Training at EMK over Summer

Probably two of the most intense classes of aikido I've ever had were when I was training at EMK in Summer 2012.

During summer without the GSJ crowd around the place quiets down a bit and very occasionally, as I discovered, you may find that you're are the only one, or one of two people there.

The first was when Sensei was away on other business and so Tom Tam took the class. And I was the only person there. It was intense.

There was no stopping to demonstrate techniques. Tom did the techniques four times and then I tried to do it four times. When I did it wrong he would counter me to show me my mistake and if I did it wrong again he would counter me again. Barely a word was spoken.

A week later Sensei was back. And only Tom and I were there. We spent the lesson working on my connection by way of doing a lot of tanto work. Many of you may not have noticed but in EMK Sensei has one or two tanto which are sharper than the others. Much sharper. When stabbed with normal tanto it feels like someone is pressing a block of wood into you quite hard. When stabbed with these ones it feels like you are being stabbed.

So the lesson was largely around me and Tom practising not getting stabbed by each other as we wielded some rather sharp tanto. At the peek of the lesson this involved grabbing Torii's wrist and waiting for them to try and stick you with the tanto at which point, if your contact is good, you don't get stabbed.

I got stabbed a lot.

I also learnt a bit about striking someone with a tanto. Sensei noticed I had no idea about how to cut someone with a tanto. He, with a tanto in his belt, told me to perform a shomen with my tanto. And with very little effort stabbed me as I tried.

I'm pretty sure he actually rolled his eyes as he did it, I made it just that easy for him.

Thanks for reading!