Day 8

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My house is really just five minutes away by car, so I needn’t worry
so much about being late. I was somewhat stressed out this afternoon,
though, as the driver didn’t return until around 5:20.

I’m slowly getting the hang of rolling during moves. It’s a good thing
other students helpfully cue me by stage-whispering “Front roll” at
the appropriate moments, although I tend to begin my roll a little
earlier than I should because I anticipate the throw. They also
patiently correct my footwork.

Doing slightly better, though. After a few tries, I remembered which
leg to move and which hand to attack. The throws the sensei had us do
today reminded me of ballroom dancing, so I found it easy to move in a
slow and relaxed manner.

One embarrassing thing, though. One time, I got so distracted that I
forgot to do a proper front roll. I was blissfully obeying the laws of
gravity when I realized I was getting uncomfortably close to the
ground. I realized I’d forgotten to put my hands down in the proper
position of a front-roll. Managed to avoid a full face-plant, but
still, that was odd.

Slide-and-glide still leaves me out of breath. Maybe I’m breathing too
fast. Should I try to inhale and exhale each count? I suspect that I
tire easily because of hyperventilation. I’ll try breathing in a more
relaxed manner next time.

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