Uchideshi Experience

So first good thing to report--my knee is doing quite a bit better overall.  I can fully bend it now and use it at close to normal levels.  I'd legitimately call it an answer to prayers (thank you to those who have been praying for me).  It also may have been helped by Himi-san's ultrasound and electroshock therapy, and I do think it is primarily an overuse injury, not a deeper/more permanent injury (at least that's my hope, but the pretty extreme improvement in so little time would seem to support that; I originally had trouble walking, now I can almost go normally up and down stairs and it's only a few days later).  I plan to still take it pretty gently as I haven't tested it under ukemi conditions yet (falling in techniques), and I definitely don't plan to strain it with suwariwaza or seiza yet (techniques done on the knees and kneeling--putting direct pressure on the knees).  I now tentatively hope to be taking regular ukemi (falling) though before I leave J...

Tuesday night begins the long stretch for uchideshi here.  There are only 4 hours of adult classes (plus a kids class) each day, but they zigzag between the two Dojos (which are maybe 30-45 minutes apart by train and bike), and they start at 6:30AM and we need to be there at hour early or so to clean before each class, which means waking up between 4-5AM.  Since class gets done at 9PM and has tea following (often until around 10PM) plus some clean up, we often get to bed between 11PM-12:30AM.  As you can math we usually get around 4-5 hours of sleep from Tuesday through Friday, though Friday is a bit of a break with only an early morning and late in the evening class.  As such, while we work following the morning class until noon or later, there is usually a good gap for a nap and other work before evening class.  Saturday is slightly lighter than Wednesday or Thursday but is similar, and then Sunday we begin our better sleep schedule.  When I started this ...

I had the pleasure of attending Fuchu Dojo taught by Koyinagi Sensei Tuesday morning instead of my language class (and will continue that pattern as Hiroaki Sensei gave me permission for it).  It took a fairly complex series of trains to get to (three total lines with walking between), but we did pass some neat sights. Once there, I noticed that some of the 'gem'/good ukes were present.  Also, the energy was more laid back and joyful.  It reminded me a bit of Soshihan's women's class (one gal who I've only ever seen at Soshihan's women's class was even there).  As it got going, I also saw the teacher break down the technique with excellent information to help people do it better!  (That's severely surprising--only a handful of individuals over here 'teach' in the way we Westerners think of; most people just show the technique).  Not only that, but he did it with smiles, laughs, and skill.  I was blown away and completely pleased.  As the...

Keeping everything up to date on here is very challenging!  The little bit of down time that we have is usually pretty invested in things here, so I apologize for the delay.  In brief, Friday afternoon was a good time with Hiromi-san and Kevin-san eating a delicious meal at a local restaurant followed by the best cheesecake I’ve ever eaten.  Classes kind of all blur so I don’t recall anything of note except that one: my body is finally adapting to the routine here so I have less pain and more physical energy, though I tend to fall asleep whenever I’m comfortably sitting (especially on the heated subways-I drowsed past my stop Monday afternoon when I intended to shop in Shinjuku) and two: several quiet people here have good, quality Aikido.  What I mean is that, as I would define uke and nage (thrower and faller), several people here have really neutral or maybe even not very good Aikido.  There are also a few gems, though, who I’m starting to discover.  Onc...

After my last post, the evening class went well-in part due to Kevin-san lending me a wrist-wrap.  It reinforces my wrist, but more importantly lets nage know not to go 100% on that side, which has allowed it to slowly start healing.  The evening class was good overall, but it was also very cold and rainy during and after the class (we train with the windows open, so that temperature kind of permeates everything).  That made warming up for class a bit challenging along with sleeping after chores after class, but it VERY much made me appreciate sitting on the heated toilet seat.  So there's always that silver lining. Also, for my own entertainment when I return (and to help me understand my confusing timeline), I am posting this on Friday, March 9th local time around 4:30PM after having gone to eat and get coffee with Hiromi and Kevin-San which was after the Sensei morning work meeting and coffee.  I'm not sure how this will be dated, but I'd bet it will show M...

This morning struck quite early after staying up late to post updates here.  I took a shower first thing (felt like a new man), and then I hurried and got around and helped clean.  To cause minimal disruption to the flow of the morning, I prayed while on the mats (we are done cleaning and changed 30 minutes before class--so rather than stretching I sat meditation style and prayed).  It was a good way to kind of invite God onto the mats and focus on the right things. Class went very well--it was high energy and I got to work with several uke that I like, including Kevin san and Hiromi san.  I also got thrown a couple of times by Hiroaki Sensei--Dojo Cho here (his Aikido is quite excellent).  Despite a whacked foot, a tearing toe, and a sore wrist, I managed quite well and had a good time.   After class, we headed out to get food at Kodaira station and then hustled to get to Kodaira Dojo. (Food at Kodaira Station) (Biking to Kodaira Dojo)...

Kids class today went well overall--there was one high-ranked kid who wanted to give me a bit of a hard time, but we ended up getting along well overall (I ended up getting paired up with him during munetsuki yonkyo, jajajajaja!)  *evil grin* ((don't worry, I was actually pretty nice))  I also picked up three fun things to try with our kids back home. The adult class, though, I felt like clutzilla; my right wrist is still weak from Hombu Dojo and my strange partner there, so I could tell I shouldn't trust it during dive-rolls, which are part of every adult class's warmup.  As such, I braced the wrist the first time, and the second time I veered slightly right--which ended up pile-driving the top of my foot into a doorframe on the wall and making me spin out sideways of my roll.  I actually probably looked reasonably graceful as most didn't notice and only one or two realized I'd modified.  I don't know how many saw me even hit the wall.  My foot knew it h...