Peter’s Soapbox

Shoulder Tension

Why do humans have a tendency to “get into our shoulders?” I’ve been pondering this for a while now. When I first started practicing aikido, my sensei told me that I was “very much in my head.” These days, I feel like I’ve settled down from being in my head to more “in my shoulders.” Continue reading Shoulder Tension…

On Aikido and Injuries

If there’s one thing I’ve got experience with, it’s injuries. As always, I don’t claim to be an expert here, but with a broken clavicle, broken femur, sublexed patella, subluxed wrist bones, bursitis, and a psoas that can best be described as “too tight,” I definitely have some experience with training under less than optimal bodily conditions. Continue reading On Aikido and Injuries…

Blogging on Aikido

I’ve decided to start chronicling some of my thoughts and experiences on aikido here on my blog. While I’ve mentioned things from time time time, I’ve really only cited the fact that I’ve been at a seminar here and there, or referenced some other aikido-related website. Continue reading Blogging on Aikido…

What a Month!

I think I’ve had my busiest October ever. Here’s a quick summary:

• Fall gasshukku with Hiroshi Ikeda shihan at Shobu Aikido of Boston.
• Mountain biking with my new (to me) Sinister Splinter (affectionately referred to as “the Tractor”).
• Work work work work work! Audits and migrations and troubleshooting, oh my!
• Reading: The Road by Cormac McCarthy and Nmap Network Scanning: The Official Nmap Project Guide to Network Discovery and Security Scanning by Gordon “Fyodor” Lyon

I plan on elaborating on all of these points.

Eventually.

Perhaps.

Koshinage and Sensei Flashbacks

Last night, fighting a cold, I led our weekly Wednesday night Aikido basics class at the dojo here. For the second week in a row, we covered basics of koshinage (hip throw), and did drills to help build leg strength, as well as to build the kinesthetic memory and response which enables one to perform a koshinage without having to stop and think about it. Koshinage has also always been one of my weakest techniques, as the transition to my weak knee has usually been an iffy proposition at best, so I can always use the practice. Continue reading Koshinage and Sensei Flashbacks…