December 05

 

Thursday, December 01-05

Kendo training. We have lots of beginners and few seniors. I do kata with my teacher. Whenever we do it I really feel like I am in a life or death situation. He can put on so much pressure that sweat runs down my back.

A good session; another step on the journey.

 

Day 424:  Friday, December 02-05 -  Day 426:  Sunday, December 04-05  

I spend a relaxed weekend with my family doing simple things like trying to read the Sunday papers. This is somewhat difficult when 11kgs of baby lands heavily on your unprotected stomach.

However, by the evening my wife is suffering from chronic pain and takes herself to the hospital while I stay at home with our daughter. It is a worrying time and I don't feel much like writing about it. 

 

 

Day 427 - Monday, December 05-05  

It's my birthday, but I stay home because my wife is too sick to get out of bed. Clearly, I am very worried. I do my suburi, but my mind is elsewhere.

 

 

Day 428:  Tuesday, December 06-05  

I take my daughter to crèche as my wife goes to work. My daughter lasts until the afternoon and then she has a high temperature and my wife takes her home. It is very stressful for all of us. Again, I do my suburi but without much conviction.

 

 

Day 430:  Wednesday, December 07-05  

I read an interesting interview with Fabrizio Mandia, the European and Italian champion. You can read it here.

It's all good, but I particularly enjoy the part when he says, '“Impossible” it’s just a word used by people who prefer to live in the given world, instead of trying to change it. “Impossible” it’s just an opinion and not a fact and most important “impossible” can’t be forever.'
 

 

Thursday, December 08-05  

Kendo training. My teacher takes me through all ten kata forms, shidachi and uchidachi, one by one. 'I don't ask for much. Just perfection'. I have to remember the following points:

Shidachi

- Really lower my sword at the end of each form, not just assume a gedan position
- Step out wider in nihonme
- Don't make a double tsuki during sanponme. It's one tsuki and one strong step from the hips
- Raise the sword almost vertically during the kaeshi of gohonme
- Nanahonme - after the doh cut, smoothly assume waki from the kneeling position. Fromt he kneeling chudan, make sure the kensen is pointing at the uchidachi throat, and then seme
- kodachi, nihonme, don't leave a gap below the kodachi where the uchidachi could attack from beneath. it's also, irime from the hips, small step in when the uchidachi retreats, and then 'pow'
- sanbonme - keep the kodachi upright as the uchidachi attacks doh, and move the body. Don't forget to place the kodachi on the hip after advancing three steps.

Uchidachi

- Don't break 'en' on ipponme
- Fill the space and lead the shidachi
- Try and at least make the tsuki on sanbonme and roponme convincing!

And many more than I have no doubt forgotten.

 

Friday, December 09-05 -  Sunday, December 11-05  

Before I start this entry I have to dedicate it to someone: my wife. I couldn't do kendo if she didn't take care of things while I am away. I have told her many times that I will stop travelling if she wants me too. She is sick, our daughter is too, but she refuses to even countenance the thought of me staying at home. I think about her all weekend and I dedicate my training to her.

I travel to a weekend training. OK, let me be more frank. I travel to England to take part in National Squad training.

For me it's the same old story. A wrench from my family, 6 hours there, 10 hours back, absolutely no certainty that I will ever be selected and the thought 'I can't do this anymore'.

As usual I love the training. Small things - being able to talk in English about kendo, a nice compliment from someone whose kendo I admire, locker room humour.

My fights aren't so good, but who cares. It's tough, it's enjoyable and on Saturday night we have our Christmas party.

A good weekend, but I am glad to be home.

 

 

Monday, December 12-05  

A slightly embarrassing story about how I 'got a life'.

My boss announces that we will have our Unit Christmas party at 16.15. We assemble in his office. He is a Russian and he pulls out two bottles of vodka and some caviar.

We slam the vodka in 100 cl glasses. I have four and lots of caviar, which I don't really like.

I wake up the following morning at 4am fully dressed with my contact lenses in. Somehow I am wearing a green, yellow and red football T-shirt with 'Haile Selassie 1' on the back. I have the taste of fish in my mouth and a ringing headache.

It's kind of nice, actually. It reminds me of being single.

 

 

Tuesday, December 13-05  

Kendo training for all the clubs in the area. My teacher gives me some valuable advice. He parodies the way I tilt my torso backwards and forwards during the phrases between strikes.

'Move your sword, not your body' he tells me.

This immediately feels better. 'Pow!' I land a men.

Afterwards I thank him for all his advice. My kendo is changing and it is largely thanks to him.

 

 

Day 431:  Wednesday, December 14-05  

This will be my last suburi set before my 4th dan on Saturday. I try to make them as elegant as possible. I keep my back ramrod straight. I just do men and kote strikes with the emphasis on men. If I can do one beautiful men on Saturday then I will be happy.

It's a good set. I am as ready for this as I can be.

 

 

Thursday, December 15-05  

Kendo training. There are almost no seniors present. I go through the kata with one of the guys from the club, making mistakes and going back to correct them. There is nothing I can do about this other than reassure myself that I know the forms.

Our teacher arrives and we do lots of kihon. I have to say that I don't remember much about it. I fight with my teacher and he says, 'pretend you're in the exam'. I immediately fluff my lines and think 'I am going to fail'.

 

 

Friday, December 16-05 - Sunday, December 18-05  

I travel to the Nakakura seminar in Brussels. I am by myself as my club mates have dropped out one by one.

We cover a lot of new technique under the instruction of Hirakawa-sensei. What struck me was that he seemed to know an almost infinite number of ways to attack. His depth of knowledge was remarkable.

He seems to like 'sayu' waza, such as sayu-kote-sayu-men-do, or hidari-sayu-kote-migi-sayu-kote-hidari-sayu-men. He demonstrates seme, introducing such things as 'soft' seme and tsuba-seme. He also talks a lot about tai-sabaki and moving the hips as a unit. Much as what he said went over my head, but I hope I can store it away until it comes back to me in context later.

Saturday afternoon is the exam. I am drawn in the first 'four'. I am pleased to note that the other three seem very professional in their attitude. There is nothing worse than getting an exam partner who rushes around taking random strikes at your head.

My first ji-geiko is against a girl from the Finnish team. We fence for about 30 seconds and I think I score a kote. My next is against a French guy from Fontenay-Le-Compte, where I went at the beginning of the year with the GB squad. Again, it's a short fight and I think I score men.

We hang around while the other aspiring yon and go dan candidates go through their paces. Later I reflect that amongst my 'four' none of us seem nervous. I also did not have to rev myself up for the exam. I think this says something about kamae.

We are just wondering when we will get the results when suddenly a guy appears out of nowhere and shakes my hand. 'Well done' he says. I look mystified so he points to the wall where he has stuck the numbers of candidates who have passed the first stage. Everyone from my four passes.

Next is kata. No mistakes here, although with seven judges watching you wonder what they'll see. We hang around again, and the judges leave. They start to pack up the tables. I catch a passing sensei and ask him if we've passed. 'Yes, everyone passed' he says. So that's it. I'm yondan.

My wife asks me on Sunday evening what that means to me. I remember what a Japanese sensei/friend said when he passed 8th dan. He said that if he could do it, anybody can. I think he is right. I do not have any special talent that helps my kendo. It's a question of training and never giving up.

After my third dan I said that I would be the best third dan I could be - I promptly dropped kendo for a couple of months - so I am not going to make any promises now. But I hope that all the people who have helped me, trained with me and supported me know that I appreciate the things they do and that I could not have passed without their efforts.

Anyway, by Sunday I am feeling totally wasted. This is partly relief and partly the sayonara party of Saturday night. I don't enter the competition, but watch from the stands.

It is a great weekend and I can see how easy it would be to start going to every seminar around Europe. You get to meet people who share your interest, you  get to see some different places  and you do kendo. It is with regret that I leave early on Sunday to catch my flight.

This has been a most incredible year for kendo: gold medal in the Championships, Silver with GB5, yondan, but it's been exhausting too. I hope next year I can find a better balance of work, family, kendo and my other obligations. Other than that - Bring It On!