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Seminar/party
Dec. 20th, 2003 11:02 pmThis is not coherent, for I am tipsy.
4 classes I went to today (the other two were just for black belts); two mixed, two which were supposed to be kyu (i.e. non-black-belts) only but there were a hell of a lot of black belts in 'em anyways. This vexed me somewhat, not because I object to black belts in class--far from it!--but it was so very, very crowded, and the more people you have the less practice everyone gets, so if the black belts in question had actually obeyed the schedule then us peons who need the practice could've gotten more of it. Actually, Yamada-sensei brought up the subject too. He taught the first kyu-only class, and the first words out of his mouth during the class were "I never saw so many kyu wearing hakima!" There were chuckles but various people did not seem to take the point. Ah well.
So when I say it was crowded, I mean that I have no idea how we fit on the mat at all. I mean, even to make lines to kneel in before class. It was rush-hour-subway crowded, which got real interesting when trying to throw people, let me tell you. There were lots of heads bonking together and bodies knocking over other bodies who were standing in line, etc. A very different dynamic. Funky. Of course this also meant that you got to do maybe two or three techniques per class, but that's life. At the end of Sugano-sensei's class, he actually had us doing the "run around the room and do that last technique to anyone" thang, which was more fun than a barrel of kittens.
(I wanted to watch the black belt tests, but the observation area was so packed I couldn't see anything. Literally. At all. So I went off and bought a down parka to wear in Buffalo and other horrifyingly cold places.)
The party was terrific, and I wish I could have stayed longer. Bloody commute. Bloody having to drive seven and a half hours tomorrow. Bah.
4 classes I went to today (the other two were just for black belts); two mixed, two which were supposed to be kyu (i.e. non-black-belts) only but there were a hell of a lot of black belts in 'em anyways. This vexed me somewhat, not because I object to black belts in class--far from it!--but it was so very, very crowded, and the more people you have the less practice everyone gets, so if the black belts in question had actually obeyed the schedule then us peons who need the practice could've gotten more of it. Actually, Yamada-sensei brought up the subject too. He taught the first kyu-only class, and the first words out of his mouth during the class were "I never saw so many kyu wearing hakima!" There were chuckles but various people did not seem to take the point. Ah well.
So when I say it was crowded, I mean that I have no idea how we fit on the mat at all. I mean, even to make lines to kneel in before class. It was rush-hour-subway crowded, which got real interesting when trying to throw people, let me tell you. There were lots of heads bonking together and bodies knocking over other bodies who were standing in line, etc. A very different dynamic. Funky. Of course this also meant that you got to do maybe two or three techniques per class, but that's life. At the end of Sugano-sensei's class, he actually had us doing the "run around the room and do that last technique to anyone" thang, which was more fun than a barrel of kittens.
(I wanted to watch the black belt tests, but the observation area was so packed I couldn't see anything. Literally. At all. So I went off and bought a down parka to wear in Buffalo and other horrifyingly cold places.)
The party was terrific, and I wish I could have stayed longer. Bloody commute. Bloody having to drive seven and a half hours tomorrow. Bah.
