6:11 a.m. - 2006-11-09
I Laughed, I Cried
All,
"Okay, everyone breathe..." *LOUD BREAKING OF WIND* "...through your mouth."
Something that surprised me when I started the ninja life was that they're a lot like roleplayers. To anyone who doesn't really get it they'll defend it to the death, but among others who DO get it there is a level of childishness that can kill - sometimes literally if you start giggling at the wrong time. If you compare World of Warcraft and the Python "Holy Grail" movie with ninjutsu and "Kung Pow" it's more or less the same attitude: silly. Dedicated, but still: silly.
Earlier this evening (eh, late last night, I just haven't been to bed yet) my comparison was proved when we started doing some weapons training. Now, everyone ever involved in martial arts knows you'll gradually discover one or two things that you are REALLY good at and consequently love doing. In Lways case it's tying people in small complicated pretzel-esque knots and the magic aspect, in The Boys case it's blocking and shuto, and in Orlers case it's hitting really hard. My personal favourites are weapons training and pressure points. These I can usually do, and as they don't really involve a lot of muscle or intimidation (which as the smallest, usually most junior and DEFINITELY least strong member of the group I lack) I'm on a more level playing ground...oh and they're fun. Poking someone a foot taller and broader than you and watching him go down like a splat of mashed potato is always fun.
Anyway, we've begun using hanbo. A hanbo is essentially a rounded stick roughly three centimeters in diameter and ninety long. You hit people with it. Occasionally you hit yourself, as evidenced when we were attempting to twirl it under our arms, over our arms, behind our backs - you name it, we twirled it. Oh the hilarity that ensued...*sigh*
Tsensei: "Do it slow, so that if you hit yourself in the back of the head it won't kill you."
*multitude of cracks and 'AARGH'*
Tsensei, hands over face: "I think I should have said WHEN rather than IF."
Eventually we got the hang of it and a bunch of large men turned into baton-wielding cheerleaders for a short time, feeling very proud of themselves...right up until someone started doing brass band impersonations and we fell into line stomping about the room like the grinning fools we are.
It's a top comedy ninja life,
Me
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