The Martial Artists' Training Log

[bushido_man96]

3/5/2025

Aikido:  6:15 - 7:45 pm.  We did a brief warmup, then moved into aikitaisos, but Sensei had us focusing on some internal aspects to help make them stronger.  We worked on dropping our center and building structure while also extending to the sides.  We worked on absorbing pressure into us and using unbendable arms out to the sides to work on that extension.  It was a cool aspect to work on, and he plans on focusing more on internals along with select aikitaisos going forward.  Next, we worked on forward rolls.  I did them kneeling this time, but from a higher kneeling position, and really focused on making sure to get good extension in my arms so I wasn't crashing onto my shoulder.  I saw some improvement.

For technique work, we worked on shionage from a same-side wrist grab.  We worked on the entry first, several times.  Breaking down the entry first I find quite helpful, as I can focus on the nuances of arm placement, distance, and placing my steps.  Then we put it all together, finishing with the throw.  I was much better with my posture and breaking uke's posture today.

Sensei and I had a fun discussion today between aikitaiso work and rolling.  I asked what aikitaiso translated to, and he went into several different things.

Aiki-tai-so: "harmonious"  body movement.

Te-sabaki: wrist movement (or shifting).  He demonstrated some of this.  Some of it was like the re-grabs we would do in Combat Hapkido.

Tai-sabaki: body movement (or shifting).

He conversed on these for several minutes, which was fun to talk about.

[bushido_man96]

3/6/2025

BJJ:  7:00 - 8:30 pm.  Today's focus was on back control.  I think I got all the games we did down, although I might have left something out.  Today he did it differently; we started from a submission, and then worked backwards in the progression.  We started in the backpack position, where the "top" player is seated behind the "bottom" player with hooks in.

Warmup:  3 minutes at 15%.  Kendall's 15% is faster than my 15%....

Submission technique:  We worked on the rear naked choke.

Game 1:  Back or "top" player tries to set the choke, while the "bottom" player tries to control the hands to prevent it.  Top player started with arms in the seat belt position.  This kind of became a lot of cross-facing to try to get a good bite with the arm to set the choke.  Hands for both players are always active.

5 min.

Game 2:  Same, but top player from the seat belt position had to get control of the hand(s) (1-on-1 or 2-on-1) before trying to set the choke.  More focus on making connections and establishing good control before trying to set the choke.

5 min.

Game 3:  Same, but the bottom player now had to try to break the chest/back connection and escape or reverse.  Options he showed were a parachute escape by pulling up on both feet and moving the hips away, and also laying back on the top player to apply pressure, then sliding one and then the second shoulder to the mat to get the separation.  I had a much easier time with the latter process.  The top player started with double underhooks this time.  The top player had to control wrists or arms before advancing to the seat belt position.  The top player still trying to get the choke, but would need to try to reset the position if the bottom player started getting separation.  I had some luck with reconnecting as the top player most of the time.

5 min.

Game 4:  Same, but this time the top player started with the double underhooks and moved to a body lock or wrist/arm control (1-on-1 or 2-on-1) and tried to hold the position.  This time, the top player was not trying to set the choke.  One of the rounds I was drilling with a guy who was constantly pulling on my feet when he was bottom.  I was constantly trying to reestablish the connection with my hooks, and he was able to slide his knee and elbow together to make a frame really well.

5 min x2

Open mat:  I rolled several times, a few with Kendall and some with some of the other students.  I've seen a pattern in my rolling; I go from crappy positions to worse positions regularly...

[DarthPenguin]

Sounds like some good sessions. Reading some of the bjj stuff has led me to a question i was interested to hear your perspective on:

There is a lot of debate in bjj places at the moment about the merits of old fashioned technique based sessions compared to ecological sessions (game style like your sessions seem to be). My academy does a lot of the game type stuff too which i actually quite like but i got to wondering what it must be like for newer students who don't know many/any techniques yet, where they might end up totally floundering and trying random stuff.

I'm curious how you have found starting out bjj and learning that way? (or did you already have a solid prior base of some techniques that you can fall back on?)

[bushido_man96]

I have some base knowledge to fall back on, so I have an idea of how to do some submissions.  Not a lot, but enough to get by right now.  My son, however, does get frustrated because he can apply all kinds of good pressure and good positions, but he doesn't have a very extensive knowledge of how to do the submissions.  I've talked him through some, like the Americana and the armbar, and the coach has shown us the RNC, the anaconda, and the Darce.  I think a brief technique session prior to the games would probably provide a happy medium for those that don't have some base knowledge.

[DarthPenguin]

14 hours ago, bushido_man96 said:

I have some base knowledge to fall back on, so I have an idea of how to do some submissions.  Not a lot, but enough to get by right now.  My son, however, does get frustrated because he can apply all kinds of good pressure and good positions, but he doesn't have a very extensive knowledge of how to do the submissions.  I've talked him through some, like the Americana and the armbar, and the coach has shown us the RNC, the anaconda, and the Darce.  I think a brief technique session prior to the games would probably provide a happy medium for those that don't have some base knowledge.

yeah that makes sense. I like the games but i personally find they work best in one of two ways:

either :

1) teach a technique or two and then move to the games to try to apply them (though tbh this already always existed and was just known as positional sparring - we used to do this as eg start in closed guard: person on bottom has to sweep only or maybe submit too - top person can only pass or only defend etc which are basically the games)

2) start with the game, ask the students how they are getting on then teach some techniques to deal with the issues and rerun the games applying the new material

[bushido_man96]

14 hours ago, DarthPenguin said:

2) start with the game, ask the students how they are getting on then teach some techniques to deal with the issues and rerun the games applying the new material

The coach has done some of this as well.

[bushido_man96]

Been a rough week.  Haven't felt good at all, but finally made myself get to class.

3/11/2025

No class, but had some thoughts about a class designed around training the chamber positions of blocking techniques as the actual "block" or "reception" and using the rest of the technique as the strike and finish.  I've got a few ideas down, and need to put them to paper.

3/12/2025

Made myself get to class.  My head hasn't been feeling great all week, but I didn't want to give up an entire week of training.

TKD:  5:15 - 5:30 pm.  Solo workout, on my old ATA forms.  I focused on Songham 4 several times to get it re-memorized, then did Songham 1-3 as well.

5:30 - 6:00 pm.  Forms/One-Steps Class.  Had two students, and I taught the class.  We did Chon Ji several times at my count.  On the 4th run through, I had the students say the techniques they were doing out loud in hopes that it might help make it stick more.  We moved on to Dan Gun hyung, and went through it 3 times at my count.  On the big turning techniques (180 degree and 270 degree turns) I had them focus on bringing their feet close together in order to keep better balance and allow them better foot placement and hand/foot timing.  We moved to their current form, Bo Chung hyung, which they did twice, at my count and then their own.  It's done in basically the same floor and stepping pattern as Dan Gun, so I had them focus on the close-foot turning there as well.  It made a huge difference in their performance.  We did Chon Ji one more time, then moved to one-steps.  They got through all their low and high orange belt one-steps, and I cleaned up some technicalities along the way.

6:00 - 7:10 pm.  No one for this class, so it was back to solo work for me.  I went over Songham 5 several times to get it down, then I did Songham 1-5 altogether.  One thing that is unique to the ATA forms is that they were all devised to run together on a floor pattern referred to as the Songham Star.  Each form is designed to be able to continue right into the next one without having to reset to the joon bi position.  So the more forms remembered, the longer the overall form can be.  They aren't much for applications, other than the straightforward combinations you can see, but there are some challenging segments in the forms that I think should help with my technique moving forward.  That, and these are the forms from my MA childhood, so they are kind of nostalgic.  I know there are lots of mixed feelings about the ATA, but I had really good instructors that harped on hard work and proper technique, and my MA "childhood" was a good one.

I did a stretch in The Rack for a little bit, and reviewed the next ATA form, called In Wha 1.  I went through this one several times, and feel I've gotten it back.  I stretched in The Rack again, and reviewed In Wha 2, then went over that one several times.  If I can keep all these straight, then I only have 2 more ATA colored belt forms left.