How Low Can You Jo?
So I guess the May seminar is going on now... enjoy it! I'm sad I'm not there. By the way, if you manage to sell my painting at the auction, don't forget to tell the buyer that they need to wait a couple months and then spray the painting with varnish....
Last night I got worked over in jodo. First, Furukawa Sensei almost cut off my right man-boob when we were doing Ran-Ai. He keeps hitting me in the same place, and I keep being there, within his reach. I can't seem to move back far enough! Anyway, even though I know it's coming, I keep getting hit so he has been hitting me harder and harder every time in an effort to teach me to move back. Last night he hit me so hard I thought I must be bleeding. Today, my right tit still hurts. Argh.
Then, I got singled out and corrected... endless corrections. I should be grateful; well, actually I am grateful. But it's hard to fix 20 things at a time. The big point they have for me is to do everything lower. I feel like I'm doing karate now. My stance is really deep and low. The front leg is bent forward over the knee and the back leg is straight and tight.
Also, I am overextending the jo, so I have to be careful to keep the back hand within one fist of my tanden, and to one side of the center line (i.e., if it's the left hand, the fist is left of center). The jo apparently should never be straight, but should always be held on an angle with respect to the center line.
I was exhausted after practice. The ride home on the train is an hour (standing) and after that, the walk seems to take forever. It doesn't help that my backpack is laden down with five pounds of clothes and ten pounds of sweat! Grooooosssssss.
By the way, Namitome sensei was in last month's Kendo Nippon; Ide sensei is in this month's.
Last night I got worked over in jodo. First, Furukawa Sensei almost cut off my right man-boob when we were doing Ran-Ai. He keeps hitting me in the same place, and I keep being there, within his reach. I can't seem to move back far enough! Anyway, even though I know it's coming, I keep getting hit so he has been hitting me harder and harder every time in an effort to teach me to move back. Last night he hit me so hard I thought I must be bleeding. Today, my right tit still hurts. Argh.
Then, I got singled out and corrected... endless corrections. I should be grateful; well, actually I am grateful. But it's hard to fix 20 things at a time. The big point they have for me is to do everything lower. I feel like I'm doing karate now. My stance is really deep and low. The front leg is bent forward over the knee and the back leg is straight and tight.
Also, I am overextending the jo, so I have to be careful to keep the back hand within one fist of my tanden, and to one side of the center line (i.e., if it's the left hand, the fist is left of center). The jo apparently should never be straight, but should always be held on an angle with respect to the center line.
I was exhausted after practice. The ride home on the train is an hour (standing) and after that, the walk seems to take forever. It doesn't help that my backpack is laden down with five pounds of clothes and ten pounds of sweat! Grooooosssssss.
By the way, Namitome sensei was in last month's Kendo Nippon; Ide sensei is in this month's.
posted by Jeff at 10:59 PM
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