Carry a big stick
Last winter, when I moved to Niseko, I tracked down a Kendo club that met at a time when I could actually make it to class. This has been one of the plagues of my working schedule during my time in Japan. When I was an English teacher at the conversation schools, my work hours had to be at times when other people were not working and could therefore go to class. Things like martial arts, painting, and any other sort of thing I might want to get into were on the same schedule, meaning I was working when most of them met. But last winter, I was finally on a different schedule and could start doing some of these sort of things. Sort of.
Just over a year ago, I had surgery on my shoulder; scraping down a bone spur that was pinching (and partially severing) the rotator cuff, as well as some re-attachment of some of the partially severed muscles/ligaments. It's been a long, slow recovery. When I started the Kendo class, I couldn't do the full range of motion, had to limit how much power I put int the moves, and had to go at a slower speed. The doctor did seem to think that it would be decent exercise for the shoulder, though, as long as I was careful. Over the winter, the range of motion started coming back, but the strength just wasn't there. Then in April, I slipped on the steps and dislocated the finger. Those of you who saw the X-rays know it wasn't just a slightly out of place joint, but rather more of a "how in the hell did that bone get way over there" sort of dislocation. Six months later, that joint still (and will probably always be) looks swollen compared to the other fingers, and is a little tight when trying to make a full fist. But it's good enough that I can hold the shinai (practice sword) again, and over the last couple of months the shoulder strength has started returning (In July, I tried doing a push-up and couldn't. Now I can do about 15 before I start to feel too weak in the shoulder) so I've recently started going back to class after a long hiatus.
Last Sunday, they had a small tournament in Kutchan (the neighboring town). I went, just to watch. I'm nowhere near ready for competition- neither in strength nor skill. I found myself pressed into helping out. They needed more people to help run the rings. My job was to hold up a small sign when the judges called out a scoring hit. This turned out to be a good thing. I think I learned more about what they're looking for than I would have had I just observed, and it also kept me more focused on the matches instead of trying to take in everything that was going on.
Watching the tournament gave me a little more impetus to get get myself to class more often. I had been trying to go on Fridays (leaving the rest of the week for some cross-fit and kickboxing training in Niseko), and failing as often as not. I'll be going in on Monday and Friday nights, now. I consider it all part of the Jedi training.
Just over a year ago, I had surgery on my shoulder; scraping down a bone spur that was pinching (and partially severing) the rotator cuff, as well as some re-attachment of some of the partially severed muscles/ligaments. It's been a long, slow recovery. When I started the Kendo class, I couldn't do the full range of motion, had to limit how much power I put int the moves, and had to go at a slower speed. The doctor did seem to think that it would be decent exercise for the shoulder, though, as long as I was careful. Over the winter, the range of motion started coming back, but the strength just wasn't there. Then in April, I slipped on the steps and dislocated the finger. Those of you who saw the X-rays know it wasn't just a slightly out of place joint, but rather more of a "how in the hell did that bone get way over there" sort of dislocation. Six months later, that joint still (and will probably always be) looks swollen compared to the other fingers, and is a little tight when trying to make a full fist. But it's good enough that I can hold the shinai (practice sword) again, and over the last couple of months the shoulder strength has started returning (In July, I tried doing a push-up and couldn't. Now I can do about 15 before I start to feel too weak in the shoulder) so I've recently started going back to class after a long hiatus.
Last Sunday, they had a small tournament in Kutchan (the neighboring town). I went, just to watch. I'm nowhere near ready for competition- neither in strength nor skill. I found myself pressed into helping out. They needed more people to help run the rings. My job was to hold up a small sign when the judges called out a scoring hit. This turned out to be a good thing. I think I learned more about what they're looking for than I would have had I just observed, and it also kept me more focused on the matches instead of trying to take in everything that was going on.
Watching the tournament gave me a little more impetus to get get myself to class more often. I had been trying to go on Fridays (leaving the rest of the week for some cross-fit and kickboxing training in Niseko), and failing as often as not. I'll be going in on Monday and Friday nights, now. I consider it all part of the Jedi training.