Class with Sal, Steven, Chris, Elijah, and Jesse B. Dalton was present as an observer. Stretch and requirements, I worked with Chris. After the break, we did Refined Strikes and then Blind Gamut (partners take turns guiding each other through altered terrain by voice with the guided one blindfolded). The second time through everyone, we switched partners and I added a random slow boffer attack they had to defend against.
Tag: wcos
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Class with Sal, Steven, Ferocitas, Chris, Elijah, Jesse, Mary Ann and Ryan. Stretch and requirements. I worked with Ryan, reviewing his cuts and blocks and then adding Cutting Pattern 1. I worked with Mary Ann reviewing her three practiced moves. After calling the class back together, I we reviewed Thorn (including instructing Ryan on it).
After the break, we had 51 one on one matches. -
Class with Sal, Steven, Elijah, Jesse, and Mary Ann. Stretch and requirements the first half. I worked with Mary Ann, reviewing her progress and instructing her on Thorn. The second half we did unarmored parry. I had Sal doing the one-attack variation in his circle and I started with one-attack, then moved up to three attack in my circle, plus I did regular unarmored parry with Mary Ann. We finished with balance 1 and 2.
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Special non-weapons training for Jesse B. and Ryan. Provided them an introduction to Shotokan Karate with an emphasis on how it may be applied in a sword fighting centric scenario. Covered front stance, lunge punch, front snap and thrust kick, side thrust kick, outside/hammerfist block and rising block. Also reviewed the sword disarming technique and my move Kodiak (not for their official list of moves, though).
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Class with Sal, Steven, Elijah, Jesse and Mary Ann. Dalton and Renee watched their second class and said they’ll be back (though they will miss next week due to being out of town). Stretch and requirements. I instructed Steven on Kata Ni, reviewed Mary Ann’s practiced moves, and finished with reviewing Jesse’s cuts and blocks. After the break, we had 36 one on one matches.
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Class with Sal, Ferocitas, Elijah, Jesse, Mary Ann, and Ryan. Renee and Dalton observed their first class. Stretch and requirements. I worked with Ryan, reviewing and then adding leg and thrust block, then worked with Mary Ann reviewing her cuts and blocks and cutting pattern 1.
After the break, we did evasion training, then I instructed on Gad’s sword disarming technique, and we finished with 100 full circle cuts (myself and Sal with iron sword). -
Class with Steven, Ferocitas, Elijah, Jesse and Ryan. Stretch and requirements. I worked with Ryan, going over what he knows so far and then working through thrust, and blocks for head, neck and decap. After the break, we had 45 one on one matches, with a focus on getting Jesse his matches for his green braid eval.
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Class with Sal, Steven, Joshua, Ferocitas, Jesse B, Antonio, and Ryan. Stretch and then a focus session on stance and movement, then paired off for requirements. I instructed Ryan on decap and leg cuts after reviewing his defensive stance and head and neck cuts. I then worked with Steven and Joshua, instructing them on The Drop. After the break, we did a couple rounds of Refined Strikes, then did a gauntlet, with the runner using boffer and everyone else wielding bokken. Started with static opponents and then added up to moderate movement. Also change between only defending and evading to actively seeking a killing attack.
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Class with Sal, Steven, Joshua, Ferocitas, Chris, Elijah, Jesse, Mary Ann and Ryan. Stretch and then I worked with Ryan on his stance and basic head and neck cuts, while Sal took Mary Ann and I paired the others off together. After the break, we had 60 one on one matches.
Conditions were very hot, roughly 105 degrees when class started (high of 116 earlier in the day).
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Special class held by Head Kaiden Gad at the new Hayward Dojo after the first day of the dojo build. I was paired with Kaiden Bone Finder for requirements, during which Gad made a few notes to me to bring back to my class.The leg target has moved back to the knee, rather than mid-thigh, as it is the optimal target to train to hit automatically. Dragons Tail should be practiced as a Straight Office move with the uke/partner making no movement at all. He also said I should make certain my students let me know when they complete their requirements so I may explicitly assign their next training task.
After the break, we worked on evasion. Gad, Bone Finder and I were assigned sections of the dojo and had the other students come in one at a time to face us as we made a series of cuts, with them evading to the best of the ability and only blocking if absolutely necessary. -
Class with Sal, Steven, Ferocitas, Elijah, Jesse, Antonio, Mary Ann. Ryan observed his second class. Stretch and requirements, including a group focus session on The Tradition. After the break, we did refined strikes, advanced training, and finished with blind mans boffer.
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Class with Sal, Steven, Chris, Elijah, Jesse, Antonio and Mary Ann. Ryan observed his first class, and Antonio came early to work on making his first bokken (he has been using his own store-bought katana bokken). Stretch, and then a focus session on Jumping Tiger 1, after which we started on requirements. I worked with Mary Ann and Antonio, reviewing their requirements, including instructing Mary Ann on The Tradition.
After the break, we had 33 one on one matches and 3 melees (of six fighters). -
Class with Sal, Steven, Elijah, Jesse B, and Antonio. Stretch and paired off, myself with Antonio, Sal with Jesse B, and Steven with Elijah. I reviewed Antonio’s progress and instructed him on adding the three types and six traditions to his requirements, and then finished by instructing him on The Tradition.
After the break, we had Balance 1 and 2+, which was a difficult Student’s Challenge course. I initiated t with two of the 6×6 square cabers elevated and end to end slashing across the dojo, then told them to build the rest. I made it through the first time, and was ultimately the first to make two consecutive passes, of which only Steven finally managed near the end, too. I then took up guardianship of the elevated cabers and every student that made it to the cabers faced me in light, controlled, unarmored sparring on the cabers. -
Class with Sal, Steven, Joshua, Elijah, Antonio and Mary Ann. Stretch and requirements. I worked with Steven and Joshua, instructing on chop cuts, then worked with Mary Ann and Antonio, reviewing Jumping Tiger 1 and Thrust Block. After the break, we had one on one matches totaling 31.
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Class with Sal, Joshua and Ferocitas. Stretch and requirements the first half (Sal with Joshua, myself with Ferocitas). During the break I spoke with Ferocitas and Joshua separately regarding their paths post-white rope test. After the break, we worked on multi-opponent defense, rotating each of us through the center position with the other tree arrayed around them. We started with just head cuts/blocks and verbally announcing our attack, then moved to just a natural sound to initiate our attack (scuff, sniff, etc). We ended with natural sound and neck or leg attack. To finish class, we did 200 full circle cuts (wood).
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Class with Sal, Steven, Jesse A (Ferocitas), Jesse B, Antonio and Mary Ann. Elijah observed due to injury. Stretch followed by some frog burpies (one pass was a large forward leap, two pushups, the other pass was a large forward leap and lat twist and extend both sides). Requirements, with myself working with Antonio and Mary Ann to review their progress and add their first move, Jumping Tiger 1.
After the break, we had 44 one on one matches, including steel for Sal and I. -
Class with Sal, Chris, Jesse B, Antonio, and Mary Ann. Requirements the first half (I worked with Mary Ann and Antonio). Second half had three stations: cutting and thrust gamut, cutting pattern 1, and balance 1+. We rotated through a full rotation, then finished with 100 full circle cuts.
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Day Two of the sword fighting exhibition went much better. The weather was mostly overcast which cut the sun and temperature a lot. Kaiden Brennan had left Saturday evening, but Joshua was able to join us. We had a good morning and afternoon set of steel melees, followed by bokken, followed by a few more steel. Generally, everyone seemed to agree it had been a good event and weekend.
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Today was the first day of the Ravenswood Faire at Hawes Farm in Anderson, CA, which I arranged for the Western Circle to provide a sword fighting exhibition in the style of previous Arata Farms events. I could and should have been better prepared. It was very windy so we were unable to erect the canvas walls for the blind nor the awning to cut some of the copious Redding sun, and the fighting arena was not actually ready when we arrived, nor anyone in charge available. None the less, we got the hay bales arranged and started the fighting, running a set of steel melees, some wood, and a few final steel matches for the crowd that had gathered. Brennan, Dave and Faith had come in the day prior, and most of the Redding students were present. After the first set, Head Kaiden Gad arrived with Vea, Steel Wind, and Kris, bolstering our steel numbers to 8 (with Sal and myself) for the afternoon sets of melees, and for the bokken melees we had Steven, Jesse A, Jesse B, Elijah, and Chris join us. Faith, Sabrina, Mary Ann and Antonio helped out with logging, video, cameras, and crowd management.
After the exhibition, we returned to the Redding Dojo for a feast and to recoup. -
Class with Sal, Steven, Jesse A, Sabrina, Chris, Elijah, Jesse B, Antonio and Mary Ann. Stretch and requirements. I instructed Mary Ann and Antonio on thrust and all their basic blocks, reviewed Sabrina’s cuts and blocks, and then taught Cutting Pattern 1 to Mary Ann and Antonio. After the break, we had 58 one on one matches (with a focus on getting Jesse his remaining matches for his White Rope requirements) and 3 melees.
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Special session of one on one sparring at Sal’s house in order to get Joshua and Jesse A more battles.
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Class with Sal, Steven, Chris, Sabrina, Elijah, Jesse B, Mary Ann and Antonio. Stretch and requirements. I worked with Mary Ann and Antonio, going through the six traditions, the three rules of swordsmanship, and all basic full circle cuts. After the break, we worked on stance and battle movement, finishing with an uncounted number of full circle cuts, then had balance 1 and 2.
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Class with Sal, Jesse A, Elijah, Jesse B, and Mary Ann. Antonio observed his second class. Stretch and then I worked with Mary Ann on stance and head, neck and decap cuts while the others went through their requirements. After the break, we armored up and had one on one sparring.
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Class with Sal, Steven, Chris, and Jesse B. Elijah was ill and observed, Mary Ann observed her second class, and Anthony observed his first class. Requirements once through and a break. After the break, we did five rounds of refined strikes, then advanced response training, and finished with Balance 1 and 2.