The Next Round

Everyone at practice was feeling pretty beat up today, it seemed. Except Koyama-san, who Yuko pointed out is always genki. It's testing season again for the higher dan and the rush to squeeze out every last practice before the exams can definitely wear out the body. Coupled with just the stress of testing, it leads to a pretty rapid onset of exhaustion. Sometimes I wonder if it's better to just skip a week of practice before an exam and center one's self, but I too am always over anxious to get in those last few precious practices the month before exams. Cramming for any sort of test is just too ingrained in our minds, I guess.

Today was my first practice back after a break to go to Taiwan. In short, my body was not impressed to be mack at swinging and leaping and shouting, but it's going to have to deal with it. Itou Seinsei wasn't at practice today which may have been for the better. Yuko says that he has upped warm up suburi from 50 to 60 each and I don't know if I would have been able to handle that today. I've made a note to at least 50 each at home every day to condition myself.

The practice (for me at least) was fairly relaxed. Fifteen minutes were devoted to mock test shiai for the higher dan, after we did some preliminary kihon. Ju-geiko followed that and Sugaya Sensei grabbed me for my first match which was all right in relation to how terrible my kihon practice had been. It was mostly a feeling my way back into my comfort zone of kendo. It's like squeezing into an old pair of pants. You know they're comfortable, you just have to break them in again.

My final fight was with Koyama-san who told me that I have to chase my opponent when he backs up out of my reach; more than twice if necessary. So I chased him around in a circle the next time. It was only after the match that I realized after the third strike he was probably just trying to step out of my way. Oh well, over achievement for the win.

In other news, my bike was stolen while I was in Taiwan so I had to leave my gear at Fuchou. I'll be taking Ari's bike too and from kendo until I save up enough money to buy a new one.