So I am “official” and it is a good thing, although I have yet to settle into a traveling schedule, in the best case it would be five practices a week, but work may get in the way of the east Bay, and the southern stuff is just too far without a car, which is motivation to at least ZIP it. My feelings are mixed, as there is a lot of verbal instruction, except from the old-school sensei who are also the fiercest, but we’ll see how my new shihan runs things.

To recycle a cliche:

Caltrain tickets: $13.50
MUNI rides: $4.00
Taxi because you didn’t read GoogleMap carefully enough: $10.00
Post-practice pints at the bujii Japanese place: $20.00
Keiko on a Sunday: Priceless.

Three practices in, tonight was the most intense jigeiko, but I should probably not disarm my superiors. In the first instance I was tackled to the floor and my men was attempted to be wrenched off, but I endured, in the second case, I was just tackle/hugged. In the other case, I was just knocked on my ass. I don’t mind, really, but I wonder how to better self-guide my own progress. If all goes well, I should be able to organize a four or five practice portfolio each week.

I confess that I have few regrets for skipping out on the shiai this past weekend, other than of course missing one of the few Sundays still left to me. Of course, the main reason for liking shiai is because you win. Perhaps the converse/inverse isn’t also true, but for me the main issue is the in most cases the mitori-geiko is not very good (with exceptions for kodansha matches, but only live), and there is just a whole lot of cooldowntime, and I feel like I get more out of regular keiko.

It is true, however, that I do need to think about accumulating more shinpan experience, as it’s kind of inexcusable that somehow two years in I’m still at zero.

I suppose the other contrast with iaido is that there is no “shiai-iai” at least that I can think of at this early stage in the game.

More than a week gone from practice, I miss the smell the most, and of course these Sundays. I need to put together a decent budo portfolio for the other coast, which somehow seems to have fewer options. I don’t quite know why this is, but I suspect it might be that NYC actually has a larger flow of Japanese ex-patriates than SF.

Summer is effectively here. Probably not helped by how I’ve been trying to lotion up and moisturize, the sweat sits like a slick a few minutes in, and my face is typically drenched in sweat. Not sure how the hair helps or hurts at this point, as at least it’s trimmed on the sides. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot of survival strategies, such as eating copious amounts of bananas, and prehydrating the entire afternoon leading up to practice, as well as perfect Sunday caffeination (around two large coffees do the trick, but they must be drunken before 1030!), but nothing can prepare you for 20 minutes of bonus-geiko when Sensei leads the class on Sunday. Redder than I was all afternoon, even after rehydration pints! But then again, I don’t need to go through the old analysis of whether this is renshu, keiko, or shugyo again, do I?

Today’s practice and seminar among the best ever. Though I thought I might be late, made it plenty early. Led warmups and kept my kiai high enough. A perfect Sunday special, except for having to sit out the last of the five kakarigeiko. Managed to line up well as well, hitting two yondan, Sunday Sensei, and visiting Sunday Sensei. The latter complimented strongly and didn’t seem to get my joke about it being my hair that made my kendo seem different. I need to remember not to be so gangbusters.

Seminar was helpful, because I hadn’t appreciated much before in terms of measurement and geometries of shinpan. As mock combatants, we also got some good advice about maai (fight from further out) and nuki-do. All in all, happily happily exhausted.

So there is no triumphant return, only uncertainty. And yet, I’m relatively nonplussed. My kendo and iaido will endure, even if my 401(k) makes less progress.

There’s lots to think about, and my freewriting in my little kendo journal has prepared me to think about what I need to improve.

Two key directions: back and left side. Hip engagement, left foot weight, straight knee, lifting with scapular muscles not arms, and only using the hands for tenouchi. I’m doing better for prelaxation, but after the strike is the awful part.

So the brief plan is: suburi, matawari, and probably some zazen.

Shinsa tells me I’m “weird” in my debana waza, and my men is too tense. I just need to listen more to how I need to improve already.