Swedish National Iaido Championships 2013

And I'm late yet again!
To my defence... it was six days of iaido last week. And this will be a long and rambling post.

Monday I was left pretty much alone, as I was on Wednesday. I tried to focus on Seitei Iai, the ZNKR kata, but it was pretty much just going through the motions and also trying to call up a proper fighting spirit. And I ought to have left well alone on Wednesday - my shoulder was acting up more and more, not showing any signs of letting up since last week, and the right shoulder decided to keep annoying me too. It felt reasonably good apart from that though.

Kali gave me a welcome respite from iai, and was interesting as always, though the commuter train had the audacity to make me an hour late - if ever I get annoyed and start thumbing that Buddhist rule of not letting my anger flow, it's if something hinders me getting to practice... And there I was, stuck on a train between stations - had they only told me a little earlier, I could have got off and taken an alternate route, but oooh no!
There was a lot of focus on defense against a barrage of hits, and taking "revenge".

Anyway. Thursday morning dawned and I got up after about three hours sleep. Flying went well, I used every trick I have to get all my luggage along with me - I'd forgotten to book an extra luggage, you see... and the sword case took up the one slot I had. Going to the plane restroom in ordinary trousers and hakama over them is a challenge, but one I have done previously and never failed at. I wanted to bring two sets of keikogi to the seminar, but, alas. Training and competing in the Swedish National Iaido Championships would have to take place in the same clothes.

Training was scheduled to start at midday, twelve o'clock, and after a bit of research I managed to hunt down a decent lunch salad and something for the pauses between practice.
The seminar was opened, and I took a spot that turned out to be rather unlucky. The cold light, the blue floor and the wall plus some low detachable black wall with text on it... I was wobbling as much as I would have done had I been severely ill. It wasn't so much not having anywhere to really focus my eyes on, it was more the fact that all around me seemed to be a blurr and instead confuse the eye.

I was in enough pain that I had to explain several times over the weekend that yes, I know I am doing a rather wonky cut, yes, my angle is wrong, but my shoulder is painful enough that most people would scream. I had liniment, Voltarol and Arnica salve and applied them all at every opportunity.

The ZNKR kata were gone through thoroughly, and there were actually one or two changes... none that I liked. In the number ten kata, there is now a mandatory little step after the first thrust, which I am having trouble implementing. I know Henry-sensei does it without any effort, but I've always just glided through that part, and never had to worry about taking some odd step to get back onto the "line" again.
We were nitpicked upon by various sensei, paired up and went through ZNKR kata ourselves and at the end of the day, were all thoroughly exhausted. I felt the first tinges of feeling rather lucky about being of such a reasonably high grade as I am, and I definitely felt lucky about actually getting some pointers here and there. It happens seldom... but I had a lot. Radakovitz-sensei especially seemed to zoom in on me quite often. I appreciated this a lot, and his explanations invariably made sense and made me try harder, try differently and try to better myself.

Friday saw more of the same but in a better hall, with wooden floor and better lighting. My shoulder almost had me give up entirely at the end of the day, and indeed, I did fewer kata and even skipped one or two entirely, to save myself for the Saturday. Regardless, I had by then got a lot of things to work with, and it was good trying to figure them out and change my forms.
The judges seminar for a lot of the afternoon gave some good advice and training for both senior and junior judges. There've been some policy changes there too. I did wriggle out of actually judging the competitions and gradings though - I don't think I'd have done a very good job, especially not with all those people watching intently. Panic attack anyone?
The very last hour that day, I caved in and said "to hell with pain" and did some koryu. That felt very good. I always cheer up when doing koryu. I tried to figure out which I would do if there were koryu allowed in the competition, but eventually, I wrote text messages to three sensei and asked them.
They, of course, on Saturday, all gave different answers...

As on Thursday, I fell asleep rather early, and despite the fairly hard floor I slept hard and long (well, until the alarm went off).
I felt I might not have got quite the warmup I'd have liked on Saturday but, I did well. After watching the godan matches, we sandan were up next, in the pool matches. And, to my pleasure, I did far better than I usually do, and went on to the knockout matches.

...for more on how iaido competitions work, ehm, I'm going to have to ask you to go to YouTube and Wikipedia. It's fairly easy but I tend to get lengthy in explanations. Quick one: Two squares, one red, one white. Three judges with two flags (one red, one white) each. After predetermined set of kata are done, judges raise flag for the iaidoka who did, in their opinion, best.

I was far less nervous than I usually am. Now, I don't get all flustered mentally, but, the body reacts in some nasty ways, with increased heartrate and other annoyances. It usually abates after one or two matches, which, really, one doesn't exactly have the time for... So I countered this by imagining that it was I who stepped forth to do the matches before it was my turn. Thus the body and mind had worked through the worst of the nervousness by the time I walked up to the starting line.

I did decent to really good iaido in my two pool matches, winning three flags in one, and none in the other (and that last one against the guy who came second in sandan class). We were set to do Ipponme Mae, Nanahonme Sanpogiri, Kyuhonme Soete-zuki, and in the knockout matches, one of our own choice (so naturally I went straight for koryu!) and four ZNKR kata.
After lunch and the advice from a fellow female iaidoka (can you imagine? There were TEN of us present at once! Or even eleven, I think! For one who's usually alone in the changing room, this was glorious. To be able to chat about iaido and kata and keikogi before and afterwards... it was great) to do Ukigumo rather than Seichuto (or Inyoshintai, which one sensei advised against because "the shorter the kata the less that can go wrong") since I had a flow that was apparently quite good, I was up against Jesper "Redbeard" Waldestål.
And I didn't care. I was so set on winning, killing, getting at least one flag, winning the Fighting Spirit prize, that I did absolutely great. Probably my best match ever.
My Ukigumo (a Chuden kata, no less! So something usually done only by yondan and up) was as flawless as I can get it (with my current skill level), and I even did well on the Seitei gata (ZNKR kata). "Had it only been the koryu kata, you'd have won without question," said my friend who'd helped advise me on which koryu kata to choose. And that cemented my good feeling. He's pretty much unbeatable anyway, and him being better at Seiteigata... I couldn't care much less! Koryu is where I excel and is what I like anyway!

I did great. I did outstanding iaido, I got beat 3 flags to none and I felt great.

I helped the other person from my club Kensei to iron out some last little details on his kata, was miffed when he lost out but after the course of the succeeding matches I watched him in, figured out new things for him to work on.

The finals were exciting, really, and two women took the indisputably well deserved first places in Mudan and Shodan class. But other than that I wasn't too surprised at the winners, who are known to me since many years by now. Great iaido was had, and many good details setting the participants apart were noticed. Oh, and, of course, Jesper won, with Patrik, whom I lost to in the group/pool matches, came second. I only get beat by the best!

Sunday was interesting, with team competitions taking place. Me and Micke, Kensei One (and Only, spot the geek reference), were surprised but very happy to get second place in our group, as we were a two-person team rather than a full three-person team. We did great though. In knockout round one we were beat, but we could definitely have done worse. It's hard to beat such a good team as that one, and, they came second in total.

There was the usual bit of after-competition trotting around and receiving and giving advice and compliments, I was very pleased to see Micke without any greater difficulty passing his nidan grading, and then goodbyes were said.


Between matches and even when not competing oneself, it is hard to just sit still and do nothing, so, one gets a bokuto, or one's katana, and does a bit of warmup, or a bit of trying new things out... So, I was understandably physically exhausted on Sunday evening. And mentally, too - focusing so much during so many days, and being around people non stop, took its toll. I think it's good I didn't go directly back to my home, since now, I couldn't do any iaido on Monday even if I wanted...

My shoulder is still sore, still stupid. It was driven home to me that in order to progress in skill, I need and must have a new katana - shinken, preferably. Even with muscles enough to handle my current, I need it.
Having so many people tell me that in so many ways felt a lot like "Your body is not good enough, you need to change everything about it" though... and it actually hitting home (which it never does with me, and never really have). Ouch.
My knees are happier after so much exercise. I can tell I need to work more on exercises that strengthen the muscles around them

All in all, a good seminar and a good National Championships. I am very proud over how well I did.

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?

A little on fighting spirit

Again, a late post, and again, with good reason. The weekend was spent away from my little burrow, until very late in the night of Sunday to Monday.

Last Monday, and the one this week, I held the training in iaido, and chose to focus on the ZNKR Seitei gata, that is, the twelve kata that are sort of international and common ground for the majority of iaidoka in the world. The Swedish National Championships are coming up and though I can't be bothered worrying about more than taking at least one flag (it's possible to have zero, one, two or three in a match, as there are a maximum of three in one match), or fighting for a medal in the sandan (third dan) class, I am going to fight for the Fighting Spirit award. That, to me, means more than any medal - a medal means "merely" technical superiority, a good show, a good match... but the Fighting Spirit award, well, that means one beat everyone else, in one's class or the whole competition, depending on how many they hand out. And that one has a good grasp of the technique, and that what is most important, which are, maai, mind of iai and, well, fighting spirit, is something that one has to a greater extent than anything else.
I realised that it means this to me when I won it two years ago.

Nevertheless... I must be proficient in the technicalities of the Seitei Gata, and so I chose to focus on three last week, and three other kata this week. It is good to see the other participants become better during one lesson! Very rewarding, for me and hopefully also for them.
Wednesday saw our sister club in Linköping send three participants to a very rewarding koryu practice, where, although our sensei focused on helping them, I still found useful new knowledge.

Tuesday and Thursday saw Kali practice with different foci. Yet, in that martial art, since everything is linked in different ways, the more time I spend on it, the more it is like a big, multi-layered jigsaw-puzzle coming together. With or without weapons, the movements are similar, for all the right reasons. I'm happy to say that despite heavy use of arms and shoulders, my muscle soreness wasn't too bad!

I've been looking around for a pair of running shoes, so as not to ruin my rather nice pair of sandals. A friend gave me an old pair of fairly battered sneakers (some kind of Nike ones) which I am aching to go out and try. I'm planning on having my first run in them on Friday - I want to step up my training regime to have a run every other day at least, but I know I need to be a little careful, my knee have been acting up as well as my shoulder, and with new shoes and after the forced winter hiatus on running... It pays to be careful.
Am also possibly going to look into the idea of "chi running" or whatever the name was... sounded fairly similar to barefoot style running, but some kind of a variant. I spoke with a friend you see, and, I'll get back to you on that matter...


Regarding what I wrote about earlier, the fighting spirit thing - it is important to have the right mindset, whatever one is training. It will be far less efficient if one is merely slugging on, going through the motions, no matter what one is training! To me, going to the gym is akin to torture. Boring, drab, uninspiring. I have tried using a mindset of "but it will benefit my iaido!" but that has not worked. In martial arts, I can directly link action to result, I know that what I do is useful, or, in the case of iaido, damn cool because I'm waving a flippin' katana around (to speak loosely and rather carelessly here). There's something about martial arts that not only gives my body exercise, but also my mind. Straightens it out, helps me focus. I can see a direct use of what I do.
And with martial arts, well, they are martial, aren't they? Fighting is in their nature, self-defence or what ever you wish to call it. In iaido it is ever so important to have that fighting spirit, not showing it by facial expressions, but by exuding it. You have no (physical) opponent. Yet it must be clearly seen that you are fighting an opponent. You must act at all times as if you were a warrior, not a fighter, and a warrior at ease with their skill and awareness. Zanshin! And when there is violence, you give it your all, without losing focus, poise, control or awareness. Perfect focus. Perfection.
The idea of a Fighting Spirit award is immensely satisfying to me. All too often, that part of iaido falls by the wayside. Mind is important! Mind is even more important than body! With the right mindset, your life will be right. And with the help of said mindset, I walk the streets more safely, I train Kali Sikaran with greater focus and reward, and I live my everyday life a better way.

...I got a bit philosophical there.
So, how do you find that a mindset can affect training? Do you have good examples, bad examples, examples from ordinary gymming, from martial arts? Tell me, I am curious!

Learning that one can learn new things

Well, look at that, I forgot to write last Saturday! Admittedly, it was a week without much outside of the ordinary, what with the snow beginning to thaw and all but the roads still being treacherous.

I was called upon to lead the iaido practice both Monday and Wednesday, and it went really well. I must say, something has changed in my brain, something just... worked. I tied together warmup exercises and the kata we did on Monday, and I am really pleased that both days, everyone seemed to have progressed in the end from where they were at the beginning.
On Wednesday, both the "ordinary" sensei came anyway, but we had agreed beforehand that they were to focus on their own practice. This, I think - no, I know, in fact - was a very good idea. They, as sensei, need to keep their skills honed, and also to get a break if they start to grow weary of teaching. And more importantly, they as iaidoka need to keep their level of skill and understanding. I am very proud to have been able to give them an opportunity to not be the teachers.

In regards to my other martial art, I am quite fond of being a beginner, I must say. There are many new things to learn, and over and over again it is proven to me that I can learn them. I listen to and watch the explanation and demonstration, try out the first tentative times, and then me and my partner both gain confidence and understanding, and at times we even get quite good at the specific move or exercise in question!
I believe that to be a very important part in anything, really - to accept that there is always something more to learn, to embrace the same fact, and to encourage oneself and others to strive to learn these new things. And, to enjoy the process, no matter how bitter or hard or painful it may be!  With "enjoy" I do not necessarily mean in the laughing, smiling, satisfied way. It could also be the knowledge of an obstacle cleared or that one perseveres even though things look bad - and the knowledge that one actually did persevere.

This was again something I really felt during Saturday's "open practice" hours. It was two hours of mercilessly building things from the ground up. And at the end, all of us used both hands, with weapon or without, stick or knife optional, for attacking as well as defending, and moved about quite a lot in a way we've been badgered to do for quite a while. It took all of those two hours, but great thanks go to our trainer for finding just the right exercises to put piece after piece into place, making it a fine puzzle indeed once finished! At first, everything felt... too much.  "Well, I'm decent at this and that, but all of this... give me a few months, and then maybe..." We had the general gist of the idea of things. But at the end, we moved instead of thought, and learned from our mistakes, having passed "gate" by "gate" of learning. All fitted together, and for me, something that had been building since months, fit into place and I felt really good afterwards. I couldn't describe exactly what that would have been, only that... something suddenly seems to have put me on the right path in regards to my other martial art beside iaido.

I have been having trouble sleeping lately, which I suspect may be due to some medication. Last night I didn't try anything external (such as calming tea), but instead went to bed rather early, and refused to get up (except for the bathroom), insisting on falling back to sleep every time, until half past eight. Well, at least I felt rested for a few hours... before feeling sleepy again. I'll just wait and see. I've found a strategy that works at least.

Over to you, then - do you find that sometimes you simply cannot do an exercise or the like, right away? Or perhaps, the other way round!
The idea is there, you understand the theory of it (more or less) but it takes ages to get it? Unless you have the opportunity to do seemingly almost unrelated exercises, building up towards finally doing the entire exercise, and then you suddenly get it? Or, perhaps you have never had the chance to do just that, instead having to rely on hard work to see you through to "understanding"?

Fun in training

Monday's iaido practice was certainly one of the better I've had lately, intense and focused. Not as good as last Monday's, but good all the same. Some of it was led by the sensei, but other parts were "do this kata, I'll come around if it's needed" and I definitely managed to focus quite well. I may have ironed out a few details too, that I've been having trouble with. Wednesday, however, something upset my stomach, and I had to stay in bed.
Tuesday and Thursday were given over to Kali Sikaran, of course, and oh my did I have fun. I was exhausted after Tuesday's practice, and found out that 10 oz gloves get really, really heavy after a few hours of hitting people and things, and acting as a punching bag, or blocking... etcetera. Lovely. Though my blood pressure did that odd thing that happens sometimes when as soon as I calm down, I feel close to fainting, and have to sit down for a while. Bloody annoying.
Thursday, oddly enough, we were only three at practice. This meant a lot of focus on details and techniques. Some kadena de maño, some knife fighting, mostly, and I had my one Valentine's Day greeting: me and Jen were practicing cutting eachother over the chest with mockup knives (before learning to block such a proper cut), and suddenly grinned. In Sweden, Valentine's is called something which is translated something like "All Hearts' Day/Day of All Hearts" - thus making cutting eachother's heart out quite funny indeed! Quite cheering, which gave us new energy and focus.

I feel a bit guilty that I haven't made use of the snow that's been lying thick outside, but I really haven't been feeling up to going outdoors for anything but "musts", which have been going to training, this week. My social phobia seems quite mild compared to before, those times I go out with such a definite goal in mind. I did make up for it a little by going to Open Practice (Security Fitness) for its two hours today. And it was great fun! Nastily (and therefore awesome) exhausting warmup and strengthening exercises, and then, variations on the same fighty theme with empty hands, knife and stick. The theory behind it was also explained, which is always beneficial, at least to me. It was all finished with an "all on one" circle - one person in the middle, the others around, making attacks that the center person meets with, well, anything, really. It is a very good exercise, helping one to not get a narrow focus, meet a variety of attacks and learn to take hits - we used soft padded sticks, for example, and so, a bop on the head when I didn't manage to block an overhead hit was a good lesson rather than annoying or painful. One learns to act on instinct instead of over-think, and, if having a weapon, using it. In Miyamoto Musashi's way of thinking, taking over the initiative from your attacker.

So as you can see, I've been having fun in practice lately. Sometimes it seems pure drudgery, and then one have to push through no matter what. And sometimes, one feels elated and happy and, well, one has fun! It has kind of been what's been keeping me alive lately.

And this aspect of training, fun... Do you have fun, training? Do you have any ways of making your training fun, do you ever do that, or, is it perhaps something you've never thought of?
I have of course spoken at length about the joy of running, the lovely feeling of cleansed mind after iaido and so on, but... sheer fun, that's a bit different. Joking too much must not be done, because that frazzles concentration and focus, but still - sometimes you need some smiles, some grins, some laughs, or at least something that just feels... well, fun, amusing. So what're your takes on that?

Careful training to ease pain

I am still uncertain what caused the shoulder pain from the nether regions of whatever hell there might be. But by switching to using the left hand almost exclusively, taking care to avoid putting stress on it, I managed to make it less hurty. That Wednesday I had to carry a lot, but I set my mind on iaido practice, and it worked fine enough. I had trouble with several movements - oo-chiburi was nigh on impossible, for example, and at times noto as well. I used only a bokuto, therefore, but, since I led the beginners' practice, it was quite all right and possibly better. I could focus on helping them instead of showing them. The shoulder felt less stiff and sore afterwards, though the pain was a bit worse. Thursday's kali practice went surprisingly well, and I had moments during the day when there was no pain at all, in fact. I kept my mind on relaxing and not unconsciously hunch up, during the day. We used the escrima sticks, single or double, which was a bit tricky until the shoulder seemed to limber up - once again, there was pain afterwards, and it didn't like carrying things, but it felt far less sore and stiff. I worked hard during practice, which was an absolute pleasure, and I had the chance both of going in-depth in how I did my stickwork (...what a word!) and going all-out with a padded stick together with another beginner. She and I are quite different in skill level and what we are good at, but she is always good fun to have as a partner! I like that about the kali, there is always so much variation. And the next day, I felt my shoulders had really worked the day before, which I take as a very good sign. It is a personal quest for me to strengthen them both! I must say it seems to me I have begun figuring out how to focus to learn new things. It's something like having a switch or gauge in my head/mind, that I have to carefully fine-tune, and focus on at all times (my mind is rather fond of wandering). It seems as if this is slowly helping me to become better to "learn by seeing" in a new way in iaido, too, and possibly "by doing" too, but I shall have to wait until I am able to try to learn a new kata before I can test that theory. It is good to feel that mind and body are coming to be more and more in harmony with eachother. Not that the mind necessarily feels all spiffy and good, or the body, but, they are far less separated. I have not experienced the "steering myself from above-behind myself" feeling for quite some time! I wish I had the time for a run today, the weather is gorgeous, but I shall have to content myself with a walk, and iaido practice tonight! The shoulder is still painful, but I keep being careful. I think I know where the pain is, but, there isn't much to do. Except try to convince medical authorities to give me a cortisone shot, I guess. Have you been injured or ill lately, and what did you do, or what do you most often do, when that happened/happens?

Update after a while of quietude

It's been quiet here for the past two weeks, hasn't it? It is due to the phenomenon known as "midterms", which had me swearing and whinging quite a lot. Summarize and discuss the Viking Age in no more than two pages? For an archaeologist with a specialty in the area? I made it, of course, but it was a hard task. I haven't been avoiding my practice, though! That weekend did admittedly see me mostly sit still and study, but I took a few walks. Monday saw iaido practice, mostly koryu, and Wednesday also, although, I was the one to lead the beginner's training then, and consequently did not exert myself quite as much as usual. Not that I didn't do anything and just walked around shouting instructions, but it is a natural consequence that one doesn't do as much as a teacher as when one is a student. Tuesday meant Kali Sikaran, with a lot of stick fighting (escrima, if that sounds more familiar to you). I had a bit of trouble, I don't know why, but I felt somewhat craptastic and unfocused, no matter how much I tried. We focused mostly on one or two different "kapkas", I think they are named, which are sequences of hitting that can be used with or without weapons. It was very rewarding, and also, I was amused to feel sore in my torso muscles - I seldom do, but clearly these movements woke up muscles I don't use as much. We finished by an all-on-one, which meant everyone moved around one person with one mitt, and feigned a cross hit attack, to which the "attacked" responded with a certain sequence of blocks and strikes. It was great fun and very rewarding, though my defensive nature kicked in and I think I may have been a bit too good at avoiding getting fenced in at all... which wasn't really what the exercise was about. Next time, I'll try and stay put and just defend myself. Thursday we had one of the most senior Kali Sikaran practitioners there is, as a guest trainer. It was quite different. His charisma and way of leading is quite different from our usual one's. He divided the group, though, with the two most accomplished in one corner, and us other three (and our trainer) in another. It was a good choice, I think, as it meant the other two could really get some extra challenging practice! And I enjoyed very, very, very much to get the chance to practice with out trainer. He is a very good partner, and I find him very skilled at gauging and adapting to the skill level of those he trains with, while never giving an inch and always challenging you. Also, his way of explaining really works for me. The Katalong Guro showed us several long chains of attacks, defenses and so on, and we took them in quite large chunks before putting them together, or using a variaion. Very rewarding, but oh, I felt quite frustrated at my own ineptitude sometimes! Which, I must point out - was a good thing! Because, it reminded me of how one should deal with such setbacks and emotions. Not give in to them, but accept them, and transcend them in a way. Accept, and then grit your teeth and fight. Do, do again, and do it until you can do it correctly. Never sag and give up. Accept your ineptitude, listen to the trainer, try it this way and that, do it slowly and deliberately, until your body begins to understand what you want it to do. So I am very grateful for my ineptitude and frustration! It lead to something good. In the end, we were all quite cheerfully (though, of course, in a focused manner) blocking, attacking, kneeing and tumbling to the floor. It was very interesting, very challenging and I am happy I had the opportunity to train with a different trainer! And of course, the day after I felt a little sore in my muscles, as it should be! That, I expect, will also be the case tomorrow - it seems to take me about two days, or one and a half, to get the after-effects of a hard time's practice. And yesterday, I was the one to lead the iaido practice, and I wasn't a nice trainer yesterday. I started out a little tetchy, but with some good reason - standing around talking to the previous users of the hall in the dressing room is NOT what you should do five minutes into the practice time has begun. So I drove them, and myself, hard. Lots of things that had our legs beg for mercy, and then some more. And I had that as a bit of an underlying theme - use your thighs, and use them well, and use them all the time (I also had a bit of a focus on weight, as I consider 55% on the front leg, and 45% on the back leg, as being the very least of a proper weight distribution you can use in iaido. You want to be pressing forward, prepared to spring and never once let your weight fall onto your back foot). You need to use them to do proper iai, and when we finally went from excruciating (well, more so for them than for me, but I've got a head start) bokuto exercises to ordinary kata practice, I kept nagging them about this. And, I think it worked quite well, everyone did the five first Musou Shinden Ryu kata quite well in the end. But they looked a bit stiff-legged afterwards. It is so very important to use the thighs, and not just shuffle around on the floor. You have to really use those muscles, never once letting your body take the easy way out. In the end, I think the best thing we managed was to straighten a certain issue of balance and weight distribution out, in Inyoshintai. So, I am happy. I have practiced evil-sensei-happy-smile, so I think I'm getting quite good at being one. This weekend saw me travelling, and thus not much in the way of conventional practicing was done, but certainly a good amount of carrying and walking up stairs. No running to trains this time, though, but that is one spontaneous bit of exercise I can really, really do without, for the sake of my mental health. Tonight, it will be Kali again, yay! I hope we're not going to do too much Sikaran, though... my legs do feel what I did to them yesterday. Heheh. ...now that I think about it, my shoulder hasn't been giving me much trouble since yesterday. I must have done something right when focusing for cutting. And though my toe is certainly behind, it often bends and doesn't quite follow instructions, it no longer hurts constantly. I take this all for being a good set of things. What have you been doing these past weeks? Have you ever had periods of practice where you focus on one particular group of muscles?

A bit on training others and oneself

One more late night writing, for your pleasure! My toe have gone through all manner of shapes and colours these past two days, including a neat blue-black-red streak that seemed to spread down to the space between that toe and the one next to it. I should have taken some sort of time-lapse sequence, with one hour between photos, I suppose. Iai was very little trouble despite this small injury, and we had a visitor who normally lives in New Zeeland, here to visit his parents. It is always fun to meet other iaidoka and discuss their takes in iai, see what and how and why they do things, and so on. This turned out to be no different. And of course, it is a small world, isn't it? This yondan (fourth dan) iaidoka from New Zeeland, whose parents live in Sweden, have met my beloved Ohara-sensei from Japan, and others that I know too besides. He has also practiced at a club where a guy who trains in the same Kali Sikaran group as I, used to practice. "Coincidence", people call it. There is no such thing. There is just a creeping suspicion that something is up. But back to important things! I have become quite adept at mixing together random things into edible and tasty stuff, often with a bit of squash/zucchini as key ingredient. This is good, as cooking is seldom something I do for enjoyment, but I sorely need to keep my every-three-to-four-hour eating habit up. I was the one that held the training for the beginners yesterday (Wednesday), which meant I did exert myself as much as I would otherwise have. But there were of course a proper warmup followed by core strengthening exercises, and so on. I tend to drive iaido beginners quite hard, if not unfairly. I expect them to make an effort, and if they do, it shows right away. You can tell the difference between pure lazyness/indifference and inability/struggling. Some people think this is not so, but I know when someone tries their best but their body or mind does not quite and entirely follow their orders, and, conversely, when people are probably just not interested enough to bother. And I am not nice, I suppose, in that I know the power of mind, and have very little patience with whinging people who constantly convince themselves they have every excuse not to do this or not to be able to do that. Especially when it comes to iai. By no means am I unfair to beginners, but I have sharp eyes. I do very much like to spread encouragment around me, though, and I make certain to tell people when and what they are doing right, which is perhaps less Japanese in mindset than what I described above. But, some beginners need to hear it, and it never hurts to tell someone that what they just did was good. You learn after a while. I am no expert, but I can figure things out. Regardless, I did feel today that I had exerted my leg muscles quite a lot this week. So I was a little relieved today, when during Kali Sikaran training, we not only did Sikaran (kicking) but also quite a bit of Panantukan (boxing, more or less) with and without mitts and gloves. I also wore a pair of new shoes, some kind of Asic wrestling shoe, I think, which after a very short moment's reflection I bought without even mentioning the price. I wanted good shoes, I need good shoes, and they are just what I want: split-sole, about as thin as I can get them and still have them stop my toes from getting bent again. And wide enough, I do not like shoes which squeeze my toes together. It was highly refreshing, but I was not as sharp and focused as I generally am. I think it may be because I took a whole anti-anxiety pill yestereve to be able to sleep, and this probably still had effect today and tonight. I know I was a bit drowsy today, even after I slept almost two hours longer than intended. There was also a bit of strengthening exercises, with some interesting boxing on people's stomachs to make them stiffen their muscles (and get used to getting beaten, even if we did it with gloves and rather softly), and while good, my shoulder doesn't quite permit me to do pushups the way I ought to. It is a delicate balance, for me, to be able to sleep I need help (or the brain simply goes into higher gear and I lie there and the Autobahn that is my thought processes - several lanes at the same time - go on and on and I never fall asleep), but I must be careful with what I use. Herbs are good, but tend to be less effective in chasing away unwanted dreams. Yet sleep I must or I cannot practice! Sleep, eat, hydration and training, I need them all to feel good. I had a period where I slept much too little and practiced, well, what was back then a bit too much. I did not have time or money to eat enough, and I couldn't figure out why I was always bone-weary and had nosebleeds all the time... Take my advice: Sleep enough. Eat enough (do it, damn you, muscles weigh more than fat anyway, if THAT's why you're exercising). Drink enough water (soft-drinks and the like do not, ever, count). And have fun while you're doing whatever it is you are doing. And now I shall drag my tired legs to bed, hope that the endorphines wear off and that my soothing tea will help me sleep. Tomorrow I may actually take a day off from training, or then again, I may simply do some core exercises just to keep it up. Over to you, reader - what have you done this week, and what was your favourite training-related thing that happened?

A more detailed look at an iai practice

Tonight's iaido practice was a rather intensive one, and for me it was a bit like going back to another club in the way it wasdone. Warmup started with a bit too quick a run for my tastes - it is supposed to be a warmup, and one starts slow, and then builds on that. But I did not lead it, so I had to follow. It was a rather good, all-round practice, with a lot of cutting excercises. About 200 cuts were made, with our iaito, only in excercises, and not counting warmups or kata. After running and abit of limbering up, we made the regular owing and mokuso (a sort of meditation for focusing) and so on, and then we did warmup cutting. Here, again, the pace was too quick in the beginning, but I must also point out that my sword is rather heavy, and I cannot cut as quickly as I ought to, at least if one looks to the combination of heavy sword and my injured shoulder. Cutting can be done in many ways. From standing positions, to turning and cutting. It is good to make certain one varies it as much as possible. The kata for this practice was, to begin with, one from the Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei (ZNKR) Seitei set of kata, number six, or ropponme: Morote-tsuki. After several repetitions (which was very good, as it allowed me to focus on it and go deeper into what I was doing and how and what I could do to make it better), we moved on to koryu, Musou Shinden Ryu Shoden kata, the first four, which are all from a sitting (seiza) position. I have been doing them for quite some time now, another there for as long if not longer, and the others for varying degrees of shorter time, between a few years to merely a few weeks. Why can iaidoka always practice with eachother? (More or less). Well, because regardless of how far you have come, the basics are always worth coming back to, again and again. And because there is no such thing as "leaving old kata behind". Now, there are many things to take into account when doing those seemingly simple kata. They are the four first, why would they be so complicated? Doesn't that sort of thing usually wait? No, not really. They contain several very important details. How you draw your sword is a basic skill, to do the essence of iai, and then protecting yourself when you lift your sword from nukitsuke to kiritsuke position... and so on. And the timing, especially - you cannot simply wave your sword around, you have to think about when, exactly, you do so. And the more you learn, the more you think, before something just fades away and becomes second nature (after which of course something new takes up the thoughts), and the more you use your muscles. Koryu requires more energy than Seitei kata, and I usually come away sweating quite profusely (which is uncommon for me!). The practice finished up with some cutting exercises again, standing still and moving, and then the usual wrapups. I took care to shower in cold water, as it really does make a difference (thank you Matthew of Genbukan Edinburgh for that insight!), and do some stretching. And eat a reasonably dark sandwich loaded with thin slices of ham, cheese and mushrooms. And then a half flapjack I had left since Saturday. And that, my readers, is why I am all cheery and babbling away. Before practice, I was half sick with terror and wanted to run home and hide again, but as soon as I get moving, it all falls into place!

A couple of days in the same post

There's been silence here for quite a few days, not because I have not done anything, but because what I have been doing has caused me to come back home very late. (As you can see on the timestamp of this post!) Monday was a good day, as it contained iaido. I turned down the "offer" (I was the highest ranking, so by rights I should have) of leading the practice session, because I really did not feel comfortable about standing in front of people and doing so. In the end, we decided on having free practice after the warmup. It turned out very well, and it was refreshing to just occasionally be asked questions, and not otherwise be disturbed. The front of my thighs felt tired afterwards, which was a great feeling. The warmup consisted of some running in which I partook with joy, and some other assorted things - core, crunches, pushups etcetera. And cutting. I focused on koryu, that is, old style iaido, and did every Musou Shinden Ryu Shoden kata twice (at least) and the Chuden kata that I know, too. I showered in cold water, but forgot to stretch the front of my thighs, hence the above tiredness! Tuesday saw me try out Wudang Tai Chi Chuan (martial art, rather than the meditative slow style), which was both as I expected, and not. I do like the softness of it, the deceptive ease with which longtime practicioners move, but the practice itself was a bit too lax for my liking. However, I shall try it again next Tuesday, since one should not judge it from once only. And today, again, iaido. I was itching for it, since yesterday's practice wasn't very physically challenging. The next to highest ranking iaidoka in our club was there (as usual on Wednesdays) and it is always inspiring to have him near. He is not necessarily nice, but he is just, and his kiritsuke (cuts) are the best I have the honour of seeing on a regular basis. Or, in my opinion, they are, but I am merely sandan (third dan). It is perhaps his strongest point, and my weakest, so I appreciate every time I am able to watch it. For, watching, and seeing, and analysing how others do their physical exercise, is also training of a sort! Regarding my own session, it was much the same as Monday's (...I am sleepy enough that I can't decide whether weekdays are spelled with large or small first letters; such is the price for living an hour and a half away from practice), except that I had the opportunity to show the kata we call "Evil-nami" by Stille-sensei. It looks deceptively simple, but it is truly evil. Watch the thumb, as they say, and with good reason - you will one day have a very sharp sword in your hand. After kata practice, we were told to use some interesting ways of traversing the floor, all of them core-strengthening exercises. Before, we ran around the room, which I must admit, I rather like these days. This new way of running is really my way. I can't wait until Friday when I'll go out and have a run in the nature! Or, perhaps not, if the Kali Sikaran practice turns out to be exhausting. But then, I'll do it on Saturday. In iaido, there is a lot more going on than your eye may catch. We have great exlposive and static strength, but it is also very beneficial for your focus. And as always, in "sports" that require concentration, if you have good stamina, it helps you immensely. So being a runner is good. As in all things, a well-rounded schedule of exercises is the best. Don't just focus on one thing, but remember that everything is a part of a whole! If you are mainly a runner, you still ought to do some core exercises, something for your back, and of course various things for strengthening not only the legs, but the buttocks and lower abdomen. If you prefer to lift heavy weights, you should still make sure to move a lot, running or walking, whichever you prefer. And stretching! One must not forget the most important part of the triad of strength, stamina and flexibility, which is the last.

After a pause comes exercise

And it did! Saturday was my "day off" again; Sunday I merely took a walk and did some household work (which to be honest can be quite good as a workout too, depending on what you do and how you do it), Monday I took a brisk and long walk and combined it with grocery shopping. After that, I Carried Heavy Things. I don't mean to, but I seldom manage to pack only what I need. I always add something extra, just in case. Often, I do need it, but not always, and it invariably leads to my bag being, well, heavy.
Tuesday was the time for another long walk, some part of it uphill. But Wednesday, oh, Wednesday brought good things! I had the chance to go for a run with mother, and we ran first for about fifteen minutes, took a very brief stop, and then for five or ten more before I had to concede that maybe I should be careful with my left knee after all. I walked for a while, until mother had turned around and began jogging back, after which we ran for I have no idea how long. All in all we ran for more than thirty minutes, and though my lungs are not on par with my muscles, it still felt very refreshing and good. And I can be fast, too, when I sprint! After this I did just a few crunches, back exercises and some core, nothing much really.

We topped that off with a swim (yes, a swim - an old limestone quarry where once, in a busy summer's day, you might see one or two other families there, and you probably knew them, but now... there's space for three hundred cars (supposedly...), toilets, recycling stations... well, while it's good these facilities do exist, I would gladly smack the blogger over the head who made this place public. Well, that person, and the one who mentioned it in a radio programme, and in a magazine, and there probably was some idiot on tv, too... But, on the twelfth of September, there was only us. A bit chilly, but lovely and refreshing.

Today, Thursday, saw a bit of an interesting event. Mother and I decided to go kayaking. We decided on a good route that would take about two hours altogether, maybe a little more, and then set out. We went out on the east coast of Gotland, and had wind blowing from land, out to sea. It was, at times, fairly hard and steady. This made for some interesting waves and, in places, some very interesting currents. Nothing too tricky or especially scary, though, but still, it was rather harder going than expected, and even I was glad for the tailwind when we paddled back after a sandwich on land. It turned out the outgoing journey took a bit more time than expected, a delightful detour some short distance up a small brook took some time too, and when we returned, it was clear I was not going to be able to go to the shooting range, where I had been offered to have a go at a rifle and moving targets. But, it was a great day nevertheless and I feel most pleasantly tired. I hope this means I shall sleep better tonight than I have lately!
I prefer long lazy swells to the smaller cocky waves we had most of the time today. It just feels so nice to speed across them. The smaller waves make balancing harder, which of course gives you more work for your muscles, but still.

Kayaking is a very nice thing to do, but one is a fool if one believes it is all about arm strengt. Yes, arm strength does play a part, but if you use only your arms, you will tire in no time at all! You should endeavour to use your shoulders (always roll them back, don't hunch!) and even your torso! Tighten your stomach, straighten your back and don't forget to use your legs for balance - but don't stiffen up too much, or you'll lose your balance that much easier. Having some kind of strength in your fingers is recommended, too, and if you didn't think one has muscles in the hand, then I strongly advice you on taking a wee look on a schematic over the muscles in the human body. Which, by the way, should give anyone an excellent view of how everything is connected, and everything affects something else!


This little post should also point out that doing something else now and then is nothing bad. Deviate from your usual training regime. Take a day with looong walks, or let moving house count as strengthening training. I didn't just let go, I picked it up again despite taking it easy for a few days. And I took the chance of doing something completely different (kayaking) from what I can normally do, which puts everything in perspective - I practice other things, therefore I have muscles that allow me to do this other thing as well! Try something new now and then, either for finding a whole new thing, or just for a detour into unknown lands. It gives new energy to continue with what you're already doing, or, it may spur you on to keep going.

Back to iaido

It was a close call, but I managed to go to iaido practice tonight. It was worth being a little fuzzy in the head after half an anti-anxiety pill.
Wednesdays means beginner's practice, which today, meant two beginners and the rest of us practiced by ourselves. Being sandan (third dan) I occasionally broke off and helped the others, while our sensei took the beginners through the correct way of standing, holding, cutting and so on.

Practice usually starts with twenty minutes of warm-up which segues into strengthening excercises, many of them the same as I do on my own. Then, it is time to get our swords. I am happy to say I did not lag behind or feel exhausted! And, my body is starting to look again like it ought to, and feel. It is especially important I keep my muscles well excercised so that I don't go back to having chronic pains in varius parts of the body.
I do feel something in my left knee, the one with which I have always had the most trouble (probably somewhat due to me breaking that leg in school once, and it not healing for about three months - it was a bad fracture), but such is always the case when I do the koryu kata (old, historical style iai) of the Chuden level. They do put a lot more strain on the left leg, and it doesn't feel any worse than after any half-long amount of time during which I have not done them.

I have been doing iaido for... well, it's more than eight years now. It very nearly never fails to make me feel more centered, secure, happy, calm, cleansed and energetic. If in doubt, do iaido. I could never excercise or train just "because", I need a proper reason for which the results of such training would be beneficial. And for me, that is iaido. Whatever I do that strengthens my body (and mind!) it directly affects my iaido in a positive manner. There could be no better incentive, for me.

Also, because I like it, I jogged home from the bus. Not far, but still.

Eating has not been anything out of the ordinary today. A vegetarian schschszhcnitzel and rice with maize, peas and sweet pepper was the dinner, and I had a dark ryebread sandwich with sausage, cheese and sweet pepper after practice (and two small pieces of chocolate, to reward myself for facing the horrors of the commuter trains).

Late August run

Like I said in the first post, the book "Born to Run" certainly did wake me up. But it's not gospel, and to each their own - remember that! For me, it was easy to change my running style, and something I was able to do in about a week, but that was mainly because I didn't really have one! And the muscles I had developed from my iaido martial arts practice coincided very neatly with being much of what I needed to run "barefoot", or, on the balls of my feet rather than the heels. So before you go and run barefoot on asphalt for many kilometres, read the book, think about it a little, and use your old sneakers instead. They'll be formed after your feet well enough. If you want to go with Vibram Five-Fingers, go ahead, but be prepared they require a different set of muscles than ordinary running.

With that said...

Today, around dinnertime, I realised I needed groceries. I'm a bit of a recluse, and I was supposed to meet a friend today, but the thought of going there by public transport for two hours one way, in rush hour, paralysed me, so I had to give that up. Instead, I dug out old but serviceable shorts and a t-shirt, and strapped on sandals and a backpack, and set out.

The way there is mostly asphalt, but I took a detour through a small area of trees with a nature trail up and down a hill. It is clear my fitness is not on top, but I didn't stop and walk. It's probably merely a kilometre or two to the store. After shopping, I took a detour back, with a nice slow uphill climb for the last part. Again, it was no more than a few kilometres, so when I arrived back home I put the yoghurt in the fridge and set out into the woods behind the house. They are, let me tell you, not well-trod. It is a great pity, but I shan't be able to run there very much, which strands me with a fairly drab set of asphalt road for beginning and end to every run.
Regardless, when I got back from my jaunt in the forest (it was fun dodging nettles and fallen trees) I felt I had energy to spare, and was high as a kite on the joy of running.

I have also done three sets of crunches, 12 times each of straight and double-side, three sets of varying back-lifts (twenty or so repetitions every time), shoulder excercises with a red rubber band (three sets of every excercise, one-sided and double-sided after eachother), iai goshi ups and downs (standing in iai goshi and going up and down, with the front knee in static position above the heel), some cuts with my iaito (about a hundred I'd say, slow and faster), core excercises (standing with straight body on toes and bent arms, I have no idea what the name is in English) and so on.

I had set the timer at twenty minutes, to encourage myself that it really wasn't a lot of time to waste, just twenty minutes, hardly anything really! I may have gone on for five or ten minutes more, because it felt good. I did a little stretching, but far too little.

Eating today has been:
a bowl of yoghurt with various nuts, puffed unsweetened rice, half an apple, dried cranberries, crushed linseeds and pumpkin seeds
dark rye (?) bread with cream cheese and sausage
tea <3 (black, one cup in the morning, and then herbal teas - I know what caffeine late in the day does to me...)
bowl of salad with one mushroom, one tomato, Gouda cheese, mozzarella cheese, cashew nuts

Painkillers used:
none, yay!

First post

Snappy title, eh!

This is a blog that popped into my head during a jaunt in a rather snaggy forest with few clear paths, after I had ran to get some groceries, taken a detour to get home for the sheer joy of running and then didn't even stop to put the yoghurt in the fridge before deciding that what the hell, that forest behind the house, how bad could it be?

It turns out I am out of luck with easily traversable forests nearby, but that's merely a minor setback.

You see, what is at the moment of writing seventeen years ago, I started having constant pain in my knees. Bad pain, at that, rendering every step and indeed every moment even sitting down, a torture. I was told it was merely growing pains, but didn't really buy into it. X-rays and catscans were done, people looked at it and poked at it, but no clear diagnosis could be given. Many years after the catscan, a reumathologist told me I had "joint pains", which I still consider a waste of many SEK, since I had been telling them that all along.

In any case...

Living with pain became second nature. I resigned to using only the softest, most padded sneakers, never walking or standing for more than two hours in a row, and being utterly unable to run, at all. Pay attention to that statement. I was in my teens when I gave up on running - skiing was fine, that didn't hurt, but running? Some investigations showed that I had no cartilage around and under the kneecaps. Imagine that - it's bone grinding against bone for me, no padding at all.
Around ten years after it all started, I began practicing iaido, which is a martial art from Japan. It trains the mind as well as the body, and at that, the entire body. Cutting is merely an afterthought if you look at what the rest of the body has to do! Explosive strength and static strength are both developed as a side-effect from learning to handle a katana, whether a sharp one (shinken) or not (mogito or iaito). I couldn't do the sitting kata (forms), until about two years after I had started, and that was after buying incredibly expensive knee pads - but oh what a good thing that was! Suddenly, I started building muscles around the knees. The excercises I had been given previously were probably good, but my will to do them always petered out eventually, but here, oh, here it came as a side effect of something fun! I had to start slow, but my strength grew, and some years later I realised - wait, there was no pain in my knees! I could go for almost a whole day without pain! I still had to be careful, though, and running still seemed to be out of the question.

Fast-forward even more, to when I had been doing koryu (old-style iaido) for quite a while, and realised I was fit as a... well, I was practicing at elite level. It was a thrill to be able to run when I was late for buses and the like, even if it was only a short distance. Sure, my shoulder had by this time been bothering me for a while (no, it never ends - there's always something new!), but oh, the knees! I could walk and stand and work!
And I started to sometimes join in the warm-up running during practice. Now, in iaido, we wear keikogi consisting of hakama, obi and what is known in the West as "gi" - that is, jacket. Our feet are bare. Therefore, we teach our beginners to run not heel-to-toe, but to land on the front of their footpads and spring from there. It is a glorious sound, when the thudding gradually stops! And though it did at times still hurt, and I had to be careful, well, at least I could join in. The rest of my posture was fairly straight, a little bent forward, since I was used to running heel first...

And then, a mere week or two before I write this post, I read the wonderful little book "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" by Christopher McDougall. Now, I am an academic, at heart and mind and by training, so I seldom read things and accept them unquestionably. But I am also an archaeologist (in Sweden, we make a distinction from the title of anthropologist). And chapter 28 really struck a nerve. Never before have I seen such a plausible explanation as to the evolution of the Homo Erectus becoming Homo Sapiens and Sapiens getting the upper hand over Homo Neanderthal.

So... I thought to myself, why shouldn't I try? A lot of what the book presents makes sense, apart from being an entertaining read.

Ergo:

I had the chance to walk around barefoot a lot this summer. It's an absolute joy, and I love doing it. Jogging on the grass, I found that putting down my foot like I had in iaido practice, like the book described, was far more comfortable.
I strapped on my relatively new, but rather simple, sandals, with a little padding, and set out. Just on random, to see if I could, and I took a backpack since I figured why not take a little walk to the grocery store? I knew I could always take the bus part of the way back.

...and it worked. I focused on making it smooth, and quite soon, the body adjusted itself. Straight back, head high, hands above waist level. My run settled into a gliding fashion rather than up and down-movements, and soon I was grinning widely. I couldn't help it. It was euphoric. So I ran to one store, and then, just for the hell of it, to another, to pick up some other things. And then I ran back, and when I returned, I had run about five kilometres, with a few pauses for walking at a fast pace for altogether about a few hundred metres.

I had run five kilometres. Could it be true? With sandals, hardly no padding, and certainly no insertions. I had floated over the ground, grinning like a madman or just someone insanely happy, and I came back and felt full of life and energy, so I did some other excercises too.

Suddenly, I want to run everywhere. My thick boots doesn't feel comfortable anymore, and I dread the winter.


I went from being hardly able to walk, to being able to run, barefoot or with only thin-soled sandals.
As mr McDougall says, "Instead of hammering down on my heels, the way I’d been taught all my life, I learned to run lightly and gently on the balls of my feet."
My energy for training and practice has been reinvigoriated, so I will record it all here. After half a year of reclusiveness and only occasional practice and training, I feel energised and wanting to treat myself to another run, another few dozens of crunches or back excercises. Come join me - if I can, with all my mental health problems, with a body that is unwilling, then, take inspiration and energy from me, and try you too! Now, I may see everything as being of benefit for my iaido, but you can train even without such an incentive. Just because I need one...

With fleet feet and pointy ears I will run into the future, lightly, happily, like the Tarahumara if you will, and I will do it gladly.