Chapter 30 : Sticky Hands

'Shall I let you into a secret? I'm not really blind…'

Jack knew it. The bō master had been faking all the time. That would

explain why he could guide his students into the mountains, trick Kazuki

and wield the bō so skilfully. He simply fooled people into believing he was

blind.

'I just can't see,' finished Sensei Kano in his deep sonorous voice.

'I don't understand,' said Jack and Yamato in unison, the icy winter air

making their breath puff out in large clouds of mist.

They had returned to the gardens of the Eikan-Do Temple. The

glorious reds and oranges of autumn were all gone now, replaced with bare

skeletons of trees frosted in winter snow. The three of them sat on a stone

bench next to a slender wooden footbridge. The wide stream passing

beneath it was iced over, though further up the slope a small waterfall still

trickled and ran beneath the surface to the frozen pond in the middle of the

gardens.

'People think that seeing is the perception of the world through the

eyes. But is it?' questioned Sensei Kano, waving the tip of his staff at the

scene before them.

He picked up some pebbles from the path and passed one to each of

his two trainees.

'When you see a stone, you are also feeling it with your mind's hand.

Seeing is as much touching as it is sight, but because the sense of vision is

so overwhelming, you are unaware of the importance of touch.'

'But without being able to see, how did you ever learn to fight in the

first place?' Yamato asked.

'Disability doesn't mean inability,' the sensei replied, throwing his

own pebble into the air and striking it with his staff. The pebble landed on

the pond and skittered across the ice. 'It just means adaptability. I've had to

use my other senses. I've learnt to feel my way through life. I've become

adept at sniffing out danger and tasting fear in the air. And I've taught

myself to listen to the world around me.'

Sensei Kano stood up and walked towards the stream.

'Close your eyes and I will show you what I mean.' He continued to

talk to them while moving around, emphasizing each step with the thud of

his bō striking the ground. 'In these sessions, I'm going to train you in

sensitivity techniques. You're going to learn to use everything but your

sight. Can you both point to where I am standing?'

Jack and Yamato raised their hands to indicate his position.

'Open your eyes. Were you correct in your assumption?'

'Hai, Sensei,' they replied in unison, pointing to their teacher on the

bridge.

'I would hope so. If you can hear me, then you know where I am.

Close your eyes again. Aside from the sounds that your opponent may

make, don't forget the background noise that will also indicate where they

are. The human body creates a sound shadow, just like a light shadow cast

by the sun. If you listen out for the hole in the background noise, you can

determine the position of your attacker even if they remain silent. So listen

to the sounds around you, then tell me where I've moved to.'

Jack tried to follow the bō master's movements with his ears, but, with

Sensei Kano now maintaining silence, it was impossible to judge his

progress. Instead Jack had to focus on the noises he could hear.

Yamato's breathing.

The trickle of the waterfall.

The distant bustle of the city.

A lone bird calling among the treetops.

Then… he swore he heard the waterfall fade ever so slightly.

'You're in front of the waterfall,' deduced Jack.

'Excellent. Very perceptive, Jack-kun,' praised Sensei Kano as Yamato

and Jack reopened their eyes. 'We will begin with that exercise every day

until you can recognize a sound shadow in most environments. Now let's

progress on to the touch techniques of chi sao.'

'Chi sao?' queried Yamato. 'What does that mean? It's not Japanese.'

'No, it's Chinese. Chi sao means "sticky hands",' explained Sensei

Kano. 'It's a technique I learnt from a blind Chinese warrior in Beijing.'

Jack nudged Yamato and whispered, 'The blind leading the blind, eh?'

They both laughed. Yamato, apparently over his disappointment at not

being selected for the Circle of Three, had apologized for his behaviour the

day before and their friendship was back on solid ground.

'You could say that, Jack-kun,' Sensei Kano continued, giving them

both a sharp rap on the head with his staff for their impudence, 'but chi sao

is your gateway to understanding the internal aspects of martial arts –

sensitivity, reflex, timing, coordination and positioning. It will teach you to

undo your body's natural instinct to resist force with force and you will

learn to yield to an attack and redirect it. Most importantly, you will learn to

see with your hands. Come here, Jack-kun, and stand opposite me in

fighting stance.'

When Jack was in position, Sensei Kano knelt on one knee so they

were more or less of equal height. He then rested each of his hands on the

outside of Jack's guard, so that he mirrored his stance.

'I want you to attack me. Any kick or punch will do. You're at zero

range so you should be able to land something on an old blind man.'

Jack wasn't so sure, but he gave it a go anyway. He went for a basic

jab to the face, direct and quick.

Instantly he found himself off-balance, his lead hand trapped and

Sensei Kano's own fist in his face, the knuckles pressing against the tip of

his nose.

'Try again.'

This time Jack kicked, a roundhouse to the ribs, but before he had even

moved Sensei Kano had pushed against his shoulder. Jack had to step

backwards to regain his balance. At the same time, Sensei Kano had thrust a

spearhand strike directly at a pressure point in his throat, stopping just

short.

Jack swallowed in astonishment.

He had lost before he had even started. It was as though Sensei Kano

could read his mind.

'How do you do that?' asked Jack, amazed.

'I'm hearing you with my hands. I use my fingers to feel where your

power is and as soon as you start to move, I counter by redirecting your

energies then striking in retaliation,' he explained. 'You will learn this

technique too. With time, you'll be able to intercept an attack before your

opponent has completed a single move.'

Sensei Kano stood up and indicated for Yamato to take his place.

'To begin with, I want you to simply maintain contact with one

another. Push and roll your forearms in a circle,' tutored Sensei Kano,

guiding them in their initial circular movements. 'Stay relaxed. You're

trying to feel the movements of your opponent and find gaps in their

defence. The main principle in chi sao is to greet what arrives, escort what

leaves and rush in upon any loss of contact.'

Jack and Yamato were clumsy at first and had to restart several times

before they managed to achieve any kind of fluidity.

'No, don't lean into it, Jack-kun,' Sensei Kano instructed, his hands

resting upon their shoulders so that he could judge their progress. 'The key

to chi sao is to keep your centre and stay relaxed. Think of yourselves as

bamboo shoots in the wind. Be rooted yet remain flexible. Then you will

grow to be strong.'

The winter sun was low in the sky by the time Sensei Kano called an end to

their training. Jack and Yamato had continued with the same drill all

afternoon until Jack thought his arms were about to drop off, but gradually

the two of them had found their rhythm and the circular motions had

become faster and more fluid.

'Excellent work, boys,' commended the bō master as they wended

their way through the snow-laden gardens and icy waterways in the

direction of the Niten Ichi Ryū. 'In a few more sessions, I'll teach you how

to trap one another's arms and spot the gaps you can attack into. It won't be

long before you're doing chi sao blindfolded.'

'We'll never be able to do that,' snorted Yamato. 'It's hard enough now

and we can see what we're doing.'

Without breaking his stride, Sensei Kano turned and walked straight

across the frozen pond.

'Watch out!' cried Jack.

There was a splintering crack at the edges as the surface took Sensei

Kano's weight, but incredibly the ice held.

'You would be amazed what things you can accomplish,' shouted

Sensei Kano over his shoulder to his two astonished students, 'if only you

have the courage to believe in yourself and trust your senses.'