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 a week and then prac-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 swords-
manship. 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
58 BLACKBELTMAG.COM OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019