My Hilary Swank Moment

Hilary Swank was a guest at this year's Melbourne Cup, the 'race that stops a nation.' She also stars in the fourth of the The Karate Kid franchise - The Next Karate Kid - which was on television just recently.

In that movie, Mr Miyagi was teaching her karate and included an exercise where she was blind folded and had to avoid swinging bags. She then used that skill in a fight when the opponent blinded her by throwing mud into her eyes.

I had my Hilary Swank moment with my Mr Miyagi, Sensei Greg Palmer.

I was training with two partners after class one night. I was blind-folded and had to defend against attacks which my two partners initiated. It has to be said that punching and kicking attacks were prohibited.

Greg was watching and after a while asked me, blind-folded, and my two partners to walk around the dojo in a random fashion. Greg then instructed us to stop and asked me to point to where my two partners were ... by name.

Intuition time. So I tried to feel something, see something in my mind, ... nothing. I had absolutely no idea. Stupid bloody exercise, but I pointed when each name was called out nonetheless. When I took my blind-fold off, I found that I had pointed directly at Marcus (my regular training partner) and I was five degrees off the other person (now known as the other person).

I was astounded.

We performed the exercise again, and once again I tried to feel or see something in my mind, but nothing. But each time, without fail, I pointed directly at Marcus and was five degrees off the other guy.

Towards the end, as we were walking in random patterns around the mats, I turned and Greg asked why I turned. I said that there was a wall in front of me. Sure enough, there was a wall in front of me.

The final time, we walked randomly around the dojo before Greg instructed us to stop. He asked me to point to Marcus. I did. He asked me to point to the other guy. I did. He then asked me to point to the nearest wall. I did. And then he asked me to estimate the distance between me and those three objects. I did.

I was spot on with Marcus. Five degrees and a short distance off with the other guy. And spot on with the wall.

I never questioned it. Never tried to understand it. And I never repeated it again in case it didn't work again.

That was my Hilary Swank moment with my own Mr Miyagi, Sensei Greg Palmer.