worked on updating a couple of his moves, Thorn and Akira, to better incorporate his offhand weapon. Reviewed Kata Ich a bit. Added his full complement of Chop Cuts.
After a break, we did 100 continuous full circle cuts (myself 2H steel), then we did an additional 50 for both of us wielding offensive-defense 2 sword (bokken). Next was several rounds of Advanced Response Training. We moved to a couple rounds of Refined Strikes against the pells, then a couple rounds of Refined Strikes targeting each other. We wrapped up with a couple rounds of Add-On.
Class with Bryce. Stretch and our respective requirements. Drilled a bit more on Kata Ni. After the break, 50 continuous full circle cuts with steel (myself 2H), several rounds of advanced response training (boffer), some Balance 1 one-attack Parry with six square cabers in an asterisk pattern (and boffers), and several rounds of Add-On starting with Bryce’s sword+shield and my sword+dagger and ending with Bryce 1H vs my 2H.