The art of the Samari

....is jujitsu. Their hand-to-hand combat at any rate. It is one of the most lethal forms of martial art, combining strikes, kicks, locks, grappling, nerve striking and anything else you can think of. The Samari used it when they didn't have their sword and it has been around for 2500 years. Techniques are very similar to the art of nin-jitsu which was practiced by the ninja.  Lethal and effective even though it is known as the "gentle art" and is supposed to used only when necesary.

Awesome.

This summer I decided to join the jujitsu club on campus and it has been a hell of a ride. My sensei is a black belt in three different martial arts and is a little shorter than my humble 5'4". He taught defense in law enforcement and a whole host of other things. I cannot even begin to describe him in a blog. He's one of those people you just have to meet in person.

Anyway, tonight's practice was supposed to be a belt test but we didn't finish in time. Let me tell you first off that I am not very good at jujitsu. It's a lot like dancing and the coordination is pretty difficult for me. I have never moved my body in these ways before. Don't get me wrong, I'm reasonably athletic and active but I definitely have trouble with this stuff... Except for one thing.

Today I learned I can stretch my fingers more than a normal, or even abnormal, human being.

We did a number of finger locks today and everytime I could resist with ease which frustrated my sensei and brown belt practice partner. My fingers can stretch like a gymnast and I love it. Thank goodness that I've been stretching my fingers for years for piano. It's beomce the one thing I'm naturally good at in this art, besides the using as little force as possible aspect... I don't like hurting people.

A little self-discovery goes a long way. It takes a lot for me to gain confidence in this strange activity of mine and my awesome fingers gave me the boost I need. I cannot tell you how much I've learned about myself because of jujitsu (seriously, I could write a book about it).

Now on to do my regular fingertip push-ups. Gahhh