Bo Tuesday

I had to stop at the store to get some provisions for the house. I also got my usual energy bar and vitamin drink. I only got to drink and eat it just before I drove home and I could feel my energy levels dropping. I got home with a couple of minutes to spare. The kids were in playful moods and I ticked them and played with them.

I was hoping for a bit of practice with the Bo before class started. I asked the Sensei to show me a couple of moves. We had another guest, Sensei Stuard Watt, who will be opening a new Dojo in Linden shortly. I am quite inspired by him and was very excited to see him as he joined us for some exposure to different training styles.

We ended up filling the scout hall and I could see the Sensei was happy to see the numbers pick up. I couldn’t help but hope that it isn’t just empty New Year’s resolutions and that this would set the trend for the year ahead as we commenced the plank to toughen up our midsections. We held it for longer as everyone had to count. My smile turned into a grimace as the time for the side plank stretched out as well. The reps on the push-ups also increased. The pressure was on.

We stretched and then broke up in to two lines. My partner enjoyed the body conditioning and I was impressed with the way he flowed his strikes. Revenge was sweet. We got bags and the Sensei had us do 10s, each count would indicate the amount of strikes on the bag before doing one push-up. Normally the strikes and push-up counts are the same, but the Sensei took some pity on us... We did a number of combinations on the bag before breaking up into our kyu levels.

I was fortunate enough to get a Sensei to train with me. We started on the basic neck-lock with the Bo. I could feel the flow of the weapon as one can use it to block and strike. The length of the Bo affords one a lot more leverage once a lock is applied. The Bo has similar moves to the sword as well as additional angles of attack. By reversing the Bo through the hands one can quickly change the direction of the attack. I enjoyed the introduction to the Bo and I am sure I will enjoy this weapon in combat.

We ended class on that note and everyone looked properly spent. I still had energy left and was a little disappointed that no one wanted to box with me, but I had a promise that Thursday One of the more senior students will box with me... I better prepare myself for a rough fight.

Embrace the shadows.