Tachiwaza

• Front choke, uke has his hands crossed with each hand on your lapels. If uke's rt hand is on the bottom, atemi to his face with your rt hand. Do a half tenkan on your rt side and cut down on uke's elbow with your rt hand. Your rt hand goes to the near side of his face and your left hand goes around his head to his opposite ear. Twist his head to throw.
• Be aware of the points in a technique where you should drop your weight.
• Right arm held behind nage's back, forearm is horizontal (hammer lock) with both uke's hands. Grab your left wrist with your rt hand. Bend over 90 degrees and turn to your left 360 degrees, passing under uke's arms. Then turn another 360 and do tsuki age or hitoe iriminage.
• tenkans - don't let uke's arm bend as you tenkan. Lead him forward as you tenkan. It is the same when you irimi and break a katatetori grip.
• kokyu ho - uke pushing your wrists down on your knees. Step back with one knee (right). Curl your left hand up on the inside of uke's wrist and extend your left forearm down over uke's left elbow. Curl your right hand up on the inside of uke's wrist to break free. Place your hands on opposite sides of uke's head and turn his head to throw him. (Your left hand on the outside of uke's face, your right hand on the inside)
• Kaeshi waza
  • tsuki kotegaeshi into kotegaeshi
  • tsuke kotegaeshi into taiotoshi - grab fingers with your knuckles
  • tsuki kotegaeshi into twist around like U shape step - grab underneath with your free hand; held hand - point thumb downwards - do any technique from there: shihonage, iriminage, aikiotoshi

Bokken

• In partner bokken practice, your front foot and bokken face uke. Your back foot always stays on the line of attack. If you don't point your foot toward your uke, you will end up in a mutual kill posiotn
• Don't slide your feet when moving with bokken; pick up your feet. Saito practiced aikiken outdoors in shoes.
• Don't push your partner's bokken, just touch softly to feel his movements
• When stepping accross the line of attack to perform a shomen with the bokken, don't move fwd or you will move into uke's bokken if he tsukis.
• When striking shomen in left hanmi, your left shoulder should be ahead of your right shoulder
• Tsuki with bokken - top of blade is turned 90 degrees to the right when you are in right hanmi. The blade should be horizontal at chest height; if you tsuki into a mirror all you should see is the tip. The handle is extended a greater distance from your center. Keep your fwd shoulder down.
• Raise your wrists when lifting the bokken overhead. This is where the kokyu motion came from according to Saito sensei.
• Bokken practice in front of mirror: Start in rt hanmi. Bring your left foot parallel to your rt foot, shoulder width apart. As you do this, point the tip of bokken to the right and raise handle to your forehead, as if blocking a strike. Then let the tip of the bokken drop behind your head. This is all one motion (count 1). Now step back to your left rear with your right foot and strike shomen with bokken. You should be pointed 45 degrees to the line. Drop your weight at end of the cut. this is the second part of the motion (count 2). Now step back up to the line with your rt foot and raise tip of bokken to your left. Continue as above. This exercise teaches you to twist and drop your hips correctly. Don't slide your feet, pick them up.