GREAT NEWS!!!

Andy-Sensei has just been appointed Vice President of the newly formed "International Jujutsu-do Federation." This newly formed organisation is based in Japan and founded by Aso Sensei. Andy will be taking a team to Japan to compete in the 1st International Jujutsu-do Championships in Oct this year.

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SPARRING...Will I make it out alive?

I clearly remember my first sparring session, I had no idea what to expect and I wasn’t sure if I may come out dead or alive or mortally wounded….. Well ok I exaggerate, but despite my perfectly logical internal chatter that of course this is just ‘sparring’ and indeed not life and death, my body wasn’t having a bar of it and was in full fight or flight terror. Alas I discover I am indeed a fighter and despite the fear and trepidation I loved it. Well after I did, when I had survived unscathed and the elation of just, well feeling so relieved and exhilarated at the same time hit me.

Since that day I have sparred many, many rounds. When I face up to students who are quite clearly intimidated by standing in front of me, I reassure them that they are safer sparring me than their class mates. Or at least I tell them after as it's a bit hard to explain all that between rounds with a mouth-guard in…. Some are too frightened to venture any attack at all, others are so frightened they attack me with their full might.

I totally get how they feel because I spar Sensei. So how they feel when they stand in front off me or another blackbelt is just how us blackbelts feel when we have to spar Sensei. We are all students.

Now there’s a lot going on here as quite honestly despite the fear, I know I am safer sparring Sensei than anyone else. So why am I scared? Well, obviously I am scared of hurting Sensei… ha ha just kidding. Seriously sparring Sensei is a very humbling experience. Perfect balance, technique, control, speed, timing, poise. Kicks flying this way and that all around my head. I feel them all passing within (I kid you not) a hairsbreadth of my head. I show willing or is it spirit and have a go back.

Everything I put out is just, well annihilated. I only barely begin to lift my foot or even think about lifting my foot for a kick attack and like a flash I find myself propelled onto the mat at great speed as my legs are swept beneath me. Hmmm, that didn’t work. I barely recover before another attack is upon me and again lighting blows barely touching me, but just enough to show where the many gaps in my guard are.

Now I also hold pads for Sensei and am well aware of the power he can generate. I also know from painful past experience on the street what it feels like to be struck with full intention. The fear is I suspect the all to acute awareness that any single one of these taps could if need be turned into a killer knockout blow. Now that is skill. To choose.

Any reasonably athletic type can go and brawl and beat the daylights out of their opponent. Thats not sparring. But to move gracefully, with balance and apply your techniques to the correct measure, enough to unbalance your opponent without damaging them, that to me is well, poetry in motion. It takes years and years of committed effort to master. Like I say to my friends about watching Ian Thorpe swim. His technique is so smooth, so perfect. He glides through the water and makes it look so easy. The mark of a true champion, a true master. It appears effortless, but it is not with out effort.

Hence you will find me at the dojo this Friday night putting in the time and effort. I fear I started too late to reach a lofty level. However I can improve. I may not ever get to the same wonderful ability of Sensei but, well secretly between you and me i do kind of hope one day to at least, well get him back may be once, twice even, with full err control, balance, poise and timing of course!

Rachael...2nd Dan Black Belt.
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