Saturday Night at the Dojo 6/10

Attendees: a whole bunch of folks

This was the date of the dojo's semi-annual party (summer version). All dojo students were invited, along with local aikido experts and significant others.

I spent the morning, and most of the afternoon, smoking brisket and chicken. They turned out great. I wish I'd picked up a better quality brisket. It was kind of tough, but it tasted great! So did the chicken. No leftovers. Bummer.

We folded the mat over itself so that we had a large amount of floor space for chairs and tables, yet had room for kids to run and play on a nice, doubly-cushioned mat. Carla and Mike, from the recent seminar were there and they conducted some mini-sessions after everyone was sufficiently lubricated with alcohol.

Unfortunately (not really), the thing most folks wanted to see was how to deal with someone of my size. So, I was uke. Luckily, I was not subjected to falls I hadn't done in the past. Taking falls with a slight buzz (1 beer and 2 alcoholic ciders) was unusual.

Mike presented an interesting technique that I will attempt to describe.

Start to execute a shomen-ate. After the entry, when the off-hand is holding uke off-balance and the strong hand is rotating over to uke's face, move the strong hand under the uke's arm. Place your thumb just inside the elbow, catching the top of the arm with the thumb.

Now, pull your thumb to your center, while allowing your off-hand to move more toward your center, bringing uke's hand with you. As this continues, uke's arm will fold at the elbow and your strong hand will be in a position to catch uke's wrist. Your off-hand will be guiding uke's hand and keeping it in position until your strong hand can secure a hold.

I think this is an alternate entry into shihonage, but I'm not certain if that's the correct name for the technique or not.

Mike did it to me and my first thought was "Sweet!" It was just so cool. The alcohol may have been doing some talking, I don't know.

The party lasted for about 4 hours and a good time was had by all.

tag : Aikido ::: Cooking