Training Weapons: Purchasing

For our dojo I will be collecting names and details of items wanted from the website below.

http://www.ninecircles.co.uk/product_details.asp?ProdID=662&CatID=78

We recommend that everybody has their own wooden practice sword or bokken and the ones at that link are excellent value and suit our requirements.

So if yo want one of these…. let me know in the dojo at the end of class.

If you want something else from there – a hanbo, a plastic saya etc… get the ref number and let me know.

I’m just going to take names and item numbers, NOT cash yet, and place an order mid November.

- Ali Martinez

Class Record: Iai + Mai + Timing

Class Tuesday 30th Oct

Because of the small class and the bank-holiday feeling we did some playing around with spacial awareness and distance and timing. We did this through some scenario training  that our buyu friend, Norman Smithers showed at the seminar on the weekend. It involved taking out an appraching subject with the aid of a second and made us look at distance, timing, rolling, drawing the sword, awarensss(Zanshin) and movement.

We focused in on distance training using a kenjutsu drill that highlighted the cutting distance of the sword. The blocking used also gave us a chance to work on angling and timing as well as Zanshin. Various aspects of the topology of the sword itself were explained.

Timing became a factor in our last few taijtutsu waza which allowed us to take uke’s balance early in their movement in a few different ways.

- Ali Martinez

Reminder: no training Monday October 29th

Just a quick note to remind students at the Rathmines Dojo that because of the bank holiday, there is no main class at 8pm tonight. Instead,  training will be held tomorrow night, Tuesday at 8pm. Hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

- Alex Meehan

Class Record: Kukishin Okuden Gata + Randori

Class: Monday 22nd Oct

We started off with “Setto” from the Okuden level of Kukishin ryu dakentaijutsu. It has  a nice ura gyaku in it.

Edit: I forgot to mention that we did a  nice drill on balance breaking using triangulation and “vectors”. Did anyone try doing this both grabbing and being grabbed.

We’re starting to see now how these Okuden technique contain a dynanism that builds on the levels before. Techniques “emerge” more so than are “done”. As Alex says…. it’s hard to “Do” a technique on an uncompliant person, it’s better to be open to the possibility that a technique will happen. Of course this doesn’t mean we avoid studying the basics first… that was the levels before Okuden are about. Now we try and recognise or spot the potential for technIques with our bodies… through palpation or the art of touching or feeling out with the whole body.

I was asked to do a technique so used  a tehodoki opening to unbalance uke before throwing them….twice in one movement. Alex then did a version with a  spear. We continued the theme of taking balance with timing, and being at zero, using teppan shuriken and kicking techniques.  Ukemi is important here.

Thought provoker: We all know uke does ukemi.. what about tori’s ukemi?

- Ali Martinez

Beginners Week 5

This week saw the practice of our usual rolls plus more dive rolls and an intro to sideways rolling. We looked at Kamae or “posture”  a bit more – using the walls, seeing how they appear during rolling and the kata and trying to get people to let their legs work underneath them for punching and moving. Get that lead foot facing the same way as your punch guys…

Then we practiced Ogoshi and Osote Nage throws wth different partners. We then went through the first 2 kata of the Kihon Happo and saw how distancing and angling is all important.

I hope that everyone takes a look at their syllabus and see’s how we’re moving through the items in it. Many of the things overlap.

- Ali Martinez

Class Record: Okuden Gyaku Waza + Tehodoki + Sutemi

Class: Saturday 20th Oct

The kyu grades chipped in with the beginners course and hopefully used the chance to practice their basics. We started off the regular session then with some of the stuff Alex and Jason did on Thursday – gyaku waza with a uke sometimes resisting. After that I asked each kyu grade to pick something form their syllabus so we did “tomoenage” which appeared naturally out of a waza we had just done. Next came “tehodoki” and “temakura” which also nicely linked with things we were alredy doing and lastly we played with the kata called in English “false push”.  A theme for the session emerged which was that of responding to tori’s reactions by sensing them through subtle body contact.

Thought provoker: Are you check-boxing the items on the syllabus?

- Ali Martinez

Class Record: Tehodoki + Genseki Nage + Gyaku Waza

Class: Thursday 19th Oct

More rolling as a warmup with another close look at zenpo ukemi. It’s the breakfall that allows us to practice those tough dangerous throws in Kukishin Ryu. You don’t intentionally do zenpo ukemi for real – your body will do it for you if you practice the basics and work through the levels.

The pre-shoden gata waza of Kukishin Ryu Dakentaijutsu were looked at with taki ori ura and omote practiced. We then did more Okuden waza, seeing how the strikes work to take balance, which led to a spotlight on ganseki nage and various ways to respond to uke slipping, pulling, jumping, wriggling out of it. This progressed on to other types of gyaku waza as counters.

Jason showed us a neat gyaku from a grab-kick-punch combo which used strategic footwork and timing to take uke’s balance and keep it.

It’s great to see some of the beginners jump into the regular class too.

After that some of us went to Yamamori’s for a bite and a natter.

- Ali Martinez

Upcoming events

Here at the Bujinkan Meehan Dojo, we maintain this blog to give students of this club a sort of visual outline record of what is covered in class. However, as well as this blog and the main club website, we also maintain a separate website – the main Irish Bujinkan webportal at www.bujinkan.ie. This site lists upcoming seminars and a directory of dojo websites and up to date information can be found there, but it seems like a good time to give an update to the next couple of seminars we’re either teaching at, involved with organising or just support and recommend everyone else support.

October 27/28: Kukishin Ryu Seminar in Wiltshire, UK

November 11th: Kukishin Ryu Seminar in Athlone, Ireland 

November 24th/25th: Pedro Fleitas Shihan Seminar, in Dublin

December 1st: Irish Buyu Taikai, in Dublin

 

More stuff is planned as well, so keep an eye on this blog and also on the events calander for 2008 at www.bujinkan.ie

Beginners Course Week 4

As well as practicing the basic forward and backward rolls I introduced the dive roll to the class. We then looked at Ichinmonji no kata with an emphasis on blocking. We practiced Hicho no kata and then isiolated out the kick  to look at how it works with the whole body using pads.

Then we practiced out omote gyaku wrist reversal agiants a grab/ounch and I added a kick in there to show how it can make sense only if our distance and balance is right. At the end we practiced our big throw –  Ogoshi. All of these things included  work on posture –  kamae and relaxed and balanced  movement.

All beginner students are invited to attend the regular classes as per the dojo schedule where they can continue to improve the basics.

Info on uniforms or “Dogi” can be sought by asking your classmates where they got theirs. Same with training weapons.

- Ali Martinez 

Class Record: Zenpo Ukemi + Okuden Kata + Randori

Class: Monday Oct 15th 

The class started with some basic rolling and then we had a spotlight on Zempo Ukemi. This is a  tricky ukemi designed to be used when rolling isn’t an option due to obstacles, angling/speed or the wearing of armour. We looked at it from the ground up, literally, and later on in the class during randori  we saw some excellent examples of this breakfall in real time with awkward twists and turns on the throw as well as the weight of the kobuto(helmet).

We continued our look into the principles contained in the Okuden level of Kukishin ryu Dakentaijutsu and included some counters and counters to counters within it. All of this showed our continuing need for kamae, distance, footwork, angling, timing. Some of the waza had interesting strikes and blocking thanty allow us to gain a certain type of entry. Jason showed us a technique expanded on by Alex using some nice foot positioning to achieve a more awkward throw. These things were further explored with the added impulse of “randori” where the attacker  moved freely against you throwing punches, kicks etc and generally being a nuisance (Oni).

Thought provoker: Ever try Zempo Ukemi on wood/concrete? Against a wall? 

- Ali Martinez