SEMINARS

Thanks to a gift from mom, I have the wherewithal to get to some seminars this year.
This Saturday I hope to dash down to Sebastopol for a day w/ Mary Heiny Sensei. March brings George Ledyard Sensei to Northcoast Aikido. I am trying to arrange mom's travel plans around getting down to Aikido of Tamalpais in May for Saotome Sensei. And then in the fall Geoff Yudien at Two Rivers Budo hosts Ledyard Sensei in Sept. followed by Hiroshi Ikeda Sensei at my favorite dojo to visit, Aikido of Diablo Valley the first weekend of November. All in a few hours driving distance!

PACING

If the attack comes in faster than you want to pace your technique, how do you play with variables like distance, acceleration, time and speed? You need not respond faster, just earlier.
Started exploring it this evening empty handed and after a while moved to bokken where it is easier to control variables.

NEW AIKIWEB COLUMN UP

The latest column by The Mirror is up at Aikiweb. It's one of our now and then "round robins" where several of us contribute and I collate/edit.
When we started this column over seven years ago, I suggested the title The Mirror because, like a crystal mirror, it would be reflections of our practice. It's been interesting to compare our writings over the years with those of many of the male columnists on Aikiweb: some of them tend to philosophize or put things in abstract terms that frankly I just don't understand or relate to. Our columns tend to be much more down to earth and relate to "off the mat" concerns, training issues, or other practical stuff.

SHIFTING WEIGHT

Shift weight through the center
Not just foot to foot
Pulling rather than pushing

The slow back and forth ikkyo partner exercise becomes an excellent training device for exploring how to do this while connected to another person.

MOVIN' ON

Over the years this blog has evolved. At this point I'm finding it less "user friendly" than many other resources on the internet. So while it is not "going away," I will not be adding to it for now.
My longer essays on aikido continue to get published as part of The Mirror column on Aikiweb (it's a monthly column I coedit with other women, and I typically write two or three pieces per year).
Information about what's going on in my studio in terms of custom sewing, fine arts, etc. is on a public Facebook page and on a public Google+ page and I invite you to "like" or subscribe to one or both of those.
For more general stuff like links about health, anatomy, etc. I'll be exclusively using a tumblr blog I've had for a while that is much easier than this site for sharing links, photos, etc. I thank all who have read and commented over the years and hope to hear from you on another site in the future.

AH, WELL....

So I work on exercises for structure and balance and better body usage....and I go to the dojo...and I start to move with a partner....and yep the instructor comes over and points out where I'm stiff, where I'm holding tension, where my movements are imbalanced.
I KNOW it is/I am "a work in progress" and mostly that's fine but every now and I then I wish it was a little more progress for all the work.