Kokutsu dachi, gedan shuto uke

I had to get a photo for today (and mrs tsuken did not approve posting of the pics I took of her, fresh from the hairdresser), so I grabbed the camera and tripod towards the end of my self-training in the afternoon. I was working on the kata Kanku sho, and took a few photos of a couple of bits. On Flickr you'll find some shots of the jump that immediately precedes this, as well as a B&W of my blip.

It was a good session. Kancho Sims sensei made some powerful observations on the last video I sent him, and some have led to what I would describe - without a skerrick of hyperbole - as a paradigm shift in this particular stance: kokutsu dachi, or "back stance". It feels different; I sit differently; it functions differently; techniques in, following, and even immediately preceding the stance work better than they did before. It feels really really good.

(As for the weird angle on the picture I linked (there are a few more to see on Flickr), that was an accident that I quite liked.)