I returned to training last night for the first time in nearly two and a half months since doing my wrist in, and then stubbing my toe spectacularly. With grading approaching, there is a sense of deja vu because the last time there was Picton Grading, I also only had two weeks of training before going into it. I won't be getting that much training now either because of "work" so I will rely much heavier upon the seminar on the day before training to make sure I have everything right that I need to.
For Nikyu (2nd Kyu), the requirements are:
Kirikaeshi
Kirikaeshi (Motodachi)
Uchigomigeiko
Kakarigeiko
Jigeiko
It is more of a stamina issue for me, as sadly being brutally honest, my stamina has once again declined over the two months and holidays. While it isn't totally shot to pieces, it will be stressed because the practically no-break timing between everything will be very taxing. I think on technical aspects, I should be ok, just need to work a little bit better on ki-ken-tai-ichi and I should be fine.
Going back to the training session though, the worst part last night was I became totally dehydrated. By the end of the session (which ran the usual 15-20minutes overtime) I was so dry that I wasn't even producing saliva and I had that "metallic" taste on my tongue. I think it was a combination of the heat during the day, the airconditioning inside drying the air, and obviously the training. We didn't get a break in the entire two hour session like we normally would so that didn't help.
We started with a short warmup routine, and the lack of training in the two and a bit months showed because I struggled to get through a hundred hayasuburi. The cuts for jogesuburi and nanamesuburi, and three step, two step and one step men were fine. We then moved into doing kirikaeshi but at a fast pace, and with the much smaller distance more forward and back repetitions.
With my wrist injury, my physio friend said to take it easy as I ease back into training. Trying to go into the fast speed/renzoku waza style cuts was not a great idea because I could feel my wrist twinging, and wanting to go back to the pain it was producing from the sayu-men cuts. I slowed it down but it was still showing signs of discomfort. I'm not too concerned because afterwards when we did a lot of kihon men and small men cuts, it didn't hurt or twinge at all. I think it is really just the sayu-men/dou cuts (or the turned wrist) that is the problem, so for now, I can deal with it by focussing on better men cuts.
We had a series of exercises designed to utilize the smaller space, and while they were good, it was a little confusing on how to rotate through one of them but I think we eventually got it. Then we did a little bit of gyaku-dou practice and jigeiko.
Post training, I talked to our coach, and he said that he felt that I played well and that he could tell I had improved because I was no longer "stepping back" when someone was using seme to enter their attack zone. I'm really happy with that because that has been something I have worked on a while including last night. He didn't think that my Kendo got any worse, which was good, and said that I just need to keep on practicing my cuts like everyone else.
Injury wise, I tore some skin off my foot under the toe, an old area that I was thinking would go anyway, and I have the usual aches and pains and bruises from getting beat by people during jigeiko.
Observationally, my kouhai who I had been helping with over the last year or so, have improved a lot. One of them has been training very hard lately and it has been showing very well in his cuts which are now much sharper, cleaner, and pack the power. His kiai though has lost its originality because it has turned into the mimicry of someone elses. He often thinks his progress is a bit slow or something like that and he gets frustrated by his lack of progress, but I think that he is doing fine since everything takes its own time. Including me. Another one of them finally got into bogu, and while he is an older gentleman and had to take several rest breaks, I think it is fantastic that he isn't giving up and still continuing. Our coach told him he can take breaks and he should keep going as it will slowly improve his health too. The last kouhai there I thought was going well too. They were taken aside to get some pointers on their men cut, but when I played them in jigeiko, I could tell that they had much more confidence in their attempts, and had much better control of their movements. Any improvement is wonderful and we will all advance in due course.
I won't be able to train for a week thanks to going away for work, so I will have to come back and work hard to ensure I survive Picton, and just take things slowly as they go and have fun, and play my Kendo.
For Nikyu (2nd Kyu), the requirements are:
Kirikaeshi
Kirikaeshi (Motodachi)
Uchigomigeiko
Kakarigeiko
Jigeiko
It is more of a stamina issue for me, as sadly being brutally honest, my stamina has once again declined over the two months and holidays. While it isn't totally shot to pieces, it will be stressed because the practically no-break timing between everything will be very taxing. I think on technical aspects, I should be ok, just need to work a little bit better on ki-ken-tai-ichi and I should be fine.
Going back to the training session though, the worst part last night was I became totally dehydrated. By the end of the session (which ran the usual 15-20minutes overtime) I was so dry that I wasn't even producing saliva and I had that "metallic" taste on my tongue. I think it was a combination of the heat during the day, the airconditioning inside drying the air, and obviously the training. We didn't get a break in the entire two hour session like we normally would so that didn't help.
We started with a short warmup routine, and the lack of training in the two and a bit months showed because I struggled to get through a hundred hayasuburi. The cuts for jogesuburi and nanamesuburi, and three step, two step and one step men were fine. We then moved into doing kirikaeshi but at a fast pace, and with the much smaller distance more forward and back repetitions.
With my wrist injury, my physio friend said to take it easy as I ease back into training. Trying to go into the fast speed/renzoku waza style cuts was not a great idea because I could feel my wrist twinging, and wanting to go back to the pain it was producing from the sayu-men cuts. I slowed it down but it was still showing signs of discomfort. I'm not too concerned because afterwards when we did a lot of kihon men and small men cuts, it didn't hurt or twinge at all. I think it is really just the sayu-men/dou cuts (or the turned wrist) that is the problem, so for now, I can deal with it by focussing on better men cuts.
We had a series of exercises designed to utilize the smaller space, and while they were good, it was a little confusing on how to rotate through one of them but I think we eventually got it. Then we did a little bit of gyaku-dou practice and jigeiko.
Post training, I talked to our coach, and he said that he felt that I played well and that he could tell I had improved because I was no longer "stepping back" when someone was using seme to enter their attack zone. I'm really happy with that because that has been something I have worked on a while including last night. He didn't think that my Kendo got any worse, which was good, and said that I just need to keep on practicing my cuts like everyone else.
Injury wise, I tore some skin off my foot under the toe, an old area that I was thinking would go anyway, and I have the usual aches and pains and bruises from getting beat by people during jigeiko.
Observationally, my kouhai who I had been helping with over the last year or so, have improved a lot. One of them has been training very hard lately and it has been showing very well in his cuts which are now much sharper, cleaner, and pack the power. His kiai though has lost its originality because it has turned into the mimicry of someone elses. He often thinks his progress is a bit slow or something like that and he gets frustrated by his lack of progress, but I think that he is doing fine since everything takes its own time. Including me. Another one of them finally got into bogu, and while he is an older gentleman and had to take several rest breaks, I think it is fantastic that he isn't giving up and still continuing. Our coach told him he can take breaks and he should keep going as it will slowly improve his health too. The last kouhai there I thought was going well too. They were taken aside to get some pointers on their men cut, but when I played them in jigeiko, I could tell that they had much more confidence in their attempts, and had much better control of their movements. Any improvement is wonderful and we will all advance in due course.
I won't be able to train for a week thanks to going away for work, so I will have to come back and work hard to ensure I survive Picton, and just take things slowly as they go and have fun, and play my Kendo.
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