Back in action

I was able to return to the mat this weekend. :) As normally happens, this second infection hasn't been responding to antibiotics nearly as quickly the first. Two weeks ago, I was feeling fine about three days after starting the medicine. This week has been slow going.

Since Western medicine's best efforts were not really getting the job done, yesterday I went to a traditional Chinese doctor to get some herbs. I figure it couldn't hurt. We'll try acupuncture next. ;)

Rick Stickles, of Aikido Schools on New Jersey, teaches at the New York Aikikai once a month. This was his weekend.

Over the past couple of years, I've attended lots of his classes, yet I am somewhat at a loss to describe his style. I suppose changeable, is one way to express it. Some days, he'll appear very philosophic and just when I think I've gotten him all figured out, he'll switch gears, though generally he doesn't stress technique all that much. I've suspect that since he only teaches in NY once a month, he may conduct the class more like a seminar than a daily class. In other words, he tries to get a lot of ideas all crammed into one hour. I've haven't yet attended one of his classes in his own dojo yet, so that is just a guess.

So we started off with some tai no henko and then branched into some katatedori that stressed connection.

Sugano-sensei taught the next class, but I sat out because I was saving myself for...