Very short practice

There was an extra practice today for those that are going to the tournament. I would have liked to stay for the whole thing, but school got in the way. I only stayed for the first hour, and in that hour, we did kata.

I feel that I got ipponme and nihonme down (at least for someone of unranked level). There are still a few things that I would like to work out though to make sure that everything is correct.

The main problem that all of us are having is with sanbonme. It's really easy to think about the movements outside of practice, but you have to remember while you are doing it (duh!). My main issue is remembering what foot to start off with in the uchidachi position. I know the footwork, but the other half of the battle is to tell your body to move in the way that it should.

For the uchidachi footwork, you are supposed to do a sliding step forward and then step back with the right foot first. Last Sunday, a friend of mine told me that the best way to remember is to think of being so shocked that you are getting attacked that you step back with the wrong foot. It really helps in getting me to start out with the kata. After the initial two steps, I am supposed to once again move back starting out with my left foot. This is easier to remember for me, but it's still a bit of trouble.

As for the bokken movements, I have a problem with holding the shinai too high. Because of this, I can't really parry all that well. As long as I remember to hold the shinai a little lower by the left hand, I should be able to get around the shinai easier.

I really hope that I can get this down soon. I am thinking about this every 5 minutes. I do plan on getting to practice early on Thursday so I can get some more kata practice in a wide enough space (apartments just don't do it for me). I will make sure I get this before the testing.

After working on kata, that is when I had to leave. Now I am sitting in front of a computer doing homework which is going over better than expected. At this rate, I will be able to study for my Differential Equations exam on Friday :).

Anyways, I better go now since I have to finish my Structures class Pre-lab about biaxial stress and strain (oohh, fun!...not!!!)