bushido_man96

1/12/2026 Aikido: 6:15 - 7:15 pm. Weapons Class. Jo warmups, 4-hi, 4-low, then 4-hi x2 followed directly by 4-low x2, then starting it over again. Kumi jo again, reviewed #6 and then did #5. Kumi tachi, #4 review (at least I think it was #4). Virtual Class: 7:30 - 8:30 pm. After a nice stretch, this class started up. The sensei holds this virtual class for former students of his that have moved away. I was the only in-person attendee, other than sensei, so I got some one-on-one work. After loosening up and doing some aikitaisos, we reviewed some 5th kyu technique: Katatatori sankyo, omote and ura, with pin. Once again, hikite is showing up. Then worked the nage waza from the same. Shomenuchi ikkyo. Focused on getting the blend right and getting my arms to do the right stuff.

Mike Tomlin stepping down was interesting to me. I didn't see that one coming. I think this is the most coaching vacancies I can remember seeing in a year for a long time. I was kind of surprised by the John Harbaugh firing, to be honest. That's two of the longest tenured coaches in the NFL no longer coaching. Crazy. I wonder if Tomlin is interested in coaching again. He put a lot of time in, and has accomplished quite a bit. I've not seen the level of interest in him yet. Harbaugh received 7 phone calls within 45 minutes of being fired...and at the time, there were 7 other coaching vacancies. I think he'll get to pick the job he wants, and every other team is likely going be waiting for that shoe to drop. On a side note, both of KC's coordinators have been given permission to speak with other teams about head coaching jobs. I don't think Spags leaves; he tried the HC gig and didn't do well. Nags tried it, too, with limited success, but being an offensive coordinator, may get another shot. Honestly, as Chiefs fan, I'd like to see Eric Bienemy back as the Chief's OC.

That's pretty cool.

Congratulations, @Furinkazan!

My Aikido instructor mentioned use of Te Sabaki as well. Lot's of good stuff.

1/6/2026 Taekwondo: 5:45 - 6:30 pm. Traditional Class. Focused on kime in one-steps, getting tight upon completion of techniques. Had a stretch after basics. White and blue belt one-steps. Good review. Sparring: 6:30 - 7:00 pm. I assisted with this class. Our school is going to start attending some different tournaments that allow hand strikes to the head, so in sparring today hand strikes to the head were allowed. I helped some students out with some combinations using the head as the target with the hands.

1/5/2026 Afternoon shifts have ended, so now I can get back to classes! Aikido: 6:15 - 7:15 pm. Weapons Class. Jo warmups, 4-hi, 4-low, 8-hi. Then we did kumi jo and kumi tachi, which are pre-formated paired work with the jo and bokken, respectively. Class was given a choice in each exchange in numerical order, or "dramatic" order, i.e, the ones that tend to look more flashy. To my chagrin, the majority chose flashy, so I'm a little lost on the numbers we were doing. I think for jo #6. Maybe #4 on bokken. Either way, they are fun exchanges, and I always prefer my weapons work to be partner-based anyway.

12/30/2025 Pre-class, I did some speed bag work and some crescent kick stretching over a kid Wavemaster. Taekwondo: 5:45 - 6:30 pm. Traditional Class. I ended up teaching this class (first class back after rotating shifts). I did do some basics along with the class and got a little bit of work in. It was a nice dive back into things. Went through white, low orange, and low green belt forms. With one of the low orange belts I emphasized for them to try to "see everything, but don't look at anything." Concentrate on awareness and focus during forms work. One-steps were done for the same. The other two school owners were present so they jumped into class and were partners with the students, so I focused on the low orange belts working on their one-steps. Sparring: Several rounds of free-sparring and combinations (for the white belt). Then went into blocking drills: 1. Lined everyone up into one line down the room, facing the mirrors. Sparring stance and moving, I came by with a blocker and swung to force them to block on the side the attack came from. Again during sparring I saw too much "fencing" trying to parry everything with the lead hand. This forced them to block with the rear hand on that side. I had them add a counter after the block. 2. I put everyone facing a partner in a sitting stance and had them do blocking contact drills that are basically conditioning drills on the forearms. The main thing I was looking for was good arcs of travel for the blocks contacting each other. I did this with inside blocks and then with low blocks. Then I briefly showed them a "six-star hit" where you contact low with the top of the forearms, then the same arm circles up and contacts with the inner forearms, then the same arm circles back to a low block contacting with the outer forearm. The students kept their forearm pads on so it wasn't a taxing conditioning drill, but more of a timing and rhythm drill, and getting the arms traveling in the proper arcs.

I imagine there are rules against that. Buying an interest in a team so one can play for it is an interesting way of circumventing the free-agent system, and probably the salary cap, which would be frowned upon I think.

12/26/2025 Speed Bag: 1:00/30 sec. 4 rounds. Spot Kendall. 4 rounds. The bag that was hung was a smaller bag than the one we usually had, and it moved much faster and I was able to get a much better rhythm going.

Kane and Wilder wrote The Little Black Book of Violence, and although it doesn't necessarily have legal advise in it, it does a good job of laying out the consequences of getting into altercations, what to expect from law enforcement, etc. However, I would tend to agree with @Montana's advise to seek out the government websites. Reading statutes is helpful in understanding what law enforcement is looking for when they investigate various violent person crimes. Speaking with local law enforcement officers is a good idea, too, especially DT instructors or use-of-force specialists.

Although I'm not looking to set concrete goals like above, my hope is to put more time into Aikido and BJJ. This will get easier when wrestling season is done. I do hope to test again in Aikido this year.

12/19/2025 Heavy Bag Workout: 1:00/30 sec. 4 rounds, orthodox/southpaw alternating. Went to spot Kendall in the gym. 4 rounds, orthodox/southpaw alternating. Went to spot Kendall in the gym. 4 rounds, orthodox/southpaw alternating.

I've got the same book, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet.

Crosby would be a very sought-after pass rusher. It'd be a shame for the Raiders to lose him, but if left the division, I'd be ok with that (unless he came to KC, that is...).

Happy New Year to everyone here at KF! I hope this new year brings forth challenges and opportunities!

Yes, but my understanding was that he wasn't put to sleep.

This would be tai sabaki, correct? When I teach DT, I focus on this a lot. I don't want to be in a "fair fight," where two people are squared off and it becomes a match of skill on skill. I want my deputies and detention officers to get to the flank or behind and then overwhelm then and get them to the ground and get them secured.

Did Paul get knocked out? I'd heard that he wasn't, but the fight was over because of the broken jaw.

You have to try to see it from both sides; yours and theirs. An instructor spends a few months or years teaching a student, and all of a sudden the student appears (to them) to be acting like they've got it all figured out and can teach it better than them. Or this student is pointing out what they believe to be the flaws in what they've been teaching. This can rub people the wrong way, especially those who have a lot more time and experience with a subject than you might have. To the first quote above, what I would suggest is to bide your time and put in the work to attain your instructor certification or rank. By doing that, you will have shown others in the field that you've put in the time to get there, and when you start suggesting different ideas and approaches, you'll have that clout to go along with it. Not everyone will agree with you, but having that pedigree will help you get more established and give you more pull within the wider community. In the end, this will help you get down the road to where you want to be. Remember, Martial Arts is a journey, and it's never truly finished. So what's the hurry?

This might have been the game of the year. What a game.

Yes, they would. I think the hope would be that the discipline and ethos of the training would hopefully turn them away from being a bully. Unsure how much stock I could put in that.

I find it interesting in Aikido that we have the uke, who receives the technique, but we don't actually refer to any technique as an uke. But, especially in Aikido techniques, where the focus in on blending with the opponent, uke is a very apt term.

One of the hallmarks of being a Martial Artist is training through adversity. This is an adversity for you. It's up to you how you approach it. One other question: in the dojo you train at, do you have the rank or certification that allows you to teach, and if so, do you take that opportunity?

Merry Christmas KF!