Okay, reading about neurolinguistic programming for TEFL Methodology class.
You can change the map, and in turn the map can become the territory. Breaking previously-held, previously-thought precious points of view.
Going back to changning your habits, which in turn can change your character

Okay, here are a few words before I go to bed.

Got my shodan and jokyu certificates from Otsuka Sensei tonight. I said a few words before everyone, everyone in the class congratulated me, and it was pretty cool.

Was first yudansha class I attended. Otsuka Sensei taught of

just entering during randori, using the line, just down.

taigi 20 leading with elbow on senaka awase (I wanted to use wrists at the end!)

three-uke seiretsu--person with bear hug, do ushirodori arm raise, down, then koteroshi (when just dealing with bear hug dude or dudette)

Also, very important. Otsuka Sensei corrected me by saying to ask questions DURING class, not after. He was right. Like life. Don't let shit slide, or apathy, assholes, ignorance, what have you, will take the day every time.



Planning to go to Izu and Hiroshima after the month.

Okay, my account of Jokyu, Shodan, written and oneness rhythm
taiso tests.

I shall now once again bore you all.

They went well.

Got to Utsunomiya by 11:00 on Saturday. Charter bus to Dojo left by
East exit (by big Gyouza statue) at 12:30.
First seminar was in Tenshingosho. Otsuka Sensei first led us through
the Jokyu test components. In several lines we were, first standing with
mind/body unified, next unbendable arm, unraiseable arm, and so on. I
had a tendency to do some sort of crazy hanmi with my upper body when I
was leaning back with mind/body unified; this was corrected.
Memories from the dry run:
Standing with mind/body unified--no problem
unbendable arm--no problem
unraiseable arm--a little bit of muscle use in shoulder
seiza--side, knee, stable
seiza to standing and back--okay
agura from behind--okay
wrist (lift arm only)--okay
leaning back with mind/body unified--hanmi for some reason. this was
corrected. Also had hanmi in 2-4-6-8 of ken-gi. Shouldn't be there,
Otsuka Sensei told me.
leaning forward--okay
unliftable body--okay
leaning back on partner--okay, but tended to twist upper body a bit
leaning forward on partner (partner dropping away)--okay
wrist (lift arm and leg)--okay Was told to thnk of it as one body,
picture which offered me more stability.
both arms up (1-2-3)--okay
kokyuho--okay, save for during the actual test I had my eyes open
initially and had to be told to shut them.

That was 2:00 to 4:00 pm on Saturday, about.
shortly thereafter, the written test (four mind/body unified, five
basic principles to Shin-shin Toitsu Aikido. I did it in English. I had a
slight error on one answer. Instead of Lead with confidence, it's
PERFORM with confidence. Not a deal-breaker).
After that, about 4:30 or so, we started the oneness rhythm taiso
rundown, followed shortly thereafter by the test. For the test, we had to do
it twice all the way through.
Dinner was at 6:00,
the next seminar was at 7:00. A bit of a practice, too.

Otsuka Sensei led us through the dry run in Tenshinkan dojo (the big
one with all the pretty tatamis). There were two groups, A and B. I was
in B group. during both the dry run and the actual test, Otsuka Sensei
didn't do the ki tests. I was tested by Iwade Sensei (not the usual
Enshinkan dojo Tuesday class Iwade Sensei, but in fact his older brother,
also Iwade Sensei). There were four lines, two for group A, two for
group B. About 30 of us in all. Once one would finish, everyone would
knee-walk a few feet forward while the newly-minted testee would take
his/her place in the back.
Aside from that, that night's class also allowed time for me to
practice my goshu with my new ukemi, Uematsu san. He trains exclusively in the
main dojo, so it was quite a treat, really. Was paired up with Shijou
San from Enshinkan, but he had to be on call for work during test
weekend. Uematsu san was a last-minute replacement, I met him only this
weekend, but he was very supportive, and very serious.

Minami Sensei picked me apart last Thursday, as he should have. Iwade
Sensei did as well on Tuesday. Kobori Sensei not so much, but he
actually was my uke on Saturday during practice of goshu, so he probably
couldn't see all the mistakes I was making.
Nakashima san said do it with confidence. Also, don't stop. You forget
something, that's fine, that doesn't mean that you have to shut down
everything just because one part didn't go according to plan.
The grading Sensei doesn't know the order of the moves in the goshu,
just that the tanto dori set came after the ushiro tekubi dori set which
came after the katate dori set which came after the yokomen uchi set. I
could change up the order from how I had practiced it, and as long as
each move was properly done, no problem. I ended up, though, doing it in
the order in which I practiced them.

1)Yokomen-uchi
shihonage
hachi no ji
kiri-kaeshi
zenpou-nage
kote-oroshi
2)Katate dori
tenkan kokyunage
kiri-kaeshi
kaiten nage
irimi
tenkan ikkyo
3)Ushiro tekubi-dori
zenpou nage
uragaeshi
sankyo
kote-oroshi
ikkyo
4)Tanto dori
Shomen uchi kokyunage
shomen uchi kote oroshi
yokomen uchi shihonage
munetsuki kote oroshi
munetsuki ikkyo
Then,
Ken gi 1
Jo gi 1
Taninzu gake, randori, was next.
This took place after everyone was done with everything up to Jo gi 1
(With one exception: one gentleman was going for Sandan, which required
him to do some jo-dori and bokken-dori. Also taigi).
No taigi was needed for Shodan test.
During the Aikido test, facing the shomen, B-group had left side, while
A-group had right. The testee's name was called, and with ukemi they
walked to their respective lines marked with red tape, faced each other,
bowed, and the kumi waza began. Another place for the bokken and jo
starting point, halfway in-between the ukemi and nage starting points (and
slightly closer to the shomen) was also marked with red tape. I was
repsonsible for giving Takeuchi san's partner the tanto, and repsonsible
for giving Takeuchi san his bokken and jo when he needed them. Takeuchi
san returned the favor.
Actual Jokyu and Shodan test took place between 9:00 and 11:00 Sunday
morning.

Afterwards, Shinichi Sensei gave a lecture, and the theme I felt was
very important. If you can change your habits, you can change your
character, and that doing Aikido is an expression of character. Changing bad
habits and replacing them with good can lead to a change in character.
I need to remember this. This connected with the correction that a hakama`d ukemi received from Shinichi Sensei, shortly before said lecture, regarding his weight being a bit upperside when performing yokomen-uchi.

Shinichi Sensei is just a nice person. He took the time to talk to me, and told me to give Tsubaki Sensei a full report.

I was tired on the bus back, a little goofy, but not outwardly so. Talked a bit with Umemoto san from Chiba, who was just there to watch, but will be taking his nikyu test come next week.

(Younger) Iwade Sensei is travelling with Shinichi Sensei to Maryland this week. I hope he has a good experience.

Current Location: computer lab
Current Mood: indescribable

shihonage constipation. You don't stop at the uke's hand.

Okay, when doing nikkyo, hanmi stance. At the end of kokyunage, hanmi stance.
Also these came up again.

1) ki is extending
2) know your opponent's mind
3) respect your opponent's ki
4) put yourself in your opponent's place
5) lead with confidence

good to remember these

Had the honor and pleasure of seeing a gokyu test the other day. Otsuka sensei presided over, and the two testers did well. After that, class with Otsuka sensei. Something interesting about putting one shoulder in, then the other, when doing yokomen uchi. munetsuki was the prompter, and using the line, one shoulder, then the next. Something else cool: do you move at the same time? When working with Banka san, that's what it seemed to be.
Started final master's class this week. I think I'm going to enjoy Yoshida Sensei's TEFL Methodology class. Have no room to breathe for next several months.
I hope I don't forget this: you need sincerity, but you don't have to be passive-aggressive to do Aikido. Not that I classify myself as passive-aggressive, but I don't think that's the key to it. In fact, I feel that sincerity and passive-aggressive traits often clash. But then add the rule that says it's best if you don't want to throw, and things get even more complicated.
Don't know if I've said this before, but use cell phone for texting friends Nihongo de is such fun practice that I dance around with glee and sing whenever I do do it. Nihonjin no tomodachi also said that the most important thing to do when speaking (reading, writing, listening) in Japanese is to use ki. Holy shit! This ki permeates everything, doesn't it?
Luke: "You mean it controls your actions?"
Obi-wan: "Partially. But it Also obeys your commands"
Even when I feel like a dolt, I try to remember that ki can't be destroyed. (Where does ki go when you cut it, though? When it seems to leave you?) A friend told me that the best way to remember something is to convince your mind that what you've learned is permanently in there.
If you think you can do it, you can do it, said Iwade sensei. And by it, I mean getting some delicious chicken katsu for 500 yen before Aikido tonight!
Read, clean up, go eat.

Current Location: room
Current Mood: I have gas.
Current Music: Oneness Rhythm Exercise music

I think I've found out what the most powerful thing in the world is. The most powerful thing in the world is hope.
And rotating sushi rocks like there's no tomorrow.

The other day in Minami Sensei's class, we were working on yokomen uchi shihonage. I was getting a bit weight upperside at the end, all the power being in me jotai upper body. Really wanted to throw! It's all good and well to run the race to the finish, but when I see the finish line and get all a-twitter, I'm doing a disservice to myself and to those who are being very patient with me. Oh, well.
Use the line.
Think of:
zengo-nage to iu kumi waza. at the end, I was pulling ki. The whole world was where I was grabbing. Look down at the end. That's where the ki's going! To coincide with the pulling of the ki, I was physically stepping back a little bit. One movement ultimately. Get through it, guy.
Were working on Yokomen uchi strike itself. Go all the way through. Don't stop at shoulder. Split the kesa, words to live by.
Also, from the one point movement originates at the end of the throw. So much easier said than done I am laughing long and hard with the occassional contemplative tear thrown in. I mean, of course, from the beginning it should be from itten, but what changes close to the end?
Have you ever noticed that when sitting seiza, pain, discomfort, is felt all the more when you sneak a peek at the clock?
I am a friend's crazy bus driver, and that's not a bad thing to be.
Hanami, sakura cherry blossom viewing--what a beautiful sight. Try Ueno for a real treat. Blankets are laid out, beer is consumed, the blossoms are viewed, the blossoms rain down, the perfect microcosm for the fragile, short-lived beauty that is life is witnessed, and still I get this sneaking suspicion everyone thinks that we have all the time in the world. I like to fool myself into thinking we do. It's comfort food.
The sakura season doesn't end for a few weeks, but already the blossoms in many places from a number of trees have, by and large, fallen.
Check out the greenhouse at Shinjuku gyouen for some beautiful indoor flora. Pictures aren't really allowed, but try to sneak one in the lily pad room, anyway.
Already hitting the books right now. Not even reading them, just hitting them, harhar.

Current Location: Cleveland
Current Mood: awake
Current Music: That Speed of Life Song again, not a bad one, mind you....

Visited before, but no problem with that. I'm posting this so people can help me find it when I forget it. Such is the way.
Ryote mochi en undo-
first--body moves, arm (being held) stays still
next (when kaisho)--big step back, behind, like kokyunage. This helps the tenkan to come about.
next--raised arm close to body (wrist straight?) while turning
next--udemawashi with the rhythm (best music ever) adhered to. full arm swing.
Worked on proper ma-ai again.

In Iwade Sensei's class, we worked on proper ma-ai: We should greet each experience we encounter with the proper response. When a yokomen-uchi comes the nage's way, how far does one step back? Just enough.
Also, hitori waza/kumi waza connection. hitori waza doesn't live in a bubble.