Читать книгу Complete Kendo онлайн

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The process of learning Kendo is at once simple and difficult. It is simple (perhaps "fundamental" would be a better term) because it involves learning how to use our physical and mental capacities in the correct way, and this is something that human beings instinctively respond to and yearn for. Some of my Japanese martial arts instructors said that, no matter how awkward or painful or elusive techniques may initially appear, they are "natural" and so are in reality easy to do. It is only the accretion of bad habits—the result of a life led without training—that makes the acquisition of skill seem difficult. This is, of course, an attitude strongly influenced by both Taoism and Zen.

The process of learning to be natural—of unlearning bad habits—is nonetheless a frustrating and disconcerting experience. It involves the reeducation of the person into different approaches to things as seemingly simple as moving and breathing, balancing and seeing. In some ways, entering into the study of Kendo is like becoming an infant again—we are starting from the beginning and acquiring the skills necessary to be fully human.