Bonusgeiko tonight saw me finally defeat one of my shodan sempai with two straight men. (Which is a little ironic, of course...) It was a good feeling, and the best part was how the first men was from kamae and was some sort of debana-waza and relatively large rather than some sashi-nonsense--it felt like actual seme. Or something. The thwock was most satisfying. My immediate, sempai, however, took my men in 1pon. I think that this is in part because I wasn't pushing myself quite as much as I should have, having grown complacent in the time since.

I find, however, that I have come to like a certain type of practice. Tonight was mostly waza of various sorts, including some anti-jodan waza as well as hikiwaza, taiatari, shinai-seme, dragonflies, and so on. There was also a lot of talk, as of coruse Sensei differ greatly in terms of how much they are willing and able to be explicit about. But I think that the type of practice I favor more is the type which is just very fast, continuous, and from the uchikomi or kakarigeiko point of view: it's all about endurance, speed, and pushing the envelope. I think I enjoy kihon more than waza.

Still, my kote-men sucks. I need to do it better.

And I can't afford to break any more shinai--it's been ridiculous, and my new BIO has already lost a splinter.