Lessons I learned from a big stick

Those of you who are older may remember the Loony Toons cartoon in which Daffy Duck plays the part of Robin Hood. Ah, yes, Daffy and his trusty quarter staff (actually buck-and-a-quarter staff, but that's just between us); 'aha!, guard, turn, perry, dodge, spin, Ha!, thrust.....' BOING! That cartoon still makes me laugh.
This was the first weapon we studied, only in Korean it is known as the Jang Bong. Bong is Korean for 'stick'. Jang Bong simply means, 'big stick'.
Learning to fight with a 6 foot long stick can't be that hard, right? Wrong. The first class moved fast with lots of unfamiliar moves, terms and techniques. Holy cow! This was harder than it looked like it would be! I dropped my staff-in front of everyone-twice. Ack!
It didn't take long to realize I was the oldest student in the class and not only was I the oldest, but the only student who did not have a belt in Tang So Do and, more intimidating still, all the other students were brown and black belts. Eeek! Gulp! Rabbit, you are in way over your head here. I nearly quit after that first class and probably would have had it not been for the master instructor telling me the next day that I had done very well in that first class considering I had no martial arts experience. Okay; so maybe I didn't totally embarass myself? Maybe I can do this after all?

Lesson #1: Learning to fight and defend takes effort, instruction, practice and encouragement from the right sources. Nobody is born knowing how to fight; it's a learned skill. In the process of learning, mistakes are made and we might even look silly and feel foolish.
Christians aren't 'born' knowing how to fight, either. Many aren't even aware that there is a battle going on and an enemy who seeks nothing less than their total destruction. Those that are aware often have no idea what to do or how to do it. Sword of the Spirit? Okay...what do I do with that?
Without training and practice, weapons feel foreign, awkward and clumsy in our hands and we're just as likely to hurt ourselves as someone else. But with training and practice, they become comfortable in our hands and effective.

A little history

Six months ago, I enrolled in a course in martial arts weapons at the studio my daughters study at. Now, this probably falls into the category of 'what was I thinking?', but at the age of forty [cough] something I am now committed to learning the art of martial arts weaponry and the pursuit of a black belt certificate; 9 weapons over a period of 18 months, all challenging in their own way.
Having attained proficiency in two weapons over the past 6 months, I'm now on the third. During that time, I've been bruised several times, smacked in various parts of the body multiple times-mostly by myself, made new friends, developed a new appreciation for Ben Gay and learned to laugh at myself.
Why am I doing this? Partly because I've always had an interest in martial arts which has only increased while watching my daughters progress through the belt ranks over the past 5 years but mostly because I felt led to; a still, quiet voice that said, 'you need to do this'. Now that I've been at this for a while, I'm discovering that there are parrallels between physical warfare and spiritual warfare and this will be the focus of my blog for now.