UCL Lost Boys

I didn’t want some mundain title like “Happy New Year” or “2010″ or some other bollocks, but I also couldn’t think of anything cool.

Normally a responsible blogger (you stupid blogger!) would put some kind of yearly round up here. I’ve done so in the past, but that’s balls. You’ll get a sentence or too and have at it:

• I still work with the same useless prick who keeps me busy by being incapable.
• I went to Brazil and got a fighting spirit award
• I became a Dad. Which now gives me license to start using Old Spice and take up to 45 minutes when having a shit.

That’s your lot as far as points of interest go. Dull I know, but that’s your fault for expecting more than that garbage on New Year’s Eve.

I’ve had my last keiko now too, a couple of days ago, on the same day as the close down for week, with the Swede at the  only dojo in the world smaller than the bingo hall. It was like doing kendo in my pants ie too full to move. Yeah.

On the plus side, apart from actually really liking that club (the name translates into Street Child!) video sensei also paid us a visit, so while having a cheeky beer and eating some random assorted snacks, I had a very good chance to see my kihon and my keiko. Bear in mind that after Brazil and the Nakano indies and seeing said videos I was less than happy, I am now much more satisfied with the general shape of things. So it’s time for the kendo resolutions.

The posture and footwork in general is now much, MUCH, better, more up right, no protruding head, very little heavyness, and generally it looks more dynamic, as opposed to the kendo equivalent of sock full of pounds coins. So new focus time. One thing I noticed from the video that I’ve forgotten about is the sliding foot and kensaki advice I had from the shihan of the power station, so that is going to be one of the main points. The next is, after a practise with Yanai sensei for the first time in more than two years and some of his typically straight to the point advice, I need more attacking seme and a little less oji waza seme, ie stop seperating the two (back to my old thoughts about flexible kendo, and not kendo that is one thing more than another).

Two decent enough starting points for next year….so let’s see!

Edit: Forgot one! I want to stop moving my hands when I’m not attacking, or when I’m under pressure. It’s very simple, if you are attacking with decent “spirit” you won’t need to move your hands until the technique. Easy peasy (in theory…)

What a big pile of shit. Bloody Japanese. Where is the christmas spirit!

Anyway, I watched the pope have a close call on the BBC website with some crazy nut job woman.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8430406.stm

The best thing about the clip is Pope Palpatine falling over, its the reaction of the collected masses. As the bird get’s taken down by the CIA, the entire congreation turns and start madly snapping with their cameras!

“I can sell it to the Sun for millions! I’m going to be rich!” and “Who’s that fella in the white that fell over?”

A couple of pics of the wee man:

Though he’s not exactly wee anymore. The heavy fella would probably be a better name…10kgs and counting….

How else could you describe someone like this:

I’m open to suggestions.

Just for shits and giggles, here are the biggies I’m on*:

#That doesn’t mean I’m shagging multiple Adrians

1) Stand up straight. The Kyoto copper I mentioned in the last post told me about what he does to relax by using his kamae, so putting this in to action is the order of the day (just bringing his left hand closer and pushing his belly towards it, I can actually feel when I am tense, which in turn forces me to relax)

2) Sliding foot work. One of the nuggets I had a while ago that I am still working on. W sensei from the power station gave me a great piece of advice about sliding the front foot forwards and pressuring down towards the tsuba as a precursor to an attacking movement (oji waza or shikake waza). This also feeds in to:

3) No retreat, no surrender. Or, not moving backwards, and keeping my forward momentum “constant”. This stems from the fact that it is well known that if you are moving first you are more likely to win*

*obviously it’s not quite so easy, but that is the general principal. Stop being picky, twat.

There you go, Gibbo’s menu of pain and misery, for probably the next 3 months.

Why? Because I’ve been in the office no later than 7 fucking 30am everyday this week, and I’m about ready to keel over and die.

Apart from death by work, stuff has been going well recently. Tsoi came over, and we went to Osaka for a gasshuku and shiai. A mixed bag, I came 2nd in the indies (thank you very much!) then lost twice in a the second round of the teams (my match and a daihyosen…..oops!) to send our team out one step before a medal….balls.

I got some good advice from a Kyoto policeman while I was there though, which is roughly in line with a lot of everything else that I’ve had over the past 3 months. So I know that I’m a) still on the right thought line, and b) still not actually doing it. Fucking kendo.

That having been said, I CAN feel differences in my kendo now that I’m trying to conciously change things. My kaeshi dou has improved again, as has my distance and my maintaining the centre line. And I’ve become able to hit kote uchi again after something like  a one year hiatus.  Which was nice.

I’m also listening to a lot of Guns N’ Roses.

And I can’t wait until the end of the year. I need this break badly…..it’ll also give me a chance to save up some fat cash and buy some more shinai. All good.

I realise that it has been almost a month since I posted anything, but November has been a month of sheer hell and exhaustion, and whilst I really do have plenty that I want to write about (and you know you care) I just haven’t been up to it, so fuck you. You can have some more soon, I just need a proper rest!

Anyway, the wonderful Neil sent me this little morsel of a website which has kept me going this week, because, frankly, it’s far funnier than I am:

www.27bslash6.com

Read it.

And then thank me for putting you on to it (and Neil) because this is the best website on teh interwebz.