Author Archives: iaidotsj

Yesterday, the day before New Year’s, I went with my student to have a new saya made for his sword. I was sitting there talking with my friend who has been making saya for the last 30 years now. He was looking at my student’s sword and recognized his work, both the old saya andContinue reading “Compromise in Training”

IAIDO – OVER  OVER OVER AGAIN: Last Evening’s Talk In Iaido Class: More and more, I feel that it is necessary to give you more time for individual training. From my observations, you need more time to practice and less instruction, actually, you have heard over and over all the instruction that you need –Continue reading “Practice”

In Class Briefly: Last evening, I had this talk with my Iaido students: We must not limit our Iaido to mechanical movements, but be mentally, emotionally and spiritually active on our practice as well. Not only in the technique itself, but in how you move, walk, talk, think, see, hear, in everything, you express yourContinue reading “A Complete Fool”

Today, we had an interesting discussion in our Iaido Class. In practice, we work on our techniques and follow a step-by-step process of getting each movement correctly. However, as we progress, we must begin to think about the movement and the “empty spaces” between the movements as well. It is like viewing a Japanese inkContinue reading “No Emptiness”

What people have the biggest misunderstanding of in this world, I think, is the misconception in regards to: “receiving is not taking,” and “giving is not losing.” I think if we can clear up these two simple issues in our lives and in this world, this existence will become a slightly better place to liveContinue reading “True Swordmanship”

Bushido to Mogido: Bushido means the “way of the Warrior,” or the samurai who stood for courage, duty, patience and loyalty. It was these qualities which made the warrior what he was and it was these qualities which made him a great martial artist as well. Nowadays, we do not talk about the “Way ofContinue reading “Bushido to Mogido”

More than anything nowadays, we like the break rules, not keep them. Breaking rules expresses our freedom, I suppose – at least, this is how we think nowadays. As a teacher, it only means the student does not understand the purpose of these rules – especially in Aikido and especially in a Dojo. Rules areContinue reading “Saho”