December 2009
16 posts
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"The Kihon Waza of Horse Training" by Cherie...
This post is a “reprint” of a Facebook Note written by Cherie Cornmesser. Cherie and I seem to operate on the same wavelength about a lot of things. We are both long-time horsepeople (although she is much more experienced than I am). We are both new to Aikido, starting in spring of 2009, and are both 6th kyu now. We are fans of horseman & aikidoka Mark Rashid. We both like playing...
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Rainy, and Real-life Ukemi
You might recall that the person who introduced me to Aikido is Mark Rashid, a teacher of horsemanship, author, and Nidan in Yoshinkan Aikido. I had participated in one of his horsemanship clinics in February of 2009, after my large, young horse, Rainy, got scared at the beginning of a ride in the mountains, gave a few good bucks, and I came off.
I’ve not ridden Rainy except maybe once or...
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Iriminage - A Duh Moment
In a recent post (December 18th - the one with the video of Christian Tissier Shinan doing iriminage something like 46 times) I mentioned that we had done iriminage in class that day, and it was the “first time I’d seen it live.”
If you read my blog here at grabmywrist.com (as opposed to on AikiWeb) you may have see this mention in the left-hand column: “Any inept or...
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When Goals Go Bad
A couple of months ago, roughly, I set a goal for myself of training as if I were going to be testing for 5th kyu on February 6th, the next day tests are held at our dojo. As I said in a post about it then, my goal was not to test that day, or even to be ready to test that day, just to train so that I could be as prepared as possible.
What I was hoping to avoid was what I did before my 6th kyu...
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An Aikido Dream
I usually don’t dream weird dreams. I usually dream about work, or about something I have to do the next day. Boring. But last night I had a really strange dream. I’ll tell you about it first, and then what I think it represented.
The dream started with me arriving, as if by transporter, or warp in the space-time continuum, in a room. It was obvious there was no way of going back...
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Stupid Ego
I like to imagine that I am a rational person. I would like to believe that I don’t care so much what other people think. It’s nice to pretend that I have enough sense to know that a beginner is not expected to do things perfectly all the time. Or ever.
So why was I wound tighter than a sharp E string last night in class, when I felt like I didn’t know how to do a technique...
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"Learning by Feel" - My first column on AikiWeb →
A few months ago I was very flattered to be invited to join a group of writers who collectively write “The Mirror” - one of several monthly columns on AikiWeb. This month was my turn, and the column was published today. :-) (Click the heading of this post to jump to it.)
A little about the group who write the column:
“The Mirror” is a collaborative column written by a...
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Taking Aikido with Us
I love going to the dojo. It’s a centered, focused, bullshit-free experience. The etiquette, aesthetic, and whole feel of of the place make being there a real pleasure. The people are friendly, supportive, committed, and working toward shared goals. There is structure, but there is constant discovery and newness, too. At the end of a trying day it’s wonderful to walk through that door,...
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Enjoying Weapons Classes
I’ve been doing more weapons classes, and really enjoying them. There’s something that feels more centered and focused about working with weapons. Well… most of the time, anyway.
We practiced tonight with the jo, and some things were starting to flow. But grace was not to be, ‘cause I fell like a tree when I caught my foot on Nage’s toe.
I’m fine, thank you....
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Love, Seduction, and Aikido
Have I got your attention? Good. ;-) It’s not a trick. This really is about love and seduction. And Aikido.
I walk at lunchtime. One day while I was walking, I was writing a haiku in my head. I went through a dozen or so versions, from various perspectives. It was shortly after an experience in class where Sensei demonstrated being connected with one’s partner. It was very...