I haven’t been writing that much about Aikido lately, but I’ve been going to class regularly. In fact, I just hit my 3 month mark. It is going pretty well. I feel like the techniques I’ll need to know for the 5th kyu are coming along pretty well.  At least well enough that in a few months I’ll be ready for 5th kyu. It is my understanding that it takes years to really, really master even the simple techniques, and I believe it. There are subtleties in Aikido techniques that you just can’t grasp quickly. And to actually use them in a flowing way, well, that is a long-term goal.

Last night was the first time I’ve been in a practice where we used weapons. We used the Jo last night — the wooden staff. Shiba Sensei began by teaching us how to do a proper attack with the weapon. Having never touched the Jo before, even this was not easy to get right, but I think I did OK. Then we moved into some techniques for disarming/throwing someone attacking with the Jo. Pretty cool stuff. I didn’t do too bad. A few times I actually felt like I hit the move really well — to where I could feel a little power in the throw without using a lot of muscle. The rest of the time, well, I got through the techniques, which I’m happy about. Like everything else, practice is required.

Before this session I wasn’t really that interested in the weapons techniques, but now I’m kind of excited about them. Looking forward to learning more.