Sword course in Leeds, end of October 2011

[wadoka]

I will have more confirmed details shortly about a sword course in Leeds at the end of next month.

[wadoka]

It will be with Sueyoshi Akeshi.

[wadoka]

Jason Gallagher and Peter Edwards have organised a course in Leeds at the end of October. Sueyoshi Akeshi and Jorge Rosa from Portugal will be coming across to teach. They have been to the UK many times teaching in the North East at Peter's club and also in Norway.

This will be a general introduction and the course is open to all. You don't have to be a member to attend. Any grade is allow to come. You will need to bring a bokken (wooden sword) and possibly a jo (short staff) although there may be some limited spares on the day. If you can get a plastic saya (holder for the sword) that would be an advantage.

If you have an iaido sword, blunt edge, then that is allow.

No shinken, no live blades are allowed.

Limited places available.

Dates:
Sat/Sun 29/30 October, 2011.

Training times:
From 11am - 3pm each day.

Costs:
£50 for the two days, or £30 for one day.

Address
Fearnville Leisure Centre
Oakwood Lane
Leeds
LS8 3LF

Contacts: Jason mobile telephone 07971 345 277 or e-mail c/o sally_thums@yahoo.co.uk

Further details on hotels will also be available soon.

[wadoka]

After a 7 hour Friday drive from the South coast, I am finally here in Leeds.

Now off to sample some seafood, ready for training tomorrow.

[oneya]

I am green with envy - so I will go to the dojo today and have a beer as consloation.

oneya

[wadoka]

Your dojo has a bar? Now that is what I call WA.

[wadoka]

Actually, my sword skills are as rusty as the blade I thought I would check first before coming up.

I'm not going to be cutting anything anyway. Just dabbling with movement and control.

[wadoka]

I was rustier than a bag of rusty nails. Really.

Sensei was testing us with vertical cuts using the leather wrapped shinai and both shoulders were taking hits constantly.

You know the thing that seemed to go really well was what could be described as waiting with the sword in gedan position and against a vertical cut to simply apply nagashizuki type action and cut them at the neck. Whereas the rest of the day I was just stumbling, making false starts, jumping the gun, getting uptight about getting hit and so on, this practice I felt I could just wait, and wait, and wait and then the movement just came naturally. No thwack on the shoulder this time.

Sort of makes sense after all these years of training that particular movement. That particular principle.

[wadoka]

Numbers were a little low but we had two great days of physical and technical training.

One of the highlights I took away was a little piece of training whereby you get a short piece of cardboard tubing, that you can slide a "jo", 6 foot staff through. Pop that into your belt and then with holding the end of the jo, try and extract it out in a smooth action.

The hint that was given, was thinking of the opening move of pinan nidan with regards to hips and opening out of the chest and so on. We then did a similar practice but face onto a wall, literally. Keeping as close as possible to the wall.

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[wadoka]

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