Another AUG shiai

Sensei started the class with some basics on Monday night. First it was just ashi sabaki. Ayumi ashi, slow deliberate, then faster, then almost as fast as you can. I can really appreciate the slow deliberate pace now. You have to be focussed, with zanshin, then maintain this state of mind when you’re going faster and faster. This was followed with okuri ashi, same pattern, slow, faster, then almost as fast as you can. I guess he doesn’t want us to go flat out because we need to maintain that state of mind, so that 10% you still have is supposed to be for your concentration I guess, and the steps still need to be kinda deliberate, such that at any time you can do a cut.

This was followed with patterned footwork. Doing okuri ashi, 2 steps forward, 2 steps back, 2 steps to the right, 2 steps back to left. Slow at first, then impossibly fast, Just realised why sensei didn’t make us go flat out for the first 2 exercises, cos form seems to disappear when you do. Ewww, two pigeons having sex outside my window! Guys, I’m trying to have lunch here!!! Bleh.

We then did diagonal steps. First forward and right, then forward and left. These two exercises where done whilst still facing forward. We then did these two exercises with slight rotation, ie. like we were trying to move around an imaginary opponent. I liked this exercise. I remember reading somewhere that you can negate an opponents strong seme by going left or right, so I guess I’ll be trying to use this more often.

We then practiced the footwork of being a motadachi, ie, stepping to the side then again, to face your (imaginary) opponent who’s just gone through. Hmm, its like going 45 degrees forward and to the right (for a men cut) turning 90 degrees to the left, then the same thing again from that position to complete the 180 degree turn. I think I do it a bit differently during keiko but I’ll try to keep this in mind. We did it both right (for men cuts) and left (for kote cuts).

Finished off with some suburi whilst doing the rotating footwork, so that the first cut ends up facing 45 degrees to the left and the second cut 45 degrees to the right (of the original position). Did this with the shinai doing straight up again down (hard to do) and then sayu men (going left and right) which was easier to do.

Menstuke. Again, overly cautious putting my men on, so I got beaten (marginally) by Pei… Blah, next time Gadget! Next TIME!!!!

Just did the usual kiri kaeshi, but rather than doing the long kiri kaeshi, we finished with a set of 3 kiri kaeshi (instead of the usual 2). Did very little kihon, then a couple rounds of uchikomi. Then jigeiko. I fought Nicole first up. At one point, we both went in for really strong men cuts at the same time, I didn’t feel hers land, but mine did, but since we were both committed, we just banged into each other, and her men crashed into my chest. It shook her up a bit, must have been a really hard crash. I really felt I got the cut on that one but my follow through was pretty much non-existent. Should ask someone about that. I felt I had good zanshin though.

I then fought Natalie. Straight away, I noticed her kensen was open. Didn’t think that she was trying to sucker me in for a men cut so that she can do her awesome ouji waza, so I went in for a couple of men cuts. I then tried to correct her. It was pointing to my left shoulder, so I try to show her that it should point straight at my throat (using my shinai to extend her kensen so that she understands the angle). Must have been lost on her cos she soon went back to her normal kamae. Tried to tell her again a couple of times, but then I figured I’d just demonstrate that she was open by cutting her. Bam, Bam Bam… hehe.

Then fought one of the male juniors, can’t remember who it was, but he was tall. I find it easier to cut men on taller players than short. Anyway, did a few men cuts and some debana kote cuts. Kinda fun. He responded by doing very small tappy cuts. I remember I used to do that too, to try and match the speed of my sempais, but it got me nowhere. I told he needs to practice big cuts. At his level, he should just expect to get hit pretty much all the time, but keep practicing good cuts and he’ll get faster and faster.

Hmm, I think I then fought Yvonne, not quite sure now. Man I was so tired then. Don’t know whats wrong with me, but for the past few trainings, I’ve been feeling really down. I do know that I did the final kiri kaeshi against her, because as my cuts slowed down, she gave me a kiai for encouragement, and I sped up a bit towards the end, whilst still trying to maintain good cutting technique as best I could.

We then had a shiai for the girls going to AUG (plus the other senior girls). On the ‘AUG’ team, there was Cristina, Pei <3, Vincci, Jaklene, Roxy and Janice. On the other team was Crystal, Melva, Nicole, Yvonne, Su (?) and Jessie. I think that was the fighting order. Can’t really remember the fights because I was keeping time. Learnt that I have to have the yellow flag up as the kendoka step onto the shiaijo, put it down as soon as hajime is called and start time, put it back up as soon as there is a stop in play (score, hansokku, yame, etc), stop time, and start again as soon as play resumes. When time is up (fights were only 2 ½ minutes), blow the whistle (electronic one!) until yame is called then stop time and raise flag. Too much to concentrated on so I missed some of the action. Anyway, the highlight was Roxy’s immediate men cut. Recorded at 3.65 seconds I think. I should have been faster but I was too slow to stop the clock. I’d just started it and then all flags were up and I was like wh….? Click. Must have been less than 2 seconds!!! We should keep any future times (stats) so that Rox can be immortalised forever as the fastest cutter in UMKC history, hehe.