Sensei had us do extended kirikaeshi sets today — three rounds of 20 with emphasis on big, correct cuts rather than speed. My left hand grip kept slipping on the last set, need to re-wrap my tsuka. Footwork felt sharp though, the extra suburi at home is paying off. Also practiced debana-kote with Tanaka-senpai. He pointed out I'm telegraphing my kote by dropping my kensen before striking. Need to keep centre pressure and just explode from chudan.

Ji-geiko with the seniors today was humbling. Got caught with kaeshi-do three times by Yamamoto-sensei — I keep over-committing to men and leaving do wide open. He told me to think about seme first, pressure first, then strike only when there's an opening. On the positive side, I landed a clean debana-men on Saito-senpai that even he acknowledged. That felt amazing. Small victories. Legs are completely dead after 8 rounds of ji-geiko. Need to work on stamina.

Focused kata session today preparing for the Dan examination on the 15th. Went through all 10 Nihon Kendo no Kata with Watanabe-sensei as motodachi. Kata 1-3: Feeling confident, timing is natural now. Kata 4-5: Need to work on the kote cut in #5 — my angle is slightly off. Kata 6-7: Kodachi kata still feel awkward. The distance is so different. Watanabe-sensei says my biggest issue is breathing. I hold my breath during transitions. Need to keep breathing natural and let the kata flow.

Woke up at 5:30 for asa-geiko. Only 6 of us showed up but the quality was incredible. There's something about early morning practice — everyone is focused, no chatter, just pure kendo. Did 500 suburi as warm-up, then straight into kakarigeiko. Sensei was in a great mood and did individual coaching. He adjusted my kamae — told me my left foot is drifting too far right. Such a small thing but it immediately improved my fumikomi. Breakfast ramen with the group after. This is why I love kendo.

No training today, body needed the rest. Spent the evening rewatching All Japan Kendo Championship highlights instead. Noticed how the top players all have one thing in common — their seme is patient but relentless. They step into distance, hold pressure, and wait for the opponent to crack. When they strike, it's one decisive cut, not a flurry. I want to model my kendo after that. Quality over quantity. One clean ippon is worth more than ten half-hearted attempts. Also need to stretch more. My hamstrings are getting tight from all the fumikomi.

Mock shiai today in preparation for the inter-club tournament. Went 3-1 in my pool matches which I'm pleased with. The loss was to Hayashi — she's so fast with kote, I just can't react in time. Coach wants me to work on my tsubazeriai game. I tend to just stand there instead of looking for hiki-waza opportunities. Practiced hiki-men and hiki-kote drills after the shiai rounds. Kiai was strong today. Felt confident and aggressive without being reckless.

Writing this the day after the inter-club shiai at City Sports Hall. Didn't get to write yesterday — too exhausted. Results: Won 2, Lost 1 in individual. Lost the team match overall but our taisho pulled off an incredible comeback in the last fight. Biggest takeaway: I freeze in tsubazeriai. When we lock up, I don't know what to do. Everyone else is attacking hiki-waza or creating angles. I just stand there burning energy. This needs to be my focus for the next month. Also, my men himo came undone mid-match. Embarrassing. Need to learn to tie it properly.

Dedicated session working on seme for the upcoming Dan grading. Sensei stressed that at ikkyu/shodan level, the examiners want to see clear seme before each strike, not just random attacking. Drills: - Step in to issoku-itto-no-maai, hold pressure for 2 seconds, then strike men - Same drill but reading partner's reaction — if they flinch to block men, go kote - Ai-men from toi-maai — big explosive cut My seme is improving but I still rush. Patience is the key word for this month.