Thks 4 the invitation

I'm not on the net as often as I like to. So please be patient with me in responding to what I see. I have a question or two for all.
What made you pick Biwa Ko?
What was your purpose in the beginning to start training and has its focus changed?

sensei stephen class

Great classes this past week!

1. 2 hand grab from front
• hitch step in, get low + bend 1 wrist upward.
• looks like a shihonage entry. seems like this arm cross uke center line and under other arm.
• entry creates off balance. cut thru uke at waist. uke takes back fall

2. 2 hand grab from front
• bring slightly hands to you + palms facing down + uke pitched forward
• seems like a petting motion
• raise hands back in center to uke
• stroke down on uke like friskin'
• uke takes back fall

3. 2 hand grab from front
• a tai otoshi? a "lazy one"
• if uke is hamni, throw uke over his lead leg
• if uke not in hamni, make sure uke is off balanc on one
standing leg.
• sensei said to focus on off balance and bend knee for blocking shin.
i didn't have to focus so much on the throwing since off balance is key
• when uke, anticipate breakfall

4. face punch
• hitch step + enter at 45 degrees away from punch? still facing uke.
• opposite side parries punch w/ forearm
• same time seiken punch to ribs
• parrying hand can strike neck
• same side leg of parrying hand can kick inside of uke thigh of opposite leg
• nikkyu

4. face punch
• similar to above but sankyu
• lock is one where back leg cross step and step out to shiko dachi + pull uke arm with own hip
• can put uke hand on knee and bend knee. sensei stephen said to put fingers around wrist

5. face punch
• similar to above, but lock with uke elbow against chest + both hands locking wrist
• and then you use uke wrist to cut through and throw uke forward
• uke takes forward roll

6. face punch
•hitch step in, and catch uke's elbow from above arm and then underneath elbow. marry uke
elbow to your center.
• keep uke elbow in center and married to body
• finish with taisabaki and "punch" arm to ground to create lock (but be careful)

January 7 + 8, Sensei Maria + Coleman

January 7 + 8, Sensei Maria + Coleman

1. Osoto-Gari ( from Round House )
• Step in, close the window style, tuck uke's arm into your center pulling them off balance
• Pivot hip around uke ( so your butts are touching )
• Reap
• Pull up on the sleeve for support and to control arm for pin

* Note : When reaping drive shoulder down as your leg comes up. Dixon always tells me "you're pushing me down" and I'm like "Na uh" bbut really it's true, I'm pushing him down with my body.

2. Osoto-Gari ( from Pull Back Mug to the outside )
• Uke pulls you off balance
• Pivot and place lead leg behind uke
• Pull back leg in so you are now behind uke
• Reap

* Note : When pulling your back leg in, keep your butt from pointing out, Sensei said my butt was in New Jersey.

3. Drop Knee Seionage ( From Pull Back to the Inside )
• Drop between uke's legs
• Pivot shoulder to knee to throw

2 Steps, yet super hard, especially for me because I have a gut in the way. I am also timid about landing on my knees...which of course I did. I need to get some knee pads.

4. Multiples
So Multiples is a new thing. I need to not allow myself to get frustrated. Stay in control...even if it's not working. These are things I picked up during our multiples practice :
• First person project forward
• Move first, then technique
• Move
• Move
• Did I mention move?

So for some reason I went to the gym after class and worked on my legs. Squats, Leg Press, Hack Squats, and deadlifts. I felt wrecked! Then sunday came!

I always like sunday class, but this week was exceptionally good. It was great having so many people in class. I always feel like a wrecking machine after class...meaning I am wrecked machine.

1. Jab + Punch
• Left Jab
• As you punch drop into a lunge and pivot hips for power

2. Jab + Punch + Ko Soto Gari
• Jab
• Punch to the far corner of uke ( like hand through the face )
• Sweep

*Note : Pull Uke's foot forward, do not kick it. Also keep foot-ground contact. I think this may prevent kicking the leg.

3. Jab + Punch + Tani Toshi ( Valley Drop )
• Jab
• Punch to the far corner of uke ( like hand through the face )
• Step behind uke, sweeping both feet by doing a side fall and landing on uke
• Immediately grab the side control position, knee on head and lock

4. Osoto-Garuma ( against uke's lead gaurd )
• Cross step in behind uke
• Pull Uke's hand down to the ground
• Sweep ( BOOYAH! )

* Note: Remember to drive shoulder down with sweep

5. Ko Soto Garuma
• Jab
• Punch
• Reach Leg behind uke and kick

This was a big fall!

6. Ko Soto Gari ( from front kick )
• Hitch step
• Hook kicked leg
• Shoot arm across uke
• Sweep standing leg

* Note on Ukemi : I kept falling on my elbow, which is very painful. Dixon said I was slapping too high and need to keep it closer. Like Night and day! Thanks Dixon!

7. Irimi - Osoto Garuma ( from Punch to the face )
• Push hand away
• Shoot hand up and over uke and you enter
• Reap

During this technique Gearoid caught me in the calf with his heel. Let me tell you I am walking like an 80 year old today. Picture a leg cramp that doesn't go away...it's something like that. Urgh!

January 5, Sensei Maria

1. Roll Out and Defend
So I roll out and defend...Close the window doesn't work. Which really isn't a surprise b/c I told myself before that I wouldn't use it because it is an advanced technique, but I did anyway. So alas it didn't work, so I switched to Ippon, which also didn't work, and since I was panicking I forced it. It wasn't bad, it was ugly. I shouldn't force technique especially because I really threw my should into it, and I could have hurt it. I didn't and was lucky, probably b/c Sensei knew I would have kept pushing the technique until one of us broke.

The moral of the story? Stop panicking about roll out and defend.

I knew that if Ippon fails, go into Morote Gari, but because I panicked I couldn't let it happen. So I'm going to just start my entry with an atemi, which may buy me a split second to adjust myself. So watch out!

2. Katana-Nage ( from face punch, from slash with knife, from slash(fail) and return )
• Tai-Sabaki shallow into uke
• Cut uke's arm low into your center
• Shoot through uke to project
• Keep their arm trapped to retrieve knife

I have to admit, I did not like Katana-nage. Did not, meaning past tense. I would do it, and it just wasn't my fave. Maybe because it seems passive. But tonight I think Katana-Nage was revealed in it's most hideous form, only to retreat back into it's passive dance-like-look, allow me to elaborate...

• Tai-sabaki shallow into uke
So I'm working with Sensei Stephen, and we are doing Katana-Nage, and of course it's not working correctly. I remeber when we do Tai-sabaki warm up that I usually drift off to one side or another. So I figure I would straighten out my tai-sabaki. OWWWWWWW! gasps Sensei Stephen as I wrap around for the projection. By getting the footwork right ( albeit inadvertently ) Sensei's arm was pinned as I brought it to my center. As I was saying that I was sorry and making sure everything was cop-acetic Sensei Stephen said "No that's good, that's the jist of it." As he said this I remember reading about an arm-lock that looks like katana-nage except that they grab the gi lapel. I wonder if this is where it is derived from?

• Cut uke's arm into center
Your arm = my center. My center meaning 1mm below my belly button. From here I can switch to Kotegaesh,Tiger lock or Iremi.

• Shoot through uke to project
Now working with Youval I remember Sensei Coleman telling me that when we shoot into uke, we shoot with a rib strike, like you are punching through their ribs. Even if you are not striking the image in my mind seemed to move uke unexpectedly.

3. Escape from the Full Nelson
• Drop and point to the ground, flex lats to trap arms
• Grab finger, pivot, elbow uke in face
• Step behind uke, and drop weight to lock in Ikkyu

So I was curious...wikipedia says the name full nelson comes from "The term "nelson" is derived from "full nelson", which dates back to the early 19th century. It is named after the British war-hero Admiral Nelson, who famously used strategies based on surrounding the opponent to win the Battle of the Nile and the Battle of Trafalgar."

4. Ikkyu from Cross hand wrist grab
• Hitch step and push uke's arm into their ear
• Grab the hand for Ikkyu as you guide opposite hand into uke's elbow rotating the elbow from ear towards ground
• Drop weight to lead uke's down
• Lock

As I started doing this technique I kept thinking about the throws like Sode-Tsurikomi-Goshi, that require the feeding of uke's elbow into their ear. It seems that this is what really puts uke off balance.

5. Freestyle with Knife
From Sensei Coleman
Work close to the body
Always lock them up, if you project and they keep the knife be ready for another attack

From Sensei Maria
Do not place knife directly in front of uke, put it off to the side so you can be ready for the next technique.

January 3, Sensei Stephen

1.) Iremi-Nage ( from face punch )
-Mirror punch ( parry ) with same hand ( uke strikes with right, you parry with right )
-Tenkan ( Tai-Sabaki ) behind uke cutting their striking hand down and into your center
-As you finish your tai-sabaki the moment uke whips around your center extend your arm through their neck and roll your arm, keeping your fingers pointing down

I like Iremi-Nage because it looked so good in "Above the Law." I remember when I was a kid my step fathher putting "Above the Law" in the VCR and I think Steven Seagal starts every fight with Iremi-Nage. It's just that cool. The thing that i remember when I studied Aikido is that it's not a "Clothes Line," it does not attack the throat as much as it rolls the head back. When working with Youval, he showed me that by attacking the throat he can drop and make a throw out of it, so it seems important to roll the arm, and keep everything in your center.

Being that this is on the syllabus for Green Belt ( Face punch ) it's important for me to remember that this can be turned into a number of techniques from the entry.
From the inital parry this can become :
- Strike to the ribs
- Strike to the ribs + Pull Down
- Strike to the Ribs + Hidaka Jime
- Strike to the Ribs + Ko Soto Gari or Garuma

- Garuma Nage
- Kotegaesh
- Ikkyu

2.) Block to Rib Strike ( from face punch )
- Block ( like Tai-Sabaki Kata )
- Strike to ribs

3.) Pull Down ( from face punch )
-Mirror punch ( parry ) with same hand
-Tai-Sabaki behind uke pulling down

Bonus! "Locking Up"
Working with Youval I have to be sure to lock him up real good, so I worked on tweaking some locking techniques.
- Soften Uke up with a strike to head or body ( this will move their hands into that area instinctively )
- If hand moves to face for uke, drop a knee into the floating rib, then into the head, finish the lock

As uke is on the ground...
- Stomp to the head with closest leg, plant foor on opposite side of face
- Sit down for Juji-Gatame

...Fast Fast Fast!

4. Escape from Gaurd
- Both hands post off the navel
- Grab a big chunk of the inner thigh by the knee
- Hop up on one knee, pivot and trap uke's knee
- Pivot 80% then drop weight locking the knee, OUCH!

In talking to Sensei with this technique, the object is to do this fast. You fall or are pulled into uke and bam! you post and rise!
Also, The post is a strike, both hands strike into the side of navel area to thrust you up. De profundis!