The first class of the New Year was on Saturday. Class began with a discussion of training elements and the theme of 2009. Within this talk we discussed the nature of shin (heart), gi (skill) and tai (body), and briefly considered the concept of sainou (ability), shin (heart) and ki (capacity). Where will the year lead us?

We then jumped into repetitions of the sanshin no kata, kihon happo no kata, and basic ukemi skills. I used this time to work with each member of our dojo, taking their strikes and throws – while practicing my ukemi.

Then we began a study of the Jinryaku no maki. Taking the lessons from my copy of the 天地人略の巻 (tenchijin ryaku no maki) we studied two-person variations including Ashi Dome, Ate Nage, Fudo, Gekkan, and Jigoku Otoshi.

Thereafter, we pulled out some mitts to practice using full body motion to strike with a punch and elbow combination.

I wish you all a Happy and Healthy Year. Train Hard, Live well.