Batto Camp 2011 / First time cutting

As mentioned in the community post, a few days ago was the 4th annual Batto Camp and it was a great time. I've been with the dojo for just a short time, so it was an honor to be able to attend. I have just recovered from a pretty annoying knee injury, and it was the first time I had really done any training in over 2 weeks. Despite this, I was able to get a lot out of camp, not to mention get to cut my first tatami.

first off: cutting things (tatami).

What can I say? Cutting is both easier than I expected, but also ridiculously difficult. Let's get it out of the way: cutting with a Katana, or any similar sword, is fairly easy. If it were a person, arms would be gone instantly. The problem is demonstrating control....without control and proper technique, it may very well be your own arm that you see flying in the air, instead of your opponent's. Needless to say, that would mean you lose the fight.

My very first cutting was hilarious, but less horrible than I expected. Once I can establish proper angles, and my aim is on, then I can get a nice, solid, and clean cut. Then again, my tendency is to have too steep of an angle, and my aim is much higher than the actual cut. Oh wellz...we can't all be sword geniuses :) My first cut was way too steep and nearly split the tatami in half, but it got better. I think.

Second cutting was much better. After some good tips/coaching from Kyle (and most likely a lot of help from his Kotetsu) I was able to get much better angles, and use up more tatami. Try to kill your opponent...but let the sword and the technique do the work. Sounds easy...but this is REALLY hard, lol. Sensei makes it look easy, but after trying it myself, I can honestly say I have even more respect for him and all my more experienced fellow campers who have great cutting. By next year, I shall have better control...and my enemies will tremble at my might.

Secondly: camp itself

Batto camp also had many other great experiences, including rare demonstrations of dual-wielding gekken, anime-style continuous cutting, and even an occasional appearance by the ghost of Henry Kim. Great seminars, really awesome and interesting people, and EXCELLENT food. It's a judgement-free time to train and improve your swordsmanship, but most of all a great way to strengthen the batto community's family bond (see my next post for thoughts on this!).

To close, next year should be an exciting time. It'll be the 5th anniversary, and I'll be prepared with an extra-ugly Hawaiian shirt. Also, I'll have more experience and be able to participate in more seminars.