The Training (and Posting) Continues!

I must be feeling inspired at the moment. I am churning out the posts!

After many years, I began teaching aikido again this week. I am teaching a 10 year old boy along with my daughter at my private dojo. It's great to be thinking about aikido techniques again. With this young fellow I have to teach dojo etiquette as well because he has never practiced any martial art before. It brings me back to my early aikido days. The first session went very well. My daughter loves the fact that she can be involved in an activity with her dad and the young boy is diligent and keen. As I took them through the most basic of aikido exercises, I can see already that the body mechanics I have learned in TSYR are already having an impact on my movement and how I teach movement to the students. As I journey through aikido with these young people, I suspect I will be able to piece together how I will apply my aikido with my new TSYR 'engine'. It will be interesting. 

I looked back at some of my old posts and came across this one:

Walking away from aikido

In this post from 2012 I say:

"As my young family gets older and if time allows, I may drift back into aikido training along side TSYR training once more. Time will tell."

Well, here I am in 2016 and I HAVE drifted back into aikido along side my TSYR training! My girls are growing up fast, my youngest is 5 and turns 6 in October. Things are certainly easier with two school children and a private dojo to train in. I also have a VERY understanding wife that knows how important budo is to me. 

TSYR training this week was once again, awesome!  On Thursday we worked through both sets of kumitanto kata. These sets we know well so it was all about refinement. 

On Saturday we spent a lot of time on nairiki no gyo and kunren then we got into kansetsu waza. Lots of fun. I am feeling really happy with my progress in these kata. The last few weeks I have felt that my training has been consistent and solid. Threadgill Sensei is out in September so I'm looking forward to seeing what he thinks of our progress at this stage. Bring it on!