tyrone.id.au
The Sogo Shinsa is over and everything went well. I only hesitated on the Yonkajo technique once, apart from that I didn't make any major mistakes. I feel good about the grading and I will find out on Tuesday if I have passed.

The whole day was good to watch, some went for 3rd Kyu (first brown belt) and others were doing their 2nd Dan grading and 4th Dan steps. The seniors showed good power, some of them are big men (6ft) and to see them fly through the air is impressive. They tire quickly but they show good endurance and do not hesitate once.

All in all it was a good day and I will post my results next week. OSU.

tyrone.id.au
My wrists are sore!!!!! This week has been Sogo Shinsa training and one of the techniques I have to learn is
Yonkajo (2).
I already have large bruises on my wrists and I didn't go to class last night, I want to rest my body. I still have all of next week to practice for the grading which is on Saturday 27 September 2003.

I am enjoying the training for this grading. I am doing two more suwari waza techniques, nikajo and a kokyo-nage technique. I like suwari waza movements, it allows you to focus more on the technique without worrying about footwork and ukemi. I already have strong hips so the knee movements don't bother me as much as some others.

Ukemi is still a problem for me. My renzoku for this grading has another kote-gaeshi throw in it and I always find the ukemi scary. I seem to land on the top of my shoulder or the back of my neck which hurts and vibrates through my skull. If I can, I try to get to the dojo early before everyone else and practice. The dojo has extra mats on the side which you can place on the training mats for extra cushioning. They have this for beginners so you can practice the ukemi without any fear of pain. The extra mats certainly stop the pain but I don't feel my technique improving. Maybe I will ask Sensei for advice.

I think I will rest again tonight and go back on Saturday afternoon. One more week to go. OSU.

tyrone.id.au
I have heard people talking about a Hjime Class. Apparently it is a class of discipline and endurance and is held only once a year. I'm not sure when it will be held but I think it may be sometime in October. Stay tuned.........

Meanwhile, training for Sogo Shinsa begins on Saturday 13 September. I am looking forward to this. My next grading is 4th Kyu and it will be fairly extensive. Senior students say that 4th Kyu is a taste of things to come. Once I start I will update you on what techniques I will be learning. OSU.

tyrone.id.au
Well, it's been a while since I have visited my blog. I am going to have to get more disciplined. However I am happy to report that I have passed my 5th kyu grading. It was quite an extensive grading with six techniques that I was tested on. All my gradings until this one have contained only one or two techniques but I found this grading more rewarding and I rose to meet the challange.

I have been looking at the grading sheets for my future gradings and I can see that it becomes a lot more involved now. This is exciting because I am moving into new territory. As I have done Aikido before, until 5th kyu, all the techniques have been things that I have already known. But now I am being challenged with new stuff I have never learnt. This is giving me a new feeling of motivation and I am keen to learn and explore what else Aikido has to offer.

5th kyu grading comprised of Ikkajo suwari waza, Yonkajo, Irimi nage (2 techniques), tenchi nage and hiji kokyo nage. The ikkajo is the first kneeling technique that I have done at this dojo and I was lucky enough to have Sensei personally teach me this technique for one of my lessons leading up to the grading. I enjoy suwari waza and I look forward to more of this in the future.

Sogo Shinsa next month, the chance for some to double grade. For me, I will focus on 4th kyu.
Maybe I will be offered jun 3rd kyu???
I doubt it...I will just keep on training. OSU.