For those of you who've not seen my latest bo kata video, this is the very middle section of my bo and yes, it's "inoperable". :(
It happened so stupidly this morning. Three of us were practicing Sushi No Kon Sho, all three on a line. Me and a lady to my right were facing the right side of the room. I went to make a strike and the tip of my bo hit the tip of hers. Half an inch hitting three quarter of an inch. Apparently, that was just enough to snap it, right in the middle. As the title states, I was, and still am, devastated.
Practice long enough with a bo and it becomes an extention of you, it becomes part of you. And by long enough, I also mean often enough. I've been using that bo for three hours a week for the last ten weeks. I'm not good enough to simply say "oh I'll pick another one and will simply do my kata with that one". Maybe this can be done with other weapons, but bos are finicky instruments. Not all bos are created equal. Weight, length, even its grip and finish are all things that vary widely from one bo to another. Now, with a week to go until the show, two weeks before our next competition, I have to get used to another one. The bo is the only weapon I have extensively practiced with. Maybe it's just the same with other weapons, i.e. sai, kama, nunchakus, but I know it won't be easy for me.
To add to the problem, there's usually a two weeks lead time to get a new bo through the school and even worse, up until a couple weeks ago, we were simply unable to get any. I asked the school manager to try and get me one, as soon as he can. He knows I'm doing the show and said he would do his best. I know the people who suplly them to us usually have some ready because they are present on site at the competitions with maybe 10 or 15 bos in their display. I just told him that the color didn't matter, as I know they usually look pretty good.
My wife, trying to cheer me up, said it could have been worse. She said I could have broken it the very day before the show, or the very morning of it, while warming up. I guess she has a point, but I'm still shaken up. This is testing my self confidence something fierce...
I will report later on what happened on the rest of the day...
FM
It happened so stupidly this morning. Three of us were practicing Sushi No Kon Sho, all three on a line. Me and a lady to my right were facing the right side of the room. I went to make a strike and the tip of my bo hit the tip of hers. Half an inch hitting three quarter of an inch. Apparently, that was just enough to snap it, right in the middle. As the title states, I was, and still am, devastated.
Practice long enough with a bo and it becomes an extention of you, it becomes part of you. And by long enough, I also mean often enough. I've been using that bo for three hours a week for the last ten weeks. I'm not good enough to simply say "oh I'll pick another one and will simply do my kata with that one". Maybe this can be done with other weapons, but bos are finicky instruments. Not all bos are created equal. Weight, length, even its grip and finish are all things that vary widely from one bo to another. Now, with a week to go until the show, two weeks before our next competition, I have to get used to another one. The bo is the only weapon I have extensively practiced with. Maybe it's just the same with other weapons, i.e. sai, kama, nunchakus, but I know it won't be easy for me.
To add to the problem, there's usually a two weeks lead time to get a new bo through the school and even worse, up until a couple weeks ago, we were simply unable to get any. I asked the school manager to try and get me one, as soon as he can. He knows I'm doing the show and said he would do his best. I know the people who suplly them to us usually have some ready because they are present on site at the competitions with maybe 10 or 15 bos in their display. I just told him that the color didn't matter, as I know they usually look pretty good.
My wife, trying to cheer me up, said it could have been worse. She said I could have broken it the very day before the show, or the very morning of it, while warming up. I guess she has a point, but I'm still shaken up. This is testing my self confidence something fierce...
I will report later on what happened on the rest of the day...
FM
5 comments:
Sorry about that...
If you're truly desperate, I have two extra Bo's here. One hardwood, one rattan wood. The rattan one is very flexible. But they're made to endure shock - heavier and wider than what I believe you're used to(
1,1/4 in wide).
If you want me to ship one, let me know. 2 days and it's at your doorstep.
Cheers and I hope that works out.. Major bummer
thanks for the offer Mat, the venting was mostly about the damage that's already been done. I will find something that I'll be able to use for the show and the competition.
If nothing can be done with our bo supplier, I have borrowed one from the school. It's light enough that it should do the trick, it's just not my bo and it will probably take some time before I make another bo mine but sadly, I'll have to do with what I can find...
Take care, Steve.
What a bummer!! Hopefully you'll be able to get another one before the show and be comfortable with it.
Désolé pour ton bo Steve.
Mais je reste convaincu que c'est pas le bo qui te rends aussi exceptionnel ! Et qui sait, tu vas peut-être tomber sur un "plus meilleur" ... take care !
Very sorry for your loss!
Two weeks to get a bo!
They have them in stock here at Hugo Sports. You could always come down to the city (we all know Québec is a big village :-) ) to get your Bo. This means a day lost in travelling but maybe it is worth the trip...
Hope all comes out well!
Marc
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