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Suri Ashi

This past weekend we had our first, hopefully of many, Annual Tanshinjuku Iaido retreats. It was Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the mountains of North Park Colorado. It was open to all iaido students with a year of experience and at least 50% attendance. The retreat was held on a private ranch, adjacent to aContinue reading “Suri Ashi”

Visiting Another Dojo

If you are visiting another dojo for first time. You should not be surprised to find that they do things differently from your home dojo. Etiquette and routine of practice is not standardized, and it may vary in subtle and possibly not so subtle ways. So keep your mouth shut, observe carefully, and try yourContinue reading “Visiting Another Dojo”

A Reason to Train

People come to the dojo for a variety of reasons. Probably everyone has a story that is as unique as that person’s life, yet, we all find ourselves in the dojo on the mat, together. Iaido is a mostly individual practice. Visualization of an opponent is essential, and there are times where we use eachContinue reading “A Reason to Train”

Freeze and Thaw

Winter is here. Snow covers the ground and the warm-up to daily highs in the 30s makes going outside a desire instead of a chore, but inside is warm, quiet, and reflective. It’s easy to settle into a comfortable position and stay in the hibernation mentality accompanying Winter. The best and most difficult way toContinue reading “Freeze and Thaw”

The Tree, Not the Blossom

There are many lessons for us in every moment of our lives. We often neglect the importance of these moments because they seem so ordinary. For some reason we need our lives to hang in the balance in order to reflect deeply enough. This is probably the reason Zen Buddhism became so popular in theContinue reading “The Tree, Not the Blossom”

The Evolution of Training

When people pick up a sword or bokken for the first time under the watchful eye of a teacher, they usually find the sword, for all its outward simplicity, to be very complex. Swords are not like lightsabers; they cannot cut through anything in any direction. There is a specific cutting edge, and even withinContinue reading “The Evolution of Training”

Beginners Wanted

There are many teachers in the United States and worldwide teaching martial arts. Training with Izawa Sensei has provided me with opportunity to train in Japan, Romania, and even teach in Hungary. I am very blessed to have had these opportunities and impressed with all those Aikido teachers and students from around the world. ItContinue reading “Beginners Wanted”