So got the foil out today

[nadinbrzezinski]

and did some fencing drills... having the foil is good for balance.

Lord I did some of these drills last year, very limited... before health went south. So today instead of the elliptical, I took out the foil.

I haven't fenced regularly in decades, so right now doing this with technique... which means not too fast. But truth be told, this will be good in the quest to getting in better shape anyway.

[ZenLefty]

1. Right on!

I love martial arts for fitness. Back in judo, I probably burned 2,400 calories just getting up after I got thrown to the mat. I don't fence, but I do unleash the bokken and nunchaku once in a while, and try not to break anything.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Then I hurt myself, so I had to take it easy

will go back to doing some drills next week.

I used to fence competitively up to fifteen years of age... These days it will be just to get fit. Oh and also for variety sake.

[PopeRatzo]

3. Fantastic

I study a tai chi style that has forms for Chinese sword (jian) and broadsword (dao). There's nothing like the feeling of a sword in hand to quicken the mind and lift the spirit.

I sometimes work out with the swords in the alley behind my house or in my neighborhood park. If it's muddy, the tennis courts work well. I can't wait until it's warm enough here in Chicago for me to move my practice outside.

[Obamanaut]

4. In the early 1970s I played judo in a club in Pearl City, Hawaii. I was

the only haole in the club, and got some really great instruction.

During rondori Sensei would call "Change partners!", and one could hear several shouts of "I want the haole."