bushido_man96

It's really quite simply a matter of how the sensei teaching the curriculum wants to teach it. Some are good with weapons first and only. Some are not. It could be that a sensei wants to see what kind of discipline and dedication the student is willing to put into training before putting a weapon in their hands that can become a dangerous force multiplier. For others, it could simply be because that is the way it was when they learned it and that is the way they will do it. They just follow the same method they learned. I'm fortunate in that if I wanted to, I could just learn the weapons curriculum at the Aikido school I attend. But it's only offered one day a week, unless the sensei chooses to do a weapons day during the other classes. In the end, if your options are limited, you'll just have to make do. Or don't. Your choice.

8/20/2025 Aikido: 6:15 - 7:45 pm. Warm-ups and aikitaisos, brief internals work, and then right into technique work. We did lots of defenses against the lunge punch, or stepping straight punch: Kokyonage "buddy drop": After taisabaki outside the punch, getting deep (and not focusing on blocking the hand so much), monkey grip to the inside shoulder, tying the elbow to the hip and using the "rowing motion" from aikitaisos (funakogi undo) to break the posture, step across behind them and finish on the other shoulder (but really happens at the same time). I have to keep the rowing close to me, and not out and away from me. Variations including grabbing the collar at the back of the neck instead of hooking the shoulder to break balance and apply pressure into the hips through the small of the back. Kotegashi: From the same punch attack. After the taisabaki and "block," a tenkan motion sets up the kotegashi. Jujunage: The attack was a same side lapel grab followed by a face punch. Taisabaki outside the punching arm and pass deep at the shoulder. Then the other hand seizes that punching arm and the other uses the arm grabbing the lapel as a lever into the other arm, as an armbar. It's a "crossed arms" throw. Again, step deep and don't think of the hand so much. Last up was "free work," and I chose to work shomenuchi ikkyo omote and ura, both of which are a technique for my rank.

Ha, my deflection worked! Just kidding! I do like the concepts you've laid out. Instead of talking a specific technique, which can be limited, concepts can be applied to various situations and are therefore more successful. Or rather, they make techniques more successful. We discuss this at times when I bring up passing and pinning attacks. When doing this, I also like to incorporate foot movement to get off the line (taisabaki basically). I always like to gain a position of advantage as well. Great stuff @sensei8, and I look forward to the rest of the discussion.

8/15/2025 BJJ: 7:00 - 8:30 pm. We worked an armbar/triangle/omo plata transition from guard for a chunk of class. Good movement pattern work and review. Then we went over the camping position again, and a variation on it from half-guard. Three rounds of open mat. I got taken down three times by a female wrestler, which was fun/not fun. My takedown game is trash. I got to where I could see some transitions into the positions we've been working. Now when I get there, I at least have a plan in mind.

8/7/2025 TKD Testing: 6:00 - 8:00 pm. A pretty good testing overall. Seeing lots of improvements, and still things to work on. More to follow in my testing evaluation post. 8/8/2025 BJJ: 7:00 - 8:30 pm. More work from the knee-slice/outrigger/camping position, working low head/high head transitions. The positions apply pressure in different ways. The high head position puts your lower body into kind of a wrestler's sprawling position, with hips heavy into your partner's hips. Top player worked to beat the knee shield and get to the high head position. Then we eventually worked to scurrying to half-guard so we could work to a pressure pass. Or, if you could get heavy pressure on stacked knees you could pass to side control. Then we did free-rolling from that start position. I can see some things that are going on, I just have trouble stopping it. I think the key is slowing things down, or getting things to slow down.

Requiring that kind of thing is taking a lot of choice away from retired athletes and families. Offering the services are one thing, but requiring them is another.

8/5/2025 Aikido: 6:15 - 7:45 pm. Aikitaisos, with a focus on staying rooted. I was able to do some ukemi today without many side effects; forward rolls and breakfalls, and back rolls. Then technique work. 7th kyu Katatori ikkyo: Worked on blending the cut into the takedown. 5th kyu Shomenuchi ikkyo omote (my rank material): Entry is not a stop, but an intercept that blends to redirect the energy of the strike. I focused on this. Blue and black belt rank Front kick defenses: Outside the kick, kokyonage "kihon," with hand to cheek, pull to me and throw. Then kokyonage "buddy drop," step outside, then behind and pass, pull down and back on the shoulders (keep the pull close to me). Then stepping inside, kokyonage to the neck (like a football stiff arm, or more like a tiger mouth strike towards the throat, but just below on the chest) intercepting on the inside line. After these, it was technique work of our own choice. I did an irminage kick defense sense showed us, along with a kick defense takedown to a "calf slicer" for control/pin. Fun class.

My biggest regret is not keeping up my Spanish. Being bilingual would have been of great benefit.

This is a bad idea, folks. Doesn't anyone remember the Terminator movies....?

7/28/2025 TKD: 6:00 - 6:45 pm. This was more of a solo workout. Do-Gans 1-6, and I did three-steps 1-6 between each Do-Gan. Stretch. 7/31/2025 TKD: 5:45 - 6:30 pm. Traditional Class. I worked the arms in basics again. My hands were shaking a lot; it's always more noticeable on my right hand. Choi Yong went ok. I did some technique work with a high orange belt on the side with kicking, especially side kicks. White and high orange belt one-steps. Sparring: 6:30 - 7:00 pm. Working with lots of lower ranks. Some of them are getting more aggressive, which is good. Self-Defense: 7:00 - 7:30 pm. Punch flow drills, then we worked some trapping to random self-defense, locks and takedowns.

7/24/2025 TKD: 5:45 - 6:30 pm. Traditional Class. I taught this class. Added in more kicking to the upper body basics. Then got the students through their forms and one-steps. BJJ: 7:00 - 8:00 pm. We worked from a 50/50 position, working/defending heel hooks. Later on we worked from a backside 50/50, then to a 90/10 position. I tried to apply the defensive applications that were explained in the seminar from the week before, with some success.

Probably due to the sport aspect. I've always had instructors that worked in some of the self-defense aspects, and we always learned how to fall, if even rudimentarily. In Aikido, we spend a lot more time on ukemi, and it's a different level of attention to detail.

7/22/2025 TKD: 5:45 - 7:00 pm. Traditional Class. My knees were giving me fits today, and one of them gave out while stepping in stances in basics. Took a while to finally get it warmed up. Lots of pain especially in the front stances on the front knee. Had a decent stretch after basics, and then Choi Yong was decent again. I did white and green belt one-steps. Sparring: 6:30 - 7:00 pm. Five rounds. White belt x2. Low green belt that was pretty aggressive, and has some good things to build on. 2nd dan, tall teenager that did not want me to get close to him. He kept his distance well and I had to lure him in. 2nd dan, adult, also tall (the kid's dad, actually), we worked each other really good. He commented that I set him up and tricked him on some points, and he got me at times as well. My arms were dead after that match.

Just because you don't like someone, or how someone does things, doesn't mean you can't still learn something from them. There are egos on both side of this; yours and his. If his won't flex, then perhaps yours might have to, at least for a time if you think you can gain something from his teaching. Which to me, it sounds like you probably could. The important thing to remember is that what he teaches you doesn't demean what you already know. You are just adding to your knowledge base. Take what you learn in class, and then on your own time, work it from your own training philosophy. Take notes, maybe ask some questions here and there on the side so as not to cause an issue in class. If after a time you don't feel like the training is beneficial at all, you can always move on. I'll say this, from my time in grappling class, there is nothing theoretical about rolling. That's one thing BJJ and Wrestling benefit from. A lot of instructors could benefit from that kind of exposure. Best of luck to you, and let us know what you decide.

Terrible all around.