Iai in Auburn

Travis Page Sensei invited me to teach a MJER Iai class at his Auburn Yoshukai  Karate Dojo yesterday, February 12, 2013.

Altogether 9 Yoshukai Karate students attended the class. Some of them had already trained with Patty Heath Sensei at the Dothan Dojo. Some of them were new to the Way of the Sword. 

We spent 2 hours together. First wie practised basics :  Nukitsuke & Kirioroshi, Chiburi & Noto; then the first 2 moves of the Batto-ho : Junto sono Ichi and Ni. 

Later on we switched to Kenjutsu with the first 2 Katachi waza : Deai and Tsukekomi.

When teaching to beginners, I concentrate on the big picture - I want the student to try to memorize the overall "form" of the waza. I am not pushing for perfection for I believe it is counterproductive at this level. I want the student to get an idea of what the whole move is about - so he can picture  himself in the action, and enjoy it !  I believe it is more important than boring them to death asking them to perform a perfect cut.

In this remarquable video, Masayaki Shimabukuro Hanshi and Carl Long Kyoshi demonstrate the details of the 2 waza Tsukikage and Suigetsuto. These kenjutsu waza are performed with a boken - a wooden sword. They are part of Tahiuchi no kurai set of the Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu school of Japanese Swordsmanship.

Carl Long Sensei  goes a very long way to explain all the details of these 2 techniques, how it's done, and why it's done that way. This is very important, too often, in Iaido, Karate or other Budo, you see people perform techniques in a way that may be at times elegant, but is also wrong, because they were never told (or they forgot) what these techniques really were about. When you get to that point, you don't do Martial Arts anymore, but a sort of aerobics... If you can remember the details exposed here, and try to practice keeping them in mind, you should improve your own technique.

This segment is part of a set of 3 DVD available on line.

Buy them, train with them

(don't just leave them on a shelf...)

Okuden Tachiwaza - Bangai no Bu

In this amazing video, Iwata Norikasu Hanshi demonstrates the Okuden Tachiwaza and Bangai no Bu sets of Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu school of Iaijutsu.

All waza are  demonstrated from several angles, and bunkai are provided for each one of them, seen from different angles, even from above when necessary..

Although  the comments are in Japanese, this is so well done that you pretty much understand everything.

Enjoy, train harder...

You can read a great Interview of Iwata Norikazu Sensei (also called Iwata Kenichi), who left us on January 1st, 2011. He was 97 years old.

Kendo Kata in Japan

A very nice demonstration of Kendo Kata. Prior to 2009.

Pay attention to the way partners separate in Kendo Kata, if I am not mistaken, this is the way one should separate in the Batto-Ho katachi paired exercises described in 

Samurai Swordsmanship: The Batto, Kenjutsu, and Tameshigiri of Eishin-Ryu - the last book by Carl Long Sensei and Masayaki Shimabukuro Hanshi.

 

Pay also attention to the way they walk, the ball of the foot lands first, the toes slightly lifted, and the heel never really supports much weight. 

 

This is important. It is the fastest way to move or change direction. 

When your weight is on your heel, you cannot jump, push with that leg, or change direction as fast as when it is on the ball of your foot.

Always slightly bend your knees to bring your weight to the ball of the foot. Never support your weight with your heels.

Basically, this is when your opponent's weight is on their heels that you want to attack them, specially when they are retreating. For then they are off-balance, and their strikes or cuts cannot be really powerful or accurate. This is true in Kendo, this is true in Karate. 

 

The Devil is in the details...

 

 

Iaido - Zentekigyakuto

Another video taped at the Dothan Botanical Garden last Thursday with my students, in the first part a group practice of the Sword waza "Zentekigyakuto", the 7th one of the "Batto-Ho" series. In the 2nd part the Bunkai practice of the same move.

Batto Ho is a group of waza common to several Styles of Iaido, including Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu.

the one we study in Dothan at the Yoshukai Dojo and in Pensacola at the Big Green Drum Dojo. 

In our Bunkai interpretation of Zentekigyakuto, the two opponents walk in the same direction. As Uchidachi (the bad guy) turns and draws his sword up to cut Shidachi (the good guy), this ones stops him by an upward draw (Kiri age) toward his hands or face and keeps pushing him back. As Uchidachi steps back he is off balance and Shidachi cuts him in an oblique cut (Kesa Giri).

There are 2 versions of Zentekigyakuto, depending upon how fast Uchidachi retrreats, Shidachi takes one or two steps toward him before cutting. The finishing oblique cut is to the Right or the Left, depending upon which foot is forward (it is advisable to cut away from one's own foot).

As previously stated for our other videos this is not a perfect demonstration, but simply an example of what we practice in our Iaijutsu class at the Yoshukai Dojo in Dothan, Alabama. If you wish to see the real stuff, please refer to Masayuki Shimabukuro Sensei videos : Samurai Swordmanship

The Bunkai is our own interpretation of a situation where Zentekigyakuto could be used. There are of course other possible interpretations. I invite you to figure some out and post videos on Youtube for us to compare and discuss. Remember however that Sword Practice, even with a Boken (wooden sword) can generate serious wounds.

Bunkai practice brings an element of reality in the practice of all our waza (or kata in other martial arts) it forces us into taking into account various elements such as terrain, light, distance and timing, which are not easily taken into account in the Dojo. 

Good luck in your practice.

IAIDO : Zantotsuto

Another video taped at the Dothan Botanical Garden last Thursday with my students, in the first part a group practice of the Sword waza "Zantotsuto", the 6th one of the "Batto-Ho" series. In the 2nd part the Bunkai practice of the same move.


Batto Ho is a group of waza common to several Styles of Iaido, including Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu.
the one we study in Dothan at the Yoshukai Dojo and in Pensacola at the Big Green Drum Dojo.

In our Bunkai interpretation of Zantotsuto, the two opponents walk toward each other. As Uchidachi (the bad guy) raises his hands to draw his sword, Shidachi (the good guy) stops him by drawing faster right on top of his hands. As Uchidachi steps back Shidachi follows him with the intention to skewer him (Tsuki attack). Uchidachi draws his sword under Shidachi's sword and tries to whack it out of the way by hitting it upward with his own sword. However, Shidachi keeps pushing and cuts Uchidachi, either in a vertical downward cut (Kirioroshi) or in a forward slicing cut of his hands.

As previously stated for our other videos this is not a perfect demonstration, but simply an example of what we practice in our Iaijutsu class at the Yoshukai Dojo in Dothan, Alabama. If you wish to see the real stuff, please refer to Masayuki Shimabukuro Sensei videos : Samurai Swordmanship



The Bunkai is our own interpretation of a situation where Zantotsuto could be used. There would be other interpretations, and I invite you to figure some out and post videos on Youtube for us to compare and discuss. Remember however that Sword Practice, even with a Boken (wooden sword) can generate serious wounds.

Good luck in your practice.