A Beginner's Point of View 291-292

Day 291:

My first day back after trying to take care of my injuries and my left wrist is still very stiff. I made sure to stretch out extra before class and then I went into my routine. I performed 1-2-3-4-6-7-9-12 at half speed to avoid hurting myself. My kata seems to be a little awkward since I’ve been out of class for 2 weeks. Still, I moved slowly and did my best. My wrist did not hurt because I was moving slowly. Also, my drawing of the blade seemed a little smoother, maybe because I concentrated on being accurate rather than being powerful.

I did not go to Kendo class because my wrist was still tender at the end of Iaido class. I’m going to wait until it’s strong again before going back to using it for tenouchi. The instructors let me know that from now on, we are using bokken for suburi rather than shinai. I’ll have to remember that form now on. Maybe it’s time for a bigger sword bag.

Day 292:

Today we had a full Iaido class. There were the two instructors and four of us who were beginners. We had to squash ourselves for space. In fact, once everyone showed up, the lead instructor had to stop practicing to give up his space for everyone else to use. For most of the class, I did my routine of 1-2-3-4-6-7-9-12.

For the last ten minutes of class, the lead instructor took us through the moves of the first kata, showing the key points. I thought I was doing it well, but I guess not. My sword rattles in its saya when I draw because I’m not pulling the sword out enough before the quick flick at the end. Also, I’m concentrating on low enough of a draw but I take it too far. The saki should be in front of the shoulder or knee. When making the vertical cut, the saki should end up just lower than horizontal. Finally, the chiburi should finish by showing myself the back side of the sword, but not the sides. I tend to do that anyway, but it’s good to know it definitively.

Still no Kendo, but my wrist is getting better. Maybe next week.