I warned the Pamurai that writing about the last class (pivot points is the essay) would be difficult. It’s not that I’m a bad writer of technical stuff, I think, but that at some point it’s easier to understand this stuff in the bones rather than in the ears. If folks want to understand my last thing about pivot points they will do so fastest by having a friend watch their swing and describe what’s happening as they try out the steps.
Knowing what to look for is also a help in getting there. Not everyone worries so much about the shape of their cut or the smoothness of the transition from one hand to the other.
Body to body is the traditional way to learn this stuff for a reason. Once felt it’s hard to forget.
You also need to be at a certain place to get this. You have to be able to relax your hands and that’s not possible for a few years, as anyone who does this stuff will know.
Rocket science is best learned theoretically, messing around with highly explosive chemicals and seeing which things blow up in your face and which do not is a bit risky. Learning the theory and applying it just once is the ideal. With budo you can try, try, try until sensei says “yosh”, then remember what that felt like.
Similarly, I was just reminded about other pivot points in the chain by Eric, even before he had a coffee he mentioned the wrist, elbow and shoulder and their effects. Which tells me that our frequent attempts to use physics to describe budo are also somewhat doomed since it’s easier to feel how power moves through 6 major joints from the ground to the sword than to describe all of them.
So not rocket science, that’s too dangerous to mess around with. Better to hit yourself with a stick and read about explosives.
From four budoka in the Starbucks window in downtown New West.
Seito Bugei Juku 