First Steps (To Losing A Finger)
Written by Tina Chen
Honestly, I had mostly forgotten about the fact that I would be cutting for the first time that night. It's not that I didn't find the whole event terribly exciting, it's just that as a fairly new member with a loose grasp of the basic cuts, I hadn't really started to anticipate cutting quite just yet. With that mentality, I bowed to my straw opponent that night entirely expecting to lose to it (though I don't see how getting my sword stuck in the mat can be considered losing, I mean, my opponent's still horribly maimed, right?). After drawing my sword, I took a deep breath and raised it into position to strike. The enormity of my first cut finally struck me then and I paused with my sword above my head, looking like a fool. I fidgeted a bit more to complete the effect and then finally took a swing.
The sound of the sword sliding through the mat, the smell of the wet tatami in the ari, and the sight of the top of the mat seemingly disappearing before my eyes - in the magic of that moment I vowed to be more diligent on never getting fingerprinted. Then, of course, the whole affair went pear-shaped when I wound up giving the mat a few horizontal slices and a few vertical slices (the latter strictly for balancing purposes) before Sang-sensei declared the mat thoroughly mangled and I re-sheathed my sword with a quick cheating glance to make sure all my fingers were still attached.
As the adrenaline faded and I walked away from the straw carnage, a sense of satisfaction that I had not thrown my sword into the crowd crept in. Despite my earlier apprehension, I greatly enjoyed cutting and look forward to the next time I can slice through flesh-like objects with impunity.
The sound of the sword sliding through the mat, the smell of the wet tatami in the ari, and the sight of the top of the mat seemingly disappearing before my eyes - in the magic of that moment I vowed to be more diligent on never getting fingerprinted. Then, of course, the whole affair went pear-shaped when I wound up giving the mat a few horizontal slices and a few vertical slices (the latter strictly for balancing purposes) before Sang-sensei declared the mat thoroughly mangled and I re-sheathed my sword with a quick cheating glance to make sure all my fingers were still attached.
As the adrenaline faded and I walked away from the straw carnage, a sense of satisfaction that I had not thrown my sword into the crowd crept in. Despite my earlier apprehension, I greatly enjoyed cutting and look forward to the next time I can slice through flesh-like objects with impunity.
Comments