Originally uploaded by markdeso One of the things I love about Sensei is that he is an excellent story teller. He has had the opportunity to meet a lot of people in the martial arts community. His first T’ai Chi teacher was Robert W. Smith, who was a direct student of Cheng Man Ch’ing, and…
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Road to 1st Kyu – Week 5 Day 1 – Harmony,Life Lessons and Mr Fogerson
Originally uploaded by markdeso Harmony is an interesting thing. Musically, there are notes that are hit that, because of the frequency of vibration, appeal to our ears. We hear a major third, a minor sixth, a perfect fifth, and those two notes, played at the same time sound right to us. So as we practice…
Road to 1st Kyu – Week 4 day 3 – Train Joyously
Originally uploaded by markdeso Train Joyously – Morihei Ueshiba Today’s class was a good class. We worked on nikkyo ura and sSankyo Omote and Ura and koshi nage. We’ve done these techniques many times but it’s always a good thing from time to time to pick these techniques apart from time to time. Sensei does…
Road to 1st Kyu – Week 4 Day 2 – The Tea Master and the Samurai
Originally uploaded by markdeso One of my favorite short stories is the one of the Tea Master and the Samurai: A master of the tea ceremony in old Japan once accidentally slighted a soldier. He quickly apologized, but the rather impetuous soldier demanded that the matter be settled in a sword duel. The tea master,…
Road to 1st Kyu – Week 4 Day 1 – Grab My Wrist why don’t ya?
Originally uploaded by markdeso My mom asked where my monday blog was. It’s um, Tuesday, so hence, we will not be having a Monday blog. let me submit my Tuesday blog post in it’s stead 😀 Today was a rousing class. There were only three of us and our teacher Charlie this evening. This evening…
Road to 1st Kyu – Week 3 day 3
IMG_0357-1 Originally uploaded by markdeso Today, the last Saturday of the month, we have weapons class at our Aikido school. last month and this month we worked on a set of katas representing “Sho Chiku Bai”, or pine tree, bamboo, and plum blossom. The katas come from a series of sword work John Stevens Sensei…
Road to 1st Kyu – Week 3 day 2
Originally uploaded by markdeso Sensei worked with us on the ikkyo through yonkyo series last nite as well as koshi nage. Koshi nage is a throw similar to many Judo throws. We don’t practice this much in our dojo and so we started literally from the ground up. We did a falling practice, first slapping…
Road to 1st Kyu – Week 3 day 1
Week 3 day 1, yo! Originally uploaded by markdeso Friday I met with a physical therapist about my shoulder. I injured it around the 3rd week of November. I took a fall from a throw and rather than rolling out of it I came down straight on it. For about 4 or 5 days back…
Road to 1st Kyu – Week 2 Day 4 – Onegai shimasu
Originally uploaded by markdeso “The true martial way halts violence with virtue and love.” – Master Onisaburo to a young Morihei Ueshiba. Today we worked on test format techniques, starting with shomen uchi ikkyo both from standing and kneeling positions. Ikkyo, “technique number one” is usually one of the first techniques we learn when we…
La La Land, Neutrality, and a state of Embodiment
A while ago I posted the following, inspired by my friend Linda Eskin:http://markdesouza.blogspot.com/2009/11/for-my-friend-linda-eskin.html The post had to do with the states of unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence and finally unconscious competence. Lately we’ve been working with some similar states of being at the Dojo. Sensei will work several classes on topics like this to…
Mark's Meanderings 