Multiclassing

So, um, I was thinking last night about the characters I used to make for AD&D and thinking about how I always wanted to make a multiclass character and I don’t think I ever did. I also always wanted to take ambidexterity as an attribute, but I don’t think I ever did that either. It just took too damn long for the character to level up and get useful. Sure, when they do level up, multiclass characters are the characters behind whom everyone else hides, but I wanted instant gratification.

Today, while training sticks and bo in the parking lot behind work, I was thinking about how long it’s taking me to get the absolute most basic fundamentals of two-hand weapon work, and about how I’ve been told to pick up another weapon. I was thinking about how I’m struggling to keep the little I’ve learned from evaporating. I was thinking about how I typically train at least one extra out-of-dojo hour a week, but since I started to be OK with weapons, that number has been creeping closer to three hours.

It occurred to me while I was chanting temple-temple-forehead, temple-temple-knee that I’ve done in my life what I was always too impatient to do with my characters: I’ve multiclassed and taken ambidexterity. And it is taking a damn long time to get things to a point where I’m not afraid of dropping stuff on my feet or sticking myself in the side, but in the end, I think it’s gonna be worth it.

If…

If I haven’t mentioned that the TKRI blog is an excellent source of information about stretching, strength training and body dynamics that’s karate-centric and chock full o nice folks, I’ve been meaning to. Check the blog out here.

Oh, and Ikigai Way, which is also ridiculously fun and pan-martial-arts, belongs here too. I hang out so much at the site that sometimes I forget that not everyone knows about it. You can find it here. The excellent and thought provoking post about the use of force spawned by this video

is a good place to start.