Local practice was on the deserted side with even more college students. Hard to tell how long they have been doing kendo, actually, since they are taller but tend to strike very shallowly, the the left hand a little too high and some whiplash action in the tip that is painful at times. The height of hakamas, overall, is hilarious. Still, it’s about how hard they practice, not if they do as much kihon. The hardest part about practice is that I feel as if my waza are slipping because there is so much kihon all of the time. Not that there isn’t a place for kihon, and that my kihon don’t need a lot of work, but I like having more of a mix so that I can build up some of these other techniques. I find tobikomi small men exceedingly hard on these rubber floors, meanwhile, which has meant not nearly enough shikake waza, and my oji-waza are all too slow.

It was quite a schlep but worth it in the end. I fought with many sensei whose ranks I don’t even know, but who all schooled me in different ways. It’s funny too the ways in which they can taunt you more in your own language, or perhaps they already do in Japanese and I just don’t understand. Somehow though the heat exhaustion was getting to me so I felt bad because it was as if I wasn’t giving my all against these sensei even as I was seeing the patterns that I could do nothing against. And the buckets of sweat were ridiculous. At the water machine, there was more dripping off of me than from the machine. The sensei are also rather fierce, with no ground given and lots of sharp swordwork in terms of kaeshi and harai and suriage. But the space was the best part–two courts’ worth, and my first experience shimpanning–just as traumatic as otherwise, I’d think–like I have two left feet and they’re both going in the wrong direction.

Practice less crowded today than before. I appreciated especially the slow Taiwanese sense of humor employed to teach the kiddies, including a long-lost cousin of mine, perhaps: also some decent keiko but I really should try to adjust to the floors and work on my tobikomi men, which tends to drag a little bit, I’m told. Still it’s progress and my main concern is finding suburi. The long trip into Taipei looks like it might happen next Saturday. Perhaps also a trip to Songshan if I can find a contact there. Amazing how hard it is to find information (but that’s illiteracy for you!). Tuesday perhaps up in Taoyuan, in which case, that would be a total of four dojos for the trip, which is probably enough for anyone.

Practice with the local kendo club, a mere 10 minute walk away, was excellent. Not much in terms of waza, and the space limited, but I appreciated the basics instruction and the quality of the keiko, with some rather higher-ranking sensei, although there seems to be much less of a concern with rank around here, and one just sits down wherever one wants for the most part. I have added motivation to learn how to read in order to properly address the others. I don’t know what kind of goal to set for myself, meanwhile, in terms of number of dojos I might be able to get out to. Perhaps four is enough? Once each for the others out there? In each case, it will be a little difficult, given the distances in question.

Whew.

The good news first. Passed sandan exam. Today was a roller coaster. After kata, I was really anxious and unhappy. A little kirikaeshi and mock keiko later, I felt a lot better, and yet somehow when I took the test I was sure I’d failed–it just felt all wrong and full of premeditated techniques and mudanuchi. Yet, it all worked out despite some kata failures that were redone until acceptable. At that point, they want you to pass, as the rates are on the low side, I’d say. So yes, relieved.

Kata seminar unsatisfying today. Yesterday was much better with lecture and revelry and what not. Legs still hurt. Keiko is a great thing, I think. Finally able to connect with other people, tell jokes that they get, and opening a new phase.

Time to prepare for yondan!

Since there’s no practice today, I will do some extended writing which is an inventory of my kihon and waza and some touchstones to focus on and bear in mind as much as possible before clearing it as much as possible.

FIRST, kamae. My right elbow needs to bend more. This has meant that my wrists are almost all over the tsuka these days which means that the angle is much more shallow than before, contrary to what I’ve been told by other sensei in terms of lowering my left hand further or straightening my right arm but that’s probably a matter of being more relaxed, though I’ve done a horrible job of actually holding the power in my armpits the way that I should.

In terms of my legs, I have been trying of course to push down with my left leg all straight, but that also means that I am not planting myself downward but trying to lift myself and my hips upward–pushing down to push up, but while I am unsuccessful at this often, I feel that I am more aware of when it is that I do fail to put weight on the right foot (meaning the left one), or rather I feel it when I am putting my weight on the right foot and perhaps learning forward or bending my knees unduly. My shoulders I am trying to pull back but only sporadically.

SECOND, suburi strikes. I still lift up too much with the right hand and go overboard often, and after striking I make two mistakes: I scrunch my shoulders, stretching and twisting rather than keeping my shoulders square like a soldier, and then with my right fist still too high I do not relax and let go. My left fist also tends to wander, and the sayu-men are more of the same, as I have not even figured out how it is that I should twist my left hand.

THIRD, seme I have focused on. My biggest problem has been the way that I do too much jerking of the opponent’s shinai, well beyond even what might count as osae, knocking it and therefore providing a tell that is far too easy to read and unnecessary–going straight in is more effective and more elegant. Seme-ashi is another area that I have had success with, mostly by sliding my right foot forward and then hitting kote, perhaps more diagonally that I ought.

FOURTH, waza. First, men. My men is pretty strong especially in combination with kote-nuki, and sometimes it works well with ura-harai, although I have not tried to cultivate the latter as much as the former comes more naturally to me. I used to be better at uchiotoshi as well, and I think that tendency remains with my lifting up larger than I perhaps need to. Debana-men, especially against kohai has also been pretty effective, and the last main waza I have been developing (though not as much the last few sessions) is the tobikomi men, in which I consciously try to put as much power as possible in my legs and push with as little in terms of hands as possible. Kote-men good but unused. Second, kote. Still crooked and dodgy. One waza that has been effective has been the CCW kote, which has tended to replace the old standby of ura-harai kote. Degote I am better at in waza-geiko than in jigeiko but may be related to my seme-ashi (perhaps I am just thinking of it a little differently). The other main way I strike kote is under, dropping my kensen to provoke kote for nuki-men and then striking kote if aite doesn’t do anything. Makiotoshi I have been trying once in a while but has not been as good as the CCW kote. Third, do. Mostly going forward against opponents who lift up too high. Backwards very often, usually migi rather than gyaku. Kote-do is not anything I have ever really tried in keiko. Zanshin important and still confused on. Finally, tsuki. Getting better with the upward trajectory for tsuki, but again too early to use it in keiko except as semete.

Whew. A lot to work on, but good to reflect on the progress I’ve somehow made.

Many practices have I missed which need to be recounted now. Notebook left in another town. A lot of kihon, and even some shinsageiko on Thursday in which I did quite well with plenty of tobikomi waza and some good nuki-waza too. Then a lot of work that’s still necessary in terms of kata and even more work to be done in terms of habits: less than one week now to shinsa, so focusing on right arm and left knee, while continuing to build on my kiai which is my strength. Now on a break so how to maintain? More swordless suburi.

Sensei only made us do infinite kirikaeshi and kakarigeiko, but that was enough. I need to attack more and relax and cut straight, as ever.

Another muggy practice. Need to loosen up in kamae and keep my hand on sei-chu-sen while breaking kamae unjerkily