Just got back from my first Isshin-Ryu seminar, at "Mother" Mel Sims' seminar taught by Sensei John Kerker in Sidney, Illinois, near Champaign.
I have to say, I'm sore all over, and very tired. I'll sleep well tonight. I was taught a lot more than I was able to learn; but I did get a lot of Tokumini No Kun bo kata, and I feel pretty good about that. We also did a lot of application of empty-hand kata, really eye-opening stuff. Some we do in our dojo all the time, so that was great, but also learned a lot of new stuff that I hadn't seen before.
The 2nd half of the 2nd day, we worked on balance points; this was something I had not seen before. We got out the mats and practiced on each other; the applications seem endless, and when it was my turn to be uke, my partner practicing the techniques thought I was 'giving it to him' by falling to the ground when he applied the technique; I was not. It was simply impossible to maintain my balance when the technique were applied. I found most of the techniques very straightforward to apply as well, but I will need a lot more practice. I was very impressed by the fact that these techniques could be applied as a force multiplier for a person of smaller stature or less strength than their attacker. Cool stuff, very cool.
I am planning to attend the next seminar if I am able.
What are your experiences with seminars? Positive or negative?
I have to say, I'm sore all over, and very tired. I'll sleep well tonight. I was taught a lot more than I was able to learn; but I did get a lot of Tokumini No Kun bo kata, and I feel pretty good about that. We also did a lot of application of empty-hand kata, really eye-opening stuff. Some we do in our dojo all the time, so that was great, but also learned a lot of new stuff that I hadn't seen before.
The 2nd half of the 2nd day, we worked on balance points; this was something I had not seen before. We got out the mats and practiced on each other; the applications seem endless, and when it was my turn to be uke, my partner practicing the techniques thought I was 'giving it to him' by falling to the ground when he applied the technique; I was not. It was simply impossible to maintain my balance when the technique were applied. I found most of the techniques very straightforward to apply as well, but I will need a lot more practice. I was very impressed by the fact that these techniques could be applied as a force multiplier for a person of smaller stature or less strength than their attacker. Cool stuff, very cool.
I am planning to attend the next seminar if I am able.
What are your experiences with seminars? Positive or negative?