Wednesday February 23rd

I meant to give an update on the guy who had to be taken away to hospital after training with Matsue Sensei last week.  I asked Matsue Sensei about this at the post-competition party and he said that he was given oxygen at the hospital and that he was treated for exhaustion.  So that was good news.  I haven't seen him back at the dojo since.

So I was up this morning around 8.30am... Had my breakfast and watched the news from Ireland before heading for morning training which was at 10.30am.  When I arrived at the dojo Matsue Sensei and Kai Sensei were there.  Matsue Sensei was surprised to see me after I told him last night that it was hard for me to come to morning training because of my research commitments..!  Inada Sensei came in then and he seemed equally surprised but I think he was glad to see me there!  There were only two of us training... Myself and Taka-san who came to the competition on Sunday and who was on the wrong end of a "beating" from me on Saturday.  Inada Sensei made a big deal of giving the gift that I gave him for Kai Sensei to him.  Kai Sensei thanked me straight away.  As we were warming up with Kai Sensei, Yamaguchi Sensei arrived at the dojo and he came over to me and said "otsu-kara-same-deshita for the competition"... this means well done for your hard work at the competition.  This was nice to hear and I replied "arigato gozaimsu-ta"!

So Inada Sensei taught both Taka-san and I.  We did some kihon from zenkutsu-dachi at the start and then some ido-kihon up and down the dojo.  Inada Sensei quickly got Taka and myself to use a towel under both feet for practicing oi-zuki up and down the dojo floor.  Unlike Nagaki Sensei (who got us to use dry towels) a few weeks ago, Inada Sensei made us use wet towels... This was great training and Inada Sensei told me before we started that this would be good for making sure that I don't pull my front leg back by lifting my toes... Like I explained in yesterdays blog.  We then progressed to doing Heian Shodan with the towels.. First of all slowly and then fast to the count.  I couldn't help but think of how Scott Sensei teaches this when he makes us perform all movements to the extreme... preparation and hip turns almost exaggerated..  This really comes to life and has meaning when using the towels.  I felt that I did this training pretty well...

After this Inada Sensei got Taka and I to put on our kumite mitts.  We did our favourite waza (technique) first and then practiced attacking and defending jodan punch.  Inada Sensei made sure we were separated far enough at the beginning of each technique and stressed the importance of realising when somebody has come inside a "safe distance".  We then did about 8 minutes of jiyu kumite (free sparring).  Taka seems to come flying in at the very beginning... Very strong punches and kicks... Unfortunately for him this didn't last too long...  With Inada Sensei watching both of us, I really let him have it again today...  Kicked and punched him around the place and he really wasn't able to defend.  He kept retreating into the corner...  I just grabbed him by the dogi (karate uniform) everytime he did this and pulled/threw him out of the corner...  Inada Sensei appeared to be getting a real kick out of it all... but I got to a stage where I just wanted it to stop.  Taka was absolutely wrecked at this stage... couldn't hold his hands up and he couldn't stand straight... Inada Sensei was still telling me to keep at him... But eventually he called "yame" (stop) and I patted Taka on the head and made sure he was okay... He's a really good lad and the Sensei's seem to have particularly good time for him.  He's the same age as myself (28) and he is in his 4th year of medical school.

Even though the training with Inada Sensei was very intensive... he paused a couple of times and told Taka and I a couple of stories... One of these was that he recently went to Russia to teach a course.  When he arrived in Moscow he had to travel 36 hours straight by train to his destination.  He explained that he had a bed and that he read lots of books during this time.  He also asked Taka to translate for him as he asked me several questions about my study.  All the Sensei's seem interested in what I'm researching... I have a draft of my thesis with me so I think I might bring it into Inada Sensei someday and just show him briefly what I'm working on... I'll get Taka to translate!  When training finished it was interesting to see all the instructors doing different tasks around the dojo... Kagawa Sensei and Nagaki Sensei didn't seem to be around... It was very obvious that Hidioshi Sensei (Kagawa Sensei's son) is the junior there... He was just warming up for instructors training on his own while the rest of the Sensei's were together in the office area doing their jobs.

When I got back to my apartment I must have been eating (intermittently) for about an hour...  Trying to get as many calories into me before training later in the evening.  Slept for about an hour and went out around Nippori for an hour and watched the leaders debate for the general election which is taking place in Ireland on Friday.  Didn't complete much research which is not good, considering I want to be finished with it in nearly two weeks...

Went to Sugamo for evening training.  I arrived at the dojo at the usual time of 5.30pm.  Yamaguchi Sensei and Kanayama Sensei had the 5-6pm class split.  Yamaguchi Sensei was teaching the higher grade kids...  It seemed to me that Yamaguchi Sensei was in bad form and he was drilling the kids while training extremely hard with them... It was different to see this "tension" in the kids class but great to see it!  One thing that I notice about all the Sensei's is that no matter of grade or age... they always make sure that everybody does every technique to the correct standard.  One might think that they might give the beginner kids some slack but this doesn't happen... Everything must be done correctly with correct form... Drill it into them from a young age and it will pay off I guess!

Today's blog is getting rather long so I'll just summarise the 6-7 and 7-8pm classes...  Hard.. very very hard!  Kanayama Sensei taught the first hour and Yamaguchi the second hour.  We did lots and lots of slow kicks with Kanayama Sensei... The hardest for me was mawashi-geri off the back leg broken down to the count and returning to the start position everytime... Mawashi-geri was done subsequent to doing mae-geri and yoko-geri in the same manner!  I do feel that my kicks are getting better though.  I imagine that this class was really intensive for most of the people there (who "only" train 2/3 times per week).  There were two kids in the class.. about 12/13 and Kanayama Sensei did appear to give out to them on a couple of occasions... I don't really know why and I din't take much notice until I realised that the two of them were sobbing crying while they were doing the techniques... I think it may have been because they weren't trying hard enough.  Kanayama Sensei pointed to me and a couple of others and our sweaty heads!  In fairness to Kanayama Sensei he made sure that they were okay after this and told them to get a tissue and blow their noses etc.!!  We finished the class with gohon kumite.. The floor was extremely slippery and lots of people had major trouble slipping..!

Mostly newcomers for the 7-8pm class.  Yamaguchi Sensei taught..  We did a lot of switching left and right leg forward in zenkutsu-dachi with gyaku-zuki and mae-geri.. We then did a technique that involved three different blocks and counter attacks for oi-zuki jodan and chudan... Importance of moving to the sides and shifting weight back when blocking and forward when countering with gyaku-zuki.  We then practiced with a partner... It was good training and I was feeling sharp!  We finished with kata.. Yamaguchi Sensei taught a kata and unfortunately I do not know the name of it...!  I forgot to ask after class but I will find out at the dojo tomorrow!  We did tokui kata as well and I did Gojushiho-sho... It felt much better than at the competition on Sunday!  I was so hot and sweaty at this stage that I could see the steam rising off my outstretched hands and I could feel the sweat travel along my arm as I punched and could literally see it shoot out form under my dogi as I completed my punches...! 

Was glad to have done the three sessions today... but I have to be honest with myself... I really can't afford to be missing days at my research as I want to have it wrapped in two weeks... So I will not train tomorrow morning... I'll do the two hours tomorrow evening and then I'll do the morning training Friday morning before I head to Akirano-shi Friday evening... It was also great to meet Hisashi at the dojo.  He's Japanese and is living in Edinburgh for the last few years.. He returns to Edinburgh tomorrow... I think he found the training pretty hard but it was good to see him training for the two hours this evening!  Wow... this has been a long post!  Off to leaba now!