TSYR Australasia unites!

Marco Pinto sensei has arrived in New Zealand for a weekend seminar on the 1st November 2019. On Friday night we had jiyu keiko (free training) for a couple of hours. Hamilton deshi as well as two early visitors from Auckland were able to make it. Eight people were given advice from Pinto sensei on kata from empty hand through to battojutsu and kumitachi. It was an atmosphere of study and focus as bokken and habikito were being used next to people being joint locked or thrown.

Pinto sensei in action.

On Saturday we had representatives of the entire Australasian TSYR membership attending. Sixteen people in total including four deshi from Australia. This is the first time these people have been on the same mat together since Robbie Smith sensei passed away many years ago. We spent the morning session working on the te hodoki with variations and tips. The afternoon session was focused on the haru set of the kumitachi. Pinto sensei emphasised uchitachi responding correctly to the techniques to allow counter attacks if needs be and to keep safe during practice.

That night we went out for dinner and there was plenty of conversation and laughter. One Auckland member and an Australian bunked down at my house as the Hamilton group spread the visitors amongst their homes. This allowed for more discussion that evening and morning over breakfast. As all the Australians were members of the Armed Forces, my visitor had interesting work stories. 

Sunday morning was all about the kuzushi no kata. Unfortunately I couldn't attend the Sunday afternoon session but some batto and disarms were covered as far as I am aware. 

When I got home my muscles felt like they had been stretched and were aching. It was good to push myself and work with many great people. The aching was not muscle soreness but more a feeling of being overstretched and the next day my body felt fine. I honestly believe the aching of the day before was a reaction from my nervous system from taking ukemi from Pinto sensei and having to respond rapidly to his movements. 

Pinto sensei was amazing. He moves with such speed and power that at times when I was receiving technique from him I felt like my brain was rattling around in my skull. In one technique he lifted both my feet off the ground - twice!  He said to those watching that one can simply step out of the technique when receiving it. I argue that to step out of the technique, you actually have to have at least one foot on the ground!

TSYR seminar attendees.

The vibe on the mat was fantastic. Everyone was working hard and very demanding of themselves. It was an excellent experience.

Small Training Pilgrimage

Just a short post this time.

This weekend I was in Auckland visiting my brother-in-law and thought it would be great to train with Jules and his study group in the city. To make things easier for me, Jules had booked a dojo that is run by one of the other study group members who practises aikido. This dojo is more central and meant I had a 45 minute drive from where I was staying rather than much longer to get across the city to Jule's little dojo out West. This dojo also has a high ceiling that allowed us to work on batto and kumitachi. 

We spent the morning training and I must say I enjoyed myself immensely. The group is dedicated and sincere in their training and I was glad to offer my experience to the mix. They learned from me and I learned from them. One of the members only recently got his training sword when sensei Threadgill was over recently so he has lots to learn. Watching him work through the different kata reminded me of when I first started and made many of the same mistakes. 

I think it is important for those of us from the Hamilton TSYR dojo to train with the Auckland study group when we can. Training together helps TSYR in New Zealand grow and everyone benefits. 

I look forward to training with them again in the near future. 

The Bar is Raised.

I have recently finished two full days of training (approximately 6 hours a day) with Toby Threadgill. He was back with us, here in NZ and was in top form.

I managed to train both Saturday and Sunday, but there was a Friday night open seminar and  more training on the Monday for those who could take time off work.

So what was the training like?  Well, those attending were members of TSYR. The Hamilton dojo members were the most experienced with the Auckland study group joining us. Threadgill sensei was in good spirits and was showing some great stuff, his expectations of us were high. 

Saturday morning session was dedicated to Tachiai Kansetsu Waza - Katate. Sensei gave some great tips on how to refine our technique. I found this training to be a mixed bag of experiences. If I ended up practicing with one of the less experienced members of the group then I felt I ended up teaching more than refining my own technique. If I was partnered with someone of experience then I could really explore some of the ideas sensei was suggesting. Either training helps improve the quality of the students in general, so I didn't mind. 

The afternoon session started with batto (sword-drawing). This training is tough because Threadgill sensei wants precision in these techniques. It is a matter of repeating movements over and over again and adjusting small sections of the draws. Sometimes by millimetres. It was only the second time I had even been tutored by sensei directly about my batto and it was great. 

After critiquing our batto, sensei asked us to move into the first set of the Shoden kumitachi. He asked myself and one other person to demonstrate each kata before critiquing us and then letting the rest of the class practice. I can tell you that it is a very humbling experience to be asked to demonstrate a technique knowing full well that everyone is watching and sensei is most likely going to find fault in what you are doing. 

Sunday morning saw us back with the Tachiai Kansetsu Waza. This time the Gyakute set. I really enjoyed the tips and advice sensei gave for these techniques. I came away feeling like I had made improvement on many of the techniques. I am finally getting to a point in my training that I can make the corrections sensei asks for sooner than I used to. My body control is much better and my structure is improving. 

After lunch it was onto a further two Batto techniques. Again, sensei has a very high standard when it comes to sword work and we were pushed hard. 

Following the sequence from the day before we moved into kumitachi and sensei put me and the other guy back in the spot light. The second set has some very difficult techniques and we were beat on about those ones. 

Despite the high level of training, I remember some positive moments. While practising our sword cuts, sensei spotted me after one particular cut and said "Dean, that was OK." Believe me that is good praise from sensei. At the end of that afternoon sensei also said to us that "you are starting to look like swordsmen."  Again, high praise, coming from sensei. 

When Threadgill sensei visits it is an opportunity for him to see us improving as a group. It is important that he can see improvement and that we are not wasting his time by inviting him out to NZ. I believe he is happy with our progress and we now have 6 months to put his recent advice into place and improve some more. I felt that he really started to push us this time and he even played around with some freaky jujutsu from time to time, it involved advanced sensitivity and body mechanics. That stuff is mind-boggling but inspiring at the same time. One thing he said more than once is that we needed to start adding flow to our taijutsu techniques. We had the 'big dots' so now we had to start putting them together in a smooth sequence. 

All in all he pushed us right to the edge of our abilities and that can only promote growth. 

Levels of Training

Today's training was challenging in many ways.
First, the weather made for very humid conditions and it felt like we were training in a Sauna. Within minutes of warming up we were sweating heavily. Secondly, Sensei split the group into two groups with the theme of developing a strong focus between partners during the kumitachi. The group I was part of was asked to work through the two shoden kumitachi but with emphasis on complete focus from beginning to end. We were also asked to challenge each other with faster attacks. The result was a very intense class that fatigued us quickly due to the concentration required. It is to be expected. Sensei is trying to lift our game.
Time and time again, I hear or read about going back to the kata. This is an example of this. We all have much to learn from the very first kata. We now know the kata but aspects have yet to be internalised. It really felt like we were doing something completely different. It was invigorating and challenging at the same time.
After this, we worked on the first of the chuden kumitachi. This was done at a slower pace as not all of us had done these techniques before.
Once again I find myself reflecting on just how much more there is to learn in this art. I am excited by what may lie ahead.