aurik

Sakura Martial Arts sells big and tall gis up to size 12-- that's where I got my last 2 gis from. You'll probably need to have it tailored after the fact, though, because a size 12 pants are REALLY long.

Yeah, I made it a point to stay home yesterday because it was the Denver Nuggets' championship parade. No way in heck was I going to try to drive through that insanity.

Yeah, Paul Maurice said that no less than 4 guys were playing with broken bones. Aaron Ekblad, for example, had a broken foot, a torn oblique, and separated his shoulder, TWICE. And yet he still was playing at a very high level. Honestly, to a certain degree the team that can stay the healthiest through the playoffs will often win.

Training continues to go well. My back isn't 100%, but it's definitely getting there. I've bumped up my training to 3-4 sessions per week, including teaching sessions. I've also started to go back to Aikido, but I'm starting to rethink that due to other issues (knee issues involved with taking falls and getting back up from them). I may switch to Kobudo. It's a lot more strenuous, but I can deal with muscle exhaustion much better than I can deal with joint pains. Last night I went back to the advanced adult class for the first time -- it's been difficult recently mainly because of Zach's schedule. He generally has (Boy) Scouts on Tuesday nights, but now that we can just drop him off, I can make it to the advanced class. And I admit that I've missed it quite a bit. Last night I taught for the 5p-6p class. Since we've got students who aren't quite 100% focused due to the summertime, our CI had us do our hojo undo bunkai-style. He stressed to the kids (mainly 10-13 year olds, brown belts and up) that they needed to give good strong punches to their opponents so their opponent could benefit. Likewise, I found myself correcting a number of students during kotekitae, because they were just "going through the motions", and not actually practicing a good stance, solid punches, blocks or strikes. One of the things I'm coming to realize is that the basics are *everything*. If you have good, solid fundamentals, everything looks better. If you take your hojo undo seriously and focus on the little things, it transfers directly into your kata. Most of the sequences in our kata come straight from our hojo undo. For example, one of the things I've been focusing on in my hojo undo is enhancing the "snappiness" of my hajiki uke. It also so happens that the first movement in our Seiryu kata (required for second degree) is a double hajike-uke, and now I'm starting to hear my gi "pop" with that movement. It's a very satisfying sound. So last weekend, our CI went back to Michigan to train with his sensei, Master Thompson (head of our organization), and he came back with some new techniques. One of them is a few new applications of the double wa-uke blocks we do in several of our kata, most notably at the end of Sanchin. The setup involves the opponent throwing a left-right punch combination, and you end up grabbing both hands in sequence. From there, you can either push them backwards, take them down (backwards), or a few other things. It was a lot of fun. However, today my body is telling me that it's SO not used to doing 2.5 hours of training in a day. It's a good soreness, but it is a reminder that I have a long ways to go before my next grading. Fortunately I'm starting my preparations far enough out to get there.

I feel you on this one Aurik! Have had multiple instances of someone suddenly having a fright when they spar and realise weight classes exist for a reason! Yeah, last night I had to tell that to several people, as we were doing hojo undo bunkai in both classes I attended. I can generally put enough mass behind my strikes to just plow right through anyone's blocks unless they are spot on. So I'd tap then a few times. Then after the round, I'd tell them to get out of the way. Of course, there's one kid who is probably 16-17, about 6'4", no more than 170 lbs, and just plain FAST. He was keeping ME honest because there was more than one occasion that I'd be looking straight at his first 2 knuckles before I could block or get out of the way.

The Knights definitely deserved the win. They pretty much had the Panthers' number throughout the Finals, and it didn't help that Tkachuk was injured for game 5, but for previous games he didn't help his team by taking lots of penalties. (10 minute misconduct in game 3, anyone)? I'm definitely happy to see Pietrangelo and Barbashev (former Blues from their 2019 Stanley Cup run) lift the Cup again. And now... it looks like the odds-on favorites to win the Cup next year are the Colorado Avalanche. Which I find interesting since Nichuskin's status is unknown right now, and we aren't expecting Landeskog to play next year due to knee issues (cartilage replacement). I just know that it's very unlikely that my Blues will be in the serious hunt for the Cup next year, since they dumped so many players at the trade deadline. But they do have 3 first-round draft picks coming up this year, so maybe they can trade up to get into the top 5.

I first started training in the martial arts at 17. I trained off and on until I was about 25, and then I ended up moving and got involved with other things in my life. I got back involved when my son was about 4 years old and he started up in TKD. I quickly found that even though my brain thinks I should be able to do something, the body is no longer capable of it, both from being out of shape, and due to joint issues. So nowadays there are things that I just don't do. With the arthritis in my knees I limit how often I let myself get taken down to the mat. When a kneeling bow is called for, I generally substitute with a standing bow. Also in our style, sparring is optional for test candidates 50 and over. If you choose not to spar, you'll get the minimum passing score, but honestly I'm okay with that. The chances of getting injured in sparring are too high, and I don't heal as quickly as I once did.

One that I often use when practicing two-person drills, especially when I'm practicing with a much smaller opponent: "Best way to block a punch. No be there" Short version -- if someone much bigger and stronger than you is trying to hit you, getting out of the way is probably your best option.

I'm on Act IV now, level 41. And yeah, I do miss the D2:LOD item system with the runes, runewords, and horadric cube recipes. I find the storyline and graphics of D4 to be far superior to D2 (and D2:Resurrected), but the gameplay... there are elements of D2 I liked better.

I've been playing Diablo since the original. I remember building a brand new PC just for Diablo 2 when it was released. (Yes, I'm dating myself, seriously!). I have been playing D4 for a few days now with a Barbarian build. I'm in no hurry, just exploring and having fun.

I've got a Barbarian going -- I tend to go for the typical hack and slash melee classes. I'm playing on Veteran, and some of the Act I bosses are REALLY hard. One of them took like 8 tries for me to down.

Will you be going to any of the games? No! Lowest ticket is $441; too rich for my blood. It's free on TV. Like most events here in Las Vegas, ticket prices are through the roof. Triple A Baseball with the Las Vegas Aviators are the most reasonable ticket prices, at around $20. Great game 1. The Knights came from behind to win!! Knights found gold with discipline, offense, and with Hill making 33 saves, with one of those saves an incredible stick save. Knights are now 8-3 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs. The Knights have 9 come-from-behind wins. Game 2 tomorrow in Vegas. Knights have to remain as humble as apple pie because there's still a lot of games to be played. GO KNIGNHTS!! Actually $441 for a ticket to the Cup Finals isn't all that unreasonable. I'd expect if the Avs were in the finals, that's about what tickets would cost. I'm still cheering for the Panthers, but they have a LONG way to go. And Matthew Tkachuk needs to keep his temper in check, or he's going to be more of a hindrance than an asset.

Congrats, Zaine!

Happy birthday KF!! I'd say you're old enough to imbibe, but that was last year

Well, the Stars just plain didn't show up tonight... I guess they didn't get the memo that it was a "win or go home" game.

So it's been a little while since I checked in here. I was able to attend the seminar with Itokazu sensei. Sadly, this is likely going to be his last time traveling internationally -- he was in a car accident last year, and between that and his age. he was struggling. We did a lot of hojo undo and got quite a few pointers. We did some good work on Sanchin, and then worked previous versions of some of our kata. There had been talk of doing some one on one kata work after the seminar proper, but unfortunately Itokazu was feeling pretty drained afterwards, so that did not happen. This past weekend, Zach and I assisted with a dan-level testing board. One of the requirements for students who intend to test for dan grades is that they watch a test (or participate in a mock test), since the testing is much more formalized than kyu gradings. Zach and I clerked for the test -- which means that we collected, collated, and averaged the scores from all of the testing board members. It was an eye-opening experience when you see how the various instructors grade the students and how, at least for first-degrees, the scores are barely passing. For example, one of the segments was 12 points, with 8 required to pass. Most of the students received 8 or 8.5 from the various instructors. In the end, all of the candidates did pass. We had 3 students pass for shodan-sho, 2 passed for shodan, one new nidan, a sandan, and a godan. Needless to say, the sanchin section of the test for the godan candidate was VERY intense. The other cool news, since I'm a instructor trainee, I might be able to test for nidan this coming November, which is the same time Zach tests for shodan-sho. It will very much depend on how my back holds up though. I'll need to kick my training up a notch in order to start getting ready.

That's the beauty of this place. The price of the class includes all of the materials. They provide the W-2 steel, the clay, the wood, the rayskin, the bronze, the silk cords... everything. They do some add-ons for some of their classes, but again, they rpovide all of the materials and equipment. That is really cool. How long is the class? Does it take place over the course of a couple of weeks? What is the cost, if you don't mind me asking? It is a 5 day class (35 hours total) that runs Monday through Friday. Cost for the class is $850.

On a lark I had considered putting money on Tkachuk to get the GWG in overtime... and I've NEVER bet money on a sports event before (not counting the office football pool and the like). Now I'm kinda wishing I had, getting 10:1 odds on that would've been pretty cool. In any case, all 4 teams remaining are REALLY good teams. These next 2 rounds are going to be definitely worth watching!

That's the beauty of this place. The price of the class includes all of the materials. They provide the W-2 steel, the clay, the wood, the rayskin, the bronze, the silk cords... everything. They do some add-ons for some of their classes, but again, they rpovide all of the materials and equipment.

Speaking as an advanced student/beginning instructor, there is a definite balance between consistency (which leads to progress) and variation, which keeps students interested. Our advanced/adult classes usually follow a fixed format. We start with warmups, technique exercises (kihon/hojo undo), and Sanchin (30 minutes). The next session is usually kotekitae, 2 sessions of rank requirements, which can be 2 person drills, learning kata, or learning bunkai. The last 10-15 minutes of class is performing kata. Now I said *generally*. Our CI tends to run classes in 2-3 month cycles. Every so often, he'll have a "sparring week", where the classes will focus on sparring techniques, footwork, combinations, and then there will be informal sparring bouts between students. Another week he may do throws/takedowns that are implicit in our kata and 2-person drills. Another week he'll cover self-defense techniques (again, derived from our kata). Your students will want to progress -- if not just to earn their next rank, they want enough repetitions of their techniques where they can feel their speed/power/technique improving. However, they also need the occasional variety of new material. You'll find a balance that works best for you and your students.

Two of my current hobbies right now are blacksmithing and woodworking, and some time ago I picked up a really nice slab of purpleheart (6.5's2"x8", with the intention of making a number of weapons out of it, starting with a bo staff. Well, I haven't gotten around to that (yet), since I always seem to have something else on my plate. However, I did just recently sign up for a 1 week class where I will be making a katana, including forging and heat-treating the blace (using clay to create a traditional hamon line), casting a tsuka out of bronze, constructing a traditional handle, covered in rayskin with the silk cord wrappings, and making a saya for it. I'm super excited! I'l definitely post pictures of the process and the end results after the class. I've always been interested in blacksmithing, since I started playing D&D back in grade school. However, I never thought it was something you could actually do in this day and age. I then discovered the show "Forged in Fire" on the History Channel, and what do you know? There are actually people who do this stuff in the here and now! And I discovered that there are a number of people in my area who have been on the show (and some of them have won). So far I have a lot of incomplete projects, including a knife I made from the (old) timing chains from my truck. I've taken a few fundamentals classes, and a lot of various knifemaking classes, and now I'm at the point where I can do most of the basics with a bit of guidance here and there. It's something I find very therapeutic and great stress relief!

There is a curse associated with winning the President's Trophy -- more often than not, whichever team wins the President's Trophy ends up bowing out in the first or second round of the playoffs. In fact, since the President's Trophy was first awarded in 1986, only eight teams have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. However, 8 teams have lost in the first round, and another 11 teams have lost in the second round. This has become even more prevalent since 2000, in which 15 teams have bowed out in the first or second round, and only 4 teams have went on to win the Cup. The takeaway is that a team that is built to win in the regular season isn't necessarily built to win in the playoffs.

This week has been a mixed bag. The downside -- the steroid injection I got back at the beginning of March has worn off. The bad news is that the pain in the thigh is coming back. It's not nearly as bad as it once was and I'm able to train through it. Last night I went to class and after about 15 minutes things started feeling pretty good. Not great, but the pain diminishes as I am up and moving more. So that's what I'll be doing more of. Last night was a pretty good class though. I'm finding strength is starting to come back in the left leg -- it's still far from where it once was, and the stamina isn't there, but I can feel an improvement. The good news is that tonight I'll be attending a seminar hosted at our dojo for Seisho Itokazu (10th dan Uechi-Ryu, 10th dan Matayoshi Kobudo). This is the second time we've hosted him at a seminar (the last time was about 3 years ago). Zach and I will both be attending (our CI opened the seminar up to all adult students and brown belt and above youth students). Itokazu Sensei's father was one of Kanei Uechi's senior students, and he developed the kata Daini Seisan, which eventually became Kanshu (required for shishikjyu/green belt). He is one of the few instructors that still teaches Daini Seisan, as well as Kanshabu (which eventually became Kanshiwa, required for kukyu). So this will definitely be a rare opportunity to get an insight to the history of our style. I'll share more after the seminar. We have had a number of other Matayoshi Kobudo students visiting our dojo over the past few days -- one of whom was doing a private lesson upstairs yesterday before the 6-7pm adult class (although this is more of an "advanced youth/adult class"). As he walked past after class, I greeted him with a simple "hello". He mumbled a "hello" back. Apparently our CI's wife did NOT hear him say it because she turned to him and said "Mustafa! He just said hello to you. Where are your manners?" She is a stickler for politeness and manners -- if a student doesn't show good manners she will call them out for it. In all fairness I did tell her he DID say hello back, just really quietly.

So let me tell you the reasons that I ultimately decided to start taking classes at my current dojo. My son was already enrolled (he was in their 4-6 year old program at the time). The reasons I decided to start taking classes are: 1 - The instructor has very high standards for his students. He will never tell a student that their technique is "perfect". There is always something to improve upon. Don't get me wrong, when a student does something well, he will give them honest praise, but he will then look at a few elements of their form and ask them to make improvements. 2 - The instructors are also students. My CI and his wife regularly travel to Okinawa and to Michigan to train with their teachers. In fact, this weekend we are hosting a seminar for Seishi Itokazu (10th dan Uechi-Ryu, 10th dan Matayoshi Kobudo), who is visiting from Okinawa. He visited a year or two pre-covid, and I learned quite a bit. This time, we brought in another high-ranking Kobudo instructor to act as an interpreter, since Itokazu Sensei does not speak much English. 3 - Dedicated adult classes with a solid student base. When I started up in classes, there were adult students of all ranks attending. There were 4 adult classes each week (mon-thurs evenings), and there were other adult students ranging from teenagers through mid-50's. There were a couple of black belt students who helped with teaching, and there were other students at my grade. So I didn't feel like a fish out of water. Most of the adult students did have a child also attending, but not all of them. There were a number of adults in their early to mid-20's who didn't have any kids. 4 - While the curriculum for testing is the same, the material is presented differently to adults than to children. Youths tend to get material "spoon-fed" to them -- they are only shown material needed for their next grading. If an adult shows hiim/herself capable, they'll get shown material they may not need for several ranks, so they get comfortable with it and can internalize it. For example, we had an adult white belt (jukyu) last night who I was teaching our kicking drill (not required until shichikyu). It's a hard drill to get the hang of, and she was struggling with it. However, seeing it now will give her plenty of time to internalize it for when she needs to test on it. Also, the adult classes are longer, which allows our CI to present more material in a session, and go into more depth with it. Granted, if you don't have any adult students yet, getting all of those things going is going to be a heavy lift up front. The important takeaway, I think, is that you give adults a solid reason to join.

I'm wondering how far the Kraken will make it this year. Grubauer is definitely on his A-game, and they were able to completely stifle MacKinnon for large portions of round 1. Granted, the Avs were playing without several key players (Nichuskin for one), but the Kraken are playing really well. Mind you, given that the Avs and Blues are out of the picture, I'm cheering for the Stars here, but my playoff bracket is basically completely busted. I had picked the Bruins, Avs, and Rangers all to advance., with the Bruins and Avs in the Cup Finals. We all see how THAT worked out...