Nunchaku Tuesday

I was looking forward to class as I didn’t get to train with my friend over the weekend. The class was better attended than I expected and with the grading on the horizon, everyone had only one thing on their mind, Syllabus. We did however partake in some warm-ups with our Sempai and I especially enjoyed the wheelbarrow push-ups.

As we broke up into out kyu levels the Sensei partnered me up with the Sempai who had the Nunchaku at the ready and he looked rather deadly. I have had some exposure to the Nunchaku in the beginning of my journey into Ninjutsu. Like most aspiring ninjas I believed that whilst being able to flare with the Nunchaku, I would somehow be catapulted into nijadom and be known as the ultimate Nunchaku badass, but soon I got caught up with much more romantic weapons like the sword and my illusion with the Nunchaku took a back seat.

The sempai quickly changed my illusion to reality as the Nunchacu wrapped around my wrist and I was rendered helpless. I was shocked by his effective ness with the weapon. He assured me that he wasn’t even squeezing hard while excruciating pain shot up through my arm and into my brain. I saw some students in an earlier grading wearing leather arm bands while using the Nunchacu. I quickly grabbed the tennis arm bands from my bag and hopped for the best. They were an acceptable substitute although I am sure the leather ones are better suited for the job of protecting ones wrists from such violent onslaught.

The Sensei came around and he had no mercy whatsoever as he blocked my upper-cut with the Nunchaku. The force of the chain pulling my wrist sent shock signals through my arm and my brain responded with appeals of submission and mercy. I could see how being attacked by someone with a Nunchaku posed a real danger and I couldn’t help but pity the Samurai that got caught around the wrist by one of these evil devices.

I got my chance at redemption as we switched over to the Bo. I practiced quite a bit by myself over the weekend and I felt confident and ready. We covered the basics, blocks and strikes moving into locks and holds. The Sensei came around and demonstrated the takedowns with the Bo. I was in my element and the Sempai turned uke fell time after time as I whisked the Bo around. My form was on and I felt completely centred and one with my weapon. I was a deadly worrier with the reflexes of a cat the strike of a cobra and the finesse of a dragon fly.

Embrace the shadows.