A bright beautiful day was the setting for our first training with Nagato sensei. It was great to see him and we had a chance to chat. Unfortunately, I wasn`t feeling too well, but training, being training, cleared that up right away.
There were 70 people at Hombu - busy, but not so bad you couldn`t move. Sensei put on his signature show. He seems even lighter now than he was last year, his uke nearly floating in the space around him. Punches, kicks, grabs, nothing ever seems to phase him. His position is always guarded, and yet he keeps open his path of communication to the opponent so he`s always aware of him and the changes they are making, maybe even before they are.
Towards the end of class, he pulled our own Steve Kovalcik onto the floor and gave him what-for. I was happy to see Nagato choose him. Being uke is tough, as a recent late-night, deep conversation - all our late-night conversations here are deep when copious amounts of alcohol are involved - revealed. When training with a partner, I have always advocated honesty in training, meaning 'move or you will get hit;' not in a harmful way, just a real way - this is happening, deal with it. But that's between partners. When we step before Soke or the Shihan, who are demonstrating and elucidating points, we aren't to treat them as a peer, that would only endanger them, and us - more us. So, we treat them with respect, and receive from them the most potent form a lesson can take - direct transmission.
Yesterday, we had great training with Someya sensei and finished the day out with Soke at Ayase - it was all rock and roll. More on that later. Heading off to Nagato's class.
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