In Sickness and In Health

I really didn't feel like going training tonight. I've been ill for most of this week and couldn't train at the Dojo last Monday. That really bugged me - so I forced myself to go tonight. It's been a most enjoyable evening and I only threw up twice.

It was a funtastic sunny evening and I arrived at the Dojo (training hall) thinking; "I feel like I'm married to this life. In sickness and in health."

I popped my head into the Dojo and Charley (Sensei) wasn't there. I thought, "Oh dear. Here we go..!" I knew what Charley's absence meant. Andy (my training partner and something of a sadomasochist) would be leading the session.

He shouted across the Dojo, "Shane, get things started off with some jogging..."

"No problemo!" says I.

"Now..." says he.

I started running around the Dojo like a frightened ferret, sticking closely to the the four walls and the others followed suit. No problems so far. After a couple of circuits I foolishly thought, "this isn't so bad..."

"I meant outside!" says Andy...

"Ah...!" says I.

So, that was the start of something that I very much enjoy. We all headed outside, barefoot and wearing white pajamas, onto the open road for some light jogging. First, we jogged down the steady incline that runs directly in front of the Dojo. Then, we head up hill as home owners look out from their windows and shout, "what the f%$& are you people doing?" (of course, they shout it in German). At the top of the hill (about 1.5km from the Dojo), we did our usual bare knuckle pushups on the road, followed by a steady run back in the direction of the Dojo. Nice night for it really. I have to admit that I really enjoy doing this - there's something very 'traditional' about it.

On the way back, I could see a familiar figure in the distance. It was tall, it was big and it was hairy. No, it wasn't Bigfoot, it was Charley (Sensei) jogging down the road toward us with a big grin on his face. I got the feeling that the 'real fun' was about to begin.

We all met in the middle and continued our jog to the Dojo. We arrived at the car park and I headed instinctively inside. What a fool I was.

I had failed to notice that look in Charley's eyes that says, "anybody feel like breaking stuff?"

Tameshiwari (breaking techniques) is an important element of Kyokushin Karate. Why? Here's a brief explanation from www.karatebreaking.com;

"Any sword that is sharp enough to cut has the potential to do damage, but the sharper the blade, the deadlier the weapon. A razor sharp blade is formidable even in the hands of an unskilled fighter, while a sword with no edge is of little use even in the hands of a master. Breaking practice allows [us] to hone [our] weapons to maximum effectiveness ... Without the ability to hit hard, [we] are not truly practicing combative martial arts."

So, breaking strong inanimate objects is a fairly important practice. The thing is, when Charley wants to start 'breaking stuff', he really means 'stuff'. Not boards, tiles or any of the other boring 'prepared' items that most people practice with. Oh no! Charley just takes a look around the outside seating area and decides, "Sod it! That bench is bit old looking..." Then, before you know it we're smashing it to bits with elbows, fists and palms. Talk about doing things 'the old fashioned way'!

I'll take some pictures of the places and objects that I'm talking about and post them here (maybe I can even get Charley to pose for the odd pic or three). A few pics will probably do a far better job of setting the scene.

After some rather sexy Hiji (elbow) breaks and a couple of Shuto (knife hand) breaks, I was forgetting all about how sick I was. Then it happened, the piece of old park bench that decided to 'fight back'. I brought my hand down with an apparently clean Shuto (so I was told later). My hand hit the wood and... nothing. I was certain that I could hear the wood laughing at me. That's when I realized that the 'sound' in my ears wasn't laughter. No, it was pain. Good, old fashioned, 'oh shite my ears are ringing' pain. I thought, "Bugger!"

Should have given up there and then really. Unfortunately, knowing when to quit isn't one of my strong points. So, I tried again. What an idiot. I really wasn't concentrating at all. My hand came down with the speed of an express train with no brakes... ...and completely missed the wood. It's a pity that I can't say the same for my wrist bone. It certainly didn't miss. In fact, it was bang on target. I have the ruddy great bruise, where my wrist used to be, as proof. This time, I really could hear the wood laughing at me! I could also see little birdies flying around my head and through my ears. I had to smile. What else could I do?

Lesson learned: Attacking a defenseless piece of wood doesn't always guarantee victory.

On the positive side, training in the Dojo was up to it's usual excellent standards (thanks to Charley). Andy and I continued with "pick a fight with the heavy bag" after the scheduled training and now I'm finally home. I think I've sweat out just about any signs of the cold from which I've been suffering and on the whole it's been a great night!

Visit My Dojo: MMA Ireland : Photos