Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 16:48:40 -0400
From: "Drysdale, Alan"
<drysdalea@PGOCM5.KSC.NASA.GOV>
Subject: list seminar
Well, it's over. Time to start planning for the next one.
What a great time. Jun warned us to stay hydrated, so I was taking trips to
the restroom every hour or so, but it did seem to work. (Or maybe it was
just that I didn't work too hard :-) Anyway, the altitude didn't wipe me
out like it did the only other time I worked out in Boulder.
Jun did an excellent job setting it up and as MC during the seminar. He was
great fun to practice with, too, and a really excellent uke.
Ikeda Sensei was very gracious to allow us to use his very impressive dojo,
and is realy easy to talk with. (Despite appearances, I'm shy and have
trouble talking with people I don't know well, at least until after a couple
of drinks.) He taught a most enjoyable class. It was mostly about finding
the suki in uke's grip and using that to unsettle him, so that the technique
happens almost on its own. Small is beautiful. We also got a tour of
Bujin. They don't have much stock, but do mostly custom dogi and hakama.
Two work areas, so that dark stuff like hakama don't get messed up with
white threads, and vice versa.
Phil Akin gave those of us who don't do Yoshinkan a different slant on
aikido. Even after last year, it was difficult to get into a Yoshinkan
mindset. (Not surprising, really.) But interesting. I can see the
relationship between their techniques and our's, and it makes some things
clearer. The stance reminds me more of karate, with the weight on the front
foot and the back leg straight. 95 degrees. (That is how far you have to
turn to take uke's balance.)
Julian Frost looked different from what I expected, but was a lot of fun.
His class was the most comfortable for me, being most similar to the style I
grew up with. (Comfortable except for the knees, that is. I guess I need
to do more suwari waza.) But of all the times to have Ikeda Sensei bow to
me, it was during the series from the "Steven Seagal technique" (the irimi
nage turned into a neck break). From that position, we had to turn uke to
face foreward, and kneel to throw with the head.
I was a bit nervous teaching after seeing what an excellent job other folks
had done, but once I got started things seemed to unfold on their own. I
focussed mostly on different timings, to give the higher ranked people
things to play with while the beginners could just do the basic techniques.
I was amazed at how many people were on the mat after all the scotch that
was available at the party the night before. Chuck gave me some nice
support for my book after class, too. (I sold a few, but there are lots
left.)
Chuck Gordon earned his title of Master of Excuisite Pain, with techniques
using short pieces of wood. (He used a chunk of cast iron that was
nominally a fan. Glad it wasn't me he was whacking with it.) After a
while, my forearms got somewhat numb and it was a lot more fun then. His
style is a bit different, as is Yoshinkan, from what I'm used to. Even the
shihonage was a little different. You take uke's balance so that they are
leaning on you, then disappear from underneath.
We had excellent mini classes from Peter Boyland, Craig Hocker, and Emily.
(Hope I didn't forget any. I swear my memory is going.) I'm getting too
old for riving around on the mat, but it was rather nice to revisit old
stuff with Peter's ne waza. (And I did okay, I think, getting a choke and a
couple of submissions, but I used way too much strength.) He also taught a
jodo class. A little different from aiki jo, but mainly (at the level we
were doing it) by the need for both power and accuracy. (Like in having
such good control of distance that you can whack uke on the bridge of the
nose - shomen uchi - with the very end of the stick.) Taigi, demonstrated
by Craig and other ki stylists, is not that different from our regular
practice, except that you do different techniques rather than repeating the
same ones: sort of like in a test: left and right, then on to the next one.
I could see it being useful as an intermediate between normal one-on-one
practice and jiyuwaza. Emily's mini class was by far the best, though,
especially towards the end of the seminar: massage. A bit different from
what I've done before, but a welcome relief to sore muscles. It was a
relief just to lie down on the mat and relax.
It was great seeing some old faces and meeting new ones. I was really sad
to leave at the end, but there's always next year.
Once again, thanks to all the teachers and everyone I practiced with, with
special thanks to Ikeda Sensei, Jun, Joe (for picking us up at the airport),
and Mike (for getting us back to the airport).
Alan Drysdale
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