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.
Tag: wcos
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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)
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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).
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Class with Sabrina, Don, Nate and Nivalis today. Started with a brief group stretch and had them pair off for requirements, then get a new partner and do requirements again. I then instructed Nate, Nivalis and Sabrina on Dragon’s Tail and Don on Lightning.
After the break, we had two circles of Unarmored Parry and for the last 20 minutes we had Balance 1 & 2.(Conditions: 90 degrees, sunny)
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Class with Don and Nivalis, both Sabrina and Nate called out. We started with a brief group stretch, then went through requirements for the first half of class, working on details of stance, good targeting, good blocks, etc. After the break, we worked some more specifically on stance and movement, then I instructed Nivalis on The I Move and Don on Double Thrust. We completed class with a short bout of full unarmored Parry.
(Conditions: 90 degrees, sunny)
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Class with Sabrina, Don, Nate and Nivalis tonight. Group stretch followed by requirements with partners a couple times through. I then reviewed their current moves, then instructed all four on The Tradition. After a break, we progressively did one-attack parry, three-attack parry, and full unarmored parry.
(Conditions: Smokey, High of 99)
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Class with just Sabrina and Don tonight, both Nate and Nivalis called out. I had them go through their requirements together twice while I went through my own Crimson Chain requirements and provided tips and observations. I then reviewed the three types of practiced moves and examples of each. They both have Thorn and Jumping Tiger 1, so I instructed them on The I Move today to gain them a straight offense move. After practicing The I Move a bit, I went through Cutting Pattern 1 with each of them individually, then called a break.
At the end of the break, I met with each of them individually and privately in Sword Honor. Questions included their impressions and feedback on the class and their reasons for wanting to learn how to sword fight, and I also reviewed with them their training path for the next couple months or so.
As resumption of class, I did one-attack and three-attack unarmored parry with them, then moved to a Balance 2 course of a cinder block, a raised beam, four bricks on edge, flat, end and flat, and two cabers.
After the conclusion of class, we reviewed specific green braid requirements and I pulled out all my armor bits as examples of the kinds of items they will want to start aquiring.(Conditions: Smokey – light rain of ash, High of 111)
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Class with Nate, Sabrina, Don and Nivalis. I started with a pop quiz on the six traditions while in seiza, then we had a short group stretch and they paired off for requirements. After the first time through, I had them switch partners and do it again while I did some of my own requirements. I then split the class into one-handers and two-handers, instructing the one-handers on Jumping Tiger 1 and the two-handers on Jumping Tiger 2. We broke after they had spent some time practicing both their new move and Thorn. The second half of class we did one attack parry. I first went through it with each individually, then created two circles with myself and Nivalis in one and started Nate in the other with Don. We rotated out partners so that everyone got to face everyone else. I ended class with them showing me what they know, then I demonstrated how requirements should be performed, doing a subset of my requirements.
(Conditions: Clear – light smoke, High of 100)
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Class tonight with Nate, Sabrina, Don and Nivalis. Began with how to make a sword salute, then did some basic stretching. I reviewed Cutting Pattern 1, then paired them off to go through requirements. Initially I paired Sabrina with Don and Nate with Nivalis to match sword types, however after they had gone through requirements a couple times, I switched them to Sabrina with Nivalis and Don with Nate for Cutting Pattern 1 to feel the difference in swords.
After requirements I instructed all four on the move Thorn, then took a break.
During the break, I set up a Balance 1 and 2 course composed of large cinder blocks, an 8×8 raised on more blocks, two cabers, and four uneven bricks at the end, two on their side, two on end. Nate and myself completed the course right away, Sabrina later completed it. Near the end I switched the cabers and the 8×8, changing the raisers to make the 8×8 less stable and not permit stepping down from the 8×8 to the block thence on, instead having to go direct from the 8×8 to the first brick.
To end class, I had them all show me what they know.(Conditions: Clear, High of 104)
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Class with Sabrina, Nivalis, Don and Nate tonight. I spoke about the three rules of swordsmanship initially, then we reviewed requirements. Next they finished learning basic blocks with temple, leg and thrust blocks. Putting everything together, we shadowboxing Cutting Pattern 1 and I had each of them face me to go through Cutting Pattern 1 a few times. After the break, we did Balance 1 with four cinder blocks, a long six by six, and two cabers. Near the end, I rearranged a bit to have the 6×6 at the end where I waited as the final obstacle. Of them, only Nate was able to get there and get past me.
(Conditions: Clear, High of 103)
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I have produced seven new swords of hickory to support my new WCoS Redding Dojo. Following are a couple pictures of them, along with a few other practice weapons.
Six of the new hickory swords are all on the left, and the seventh, another two handed sword, is not shown. The other clean two handed shown is of popalar and the remaining weapons to the right are older ones that have been around a while.
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Class tonight with Sabrina, Nivalis (Ash), Nate and Don. We reviewed basic cuts and added thrust, then covered head and neck blocks. The second half of class we did awareness training with Blind Man’s Boffer.
(Conditions: Clear, High of 101)
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First class of Western Circle of Swordfighters Redding Dojo tonight. My four students are Sabrina, Nate, “Nivalis” (Ash) and Don. I began with a brief seiza introduction to the new class. For the first half of class I instructed on defensive stance and basic cuts. After break, during which I set up a balance course, we practiced Balance 1.
(Conditions: Clear, High of 101)
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I journeyed to the Half Moon Bay WCoS dojo today for some personal training. Kaiden’s Aaron and Brennan were also there and, after Gad went through steel parry with me, I did armored steel parry with Aaron and then sparred 5 matches with both Aaron and Brennan. Later, Gad worked with me on a few questions I had and some new techniques. I demonstrated four practiced moves that I have previously observed and he approved them: Casper, Lighting, Dragons Tail and Defense Cut. He reviewed Advanced Blocks, adding two low advanced blocks and the advanced head block and he also reviewed the six deflections. I asked about variances for one-handed technique and we covered the basics so that I will be prepared to pass on instruction for one handed students.
The steel combat today is my first as a Red Rope with the Western Circle of Swordfighters. It was exhausting and I was very slow, over-controlling my blade to avoid causing injury. I was also much more defensive and leary of my opponents blade, the heightened level of fear causing poor blocks and bad movement. I have much to learn and improve. As Kaiden Gad and the others said, moving to steel combat is in some ways like returning to square one again. -
This evening I tested for and earned the rank of Red Rope with the Western Circle of Swordfighters. Upon receiving my new rank, I requested the right to start my own WCoS dojo in Redding and was granted a limited Kaidenship to train a maximum of five students up to the rank of White Rope.
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Best of the Best competition today with 16 sword fighters. Details later.
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No other students showed for Kendo today so I refreshed my memory on Myo Sim Free Fighting techniques 1 and 2, then reviewed my WCoS Red Rope requirements, focusing particularly on the few mistakes I made while working with Gad over the past weekend and spending some time on Splinter and Phantom.