Ok, a couple of cool things happened during training the other day that stood out, but first I have to say that the overall way I felt during training was a little different than normal…
- focus felt obviously enhanced, while I watched or executed techniques I was locked on like a pitbull on steak
- there was a greater sense of detachment from mistakes
- didn’t linger in the distraction of the jokes and banter, I was able to switch attitudes somewhat instantly and snap into the next moment to do whatever needed to be done…
…and I was probably a little more intense with my intent during training, but I wasn’t trying. It just was. Some days, especially during evening training sessions, it can take a little bit for me to switch gears, but not this time. For reference, I ran a loop in the morning then trained in the late evening.
So, the cool things…
…during a drill using bokuto, I was able to make an instant adjustment to avoid my index finger getting smashed (maybe broken since we were going pretty hard) and the thing that stood out to me most was that I didn’t feel any change in tension in my body in response to it, like there was no fear of the danger, only a recognition of it…I didn’t even get annoyed at my partner’s subpar technique (which if they’d executed it correctly, my finger wouldn’t have been in jeopardy), my gaze and focus stayed steady and ready to go again – because that’s life – but just then our sensei stopped us and reiterated the proper technique…
…no one but me knew how cool that was…
And more surprisingly, I executed a new sequence of techniques “perfectly” after a couple tries to the point where our sensei stopped us all and said “that’s it!” pointing it out and making it an example – something he’s not prone to doing, normally he can’t bear to watch us working out the kinks with new sequences and walks away “to go get something” 
As a side note, I don’t put too much stock into praise or criticism in general, but what felt good about this one was how fast I was able to get my body to perform the techniques beautifully. Like there was a more stable connection between all facets of myself, and my body’s movements flowed and adapted at subconscious speeds.
(Credit to 
