Passion Thursday

I worked late and had to rush home. Lucky I had some oats at work to keep my energy level up. I got to class with a few minutes to spare. After quickly greeting some of my fellow students I went into the empty dojo to work on my Bo kata a bit. Soon everyone was inside and we lined up to start the class. I was Sempai and took the class through a systematic stretch and even threw in a couple of push-ups and jumping jacks to warm up.

We formed two lines as we partnered up for a couple of drills. The Sensei kept it short. “We need to get to syllabus work” he explained as we drilled a number of block and counters. We broke up into our groups and got on with the task at hand. I joined the forth kyu students again as they drew their Tonfas in a grim display of mock violence.

I enjoy the Tonfa as it is a versatile weapon in the hands of a trained combatant. With that said, the Tonfa can also be a disadvantage in the hands of a novice. When I started training with the weapon the grip felt rather strained and the temptation to change the grip in the middle of a technique was a stark reminder that I needed more practice. My fellow students were having similar problems. We went back to basics, the hammer lock and the figure four. I demonstrated the moves and also tried to give them a couple of the pointers and correct their mistakes.

The sensei came around and we spent some time on the Bo. He demonstrated how to retain the weapon when an opponent grabs it with booth hands. He is such a knowledgeable and passionate Sensei, I hung onto every word he said and tried to mirror his every move. I felt inspired, we all were and it seemed as if the night would never end… but it had to. I checked the time and my suspicions were confirmed, we were running over the allotted time and even after I made every one aware of this, every one kept training. It was special to feel the energy and passion so strong in the Dojo, and finally we lined up and ended off with the Kata Dante.

Embrace the shadows.