Vegan Japan
We did not make it to Japan this year, unfortunately, so as part of my reminiscing here is an article I wrote on surviving there as a vegan, with thanks to Tanwyn Sensei for providing the photos. If you … Continue reading
Category Archives: Uncategorized
More Doctor Who?
Recently we held our Autumn gradings which included two students doing their nidan syllabus for open hand. One of the highlights of this was their performance of kata; most of the lower ranks had never seen these kata before and … Continue reading
Suwari Ho Kokyu Ho
At the end of each open hand class we tend to finish with an exercise known, at least within our School, as suwari ho kokyu ho. It is a common warm down form used by many Aiki based schools. When … Continue reading
Doctor Who Goes Forth
Despite the title, this particular missive has nothing to do with martial arts. Its purpose is rather to pass on trivial information that, as far as I am aware, has previously gone unremarked. Doctor Who, original series, season six, The … Continue reading
Japan Trip 2018 – Day Ten
Father Driving. Went to a Buddhist temple on the way to Kitakata. We like Kitakata because two years ago we had a gestalt culinary experience there; which we hoped to duplicate. The temple has a gingko tree that is over … Continue reading
Unique
This is not specifically a martial arts post, (though many martial arts schools do describe themselves as unique), it is more of a personal rant. This, I believe, I can indulge myself in, as I am reasonably certain that the … Continue reading
Summer Grading 2017
Gradings are usually predictable affairs. Rarely are students even given the opportunity to grade if they were not ready to do so. That said, occasionally they will surprise you and exceed expectations. This is good. This week’s end of year … Continue reading
A Tale of Two Demos
We did two martial arts demonstrations this week, with very different responses. One group, the younger, was very engaged and asked endless insightful questions. One child was even physically and emotionally moved by what they saw, to the point they … Continue reading
Here it Comes Again
‘Practice makes perfect’ as the saying goes and there is no denying that. Nobody, no matter the discipline, can expect to progress without practice. However, practice requires particular constraints. Accuracy is a big one. This means reproducing as accurately as … Continue reading