First Session in a while
by Andy on Feb.22, 2006, under Aikido, General
Due to work commitments, I haven’t been on the mat since Shihan’s Funeral.
Last night was my first night back, and despite the trepidation of getting back on the mat after a three week hiatus, I had a pretty good session.
We started off with an extended session of exercises, with particular focus on pusture and focus in Ikkyo Waza and Tai Sebaki. As the mat was all high grades, Sensei got us concentrating on movements from the centre. I found that I was starting technique with my hands held too high, which was leading me to use my upper body and shoulders more than I should.
By dropping my hands to level with my centre, I found I was also dropping my centre, and the exercise seemed to flow better as a result.
Also, I was turning my centre away when doing Yokomen-Uchi. Adjusting my centre so that it faces forward is a bit uncomfortable, and something I’ll have to work on. I find it hard, as I am also concious of making sure I follow through the strike (i.e. you are not striking the side the head, but rather you are striking through the side of the head) this is causing me to lose balance slightly, so I need to work on this.
The session was very useful, as usually these exercises are rushed without any focus - and as a result, our discipline goes to pot…
But aside from a bruise in the silliest place (the tip of my finger! - totally my fault, I entered with the wrong hand.) I emerged scar-free 
