Unfortunately, a few little clips are all that remains of a TV documentary on N.J. Aiki Kai, where I was a student of Japanese swordsmanship. That’s Sensei Joe Conti demonstrating some of the basic cuts.
So where am I?
Oh, I’m in that back room, the one wearing the white gi instead of grey. All my lessons had been private lessons, and suddenly I was in a roomful of swords and unprotected bodies. Whoa! It made me very, very nervous. (Yes, I know it’s almost impossible to see me. Not exactly a guest star turn on Ed Sullivan.)
In the uncut broadcast I got time to show off my moves. It appeared on TV and a lot of kids at a certain high school must have seen it. Next time I was there, substitute teaching, I heard somebody say “Don’t mess with him, he got skills!”
I’ll always be grateful to him for that.