Friday Night at the Dojo 8/3

Aikidokas: Sensei Tim, Sensei Randy, Sensei John, and Raj.

Ukemi: Decent.

Friday is Black Belt practice night. It's not a hard-and-fast restriction, but it is an opportunity for the Dan grades to work together without kyu grades wandering around. Kim was going to work on the sheetrock, so I went to see if I could get some mat time in.

Techniques:

Sumi-otoshi and Mae-otoshi working with Randy.

Mae-otoshi: After entry, the off-hand must be palm up under the elbow, it then slides through rotating 270 degrees as the off shoulder moves into uke's armpit. As the two bodies "collide", tori moves as if to take a front roll-out which gives uke a urgent impetus to take a roll-out as well. Tori stops short of actually taking a roll-out.

I did ok on this. Still need repetitions, but it went ok.

Sumi-otoshi: After entry it's body drop, center drop, and the hip turn. These are very quick transitions. According to Sensei Ray, as you enter you recite the words "body drop, center drop" to yourself performing those transitions in time with the words to get the correct timing.

The body drop is the entry move when the off-foot lands off-line. Center drop is an adjustment of the feet so they are closer together while the knees bend and the hands arrive in a low-center position at the same time. Uke reacts and tori executes a hip turn, keeping the hands in center causing uke to go over. Tori almost has to be predicting uke's reacting to the center drop, if uke completes his reaction, tori will be late. You have to know uke will react and be executing the hip turn while uke is reacting.

I managed one or two sumis before the evening was over.

Aftermath: none of note.