It was Friday 14 December and time for the season's first SBTLUS – Black Belt Theme Leader Development Seminar – with Kimu Sensei. The presentation this time had been given 3 months before and was focused on the training and essence of Kata Naihanchi Shodan and Naihanchi Nidan.

Naihanchi – “One strike, one kill”
Kata Naihanchi Shodan is an incredibly cool kata to train - very detailed - yet so simple and yet so difficult to express correctly that it's beautiful when it actually happens - like this Xmas 2012 when Kimu Sensei demonstrated the kata, fluid and easy , powerful and precise. Where his heels only touched the ground by chimé – discharge.

I've seen it done many times before by Kimu Sensei, but I'm inspired as always when it looks so simple and easy.

But how can simple things be so difficult to master? - Here it is time to look inside myself - Yes, everything in me must be optimal, every little movement I make must be perfectly coordinated with the movement of my entire body and with the technique I perform.

But how?

First we were taught Naihanchi Shodan which we studied intensely both as a group and individually - then in Naihanchi Nidan and as the teaching progressed my physical training image became more and more visible to myself.

Dry wood!
Something was wrong! I was actually stiff as a board - tense in my upper body and I was not at all a well-lubricated body that just adapted the movements and made them my own!!!

Hm... During this year's training camp, I got the feedback from Kimu Sensei that in my performance I was just like a dry piece of wood! A piece of wood that is about to splinter due to lack of flexibility and elasticity.
Can a dry piece of wood turn into a flexible willow tree that bends and sways in the wind? That question I ask you readers, do you believe it – do I believe it?

How can I express this? How can I become one with my body control (Taisegio), my speed, my power, my precision, my Hamni and yes now it comes – my attitude towards myself in all conditions – even while moving 🙂

My conclusion – I must cut myself off now, right now – NOW! It can't wait. I have to move forward in myself – in the development of my constancy – in the spurring of my curiosity about myself.

Inner training image
After the teaching and training, I had my inner training picture, my mental training picture, tuned in to the fact that everything happens from the center and works via my circular movements from and around the center line, force generation around the danchu and the tooth - the whole game as an inner movie, I could repeat over and over again - great - and it's been a long time since I've felt this way.

A film that showed me how my inner balance is decisive for my outer balance and how my inner balance is decisive for how I can generate power during movement, i.e. fluid movement. Power generation while standing is not necessarily that difficult, but when you are constantly in motion – in one flow and with changing movements, techniques and rhythm and at any time you can generate power and propagate to my techniques without loss or stop – it is difficult and really cool.

This is really difficult and really cool to study - but you can't be a dry piece of wood at the same time.

"One stroke, one kill" vs a dry piece of wood.
Kimu Sensei told me again at this training camp: "Taking a life is easy - giving life is difficult" and I understood with my inner training picture too. "Choosing to die is easy - choosing life can be difficult"! Choosing to become a dry piece of wood means stagnation and degeneration and it's easy - I just have to let it be! But choosing to re-emerge as a young tree with flexibility both internally and externally can be difficult because it requires effort – constancy and a desire for development.

"Why not be good to yourself - and learn the right thing from the beginning? – and continue this – all the time?”

It is better to look for three years for a good teacher than to train for three years under a bad teacher and why? Maybe because the fastest way to the goal is the direct way, in a straight line - so why not be good to yourself and learn it right away - The essence served on a silver platter 🙂

Thank you for a good X-mas 2012.