On health, mental and physical.

[pecunium]

The worst day on the mat, is still a damned good day.

I found out about a dojo in Ottawa. I knew there had to be at least one (no, that's not true, but in a city this size the odds were pretty good), but I didn't pack my gi and I had no intent to seek it out.

ironphoenix, a friend of commodorified turns out to be a member of Ottawa Akikai, so I headed out there last night to take a look; because having a face one knows, or at least a name to drop makes the jitters of being strange, and out of practice, fade away.

I had a hard time finding the place, so I got about 20 minutes on the mat. I was told of a dan level class (black belts; and hakama) class tonight at five, and invited to attend. Because it was a dan class, and I'm out of practice, I did.

I did that because the more experienced someone is the less likely they are to make a mistake which damages their uke. Technique, comes and goes. Even the best of us have off days. A shihan having an off-day may not be evident to anyone else; they are good enough even their mistakes work, but they still have days they aren't their best.

Ukemi is not less difficult than technique, but it's harder to lose. A night at the dojo may have five or six different techniques in an hour. Everyone of those will require ukemi. My first art was judo. Judo is all about ukemi. My ukemi is pretty good, I have, "become one with the mat" thousands of times.

Tonight was a good night. I had no technique. None. I was loose, my hands and my hara were disconnected. I was suffering from being nervous, and out of practice. It's been more than almost two years since I was on the mat. I was injured (a very junior aikidoka made a mistake, and a tendon in my shoulder was strained). I was rusty.

But I was treated as an honored guest. People sought me out and were tolerant of my stiffness.

Then we got to a randori excercise. 30 minutes of free flowing attacks, chosen by the nage. Backfalls, and highfalls, and pins, and rolls. It was great.

I was so relaxed after that. It was wonderful.

But, and this the thing which worries me. The foot I sprained in June, hurts again, just where the sprain was. The shoulder I injured, almost two years ago, twinges. I am taking my prescription, and notes; for my quarterly exam with the Rheumatologist.

This displeases me greatly. Not as much as the workout lifted my spirits, but I'd hate to go back to mat, on a regular basis, and have to train less than I want to, lest I cripple myself.

(p.s. the randori link is to a video from the Aikido West where the sensei of the CAA Division I belong to teaches)

Comments

[crazysoph.livejournal.com]

Mucho, mucho cool! Good for you! (And sympathies on the twinges... our ages differ by around a half decade, and even without the injury history, every practice brings its catalogue of places that are gently pinging for attention... I'm putting it down to the first phenomenon of age, though, not having your medical history.) So pleased you wrote this all down, too. I need to do that more often, again.

Crazy(and hoping you're not too stiff and discomfited the following morning - my own discovery is that being away from the mat even for a short time, a week or less, means having to re-acquire the hardening that training gives...)Soph

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

1: You really want to watch the randori.

2: The strangest thing was the mat iteslf. The surface was textured, but sort of slick. The bed was solid. I had a bit of trouble getting my footing. I could move on it just fine (it was very easy to glide on), but regaining my feet from a roll was odd. I made adjustments, so that I wasn't splayed out by the end of the hour, but I was afraid I was going to have a friction burn on the tops of my great toes.

[crazysoph.livejournal.com]

Heh. I've only ever had the slippy-slippy mat with very new ones, like in the new dojo we moved into after the fire at the old one. Those got less slippery after a month or so.

That video... that main student, with a blindfold?! Eep! Thanks for the extra encouragement to go look! I'll have to share that with my local friends at the dojo now!

Crazy(and also? Way too funny on the musical references!)Soph

[porysski.livejournal.com]

The first month or so of winter is always a bit slippery in our dojo. We use a canvas mat cover, and it's fun watching people start to slide as our the skin of our feet dries for the season.

The blindfolded randori training looks like a great idea. Unfortunately, if I'm teaching, it's by definition a class in which none of the students would really be ready for that. (I'm the lowest-ranked person in our dojo who teaches, and if there were enough people there for a class like that, I wouldn't be teaching it.) Maybe I can convince someone it's a good idea during "open mat" time.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Did you share it? Did they like it?

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

The bed is actually just shy of solid: the dojo space used to be a dance school, so the tatami are over a sprung floor. When we moved to this space, it took all of us a while to get used to the different feel of that.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Ah. I thought the floor might be a bit sprung. Akido of Montery has the same arrangement (or did, I don't know how they built the floor when they moved. That is probably part of it.

But the greater part is that, in the states, I've never been on that style of padding. The actual surface is a little more slick than the mats I'm used to.

I did get a better feel for it by the end of the hour. Lots of time when thinking wasn't really an option. :)

[zeeth_kyrah]

One thing you can do to rejoin with your hara is to simply be aware of the space around you and the flow within you, wherever and whenever you are. It is not merely your hands which should be connected, but all of you. This is a skill which can be trained separately if you desire.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

I know that. I was using a short hand for a general sense of disconnectedness, of more thinking that being. Ukemi is one of those things which is really good at making one just do.

[songblaze.livejournal.com]

True sprains can take a year or more to 'fully' heal. Tendons and ligaments take a long, long time to recover, and their recovery is unfortunately never back to the level they originally were. You should do some strengthening exercises daily on those old injuries - it can make a world of difference.

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

IAWTC... it also takes longer as one ages.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

I am aware of the slow nature of sprains. The foot bothers me less than the shoulder twinging.

It's a really nice dojo, btw. I had a great time, and the next trip I'll pay dues and really train.

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed it, and looking forward to practicing with you!

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Will have to be the next trip. :(

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know... it'll give us something more to look forward to, right?

[soon_lee]

Seconded. Just got back from a three day tramp. The knee survived it only because of strengthening exercises & strapping.