Personal practice between classes

So, what sort of personal solo practices do you folks do to keep occupied between class times and inform your martial arts practices?

Me, for instance, i carry a jo with me wherever i go around the house.  I use it as a walking stick, a pointer, a measuring stick.  I turn lights on and off with it, pick clothes up with it, use it to hang my gi up... I get hundreds of reps per week of the first three aikijo suburi and a good bit of practice with deploying the jo from whatever random positon it is in into honte, gyakute, or sakate.

For the past year I have been experimenting with Popkin's internal strength exercises - both in and out of class - but nowhere near regularly enough.

For the last few months, thanks to Rick Matz, I've gotten a good bit of regular stake standing practice - that i can do wherever i am at - whenever i am standing around i am usually in first position.  These practices feel to me a lot like Popkin's IS exercises.

Lately I have also started mining the Chinese traditions for solo exercises that i can find good instructional materials on, and that has added a bit of bagua circle walking and the beginning ideas in taiji.

Of course, I am also constantly working the Tomiki Judo Taiso ideas wherever I am.  My students like to tease me about my advice to them to do judo taiso whenever you're brushing your teeth.

So, what sort of solo practices do y'all get into?



Want to discuss this blog post?
 Come find me on Facebook at my Mokuren Dojo FB group
____________________
Patrick Parker www.mokurendojo.com