Did the unthinkable (my Aikido journey)
- Thread starter TDWoj
- Start date
How is the martial arts training going? I got a nice set of samurai swords and daggers i'll post them soon.
Hi, Storm; welcome back! I'd like to see your collection, that would be cool!
Well, my training continues, but of course work comes first and the sudden influx of work couldn't have come at a worse time.
The date for the testing has been set for October 23. For any of the forum participants here who live in Toronto, it will be at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, starting at 4:15, following day 1 of the Ontario Aikido Federation Seminar.
If the test is filmed and I don't make a complete ass of myself on the mat, I will see if I can get a copy to post on YouTube.
All my hard work and practice was beginning to pay off, and then I got whammed with some setbacks:
1. Work. A lot of it, and not much sleep. Only making about two classes a week now.
2. A fellow student told me he thought my reasons for practicing weren't valid. Oh, goodie; tell me this when I'm already stressed to the max about the test and my lack of practice time. I seriously thought of quitting but then what of the support I have been receiving from those who believe in me? I would be dishonouring their faith in me if I gave up now. The amount of help I've been getting (help I was not ashamed to ask for - finally being sensible about that!) has been tremendous and I would be ungrateful if I backed out now.
3. The testing requirements have been changed. Previously, my weakest techniques had been on the 'optional' list; now they are at the top of the requirements. Also, there are weapons requirements - tanto, four attacks - and I've managed to miss every weapons class in the past three months (they've been outside in the park and I was nervous I was going to wreck my ankles on the uneven ground). The requirements still had a lot of what I had been practicing, but let's face it, I'm not built to shuffle around on my knees and the suwari waza/hanmi han dachi techniques are extremely painful (bad hip, unbendable toes), and they've been moved to the top of the list. Yikes!
But I continue to practice hard. I still don't have an uke lined up; my first choice and back up choice (brothers) are unavailable, so I'm looking around for another, preferably light weight (kochinage is a problem! Fortunately, the accident at the time of my last posting didn't have any lasting effects but I missed a week's practice because of it) and about the same height.
Fingers crossed I can manage the new lineup without blanking out from nervousness!
We are kyu testing in the dojo on September 16th, where I and the others testing in October will have another chance at a practice test.
I guess there's no way to squeeze an extra month in between August and September, is there....
Well, my training continues, but of course work comes first and the sudden influx of work couldn't have come at a worse time.
The date for the testing has been set for October 23. For any of the forum participants here who live in Toronto, it will be at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, starting at 4:15, following day 1 of the Ontario Aikido Federation Seminar.
If the test is filmed and I don't make a complete ass of myself on the mat, I will see if I can get a copy to post on YouTube.
All my hard work and practice was beginning to pay off, and then I got whammed with some setbacks:
1. Work. A lot of it, and not much sleep. Only making about two classes a week now.
2. A fellow student told me he thought my reasons for practicing weren't valid. Oh, goodie; tell me this when I'm already stressed to the max about the test and my lack of practice time. I seriously thought of quitting but then what of the support I have been receiving from those who believe in me? I would be dishonouring their faith in me if I gave up now. The amount of help I've been getting (help I was not ashamed to ask for - finally being sensible about that!) has been tremendous and I would be ungrateful if I backed out now.
3. The testing requirements have been changed. Previously, my weakest techniques had been on the 'optional' list; now they are at the top of the requirements. Also, there are weapons requirements - tanto, four attacks - and I've managed to miss every weapons class in the past three months (they've been outside in the park and I was nervous I was going to wreck my ankles on the uneven ground). The requirements still had a lot of what I had been practicing, but let's face it, I'm not built to shuffle around on my knees and the suwari waza/hanmi han dachi techniques are extremely painful (bad hip, unbendable toes), and they've been moved to the top of the list. Yikes!
But I continue to practice hard. I still don't have an uke lined up; my first choice and back up choice (brothers) are unavailable, so I'm looking around for another, preferably light weight (kochinage is a problem! Fortunately, the accident at the time of my last posting didn't have any lasting effects but I missed a week's practice because of it) and about the same height.
Fingers crossed I can manage the new lineup without blanking out from nervousness!
We are kyu testing in the dojo on September 16th, where I and the others testing in October will have another chance at a practice test.
I guess there's no way to squeeze an extra month in between August and September, is there....
One more week - yikes! My knee is killing me; a friend in the dojo gave me these Japanese anti-inflammatory-infused bandages. I'm trying not to overuse them, but they do help the pain, which only occurs when I'm doing suwari-waza or hanmi handachi.
I'm concentrating on breathing, posture, maintaining good hanmi, extension and most of all, hoping that I can recognize the technique names as the head of the CAF is Japanese and what the techniques sound like when uttered by gaijin sounds completely different when uttered by a true Japanese speaker!
Out of the five who were expected to take the 1st kyu test, I believe three have decided not to, one I'm not sure about, and then there's me... I could in fact be the only one from our dojo taking the 1st kyu test. Also from our dojo, there will be one taking shodan, and two taking nidan.
There is a possibility I might have to take ukemi for someone else. This is not good news; if the person doesn't know about my physical limitations, I could be in for a world of hurt. I know from watching last year's test, for example, there were a couple of guys who were throwing their ukes around like they were last week's newspapers. Mind you, I don't think it's likely I would be a guy's uke, anyhow; but there are some women aikidoka who are equally as rough. (One tiny little blonde that I've seen at Montreal seminars past comes to mind.)
I've already pulled a muscle under my left shoulder blade, and I've been having back spasms over the right hip for two weeks, not to mention a wicked bad bout of tendinitis in my right hand (so bad that if I try to grasp anything, pain shoots along my knuckles and straight up my arm to my elbow).
Barring anything else bad happening and if I can get away from being someone's uke, I should still be able to take the test, injuries and hurts notwithstanding.
Keep good thoughts for me, all of you who have been following my journey!
<T looks down at knee>
One more week. One more week, and I promise I will take a little time off to recover - somewhere where there are no stairs to climb.
<knee whimpers>
I'm concentrating on breathing, posture, maintaining good hanmi, extension and most of all, hoping that I can recognize the technique names as the head of the CAF is Japanese and what the techniques sound like when uttered by gaijin sounds completely different when uttered by a true Japanese speaker!
Out of the five who were expected to take the 1st kyu test, I believe three have decided not to, one I'm not sure about, and then there's me... I could in fact be the only one from our dojo taking the 1st kyu test. Also from our dojo, there will be one taking shodan, and two taking nidan.
There is a possibility I might have to take ukemi for someone else. This is not good news; if the person doesn't know about my physical limitations, I could be in for a world of hurt. I know from watching last year's test, for example, there were a couple of guys who were throwing their ukes around like they were last week's newspapers. Mind you, I don't think it's likely I would be a guy's uke, anyhow; but there are some women aikidoka who are equally as rough. (One tiny little blonde that I've seen at Montreal seminars past comes to mind.)
I've already pulled a muscle under my left shoulder blade, and I've been having back spasms over the right hip for two weeks, not to mention a wicked bad bout of tendinitis in my right hand (so bad that if I try to grasp anything, pain shoots along my knuckles and straight up my arm to my elbow).
Barring anything else bad happening and if I can get away from being someone's uke, I should still be able to take the test, injuries and hurts notwithstanding.
Keep good thoughts for me, all of you who have been following my journey!
<T looks down at knee>
One more week. One more week, and I promise I will take a little time off to recover - somewhere where there are no stairs to climb.
<knee whimpers>
This is it: tomorrow is the big day.
My 1st kyu test.
Knee is okay, not great, but it should hold up. Hand, however, is another story. Tendinitis so bad I can hardly hold a pen. The tendinitis flared up because over the past couple of weeks, I had some practice partners, all senior to me, who were as rigid and unyielding as steel rods. As a result, my right is almost useless, and my left hand is hardly any better. I've tried everything to get them feeling better; but all it takes is one small exertion - picking up something, or even opening a door - and the pain is back, worse than ever.
This is my only shot; I can't wait another year. I'm not even sure I'll be practicing much longer, test or no test.
I'm going to have to wrap my hands during the seminar - apparently, practicing at the seminar is part of the test - but take off the bandages for the test itself. I can only hope I get an uke that is relaxed and flexible.
However, there is something I'd like to say about tomorrow.
I never thought I'd make it this far. Me, taking a 1st kyu test? Some days, I never thought I'd make it to the next class, let alone this far up the grade levels. It's been a remarkable journey, one that I feel privileged to have made. My practice partners, my instructors, all the people who have supported me here, to all of you, I give my thanks.
A few people I'd like to mention, in particular:
Mama San. Oh, Casey, I wish you were here with us, in life. You were such a good friend, you always had a word of encouragement for me. I know you are with me in spirit; so I dedicate tomorrow's practice and test to you.
To my dear friend suziwong, who is the friend of my heart, even though you are half a world away! I dedicate tomorrow's practice and test to you!
To all my friends here on the site, to those who have followed my journey thus far, who have offered advice and encouragement and shared their own experiences, I dedicate tomorrow's practice and test to you.
To all those at my dojo who have given freely of their time to help me with my practice, I dedicate tomorrow's practice and test to you!
And last but certainly not least, to the one who got me interested in aikido, to Steven Seagal: thank you for introducing me to aikido through your practice of it in your films. I dedicate tomorrow's practice and test to you.
My 1st kyu test.
Knee is okay, not great, but it should hold up. Hand, however, is another story. Tendinitis so bad I can hardly hold a pen. The tendinitis flared up because over the past couple of weeks, I had some practice partners, all senior to me, who were as rigid and unyielding as steel rods. As a result, my right is almost useless, and my left hand is hardly any better. I've tried everything to get them feeling better; but all it takes is one small exertion - picking up something, or even opening a door - and the pain is back, worse than ever.
This is my only shot; I can't wait another year. I'm not even sure I'll be practicing much longer, test or no test.
I'm going to have to wrap my hands during the seminar - apparently, practicing at the seminar is part of the test - but take off the bandages for the test itself. I can only hope I get an uke that is relaxed and flexible.
However, there is something I'd like to say about tomorrow.
I never thought I'd make it this far. Me, taking a 1st kyu test? Some days, I never thought I'd make it to the next class, let alone this far up the grade levels. It's been a remarkable journey, one that I feel privileged to have made. My practice partners, my instructors, all the people who have supported me here, to all of you, I give my thanks.
A few people I'd like to mention, in particular:
Mama San. Oh, Casey, I wish you were here with us, in life. You were such a good friend, you always had a word of encouragement for me. I know you are with me in spirit; so I dedicate tomorrow's practice and test to you.
To my dear friend suziwong, who is the friend of my heart, even though you are half a world away! I dedicate tomorrow's practice and test to you!
To all my friends here on the site, to those who have followed my journey thus far, who have offered advice and encouragement and shared their own experiences, I dedicate tomorrow's practice and test to you.
To all those at my dojo who have given freely of their time to help me with my practice, I dedicate tomorrow's practice and test to you!
And last but certainly not least, to the one who got me interested in aikido, to Steven Seagal: thank you for introducing me to aikido through your practice of it in your films. I dedicate tomorrow's practice and test to you.
tenshinaikidoka
Martial Art Student
So how was the test??????? I hope it went well!!!!
tenshinaikidoka;205477 said:
Yup.
The whole experience was surreal, to say the least, and the ending was like something out of a movie - I kid you not.
I'll provide the details shortly. I have to try and figure out how to share them without being too unseemly about it (apparently someone from my dojo has come across my posts and I've been WARNED to be careful about what I say).
tenshinaikidoka
Martial Art Student
I am curious (ok I admit, I like to break rules sometimes and start things), what, in your posts, are so bad that warrant a warning from someone????? Inquiring minds..........!!!
I am glad that your test went well!!! ShoDan is just around the corner!!!!! Then true learning begins!!!
I am glad that your test went well!!! ShoDan is just around the corner!!!!! Then true learning begins!!!
I think it was some of the comments I made about my fellow students. I named no names, of course, and upon rereading some of the posts, I did conclude that it was likely people would think I was being critical and snotty when in fact I was trying to figure out how to deal with situations and personalities that I hadn't dealt with before (my spiritual issues, if you will). I did edit some entries, but stable door, horse, and all that.
Anyhow, here's what happened at the test.
Arriving at the seminar, we're informed by the examiner that candidates will be practicing together in a group where he could observe them and decide whether they were actually ready to take the test.
Of course, I went straight into panic mode - here I'd been practicing for nearly a year and the possibility that I would not make the final cut was nerve-wracking, to say the least.
Well, the seminar drew to a close for the day, and the candidates were told to line up in the front row, with their ukes (can't remember now if they were behind us or just scattered randomly). Off to one side there was a confab going on between the head examiner and the panel. I don't know how I knew it was about me, but I sensed that it was. My uke told me not to worry, it wasn't likely they were going to cut anyone.
Then one of the examiners broke away from the pack and padded down the line of candidates.
The examiner was my head instructor.
(My uke told me afterward he had a moment of panic himself at this point.)
She came to tell me that the head examiner had decided he would promote me without my having to take the test.
"What?" said I. "Why?" And then realized I was being impolite and said, quietly, "All right. Thank you." Of course, I was devastated - all that hard work, and I wasn't going to have the chance to show what I had learned?
Turns out that the "What? Why?" wasn't as quietly spoken as I'd thought.
My instructor went back to the head examiner, conferred for a few minutes more, and then came back and said I could take the test.
My squawk had been heard, and as a result, the decision was reversed.
There were 7 candidates for 1st kyu. They were called up in pairs. One thing I realized very quickly was that the techniques being called for were not necessarily the techniques on the list for that level - the examiner was calling out any technique at random.
Oi.
Fortunately, there were only a few techniques, but it was painful watching the first 2 because they were first, and I guess they were nervous. One guy kept doing iriminage when the technique called for was shihonage.
The first 2 finished, the next 2 went up.
That left 3, and all 3 of us were called up at the same time.
Then the examiner decided he wanted to see me on my own, so he sent the other 2 candidates back.
Then he started calling out techniques.
Moritetori iriminage, moritetori shihonage, ryotetori kotegaeshi and shomenuchi iriminage were all I had to do, and of them only the first two were actually on the 1st kyu list. I had a moment of panic because I couldn't remember the last time I had practiced ryotetori kotegaeshi, so I improvised. That one I had to repeat three times, the second time because I didn't do it dynamically and once more because I forgot to pin (I realized I hadn't pinned the second time so I did it once more with the pin). That was all; I was dismissed and the last two candidates came up and did their tests.
There was, I think, another confab where the examiner was persuaded to let me do the randori. There were only two attackers; I dealt with them handily.
At that point my test was over, so I could relax and watch the rest of the levels. I didn't know if I'd passed or not, but at least I had the satisfaction of knowing that I was able to rise to the challenge and that I did the test to the best of my ability.
Candidates for shodan, nidan and sandan tested.
More conferring. There were the usual comments and critiques and then....
The examiner was beckoning one of the candidates to come forward. It took me a few seconds to realize he was beckoning towards me.
I thought, oh my.
So I went forward, and he brought me to the examiners' table, and through the translator told me he thought I had done a remarkable test and he was giving me a commendation.
I was floored. Dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. You name it.
I came back to the line so weak at the knees I thought I was going to collapse.
Talk about your Hollywood, Karate Kid moment! Stuff like that only happens in the movies, I would have said, until it happened to me.
I had a number of people tell me afterwards how well I performed on my test. People were telling me the next day how good they thought my test was, and even a month afterward, at a class being taught by a guest instructor, visitors to the dojo who were at the testing told me how well I had done.
It was quite overwhelming and a very humbling, yet exhilarating experience. I know I put in a lot of hard work, a lot of worry with techniques I found physically challenging like suwari waza and han mi han dachi. Some techniques I had to completely relearn from the ground up because I had been doing them one way and the coach I had conscripted knew the examiner wanted them done a different way. I forgot to mention that my knees were sore from all the practice I had been putting in and during the test I was wearing a wrist brace because the tendinitis had flared up rather badly in my right wrist and the pain was excruciating.
So that is the story of what happened at my test.
And this Sunday I officially begin practicing for my shodan test.
Anyhow, here's what happened at the test.
Arriving at the seminar, we're informed by the examiner that candidates will be practicing together in a group where he could observe them and decide whether they were actually ready to take the test.
Of course, I went straight into panic mode - here I'd been practicing for nearly a year and the possibility that I would not make the final cut was nerve-wracking, to say the least.
Well, the seminar drew to a close for the day, and the candidates were told to line up in the front row, with their ukes (can't remember now if they were behind us or just scattered randomly). Off to one side there was a confab going on between the head examiner and the panel. I don't know how I knew it was about me, but I sensed that it was. My uke told me not to worry, it wasn't likely they were going to cut anyone.
Then one of the examiners broke away from the pack and padded down the line of candidates.
The examiner was my head instructor.
(My uke told me afterward he had a moment of panic himself at this point.)
She came to tell me that the head examiner had decided he would promote me without my having to take the test.
"What?" said I. "Why?" And then realized I was being impolite and said, quietly, "All right. Thank you." Of course, I was devastated - all that hard work, and I wasn't going to have the chance to show what I had learned?
Turns out that the "What? Why?" wasn't as quietly spoken as I'd thought.
My instructor went back to the head examiner, conferred for a few minutes more, and then came back and said I could take the test.
My squawk had been heard, and as a result, the decision was reversed.
There were 7 candidates for 1st kyu. They were called up in pairs. One thing I realized very quickly was that the techniques being called for were not necessarily the techniques on the list for that level - the examiner was calling out any technique at random.
Oi.
Fortunately, there were only a few techniques, but it was painful watching the first 2 because they were first, and I guess they were nervous. One guy kept doing iriminage when the technique called for was shihonage.
The first 2 finished, the next 2 went up.
That left 3, and all 3 of us were called up at the same time.
Then the examiner decided he wanted to see me on my own, so he sent the other 2 candidates back.
Then he started calling out techniques.
Moritetori iriminage, moritetori shihonage, ryotetori kotegaeshi and shomenuchi iriminage were all I had to do, and of them only the first two were actually on the 1st kyu list. I had a moment of panic because I couldn't remember the last time I had practiced ryotetori kotegaeshi, so I improvised. That one I had to repeat three times, the second time because I didn't do it dynamically and once more because I forgot to pin (I realized I hadn't pinned the second time so I did it once more with the pin). That was all; I was dismissed and the last two candidates came up and did their tests.
There was, I think, another confab where the examiner was persuaded to let me do the randori. There were only two attackers; I dealt with them handily.
At that point my test was over, so I could relax and watch the rest of the levels. I didn't know if I'd passed or not, but at least I had the satisfaction of knowing that I was able to rise to the challenge and that I did the test to the best of my ability.
Candidates for shodan, nidan and sandan tested.
More conferring. There were the usual comments and critiques and then....
The examiner was beckoning one of the candidates to come forward. It took me a few seconds to realize he was beckoning towards me.
I thought, oh my.
So I went forward, and he brought me to the examiners' table, and through the translator told me he thought I had done a remarkable test and he was giving me a commendation.
I was floored. Dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. You name it.
I came back to the line so weak at the knees I thought I was going to collapse.
Talk about your Hollywood, Karate Kid moment! Stuff like that only happens in the movies, I would have said, until it happened to me.
I had a number of people tell me afterwards how well I performed on my test. People were telling me the next day how good they thought my test was, and even a month afterward, at a class being taught by a guest instructor, visitors to the dojo who were at the testing told me how well I had done.
It was quite overwhelming and a very humbling, yet exhilarating experience. I know I put in a lot of hard work, a lot of worry with techniques I found physically challenging like suwari waza and han mi han dachi. Some techniques I had to completely relearn from the ground up because I had been doing them one way and the coach I had conscripted knew the examiner wanted them done a different way. I forgot to mention that my knees were sore from all the practice I had been putting in and during the test I was wearing a wrist brace because the tendinitis had flared up rather badly in my right wrist and the pain was excruciating.
So that is the story of what happened at my test.
And this Sunday I officially begin practicing for my shodan test.
It does! And now that I've had a couple of months 'off' (no targeted training, just attending classes), it's time to knuckle down and start practicing for my shodan test!
Still can't do those pesky forward rolls, though! 6 years, and I've come to the conclusion my body just ain't built for it.
Going back to my test, it was extremely short, but if anyone is interested in seeing it (unfortunately, it's only my test, none of the others testing that day are in the clip so you can't compare my test to the others), you will need to have a YouTube account. I've posted the test under "private" so that only 50 of my closest friends can see it!
PM me your YouTube account name and I will try and figure out how to link your account to the clip (tried it once but I think I did something wrong).
Still can't do those pesky forward rolls, though!
6 years, and I've come to the conclusion my body just ain't built for it. Going back to my test, it was extremely short, but if anyone is interested in seeing it (unfortunately, it's only my test, none of the others testing that day are in the clip so you can't compare my test to the others), you will need to have a YouTube account. I've posted the test under "private" so that only 50 of my closest friends can see it!
PM me your YouTube account name and I will try and figure out how to link your account to the clip (tried it once but I think I did something wrong).
Donald Lee Wilkey
A Steven Seagal fan
TDWoj;157515 said:
TDWoj
at your level of experience in aikido does it still exhilerate you to simply sit in seiza on the dojo mat and watch others practice aikido? Does it also bring you any motivational thoughts to your physical well-being concerning your injuries these days?
Positive visualizations and imagery helps me to continue limbering my wounded knee and it's surrounding ligaments so that one day I may return to an aikido dojo and take up practice again
Donald Lee Wilkey;206766 said:TDWoj
at your level of experience in aikido does it still exhilerate you to simply sit in seiza on the dojo mat and watch others practice aikido? Does it also bring you any motivational thoughts to your physical well-being concerning your injuries these days?
I usually practice through my injuries until I reach a point where I have to sit out; I can't sit zaiza longer than a minute because of my ankles, but it's an improvement over when I started.
Watching is important; I watched the advanced class for nearly two years before I joined it. I learned a lot: mostly it was watching how the students DIDN'T do what the instructor was teaching (this happens a lot at seminars, I find, as well). Watching others also lets me focus on taking the technique apart: the feet, the hands, the body position.
I watch a lot of YouTube aikido videos; those are helpful as well.
I hope you are exercising the body as well as the mind and spirit so that you can get back into practice.
Donald Lee Wilkey
A Steven Seagal fan
Well, around the house I use dynamic tension for my fallen arches and flat feet as I arise from lying down or seated positions and meditate on the blood circulating down to my legs and feet for exercise.
Brief update.
Got my hakama.
Like, wow! I never in a million years thought I would get this far. There's a lot of responsibility attached to wearing the hakama. I don't, of course, get to teach a class, but as a visibly senior student, I do have to tread a fine line between helping my partner but not actually teaching them.
My back problems have resurfaced, unfortunately, so taking ukemi is painful. (Back pain due to a job I'm doing where I have to stand in one place on concrete for three hours every day. I have now acquired an anti-fatigue mat which is helping a little, but any heavy lifting - and I do heavy lifting first thing in the morning, heavy being anything over 10 lbs - gives me a world of pain.) I can throw a 200+lb guy across a room but standing on my feet for three hours is excruciating. Go figure.
I haven't got a specific program set up to practice for my shodan; what I'm doing is helping people practice for their tests during free practice so in a sense I am practicing for the shodan test because I have to know every technique on the list (well, really, there aren't all that many techniques, it's just so many variations through the types of attacks!).
Anyway, just thought I'd update you on recent events. I still have my test posted (private) on YouTube so if you're interested in seeing it, please PM me with your YouTube account name and I'll link you in.
Oh, there is one more thing. The examiner at my 1st kyu test passed away recently (he'd been ill for quite some time, with cancer among other things, I believe). I'm sad I won't be doing my shodan test in front of him. I was warming up to his teaching (was resistant at first, but as I got to understand what he was after, suddenly it all started to make sense).
The new shihan to be technical director of the CAF is Osawa of Hombu Dojo in Japan. I looked him up on YouTube to see him in action. He's very good.
Got my hakama.
Like, wow! I never in a million years thought I would get this far. There's a lot of responsibility attached to wearing the hakama. I don't, of course, get to teach a class, but as a visibly senior student, I do have to tread a fine line between helping my partner but not actually teaching them.
My back problems have resurfaced, unfortunately, so taking ukemi is painful. (Back pain due to a job I'm doing where I have to stand in one place on concrete for three hours every day. I have now acquired an anti-fatigue mat which is helping a little, but any heavy lifting - and I do heavy lifting first thing in the morning, heavy being anything over 10 lbs - gives me a world of pain.) I can throw a 200+lb guy across a room but standing on my feet for three hours is excruciating. Go figure.
I haven't got a specific program set up to practice for my shodan; what I'm doing is helping people practice for their tests during free practice so in a sense I am practicing for the shodan test because I have to know every technique on the list (well, really, there aren't all that many techniques, it's just so many variations through the types of attacks!).
Anyway, just thought I'd update you on recent events. I still have my test posted (private) on YouTube so if you're interested in seeing it, please PM me with your YouTube account name and I'll link you in.
Oh, there is one more thing. The examiner at my 1st kyu test passed away recently (he'd been ill for quite some time, with cancer among other things, I believe). I'm sad I won't be doing my shodan test in front of him. I was warming up to his teaching (was resistant at first, but as I got to understand what he was after, suddenly it all started to make sense).
The new shihan to be technical director of the CAF is Osawa of Hombu Dojo in Japan. I looked him up on YouTube to see him in action. He's very good.
