Teaching Tuesday

I practiced my sword kata a bit before class. One has to keep repeating the kata to keep from forgetting its moves, especially if you made it up, because there is no one to correct you if you forget. Some of the juniors have been skimming punches at me and I was in a fighting mood, but I decided to tire myself out first with an hour and a half of ninjutsu class before I engage with anyone.

The class was called to order and we rushed into stretches before doing some body conditioning and soon we were cringing as the bruises started growing on our arms. We got some bags and all the seniors were expected to come up with a combination. The water break came just in time and I afforded myself the thought of cool liquid in my over heated mouth and swallowed a dry gulp as I went down for forty push-ups.

We split up into our syllabus groups and my partner opted for the key ring. I wanted to do knife, but since I missed my training session with my friend last weekend where I aimed to do the key-ring I agreed and soon we were punishing each other’s pressure points with the little piece of metal. I found my flow quickly and enjoyed the criticism the Sempai and Sensei had for my moves. I adjusted and amended my form accordingly and it felt good...

We ended of the class with kata Dante and as we greeted, one of the juniors asked when we were going to spar... I smiled and remembered how the thought of sparing with another Ninja excited me when I was still a junior. I have been playing around with another one of the junior students for some time now and I invited him for a round. He took up the gauntlet and we rounded each other, I was in my element and even though I dominated I gave him some pointers and reassurance.

I saw what the black belts always go on about how one only really learns once you start teaching. The fighter in me has grown a lot in the last year and it’s only now that I try and express those experiences to someone else that I understand the significance and effectiveness of my own experiences.

Embrace the shadows.