Tuesday, February 28, 2012 - Session 1

Tonight we had Atarashii Naginata class. Maestas Sensei recently invited someone to come down and teach on Tuesday nights and a class has been started up at the YMCA as a result. It was a much different experience. Not as exhausting as Kendo but just tiring, if that makes any sense at all. My ability to breathe did not fail me because the workout was quite as aerobic as Kendo but it was still draining all the same. No fatigue but energy was burned. Something like that. We practiced a basic men strike and a basic block for almost the entire two hour period. It felt good. Atarashii Naginata does not seem to require me to work against my body (hypermobility syndrome and so on) in the way that Kendo does and so I think that I could end up being better at Naginata than Kendo, were I given equal time in both. But I will stick with Kendo as my primary art all the same. I like Naginata but I love Kendo and a person should never give up on what they love. Giving up on something that someone loves only surrenders a part of themselves after all. I like the challenge that comes from needing to fight my body and all its - heh - design features. I am a kendoka. No question.

Which is to say that I have not given up on Kendo at all. I have simply not been writing here because I have not felt all that motivated to journal about my classes. I am going to continue my break from writing about my Kendo training for awhile more. Give it until after May, which is when I will be testing for sankyu. The shinsa is on my birthday! I am certain that I will have something more to write about then. Until then... Men! Men! MEEEEEEN! Like that.