BATTLE OF THE SEXES
I called shihan Dana Abbott on a Saturday night, never expecting him to pick up the phone. He did. I asked if I could gather a group of friends willing to split the cost of private lessons in Japanese swordsmanship. I said that I thought I could manage that once a month.
Long story short: After a single three-hour session with Abbott, all my friends dropped out. I was disappointed. How could I afford private lessons? I called to let him know that the group was done. He said it didn’t surprise him — few people are willing to invest the time and effort needed to learn the art of the sword. I hung up, unsure of how to proceed with my dream.
A few days later, the phone rang. It was Abbott. “Do you really want to learn the sword?” he asked. Yes. “If you really want to learn, you’ll have to train five days a week with me and then go home and practice for a couple of hours on your own.”
After mulling the reality of his suggestion, I figured I could handle training three days
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