Iaido Weekend (Guelph, Etobicoke)
2017 05 22
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Prior to taking up Iaido, I'd always used square knots in the right over left first fashion. A holdover, no doubt, from years in Brownies and Girl Guides. Right over left and under, left over right and under. But since Iai, it's all knots from the left, and everything on the right is always underneath everything on the left. The left side of the keikogi always covers over the right; knots are tied with the left over the right, and so forth. I point this out only because it's now crossed over into things I do outside of Iai.
It was a long, tiring - but satisfying - weekend. Two days on the feet at two different Iaido events. I'm happy to sit for a little while.
Saturday at the University of Guelph was largely with Galligan Sensei - although an English 7th dan did come for a while - but I can't, for the life of me, remember his name. Either Buxton or Mansfield. One thing he did bring up - or at least I think he brought it up, I was a touch mentally distracted - was the purpose of Jodan. I'd always thought of it as a "getting out of the way" move, but it is - or can be - a striking move. He had us attack the wall. I think moreso for placeement than anything, but it reshuffled my thinking on that particular position. Galligan Sensei never fails to blow my mind with how much information she can pack into each moment she's speaking, and still be so clear and concise. This year I didn't take away any points on the various waza, but I finally have shifted my focus when it comes to the power one must put into the left hand. I always knew that, that the left hand is the power and the right hand is the guide, but it just never totally sunk in - for lack of a better way to put it. It's been a bit of a hard one for me, because I'm so right side dominant.
The trip through the bowels of construction at UG to get to the new - and very nice - changerooms, was an adventure. Going through the old - and not so nice - changerooms, wasn't entirely unlike a bad '70s/'80s youth-centric horror film where you know that whoever's in the gym locker room alone is going to get bumped. It's the scene where the entire movie-going audience is shouting, "Don't go in there!" - but you have to go in there. It was very ... orange.
I did get some guidence from Green Sensei regarding standing reiho; but the point I did forget to ask for clarity on, and also forgot to ask Cruise Sensei during the session on Sunday, was about bowing to Sensei if one must do it standing. If you are doing a grading, it's easy - there are only two bows in and two out - one to the sword, the other to the judges. The problem comes in the dojo where, in my school at least, there are four bows in and four out - standing to the shinza, kneeling to the shinza, kneeling to sensei, kneeling to sword. I'm going to guess that if you absolutely must bow to sensei standing, you do it the same way you'd do it during grading or to the shinza standing. My budo buddy during the day for some paired exercise, was a much higher rank than I am, and made me more conscious of seme, of pressure, of the "don't do it" demeanour one must show to one's opponent to put them off drawing their sword.
What I did get from Cruise Sensei yesterday is a pretty clear idea that most of the koryu waza will be easily adaptable to standing forms; and I finally feel comfortable with most of the first omori-ryu set, except seichuto - that one I still need to learn. It wasn't until we went through them on Sunday, that I realised I did know them better than I thought I did. I wanted to get some more refined pointers regarding standing forms, but there wasn't really enough time. We went from just after 9 until 4. It's a long day. He also refined the position of the sword regarding kneeling bows koryu style vs. seitei style, as well as some other refined points on koryu vs. seitei. But I'm going to need a refresher on those. I also need to ask if judges are going to be fussy about which version of a koryu waza one does during grading. I hope he does another koryu session at some point; or that someone does.
I slept like a rock last night.