Thursday, August 19, 2010 - Session Four

I met Maestas Sensei for the first time this evening, after speaking with him on the phone yesterday afternoon. I felt very comfortable around him and definitely felt as though he is someone I can communicate with and learn from. It looks as though I had caught the tail end of a slow summer schedule and that things will be picking up more relatively soon. He told me about the Southwest Kendo Iaido Federation and about the other local and nearby dojos, and taught me more about the etiquette that is involved. Then we went over the basic stances and basic strikes while I worked on my footwork. The sliding step is still very difficult for me when I attempt to move forward. It seems like my feet do not want to slide at all due to all the traction. But that will come with time. I am also still pivoting my hips too much when I move. I also noticed that I am pivoting both my feet and knees when I move as well. So I need to work on that. Not much in the way of endurance drills like I was doing with sonkyo the two times I was on my own. So I will need to start doing those on my own. I am also planning on swimming more often to build up my strength and constitution. It is not where it should be at. But despite the struggles, I am still excited!