ITS 09 Day 4

Price Clan Here:
Day 4 is the day after Grandmaster Ji had gone through the 8 steps, 25 kicks, numerous locks, pushes, throws and left us reeling with excitement from the announcement of Master Geoff to Grandmaster eighth degree.
Pearla, if you are reading this, Emanuel is fine:)
Leg locks, colour belt revision and 1st and 2nd degree black belt techniques. I love it when GM Booth shows us a black belt technique and says that colour belts 'you can try this' but I won't fix it. Then he says 'if you want to be really nasty you could do this'. Yes, I know you are imagining this now and smiling because the next little saying always makes me smile 'go ahead then'!!
Nasty, followed by 'go ahead then' seems to draw Sean to me like a donkey to strawberries (do they have donkies in Australia or am I having flashbacks to holidays in Blackpool, England?).
No matter how many times GM Booth reminds us about the clipboard for signatures sometimes you get so involved in what you're doing on the mats you have a 'doh!' moment because you missed it again. Or is that just me (Jane) and should I even be admitting this on the blog?
I was so sore and tired from the previous 3 days that when multiple grabs were announced I was in there with the best intention. I just remember being grabbed from behind, lifted into the air and spun around like a helicopter. First thought was that I know this is not someone from Moorebank and he was very strong so I gave it my best and ended up back on the floor trying to get out of the hold. My last ditch attempt of pushing a face out of mine revealed it was Sir Mike!
Earlier in the week we had been shown how to breath through the pain and trust me the couple of rounds of multiple grabs had me trying to breath all the time. One of my biggest challenges in multiple grabs is to breath. I think my breathing here in the ITS is exhaustion but it certainly does make me breath because the Fins are good at putting those locks on pretty tight! Working with lots of new people in locks, grabs, falls, throws brings a whole new appreciation of breathing. That is something I'd like to take back to Moorebank with me.
Dinner on Thursday night (Day 4) was takeaway from Maccas because I had to bend my head to the fork - the arms didn't work. Think of a dead arm, or two, and double that numbness to every part of the body - maybe double that again. It wouldn't have been a good look in the restaurant.
Bring on day 5.
I can feel the week getting away. Weather here has turned nice and the location of the Lancaster Dojang is just lovely. There is a huge lake outside with ducks and geese. Some of them were even laughing at GM Booth the other day - some ducks have no respect. Maybe they didn't know GM had been promoted from Master :)
Seriously, the location and facilities are great. There are male and female change rooms. There are lockers and even a washing machine and dryer. Not that any of our Doboks smelt (much).
Raj, our hotel manager, came along to the afternoon and watched a multiple grab session or two. He took home a couple of locks shown to him by GM Booth and apparently his son, who is an American Football player, is thinking of visiting Sir Mike's Dojang to try out Hapkido? Go Raj - spreading the word of Hapkido!
I did mention the weather so that's usually when you run out of things to say .. I don't have that trouble? However, that's all from me for now. See you all soon.
Jane, Colin, Nick and Sean