Tuesday night will see a return to training and a promise of hanbo. I remember the first hanbo I bought. In fact it was a handmade bo from the Japanese martial arts shop that was below the old Japan Center when it was on Shaftesbury Avenue. I cut it in half in the squash court that was our training room at the Ealing youth judokwai. I still have it, someone nicked the one Chris gave me which was Soke's. The story was it was half of one of Takamatsu's bo. I latter learnt the Boss had a cupboard full of them. Never wanted to know if the Takamatsu bit was true. Bit like Santa... As long as I believed the reality mattered little.
The hanbo book was the first book of Soke's I got (if you don't count the SK Hayes one) the one done with Quentin Chambers not the Japanese book, which I got later. So basics were learnt, the first instruction from the Boss in hanbo was at the first UK tai kai. We did kihon followed by what seemed insane waza with the little 3' stick.
Hitting Japan and particular the old Kashiwa Dojo (Ishizuka's dojo and the main centre of Shihan training in the early to late 80s) saw lots more hanbo. Arrr those were the days my friend.
So I promise to report how it goes... So what's that got to do with Star Wars, well it's the closest I'll probably get to a light sabre!
The hanbo book was the first book of Soke's I got (if you don't count the SK Hayes one) the one done with Quentin Chambers not the Japanese book, which I got later. So basics were learnt, the first instruction from the Boss in hanbo was at the first UK tai kai. We did kihon followed by what seemed insane waza with the little 3' stick.
Hitting Japan and particular the old Kashiwa Dojo (Ishizuka's dojo and the main centre of Shihan training in the early to late 80s) saw lots more hanbo. Arrr those were the days my friend.
So I promise to report how it goes... So what's that got to do with Star Wars, well it's the closest I'll probably get to a light sabre!