So the end of another year. This is the fifth end of year, and yet I’m just beginning. I am much clearer on my bad habits now, but perhaps I’ve learned nothing, perhaps enough.

The year is winding down, and today I missed Sunday Sensei, but had a good workout nonetheless, focusing as much as I could on relaxation, Sensei proper only scolded me for the pattern I created rather than all of the other issues he could have. I am glad we’re on a short gap this year–just two practices missed.

A good practice, at last, even if I was denied at the last moment the chance to practice with the visiting sensei. Still, Soft Sensei didn’t complain about too-much-right-hand, and the younger sensei also remarked that my kamae was stronger (even though I felt I was still too jumpy against his seme) but I need to be less stiff and more likely to respond flexibly. Other than that, my constant cue to myself has been to loosen the right hand, like an ‘o.’ That an a rehabilitated bio-shinai have helped.

A quiet practice but got with both sensei. The complaints pretty much the same as before, having to do with the depth of my men cut or the extent of seme. Still, with a nap under my belt, I felt superenergetic and could have gone another hour. I need also to work on my degote, which still has this lungy tendency that’s not so good.

Last keiko of the year. No longer the Sunday-special, unfortunately, but plenty of leg-stretching goodness, kihon-waza, and not nearly enough kakari-geiko. I need to become much more conscious of who I practice with and how well I do against them, that sort of thing–I need to return to blogging or notebooking or something. In the past, this blog is more condensed, whereas the notebook is much more person-by-person notes. Somethign like that, but I’ve become not only unreflective but also lazy–skipping weekday practices, in part due to the lack of a metrocard, in part due to having too much work, but also largely because I’m just lazy. So instead, I’ve started doing a home-regimen, which I want to slowly ramp up. Right now it’s two sets of 100 seated suburi followed by 50 hindu squats. I need to build up slowly to zenshin kotai men suburi (standing, which will require moving around some furniture) with the four different suburito that I have, and sets of 100 hindu squats. But I’ll build up slowly. After sandan, I’ll do the whole 1000 suburi for 1000 days thing… Nothing else to report until kagami biraki!

Last night not so encouraging from the returning youngish sensei, who remarked that my kendo is remarkably consistent, but not in a way that shows progress–one step forward, two steps back, were his words, which is probably true given how consistently I get the same feedback. I agree I should probably try to find another way, another approach beyond just trying to “relax” more…

Having missed practice for a dinner party for one of my many mentors, I ended up doing 1000 suburi beforehand. Not as good as the dojo, but I’m most pleased with my home-training regimen.

Today I had a good ippon: seme to tsuki, Sensei goes for kote, I hit nuki-men. Mite-worthy!

But still plenty of basics to work on, such as shisei (keeping the body straight and not extending my right shoulder ever), as well as snappiness and variety in waza. Still the energetic practice where you enter tired but leave ready to take on the world…

Also,

Sensei says, “The purpose of this execise is to execise your abdomen. When you go down, keep your abs tight… Do you remember when Fishroe sensei visit? Not many of you did this, maybe, but he told us to stick our hands down his pants. None of could because he is so hard down there…”

I would be remiss if I didn’t try my best to transcribe the following monologue by Sensei last night:

“I know all of you have computer. Right? You knows AOL? AOL? AOL. When you sign on to AOL, there are three little people who go running around the screen. They are so fast they have speed lines coming out from their backs. But even though they move so fast, their body is very straight. Their torso is completely vertical. That is how you must be, so straight but with speed lines coming out…”