The training is portrayed as brutal and unrelenting, and the course instructors, the sensei, as being rather on the sadistic side. This does paint a rather compelling picture which draws the reader in, if only to discover the next level of brutality.
Repeated training routines causing wounds to remain unhealed for what seems like unhealthy amounts of time were seemingly the norm. Or the more sedate but equally painful sounding lesson consisting of sitting in the seiza position for the entire time. As someone who has lived in Japan and sat that way uncomfortably a few times too often I can state that the position begins to make you feel as though the muscles linking your feet and ankles are being steadily ripped apart.
On the point of having lived in Japan, Twigger’s impressions of the country and its people bring the tale an element of normality in amongst the brutality. Much of it will ring true to anyone who has spent extended time in the Land of the Rising Sun. There is however a tendency for Twigger to portray some of the people he crosses paths with in a less than flattering light. Many of the protagonists are referred to by unflattering nicknames, and the other students on the course are given fairly short shrift at times, particularly for being angry or upset at not having mastered the move being practiced.
Twigger also gives the impression of merely wanting to make it through the course for the sake of it, or for bragging rights, rather than to achieve what the course is intended for. There is of course the physical change and the skills, but there is a way of thinking and attitude that he seems to resist as much as possible. And yet this book is something of a rite of passage for aikido students to read and absorb. There is no doubting it is an inspirational tale, told in a humorous and engaging style, although there is an unnecessary amount of swearing used in Twigger’s narrative.
Just what kept him going on the occasions he wanted to quit? Rather than a desire to complete his aikido education and accept the change in the way of thinking, it was a desire to not be beaten. Admirable of course, but not the way everyone would approach such a course. Nevertheless it is a compelling read, and one which was one of the earliest winners of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year, in 1998.
For those interested in martial arts or Japan, it will give an intriguing insight into the way these arts are taught and studied in Japan, which can be somewhat different to the more gentle approach in the west. The insights into Japan and its people too, give a greater context to the book, placing a more human aspect on something that borders on the inhumane.
- Aidan Williams http://thesportsbookreview.com
Publisher - Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
Date of Publication - October 23, 1999