Kenjutsu Practice

Was I free on Wednesday nights?

With the question being asked by my teacher, of course I was free, which wasn’t quite the case.

It was the start of spring, the weather warming up, the days getting longer, and the return to the start of the cycle in the dojo.

Wednesday was going to be a bit different for the spring and summer.

Meet at the park near the dojo, street clothes, but bring my bokken.

I arrived early as I always did, and when nobody else arrived, I started to wonder if I was at the correct spot in the park.

When the teacher arrived, I realized it was just going to be the both of us.

Keep up was the directive as we started to run on the outskirts of the park near the lake before coming to the start of an obstacle course.

A series of beams, platforms, and pull up bars arranged as a jungle gym-playground for adults.

Up, down, across, we both navigated the course and I was proud of myself for keeping up. I had been with the dojo just long enough to know to always approach something as if it was the first time, and to always look and check in with what the seniors were doing.

That was part of the lesson.

Certainly, I could push and pull myself up over the course, but where was the budo in that?

My teacher was able to do it with an eloquence, a gliding motions that wasn’t acrobatic or forced, it was natural.

All I had to do was copy that movement.

Picking up our bokken we walked out to the part of the park that was a small cliff overlooking the lake, a small flat area with a tree to practice under.

This spot would be the dojo for the next hour or so.

Taking up the starting posture with the sword I waited for instruction.

Perhaps a review of some of the training forms?

Instruction on some new fencing postures.

The series of forms from the next level?

No.

Directions to just attack.

How?

However I wanted.

After some time the flow sifted to defend, and now I was trying to defend against my teacher’s cuts and thrusts.

Both, now attack and defend freely.

There was no time to think and try and match forms, or figure out how to move or what to do.

Just try to cut my teacher and try not to get cut in return.

He helped me out of the lake and gave me a dry shirt from his training bag.

Where was I supposed to go?

At one point the movement was so fast, and the openings pressed against me, the only escape out was to jump into the lake.

Did I at least get any bonus points for holding onto my sword when I jumped in?