It is official… Ben and I are low brown belts. Which means we are now in Level 3 classes, which also means we have a new set of curriculum we have to learn.
Oh, and P.S. It’s not easy. Not even close.
Sticks + blades + clumsy person = potential to chop off a toe and have to learn to walk again…
The past two weeks we have been working on a form that includes weapons. In this form, we use kamas. Kamas are (in essence) sticks with sharp blades on the end. Kama is pronounced just like the punctuation ‘comma.’ That is where the similarities end, however, and here is why: if you drop one, you might create a run on sentence and your audience could get confused. If you drop the other one, you could chop off a toe.
So here I am, self-proclaimed clumsy person, expected to execute a form holding a kama in each hand. A form that requires a person to chop, slice and kick. Oh yes, you heard me correctly… kicking while holding a kama in each hand.
Could it get any worse, you implore? The answer to that question is a resounding, deafening, yes.
Not only does this form require kicks, but it requires the mother of all kicks. (Okay, it is probably not the mother of all kicks because I know there are kicks that are harder to execute… so let’s say it is the rebellious-godchild-of-the-mother of all kicks… but I digress…) A kick I have never tried until two weeks ago.
The dreaded tornado kick.The name speaks for itself, but just for grins, I found a gif of a tornado kick used in a tournament.
Here is why I really love this gif… because my first attempt at a tornado kick was less like the guy on the left and more like the guy on the right, inclusive of a small, insignificant kick followed by a fall to the ground. It will not go down in history as a shining moment of grace and athletic ability. <sigh>
For the past two weeks, I have been practicing this form, repeatedly. Would you like to know what all that practice and Level 3 classes has gotten me? Ridiculous amounts of pain from muscles that are screaming with agony. I have not used these muscles like this in YEARS and the past two weeks have been nothing short of punishment.
I am not completely sure my toe hasn’t begged to be cut off, please.
I always knew this journey to black belt would push me to my limits. I am pretty sure I just saw a town sign that says, ‘Your Limit, Population: 1′ on the horizon.
The black belt characteristic I would like to discuss is modesty because as I astounded how our school’s curriculum and levels are set up to promote and individual’s modesty. Just a few short weeks ago, while Ben and I were still in Level 2 and high red belts, we would have admitted that we felt confident in our knowledge and our abilities thus far. However, our low brown belts placed us as the ‘new kids’ in Level 3 next to those that have been working for years to achieve their black belts. It is very humbling to take that step into a new class, with new people, and as the least experienced. It is a hard step to take, but all in all, a good step…
