Did the unthinkable (my Aikido journey)
- Thread starter TDWoj
- Start date
I'll tell you tomorrow! 
Right now my shoulders and my common sense are saying, "no no no!" while my stubbornness is refusing to let me give in to my common sense, leaving the shoulders in business for themselves.
I just found a big bag of epsom salts in my cupboard. This might help.
-TD, wondering who's going to win - the body or the mind
Right now my shoulders and my common sense are saying, "no no no!" while my stubbornness is refusing to let me give in to my common sense, leaving the shoulders in business for themselves. I just found a big bag of epsom salts in my cupboard. This might help.
-TD, wondering who's going to win - the body or the mind
GlimmerMan
Huge Member
If you are in that much pain then this may be the reason why you don't feel you are making the progress you should be. It's like the old saying goes: the spirit is willing but the body is weak. Injuries (and possibly the fear of further injuries) are holding you back from making progress, so you have two problems - not being able to perform the moves accurately due to injury and your mind telling you that you can't do it for fear of further injury. If you think you can't do it then you won't do it. You must be positive! However, if you are in serious pain with your joints, etc. then it would be foolhardy to continue training at the moment - you will merely do yourself more damage in the long term - I know. Use the epsom salts and see if they help, but if you are still in pain I would advise against training for the time being - let your injuries heal and then start training again in a fresh state of mind, making sure you do plenty of stretching beforehand.
GMan
GMan
Amos Stevens
New Member
Hang in there TD..no one progresses at the same rate! You just have to do the best you can & even if it takes you 10 years compared to what others can do in 4..you are an individual & you have to learn properly & to what your body can handle
I'm not injured at the moment - just sore as all get-out. The (healed) torn muscle in my back gives me a twinge every now and again, but a good work-out will usually make the twinge go away (or an ice-pack as soon as I get home will work as well).
What I'm getting frustrated with is the fact that after five months my muscles seem to be getting tighter, not looser, the more they're worked. I can't figure out why. I also know I sleep very badly - I'm very tense when I sleep, and I'm never fully rested when I get up in the morning. So the natural healing that takes place when one goes to sleep never takes place.
If I stop going, even for a short while, I know I'll never go back.
What I'm getting frustrated with is the fact that after five months my muscles seem to be getting tighter, not looser, the more they're worked. I can't figure out why. I also know I sleep very badly - I'm very tense when I sleep, and I'm never fully rested when I get up in the morning. So the natural healing that takes place when one goes to sleep never takes place.
If I stop going, even for a short while, I know I'll never go back.
Well, I haven't quit - yet.
In fact, I stayed for the second class tonight. Ow.
We didn't do ukemi practice tonight (thank goodness), but went straight into techniques. Iriminage... the bane of my existence, I swear. However, I decided tonight that I should stop "cheating" with my ukemi, so instead of doing ushiro my yoko kaitan I did ushiro my kaitan.
Yes, folks, I actually did a back roll. In fact, I did several. It helps when you get a good shove for momentum....
The ones over my right shoulder are still posing a bit of a problem (that stiff right hip! Drat the darn thing!). But a few I did over my left shoulder I ended up in perfect finishing position. See, Adrian, I have the opposite problem from yours - you can do rolls during ukemi practice but not during techniques, while I can do the rolls during techniques but not during ukemi practice!
Mind you, it was so hot in the dojo that I had to step off every fifteen minutes to get water - not being a lady (ahem), I do not perspire - I sweat like a pig. And with Type 2 diabetes, I have to be careful about dehydration and sudden drops in blood sugar levels (this time I remembered to eat before class, so my legs weren't shaking by the end of class).
I stayed for the second class and played with the big boys again. The instructor for the second class, I've discovered, likes practicing various responses to the same kind of attack. Tonight's attack was tsuki (punch to the midriff) with variations on ikkyo defense. (First was the straight ikkyo. Then it was a brief switch to nikkyo; then it was partway to ikkyo but with resistance from uke which forced nage into iriminage; then it was ikkyo but ducking under the arm, switching directions and hand position ending up going into shihonage; then it was koshinage. Confused? I was!)
Turns out the instructor likes having me at the second class because I'm an object lesson in how to adjust your defense when the uke has physical limitations or is smaller than nage. Well, at least I'm good for something....
Ow.
In fact, I stayed for the second class tonight. Ow.
We didn't do ukemi practice tonight (thank goodness), but went straight into techniques. Iriminage... the bane of my existence, I swear. However, I decided tonight that I should stop "cheating" with my ukemi, so instead of doing ushiro my yoko kaitan I did ushiro my kaitan.
Yes, folks, I actually did a back roll. In fact, I did several. It helps when you get a good shove for momentum....
The ones over my right shoulder are still posing a bit of a problem (that stiff right hip! Drat the darn thing!). But a few I did over my left shoulder I ended up in perfect finishing position. See, Adrian, I have the opposite problem from yours - you can do rolls during ukemi practice but not during techniques, while I can do the rolls during techniques but not during ukemi practice!
Mind you, it was so hot in the dojo that I had to step off every fifteen minutes to get water - not being a lady (ahem), I do not perspire - I sweat like a pig. And with Type 2 diabetes, I have to be careful about dehydration and sudden drops in blood sugar levels (this time I remembered to eat before class, so my legs weren't shaking by the end of class).
I stayed for the second class and played with the big boys again. The instructor for the second class, I've discovered, likes practicing various responses to the same kind of attack. Tonight's attack was tsuki (punch to the midriff) with variations on ikkyo defense. (First was the straight ikkyo. Then it was a brief switch to nikkyo; then it was partway to ikkyo but with resistance from uke which forced nage into iriminage; then it was ikkyo but ducking under the arm, switching directions and hand position ending up going into shihonage; then it was koshinage. Confused? I was!)
Turns out the instructor likes having me at the second class because I'm an object lesson in how to adjust your defense when the uke has physical limitations or is smaller than nage. Well, at least I'm good for something....
Ow.
ad_adrian said:
Have you tried what I suggested - remembering that the outside foot is the indicator of which shoulder you should be rolling over? Even if you do it in slow motion, slow enough so that you can stop and think, that'll help.
Tonight, I didn't have time to think about it - I just did it. Yikes!
Speaking of progress TD - How's that diabetes going since you started aikido? I know if some that because of the excercise of aikido almost didn't have to take any pills at all! The increased methabolism took care of it all. How about you? Have you noticed any changes?
/J
/J
The only improvement I've seen so far is my blood sugar level going down when I take my morning test (which, come to think of it, I haven't done in a while. Better do it tomorrow - too late today, I've already had my breakfast).
I still get sudden drops in blood sugar levels after exertion (if I'm not careful to eat before exercise) which give me the shakes, but not as often.
I won't know if there's been any improvement until I go for my physical, and that's not until September. I'm more concerned with getting off of Lipitor which I've been taking for high cholesterol levels. It's really taking a bite out of my disposable income.
By the way, after a bit of a plateau, I'm now losing weight again - a total of 22 pounds, since February. Whee!
I still get sudden drops in blood sugar levels after exertion (if I'm not careful to eat before exercise) which give me the shakes, but not as often.
I won't know if there's been any improvement until I go for my physical, and that's not until September. I'm more concerned with getting off of Lipitor which I've been taking for high cholesterol levels. It's really taking a bite out of my disposable income.
By the way, after a bit of a plateau, I'm now losing weight again - a total of 22 pounds, since February. Whee!
Amos Stevens
New Member
Applause Applause TD! See-even if your body is black & blue..it's a skinnier black & blue 
Amos Stevens said:Applause Applause TD! See-even if your body is black & blue..it's a skinnier black & blue
Still look like the Michelin Man's girlfriend in my gi, though
I'm looking forward to the day I can wash my gi in warm water instead of cold. Why? Because it will shrink, and by then, so will have I!
GlimmerMan
Huge Member
TD - I am 200lbs of pure bull (haha) so I don't think you have anything to worry about.
tora
Funmaker
TD,your aikido journey is like my music journey.I started taking serious lessons at age of 21 whereas all other folks who have prospered as musicians started at least 5-6 years earlier than that...and at times I do hit the ceiling,feeling like,this is it,I'm stuck...But my love for music is the only thing that keeps me going.It might take a little more time than we expect but we will get there soon.You gotta have faith.Chin up!
Good for you, Tora! The thing is to keep it up. I took up piano when I was 20 years old, but gave it up 13 years later when it became clear I would never get any better than the level I had reached. I wish I hadn't given it up, now - but my hands are too stiff to go back.
Today's class had us mostly working on our knees. I hate working on my knees. I have a terrible time sitting seiza because my ankles and toes don't flex the way they are supposed to, and any work done on my knees leaves me in agony.
In the few techniques we did standing up, I was having a really hard time with forward rolls. Position was right and everything, but I just can't get down low enough to the mat to actually roll onto my shoulder without falling on it. Hence, really, really sore shoulders. I was given some advice on how I might solve the problem, but it all boils down to flexibility. Of which I have none. How I'm going to get around that problem, I do not know.
Oh, and I also found out today there's a tape of Steven teaching children aikido that one of the senior students has seen. I tried to find out more, but I didn't want to look too pushy. I will make further enquiries (except the guy who's seen the tape is going out of town for a month). Apparently, he's very good with the kiddies. It's the grown-ups he has no patience with.... (see PBT if you think I'm making this up. For sure, I wouldn't want to be in a class he's teaching).
In the few techniques we did standing up, I was having a really hard time with forward rolls. Position was right and everything, but I just can't get down low enough to the mat to actually roll onto my shoulder without falling on it. Hence, really, really sore shoulders. I was given some advice on how I might solve the problem, but it all boils down to flexibility. Of which I have none. How I'm going to get around that problem, I do not know.
Oh, and I also found out today there's a tape of Steven teaching children aikido that one of the senior students has seen. I tried to find out more, but I didn't want to look too pushy. I will make further enquiries (except the guy who's seen the tape is going out of town for a month). Apparently, he's very good with the kiddies. It's the grown-ups he has no patience with.... (see PBT if you think I'm making this up. For sure, I wouldn't want to be in a class he's teaching).
I'm told if one gets sore shoulders, one is doing it wrong. It's true; you're not supposed to land on your shoulders, you're supposed to roll onto them. I just can't get flexed enough to do that, so down I go kerplunk, and land on my kidneys or my hip, instead of a smooth flow from the shoulder, across the back diagonally and then down to the hip.
One of the senior students gave me some stretching exercises in terms of getting my arms and hips in the right position. Easy for him to do, as it turned out - I couldn't even get my shoulder down to the mat until he forced it down. Then when I tried to bring my hip up, I went over, but still landed on my ribs instead of my hip.
You DO need a certain amount of flexibility for aikido, and I just haven't got it.
One of the senior students gave me some stretching exercises in terms of getting my arms and hips in the right position. Easy for him to do, as it turned out - I couldn't even get my shoulder down to the mat until he forced it down. Then when I tried to bring my hip up, I went over, but still landed on my ribs instead of my hip.
You DO need a certain amount of flexibility for aikido, and I just haven't got it.
scotch.on.the.rocks
Member
TDWoj said:
Relax baby, just relax...