Shimpan seminar meant lots of matches and some keiko but no chance to actually shimpan, which is fine, because it feels like being sempai–something you have to just get right or else! There are many fine points that I barely remember but I suppose it was good to keiko with others from other dojos, though I have to say that wearing the old men and kote after so long felt decisively uncomfortable. My kiai was good, but my distance terrible and too much mudanuchi especially hikimen that did not score. I should probably also begin to also work on those other waza–doh and tsuki. It’s sad that my hiki-doh has been more successful than my forward doh. But is that for suburi or what?

Whew. Two practices have just flown by. Thursday practice was killer, with dojomates dropping like flies and the heat something else indeed. Very difficult to do anything, and I confess that although I made it all the way through, I mostly took it easy on my kohai rather than attacking them intensely without letting up. Still murder on us all.

Yesterday was a mixture of kata and renzoku waza, and the keiko part was okay. IN both cases, I lined up not so well and did not get to practice with many sensei.

Suburiwise, yesterday I really didn’t feel like doing it, and as a result I ended up doing them at the dojo, which was good and bad. Good in that Sensei remarked I wasn’t putting power in my abdomen, and also in how I was able to do thirty men in one direction and turn before thirty men in another. Perhaps I need to do smaller sets in the interim.

Last practice in Taiwan included a shiai match that I won with a dodgy men (on the fly) and then a hiki-do, the key to which I was told was my zanshin, which had the sword point at aite after the strike. Otherwise, lots of basics and more of the same, although led by a sempai.

Returning to the home dojo was torture, perhaps mostly because of the weather, with lots of kihon and debana waza and a welcome return to Sensei’s unique style of explanation–of striking men as serving a dish–just put it on the table! Managed to practice with all four sensei, which was also welcome, although I seemed to have made no progress with all of the old problems–right hand, left foot, freezing, and sideways. Lower body work is what I need!

Now four days into the 1000 suburi regimen. I have been throwing in a set of 200 with the heavy grooved oar-style suburito as well, and finishing with a set of 500. It’s humbling to think of how much further I need to go, but the main challenge has not been motivation but rather a question of getting up early enough and scheduling. It’s also about breaks and sets: a set of 500 takes just over 10 minutes, but with coffee and breaks and so on, it becomes an entire enterprise. With the new school year, lots of streamlining (and what to do when traveling??)

Oddly enough, the ride I got home from practice was from a dojomate who practices the same three places I have. Too bad I didn’t figure this out earlier!

The practice itself was a little frustrating, if only because I got mixed in with the beginners and while it was good to get a lot of detailed from a very friendly sensei who focused on joge-style kihon and lots of small things I need to work on, such as taiatari, I felt like my attention was being drawn elsewhere, toward the side where there was some pretty intense jigeiko. Still, I suppose I’ve been given plenty of specific things to work on, although it’s always the ongoing feedback about progress that somehow matters much more: seme and claim seichusen and then speed won’t matter, starting from to-ma and coming in sharply, keep the left leg straight and push forward strongly without bending forward at the waist first, use more of the left hand all of the time, and big motions.

Running low on practices, low turnout in terms of students, plenty of reruns in terms of aite, and lots of good quality basics. Just another day at the neighborhood dojo. My kote was okay though a little wobbly sometimes and I need to work on my suburi and kihon every chance I get. Not as many waza as I should have, and my kiai needs to be more diaphragmatic.

Been doing a lot of reading online and otherwise in terms of yondan shinsa. One of the main points seems to be seme and building tension. This is something I will need to do in every single keiko while not shoving my opponent’s sword unduly osaewise. Been using dragonflies more, but not clear if that’s good seme or just annoying. I suspect the latter.

Another long schlep and the practice started late, and probably the last late-night venture into Taipei for kendo, given the end of this trip. Lots of good kihon and a solid 2.5 hours of keiko. Because I was, um, tired, I felt like I needed to be more precise and deliberate in my strikes, and I felt like I did a better job of nailing the points down, but at the same time was probably thinking too much as I was doing so. Still need to do more conditioning of the lower body in order to have more of that charging-rushing feeling, which is better expressed in Chinese than otherwise.

It’s been a frustrating couple of days with the missed practices due to Typhoon, I can only assume, at least, that they were canceled, the practices, and I am limited in what I can do at home besides lots of left foot hopping na some stray sets of hindu squats. I need suburi! I miss suburi! That’s the one shortcoming of Taiwan: no regular suburi, although I should probably just swallow my pride and go for it on a regular basis. That and too much eating, but tomorrow’s 3.5 hour practice should well compensate for it….

Missed a Taipei trip for a Tuesday scoop of the other dojo due to illness. Made it however to a Wednesday practice led by one of the older Sensei. More waza at this practice: men, semete-men, kote, kote-men, nuki-do, degote, and then combinations such as men-kotemen-degote, men-kotemen-nukido. Keiko with more peers mawari style before with teachers. I need to still work on seme, although the floors are pretty familiar now and I feel relatively confident on them. CCW kote has been slipping as a waza, although my kiai is as strong as ever. Have decided to become serious about the pursuit of yondan so will begin 1000 suburi/day as soon as I get back to New York. Unclear what I’ll do whenever I travel, perhaps only in the air or in the mind (which is perhaps harder!)

3.5 hours of practice? Really? Well, not really, for me it was closer to 3 because I was late, but I hope to be back Tuesday and really get some hard work done, which would amount to four practices a week, the customary number. Hordes of kids and their parentourages with first aid kids and everything.

Lots of group-based exercises with single motodachi and plenty of waiting. Also keiko in this format before lining up to practice solely with teachers.

Visiting sensei were from the Japanese overseas school, I think, and I wish my Japanese or their Chinese were somehow better, as one of them at least had some of the scariest kam-eye I’d ever seen. Resident sensei also tough to tangle with, with yet another case of the gruff and physical but loving determination to mold the kiddies into something they’re not yet–they were the best at shouting out at unison that I’ve seen. Definitely worth returning to.