12 October,2010 06:59 AM IST | | Tunali Mukherjee
Active checks into a Samurai school for one day and returns with some uber cool moves, apart from a deep respect for the japanese martial arts practiotioners
"There is no way I'll be able to do that!" I thought as I watched Sensei Mehul Vora and his team jump, somersault midair and land dramatically on the ground.
pic/ Shadab Khan
Sensing my hesistation Mehul leapt back to his feet, explaining, "90% of the fights end up on the ground, so the first thing you must learn is how to fall." Wow, what kind of trouble would I have to be in to end up in a situation like this, I wondered as I willed myself to fall face-flat on the ground. Sure, the studio floor was padded but my fear got better of me as I ended up sprawled, legs awry and hands far from the position they were meant to be in.
"Fall this way when fighting and you've gotten yourself a broken back," joked one of the instructors. A few more muddled attempts later I had still not gotten the hang of the perfect fall. "This is the basics; what beginners do?" I asked, as I fell wrong yet once again. "Yes. Every one of them," came the reply.
Welcome to Kenjutsu and Iaido, the art of Samurai combat and sword fighting. Complete with swords and hakames, the loose Samurai pants, which not only made horse riding easier but also ensured the Samurai's footwork was concealed from his enemy, the senseis looked every bit the part, as honorable and brave as Kurosawa's heroes.
I, on the other hand, felt more like Po from Kung Fu Panda. Still trying to fall flat with grace, all I managed to do was leap around like a frog. Needless to say, I was thrilled when presented with a sword. The euphoria, however, was short lived as Mehul demonstrated a few basic moves with the weapon.
While the basic moves were simple like the one where I had to bring the sword down straight (in effect, slicing my enemy into half), others which included lunging and extending my sword hand severing my enemy's neck from his body required a significant amount of strength and control. In terms of weight training, the sword, I discovered, is a deadlier version of the dumbbells we use in the gym.
Exhausted from my efforts to finish off my enemy, I then trained to escape a tight spot, literally. As a sensei held my hands tight, another taught me a combination of wrist movements and lo and behold, no grip was strong enough to hold me down anymore. Aiki-jujutsu, or the art of unarmed combat, indeed is a handy skill to have.
No pun intended. An hour of rolling, jumping and swishing left me a lot more confident and extremely exhausted. Here is an art that requires immense dedication and discipline. Attempt a somersault or even the basic fall and you know that fitness is but naturally an end result of this art. However, the real deal is what it does for your mind and soul, which makes the ancient tradition of the Samurais every bit as honourable as it is immortalised to be.
Mehul Vora has trained in the Samurai arts under stalwarts in Japan.
For details, log on to www.samuraiindia.com or call 9820055730.
