Looking up

Last weekend, I was given a pair of sneakers, some sort of Nike, black with red symbols. They're flat underneath, with no heel to speak of, and I was itching to try them out, see if they were good to run in. Today I did...

I'm fairly happy with the way my iaido is going, I've been able to train that thing that feels the most important to me right now, which is zanshin, awareness, and fighting spirit. The technical matters are as they are, I need a lighter sword to become quicker, and there's little to change this close to the National Championships, but I've felt really disconnected, going through the motions. I need some more space than I am sometimes given, need to be able to go inside myself and find what I need to bring out.
I happened to be the one to lead both Monday's and Wednesday's training, which actually was quite beneficial as I could then change them to suit my needs. And, consequently, train the kata I needed, and leave the participants to theirs for a few moments now and then, doing my own thing. One needs a little time without supervision, to figure things out properly, or so I have found. They said they appreciated it, anyway.

Because our trainer in Kali Sikaran was at the Mandirigma Boot Camp in the Phillippines this week, Tuesday saw, well, me, sort of leading the training. But I've had training in suddenly having to do that before - iaido, anyone? I simply gauged the participants, figured one can always, always use a return to the basics, and off we went. It was very cooperational. It became a little more troublesome when more people showed up - at first it was me and the Two Brothers, then a guy who's had to be away for most of last and this term dropped in, and lastly a young woman, freshly committed to Kali Sikaran. So our skill levels were... uneven. But it worked out all right! After a creative and fun warmup, I took the two less experienced through some basics in double baston (double stick), showing them then some simple applications of that without weapons, the young guy joined the Brothers in kicking, punching and takedowns, and me and the young woman (whose name I cannot for the life of me remember, much less spell - I'll get there eventually, I'm just not very good with names) continued with some really basic defense against a straight punch, and later, a left jab, right cross, left hook (a hit that comes slightly from the outside-side of your head), and the "revenge" part of simply ducking underneath the hook, slamming one fist into the stomach of the attacker and then, once past them, slam your hand into their face just to push them away and make them flinch. She caught on really well!
We ended it with a nice and exhausting piece of workout, that certainly let me know I have some nice back muscles these days...

I was very happy to see on Thursday that Theo, the guy holding the Open Training on Saturdays, guest-starred as the trainer. We went through the oh so important basics of double baston; how to hold, how to hit, how to hit the very spot you need to hit - and that, dear readers, is something one needs to work on. There is a technique to it, as there is to everything, and by the end we'd started weaving it all together into a nice whole. We turned to empty-handed applications after that, which were very enlightening! There are so many good defences, and it is very nice to learn them, one after another, until they are completely internalised. However, with only one and a half hour, we didn't really get through all of his planned program, so, yesterday's Open Training included some repetition. And oh, was it good. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Those two hours might have been some kind of favourite in a long time. Five enthusiastic participants, one enthusiastic trainer, a lot of good new advice and knowledge, some positively humiliating takedowns, some really good tricks... it was great. My shoulders, and my throat muscles, are sore already (it usually takes a little more than just one day for them to start whining about having been used), despite the precautions I took! I love it, of course.
I had a friend along (let's call him Jax), who's trained karate, kick-boxing and other things, and is a devil at kicking, whether it be standing on the ground or flying through the air. He's dedicated to climbing now, and thus has excellent shoulder and core muscles - gratifying to work with, as there is less danger of hurting him. I've seldom had such a fun and excellent partner to work with for two hours straight. We could help eachother, and thank the powers that be for that! My kicks are absolute rubbish, even if I have the strength, but they are his forte. On the other hand, he's not too used to going in close, whether with attack or defence, but I've become quite familiar with that. So, a lot of fun was had! And I love "fighting" with my friends. Seldom do you see their true nature as then, and seldom can you behave like a young, overenergetic fox pup and still get out of it with a smile, a few bruises and no hard feelings.
It was rounded off with a few minutes of sparring, which was absolutely brilliant. Knife fighting, and finally me and Jax had the chance I've sort of been itching for for years! First round I won decisively, sneaking in under his arm and cutting him across his torso. Second round was quite even, and a lot of fun. No one really won, but no one really lost.
So we're both kind of hoping this'll be a recurring event! We had an after-training cup of tea/coffee, which is always great. When it was time to part, most of my mad energy (that always turns up after training) had begun to dissipate, and even though I was determined at first to take a little run when I got home, I eventually just dove into bed and slept for about ten hours. Not straight, I woke up now and then, but, more or less.

It might have something to do with being social, being out amongst people for two days in a row (had to get some art supplies on Friday and therefore had to brave the crowds), and training with great enthusiasm for two hours...

Today, the sun was out from early morning, and I felt the familiar itch in my whole body. I needed to run...
The problem was, I'm a bit hesitant to get out twice in a day (social anxiety and all that), and I did need groceries. I also did not want to waste time. Of course, I eventually wound up getting my trousers on, my new jogging shoes, put in a pair of in-soles that, to my great relief, works perfectly, pulled on my long-sleeved training shirt and grabbed my rucksack and went out. I took a detour, of course, running on the fields behind the house, and only a small distance on asphalt. Bought what I needed, stowed it in the bag, and took a longer detour back, on my favourite gravel and dust road. I ran a wee bit longer than strictly needed to get back home, but, turned as soon as I started feeling fatigue in my legs. I need to be careful, as I've said, now that I'm starting up this running thing again!

The first run in the "new" shoes turned out quite fine. They don't sit as snugly around the foot as I am used to, and their opening is wider than usual for me too. However, I can get used to that. It was nice that they were completely flat, and they gave me a little dampening but not the Mega Über New Technology sort that I really, really can do without... just enough that I can run on unpaved roads. So my running outfit is now complete: long-sleeved Nike training shirt that looks as new from a theatre sale, (probably fake) Adidas used trousers bought from an eBay-spinoff (not really worth the money, but that's auctions for you, and it's all made up by the other parts costing next to nothing) and used shoes. Not a new item in sight, except underwear and socks. I like it that way. Why ditch something that's perfectly useful? I wouldn't use the shoes if they'd been well-walked in, I'm aware of the danger in that, but, they aren't, so, I use them. Carefully, of course, but they do work.

My body is responding well, the shoulder is still painful but seems to like the varied training it is getting these days, and I had a long, admiring look at the lovely muscles on my legs the other day. Really, do take that time to look at yourself and admire all those bodyparts that are so strong, so gorgeous, that carry you through everyday life, trainings and pastimes! Not only are they gorgeous in themselves, but they are strong, and healthy, because you use them!

Yah, spring is here, training's looking up, my goal is now set to be at least a small run every day (ten to fifteen minutes will be quite all right for most days, though Fridays and Sundays might see me run longer) before next winter, and the National Championships is in two weeks time...
How are you doing, readers? Any new goals? Any new equipment to be fond of?

Snow and its benefits for my legs

Oh, but I do not feel in the right form at all for the national Iaido Championships in a month's time! My ticket may be booked but I feel as if I've just been going through the motions for so long now... as if there's no fighting spirit in my iaido at all. My body responds, my shoulder aches, but even that is nothing new... It is good, being able to help others, but this is for me one of those flat parts of a learning curve. Still! It will be lovely good fun to see all the others again. I hope. As long as I can take a breather in a quiet secluded spot somewhere, now and then.

I did go through the ZNKR Seitei gata on Wednesday though, and that was just as well. I haven't done so in quite a while. There's not much about them I like, but I need to be able to perform them well, and I daresay I have got a bit smoother action going on in some of them at least. I got a lovely bit of muscle soreness from Monday's practice, too, so that felt kind of good; I did something right, I guess.

Kali Sikaran saw me find out once again that something must be awry with my blood pressure. I'm a bit worried. Father is having is pacemaker "restarted" soon, so it does run in the family, and I don't like at all that I can keep up a good pace, and then, if I stop... suddenly, I go all weak and light-headed and feel faint. It is especially prominent when boxing or something similar. I figured it must be the breathing, so I made sure I breathed correctly.
It wasn't.
I feel very weak and insufficient. It gets me down when my body does not do as I order it to.

But, for all that, I am happy I went to all the four evenings of practice, and my body seemed to like it. I still can't get anything near visible "abs", my body may have them but they don't show, but that's all right... I look hot enough if I look in the mirror anyway.

I feel I need to work more on stretching - I am trying, but it seems so futile. Maybe fifteen minutes of stretching will do me just as much good as fifteen minutes of practice a day?

I also checked the time it takes to get to and from public transport, and I've found that there's not much difference in what route I take, or whether I catch the bus or not, at least not time-wise. So I might just walk a bit more often than I already do, though the road is fairly uninspiring.


Lastly, I missed Saturday's practice, because I was busy walking, striding, gliding and running around in a forest still miserably full of melting April snow. Now, I love snow. I do NOT love melting April snow that underneath it has branches and twigs, so that, when you step into what would, if the snow wasn't MELTING, perhaps have you sink a few decimetres in but now sees you bury your foot up to the knee or even the thigh, and get to what ought to have been the bottom, your foot just goes through that blasted layer of twigs so that you in fact sink up to your waist.... well...
Anyway. I was away larping, and because of the character, I did not huff, puff, bend or take easy shortcuts body-movement-wise. I strode, straight backed and certain, wherever I walked. Didn't matter if a pile of snow had me slipping down a slope, I was straight-backed, slightly smiling and perfectly balanced anyway. Ice was like a welcoming, red-carpet type of ground, as if made to carry me where I wished without slipping. Snow was merely something that bent to my will and flowed around me. Only at the very end... But those two single times, I ran, and ran, and ran, not being able in any way to care about what the snow hid or how deep it was, and even when once or twice I fell, it didn't stop the momentum forwards at all. I just kept on. It felt incredibly good, to feel the body working, and to be able to just bull rush forwards, not caring one bit. Part larp magic, part muscles is what took me through that.
...and today, I woke up with somewhat sore and stiff legs! In a good way, of course. So, it was a good workout too! Five hours of being straight-backed told me I need to think about my posture in everyday life, too! It all inspired me to find new ways of training that might reach certain muscles that can add to the strength of others that I use in my martial arts!

No questions this week - just a profound hope you've hade a good week and are looking forward to the next week as much as I am - at least when it comes to training!

Finding new muscles to be sore in

Ah, late again! But for a good reason, of course; I had one hand-in and one home exam/test, both of which were due yesternight, the one between Sunday and Monday.

I had a surprising amount of muscle soreness after my little forest jaunt, or then again, perhaps not so surprising. I forewent any more training that week, apart from the everyday things like chosing the stairs instead of the elevators and suchlike. My cough has finally eased up, and now only breaks out occasionally, once or perhaps twice a day. I was absolutely delighted to prepare my smoothie (made, this time, with two oranges, one apple, a lot of frozen berries, some pumpkin seens and a few hazel nuts and almonds, and two coffee measurements of proteine powder) and set off towards sparring practice on Saturday.

There were only me and the Fighting Furies, plus the trainer, which is a pity because hot damn it's gorgeous, lovely fun! I ended up partnering the trainer, Theo, most of the time, which I don't mind even though I always steel myself - I know how good he is, and how hard he hits.

We took a good look at kicking and hitting, and, again, this is something I really appreciate with these Saturday sessions. Theo knows the importance of going into the most basic of basics, and to build from there. He is good at showing, too, with his body how it is supposed to move. I daresay I finally got some idea of how to properly execute a hook, and uppercut!
Now, one would think that, as an iaidoka, I would have all the leg muscles I need, even after a two-week enforced rest. As my thighs, bum and other leg muscles all attested to when I woke up on Sunday... I do not. Executing a proper kick is tricky. Again, I am happy that I've been doing martial arts for so long, and that my "mitorigeiko", that is, learning by looking/watching, is fairly good these days. Getting the body to do it is another matter, but, hey...
I've had a lot of trouble with kicking, or rather, using my muscles correctly, keeping my stance and not get unbalanced. Now, however, I've felt what it's supposed to feel like, and know what I must strive for.

And that is important, in every physical thing one does - know what it's supposed to feel like, and look like, so that one can strive for it.

"Opening" the hips is a bit of a dodgy description, but it really is the best. Suddenly, I had balance! And lifting the leg correctly, rather than doing a dance-like swipe, as well as doing the quick kick rather than let it hang in the air... aye, it felt a lot better afterwards. Going back to basics is never wrong, no matter how advanced you are.

We donned gloves and did one of Theo's trademark "learn to move your legs, damnit"-exercises, which are always, always useful. Switching around partners was good here, because one of the FF, who is damn fierce and hits like a sledgehammer, nevertheless needs to move her feet a bit more, and when Theo, after explaining patiently, eventually actually puts you through some rather intense practice whether you think you're ready or not, you have to move your feet. ...and it feels a lot better avoiding his punches than standing there, taking them...
The ensuing easy sparring that followed was very enlightening. Distance, closing the distance, moving here and there, ducking, the "oh shit"-block, allowing your opponent to do their stuff, coming up with combinations... very enlightening indeed. It is worth going out of one's comfort zone, always, stop thinking and, well, as they say, "It is essential to let go of the mind". I think it is Mencius saying that. If you let go of the mind, it will be in all directions. If you put your mind in your hands, in one strike in "I must block", it will get stuck there, and you will be undone. (Yes, I have read "The Unfettered Mind" quite a few times and yes, I can almost quote it verbatim by now... still good, though).

We finished with using heavy sticks, and hitting hard. For longsword practice, we call it "tip control", but it is always the same, no matter if you call it "pulling your punches" or "stopping" or whatever. Hit with full force, but keep control so that you can stop within a centimetre from actually connecting.
It was, again, enlightening, to use heavier sticks and hit with full force. It does help, even when you're defending, because you really get something to defend against. And still your partner retains control, so that if you would be too weak, you'd still not get all blooded up.

I do have a bit of an advantage when it comes to parts of single-stick training, but I must always apply myself fully to what we are supposed to do. Single stick and katana are not the same, even if similar!


I write about Saturday's practice in detail because it was, as I've said, enlightening, and very rewarding. I may have felt very weak (two weeks, I say, two weeks of a stupid cold!), but I came there in good spirits, and left in even better. Even when it's tricky and hard, it encourages me to try even harder. And to have such an emotional state in relation to your physical exercises is important! It makes it all the better. Of course, you can't have it all the time, but to know that you have it sometimes, or at least feel it sometimes, is a very good spur to keep on, to not stop, and even to keep upping your own game.
I want them muscles, and I want them skillz, as they say.

This week, I wonder a little about what you do after training? When you're full of energy, endorphines and cheer, exhausted or not, mind clear or full of new things, what's your favourite after-training activity?

See you all next week, until then, good luck with your training!

To owe the body a rest

All in all it became a very active week - nine days altogether, with some kind of physical exertion every day. Sunday saw me confirm my theory of the possibility of skiing from the back door all the way to the sea, I would have done the same on Monday and Tuesday too considering the weather was just as stunning then, but having had the week I did, and knowing I was to be the trainer for Monday's iaido, and go to Tuesday's Kali Sikaran, I felt I had to forego skiing those two days...

Which is a pity, as there probably shall be no more skiing this winter. But there you are.

 The skiing tour took me over those glorious golf fields - glorious only because they are covered in snow and I don't have to see them, nor am forbidden to go right across them in winter. I followed a small brook, or perhaps a stream, on the northeast side of it, going past a house or two and then across field after field, interspersed with trees and the occasional track from the local wildlife. Actually... there was quite a lot of tree, both beside the stream and around, but everywhere the land was flat enough, there were fields. Eventually I saw the castle (a rectangular, tall building looking like a large house, to be honest, but I've nae been inside it yet), and noticed that I had some time to go yet before the bus would take me back. Now, I'd not normally have taken the bus, but as I said, I knew I had to let the body rest a little, even if I didn't want to.

So I walked (taking my skis off) across the road, put them back on, and found my way the last bit beside the stream and out to the sea, going past a picturesque red house or three on the way, delighting in the feeling of skiing right across another snowed-over golf course, seeing a couple of other skiiers in the distance (they, unlike me, seemed to do some sort of active effort of going fast and getting into physical shape, whereas I mostly... explore, and enjoy the nature around me...) and eventually finding a small collection of wood probably meant to moor boats by in the summertime. The sea was covered in ice, that was covered in snow, and I toyed with the idea of going out across it. It looked solid enough as far out as I could see, it was a rather protected little cove of a sorts, and there was a bus an hour later too... but I didn't have any sort of ice safety equipment, and therefore decided to just ski back to the bus.

Once home, I took a long shower, and, still grinning like a happy maniac, made myself some food. Because one really, really does need to eat as soon as one can after such an extended period of physical exertion.


After Monday's practice, I stayed behind a little and did some Chuden kata from Musou Shinden Ryu, just to work my leg muscles a bit more. ...yes, you can probably see the flaw in the plan here, you too. It wasn't really a bad plan, not really... but maybe I could have done some other kata, that weren't quite that taxing for the legs. The day after I definitely felt the strain and the lack of a whole day of resting them. But I knew the Kali practice was unlikely to be very hard on the legs, and I was right. So they didn't feel worse after that, just "as bad".

This influenced my decision to be a "roller" rather than a "carrier" when I packed my bag - I didn't want to put any unnecessary strain on my knees, and to be a bit careful about them. I went to my lovely Chalcatraz, and spent the Wednesday in good company. Thursday, though, I flitted about, here and there all over town, on a bike and on foot, and Visby may be lovely, but flat it is not. So I do count that as a bit more than the normal kind of everyday exercise!
Yesterday and today saw quite a bit of walking, and I haven't really felt I've missed the training, but that could be because of the resident cat... and the soreness in my stomach muscles after about 140 crunches in succession on Tuesday's Kali practice...

Well, all in all, nine consecutive days of glorious exercise certainly felt like a treat. I still wish I would have dared to go skiing on Monday and Tuesday too, but, I have learned the hard and bad way to listen to my body, and so I had to do this time also.
Have you ever foregone practice purely or mostly because you know your body probably could take it, but shouldn't? Or have you used it as an excuse, feeling a bit guilty - or, perhaps, felt guilty despite having a very valid reason?
I know I've been guilty to that very last part quite a few times.
Listening to what the body tells you is important, though it is important to know the difference when one can push through, and when one really needs to go a bit easier.

An all-round good training

I decided that those smoothies I came up with were worth doing, and so, I now try to keep some fruit at home, some frozen berries and also canned fruit. It is a good thing to be able to get something so filling in the stomach right after training, and the mix of ingredients once again gives relief from muscle soreness. Thus I make a new smoothie every time I go to Kali Sikaran practice, and have a sandwich after every iaido practice. It seems to be working out rather well, so far.

We all train for different reasons. One of mine is, very clearly, that it makes my body stronger, which I definitely approve of. For various reasons. Once, I worked hard at it because if I was to be superior to my tormentors in school not just in mind, but also in body, well, I'd have to work for it hadn't I. So I did. Then my knees got in the way until I discovered iaido, and...
It occurred to me many years ago by now, how much better I feel after iaido, and it has at times been the only thing that kept me going. I get edgy and skittish if I am unable to go to practice or train something. It is oh so easy to just sit still and try to fill my mind with something, to make it not go haywire or hurt. But practice, oh, once I get into the swing of it, there is no thing as good for clearing the mind and giving me the strength to go on, as training!

Iaido is particularily good for cleansing the mind. Kali Sikaran too, it seems, has the effect to clear my mind and calm me down somewhat. It is social in a wholly different way from iaido, and I seem to crave that. We may hit, punch and kick at eachother, but it is always done with respect and in the interest of mutual benefit. And I get to use my muscles to the very end of their strength - and that, often, is just what I need. With the way the public transport runs now, I also have about half an hour extra after training has ended, and I use it for extra exercises and stretching, and some socialising, and perhaps a bit accidental extra practice.
Yesterday I found a new nice tool for training - I think it is called the "t-rex", and the basic idea is two handholds on one string each, and then there's all manner of things one can do with those. The core-strengthening exercises were particularly brutal, and therefore, I must of course feel the urge to get one myself. My shoulders, too, had a nice time of being savaged and thus strengthened. I do appreciate meeting others who train, and especially martial arts. One can always share and learn from eachother!

To me, iaido and Kali Sikaran complement eachother in just the perfect way for me. I am overjoyed at the snow outside, and will definitely be exploring the area behind the house to see if I can find some nice fields to make tracks along, now that it's stopped being all thawy and icky again. I cannot run, as the way they keep the roads here... argh. Honestly, making them all spongy and sploshy, instead of letting them get hard and fast, so that one can run properly! But I can run in the apartment - yes, indeed, I discovered this after I returned after the holidays. It's not a big apartment, but if Nelson Mandela could run two kilometres every day in his tiny cell, then so can I in my apartment... All right, so I do not run every day, but the point is that I can, and I do, just to assuage my burning desire to run outside.

I like a good overall training. I love "finding new muscles", so to speak, and to learn how to work them, too. It does require cold showers afterwards, healthy food and after-practice eating, and good stretching, but once one gets into the habit of actually doing some sort of working out, one can just keep adding more if one likes.

So, like I said - the things I practice complement eachother quite well. Do you think about this aspect of your training at all, do you do it without thinking, or is it perhaps something you ought to think more about?
And - what are your methods to avoid muscle soreness, if you get it at all?