5th Form

Very hot in the dojo last night, by the end we were all panting like dogs. Seniors practiced the fifth form attack (Shomen Uchi, strike down onto the head), while juniors practiced from first form (wrist grab). We all had a go at Ikkyo, Nikkyo, Sankyo, Yonkyo and Katennage. Excellent turnout with the juniors, it's good to see so many keen students.

To finish up, Sensei Chris gave the seniors a pressure exercise: one in the middle taking a sequence of attacks (first form), and trying to perform various techniques from the above plus shiho nage. Hard to keep it up in the heat and under pressure, but it was gratifying to get a round of applause when the exercise was over.

Off the mat, we were talking about techniques using pressure on the elbow, and my Judoka friend showed me a Judo technique (Waki Gatame?) that does just that. Interesting to compare notes sometimes.