Chinese Stretch WIP

Hehe... Another day, another backbend XD I just can't get enough of them seriously, it's unnatural but such a beautiful position that the body can be trained to do, I'm just totally in love with it ^.^

Anyway, today we take a peek again into Kagemaru's little diary :p

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During today's exams in the school, I was finally considered flexible enough to try the Chinese Stretch and was shown how to hold the position and how to breathe and relax the muscles properly. So I grabbed some sushi and sake and immediately paid a visit to Yoko. I had a toast and told him I've reached a new level and now I could use a new, very advanced technique but it requires that we both get naked because any clothes reduce its effectiveness. To my surprise, he fell for that, and I was excited because previously we'd only get naked in the hot springs. It was our most intimate evening and our bodies were closer than ever before, I'd never forget how red his face was in the end, but to my surprise he said 'oh well' when I told him we have to do it every day if we want it to be effective.

The Chinese Stretch is a stretching technique that comes from China where it's been known for at least 3,000 years. It was brought to Japan around 400 years ago by the martial artist Nantai. Yes, the great master Nantai who founded our ninja school. He had spent 5 years of his youth in China, mastering this technique and the legends say that in his youth he was flexible beyond belief, and he could still bend in half backwards even when he was already over 100. It's a legend but it's been inspiring the warriors of our clan for 400 years! I so wish I could have been born 400 years ago, so I could meet the young master Nantai and see for myself...

Anyway, the Chinese Stretch is the ultimate technique for ninjas like myself, and it's this technique that makes one fully understand the meaning of our clan's name, Nankotsu, which means "cartilage" or "soft bone". Because my masters say that after several weeks of practice one's spine would feel almost like it's made of cartilage, and after several months of training this feeling would become a reality.

Here's what my teacher made me write down before we started:

"The Chinese method requires that the student can already bend in half backwards or getting close to it. Following this technique, the trainer applies the pressure on the student's right knee, then on the left knee, then repeats at least 200 times in a row. In the process the spine receives a varying and less destructive hyperextension which lets it stretch further than if a constant force was applied on both knees. The varied pressure on the knees turns the pelvis slightly to one side and the other in the process, which causes the student to instinctively relax the back's muscles and proceed with ease to higher degrees of flexibility."