It was a not so chilly evening. Ten students managed to make their way to class and it felt good to see that some of the ninth kyu guys become regulars by now. Most were dressed correctly and they seemed hungry to learn more.
Sensei Chris took the class and from the onset I knew it was going to be different. He had our Sempai stand in front with him and greeted the rest of the class. We did our warm ups and then partnered up with bags. Sensei Chris seemed to enjoy our pain as he made us strike the bag and do push ups, strike the back and do box jumps and kick the back and do sit ups.
We were thoroughly tired by the time he ordered us to lay out the mats in a straight line. Soon we were performing dive rolls and attacking, Dive rolls and picking up a knife and attacking and finally dive roll and take down an opponent.
We then set up some mats in a square and the anticipation built in my chest. We didn’t grapple, but he showed us how to perform take-downs and had us engage to the point of performing the take down. It got my heart pumping with excitement and we all enjoyed a bit of competitiveness even if it was just to a point.
We ended off the evening in slow motion as we performed the kata dante three times slower than normal so that the new guys could work with us. It was a great class and I really enjoyed the change in pace. Thank you Sensei Chris.
Embrace the shadows
No comments:
Post a Comment