Slave Driver!
Our sword fighting warmups are based partially on the number of people who show up to practice. Usually 3-4 people. Tonight 8 people showed up. EIGHT. So we did our usual 80 paces back and forth (four different types of step, twenty steps each), and then in a circle doing squats, eight people times ten cuts each with two rounds...
160 fucking squats. And that was just the WARMUP. There was still an hour and a half of practice after.
I thought I was going to die. I might still. Ask me in the morning. D:
Sensei is pure evil. Pure. Evil.
Not quite an anti-complaint: Got to wear my robes for the first time, yay. It took over half an hour to get dressed and I still have no idea wtf. There's a billion little strings tied in really weird knots and what have the japanese got against buttons anyway, jesus.
160 fucking squats. And that was just the WARMUP. There was still an hour and a half of practice after.
I thought I was going to die. I might still. Ask me in the morning. D:
Sensei is pure evil. Pure. Evil.
Not quite an anti-complaint: Got to wear my robes for the first time, yay. It took over half an hour to get dressed and I still have no idea wtf. There's a billion little strings tied in really weird knots and what have the japanese got against buttons anyway, jesus.
Comments57
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Are you training to become a member of a SWAT team?
Nice workout.
Becoming a sword fighting superhero isn't easy 
Good luck!
Good luck!
Sword fighting, you say? 
Yeah. It's fun.
Well when you commit to a sport or practice it's kinda of assuming you are going to do it all the time especially when you come out certified. Of which the only way to be a master is to do stuff all the time and constantly train. If it's too much I'd set my sites on similar less rigourous hobbies.
Certified? I'm not being certified. There isn't for this since it's about practical killing techniques rather than sport.
You get a belt or some type of thing to prove your level of experience and/or rank. It means that you are taught the practice and is proof you know how to do it/use it and therefor can use it for self defense and proves your position with in the institution of the craft or should I say, the technique which is very important in that field especially if you do or will do competitions or say if someone down the road then wants to be able to teach in and learn further.
Again: no, we don't. There is no ranking system for our art. There are no competitions. We do it for ourselves and that's it.
yes I am aware, you said that and I get that. If suck up and do you feelz gud if improve, what do of work load is one first goal-motivate/discipline so don't
"an' 'cide what evs gud nuff'". Need 2 work 2 feelz gud. if self motivate- haz personal goal should do but can't do alone.Kay. pointless snarkyness, pretty much every other martial art/sport does hold competitions and has rank or a goal with learning levels since it's a sport- that wasn't the point. It's supposed to be serious biz. If you're surprised you underestimated it a lot and like I said, you're expected to be committed to it long term- enough to change your lifestyle for it so that's why it's hard.
I'm not surprised. Just out of shape and sore as shit.
Sword fighting? That's awesome.
160 squats though? Damn it, why do all the awesome disciplines have people doing torturous and humiliating exercises that seemingly have nothing to do with anything? Having buns of steel ain't gonna help you sword fight unless you block with your ass. That's just science.
160 squats though? Damn it, why do all the awesome disciplines have people doing torturous and humiliating exercises that seemingly have nothing to do with anything? Having buns of steel ain't gonna help you sword fight unless you block with your ass. That's just science.
Actually there is a reason. All of our stances are super low to the ground. Dropping your center of gravity gives you more stability and protects your legs.
The squats are part of a block and strike exercise, where you stand, using your legs to provide more strength to your block, catch and throw the attack, then drop as you cut for more power. I'd be more pissed if I didn't think I was doing anything useful.
It's all physics. I can hold up 200 pounds or more like it was nothing because samurai were masters of physics. Or magic.
The squats are part of a block and strike exercise, where you stand, using your legs to provide more strength to your block, catch and throw the attack, then drop as you cut for more power. I'd be more pissed if I didn't think I was doing anything useful.
It's all physics. I can hold up 200 pounds or more like it was nothing because samurai were masters of physics. Or magic.
I'm guessing you don't even weigh 200 lbs, how could that be possible? I'm calling it magic.
It's all about funneling force into the ground which is physics that sounds like magic.
MAGIC!
So Clarke's third law but with physics?
Precisely. 
Samurai are hardcore people.
Srsly.
Better do those squats, or you bring shame on your entire family.
I cannont imagine myself doing 160 squats. I'll probably die 