jubaji

Uh, sure, why not? That sounds good.

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Mr. Arieson

Ok, I will try to answer this:

Bokken-art of the japanese sword Dave Lowry

Aikido weapons techniques Phong thong dang and Lynn Seiser

and of course,

Book of five rings Miyamoto Musashi

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Tant01

INTRODUCTION, Zen Way to the Martial Arts
By George Leonard
From the Book: The Zen Way to the Martial Arts.
"You must concentrate upon and consecrate yourself wholly to each day, as though a fire were raging in your hair."

These words of instruction to a medieval samurai might be said to contain the essence of what Zen master Taisen Deshimaru would tell his Western reader. To practice Zen or the martial arts, you must live intensely, wholeheartedly, without reserves, as if you might die in the next instant. Lacking this sort of commitment, Zen becomes mere ritual and the martial arts devolve into mere sport.

To show the unbreakable connection between Zen and the martial arts, Deshimaru goes back to samurai times. Most samurai followed Japan's national religion of Shinto, an extremely sophisticated form of animism, in which all of nature is imbued with spirit (shin). But they were also deeply attracted to Buddhism as expressed in Zen practice. The Zen emphasis on simplicity and selfcontrol, full awareness at every moment, and tranquility in the face of death set well with the samurai way of life, in which a duel was always possible and the difference between life and death lay in one swift stroke of the sword. Better yet for the samurai was the fact that Zen offered a specific daily practice: through zazen, an unadorned form of sitting meditation, the samurai could effectively still the restless mind, perceive the ultimate harmony beneath seeming discord, and achieve the oneness of intuition and action so necessary for kenjutsu. Indeed, as Deshimaru points out, Zen became known as "the religion of the samurai."

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"In all countries where personal freedom is valued, however much each individual may rely on legal redress, the right of each to carry arms - and these the best and the sharpest - for his own protection in case of extremity, is a right of nature indelible and irrepressible, and the more it is sought to be repressed the more it will recur."

James Paterson

Mike Brewer

Thanks guys. Everyone except Jubaji of course, who is a shit-pot, has helped.

jubaji

I should have known you weren't ready...

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Mike Brewer

How come? Because I told you I wasn't ready? Because I specifically wrote that due to my non-traditional and Western mind, this stuff was beyond me?

Yeah, that one was a tough call. No way you really would have known. Oh well. I think people will let it slide.

Michael Wright

Did my sexual innuendo really slip under the radar?? Hurrah!

Mike Brewer

It didn't slip by, Michael. I just didn't want to change the focus of the thread just yet. You know what happens when you throw a masturbation joke out in front of these guys!

I laughed silently to myself though. The watched some porn. The Michael Wright Ryu makes perfect sense to me. I think it is time I broadened my horizons.

Tant01

In the transmissions of Mujushin kenjutsu it is written,
“When attacked by surprise or in the dark of night, grapple without drawing your sword if you are close enough, or, if you are slightly too far apart to grapple, then down your opponent with a kick; in any case, never attempt to fight with your sword in such situations.”

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"In all countries where personal freedom is valued, however much each individual may rely on legal redress, the right of each to carry arms - and these the best and the sharpest - for his own protection in case of extremity, is a right of nature indelible and irrepressible, and the more it is sought to be repressed the more it will recur."

James Paterson

Tant01

Academic...

http://ejmas.com/jalt/2007jalt/jcsar...wski_0711.html

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"In all countries where personal freedom is valued, however much each individual may rely on legal redress, the right of each to carry arms - and these the best and the sharpest - for his own protection in case of extremity, is a right of nature indelible and irrepressible, and the more it is sought to be repressed the more it will recur."

James Paterson

npk9

I originally wanted to do Iai but did Kendo for awhile - considering there weren't any schools that I could get to in the Philly area. I wanted to learn it because it seemed really different. Way of thinking, training, etc. When I did begin in Kendo - it was really really different. Nothing really strenous as the likes of sports fighting. What was stressful was the fact that they have a different breathing rhythm and all attacks were technique and speed. No power because it was similiar to fencing -that and they stated that with a sword it wouldn't matter with power - as long as the cut was strainght. To be honest it got a little boring as all we did was drills over and over and over and over again. Hitting the "men" which is the kendo helmet and working on foot drills (it was the only time i got a blister within a blister).

To answer your question - I did because it was something that I didn't grow up in (Chinese Traditional System) and I wanted to do something different. Although you do run into A LOT of anime-Otaku people - its really strange. But the nice thing is - they never state that it would help them in self-defence whatsoever - or at least Kendo. Not sure about Iai people. Just my 2 cents

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I like to full-contact fight - do you?? If want a challenge - PM - we'll set something up! Seriously

jubaji

................................


Exactly!

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Mike Brewer

How very fortune cookie of you, jubs. Thank you for your wisdom and insight, and for taking the time and investing the effort in making it useful and understandable. I can only hope that one day, my dedicated pursuit and focus will allow me to be as cryptic and completely indecipherable to the average person, and that my endeavors will all result in the clouding of even the simplest concepts.

You've been a big help there, Chachi.

jubaji

Glad to be of help.

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Mr. Arieson

One thing I love about the sword arts (Including western sword arts like fencing) is the fact that they are nothing like what we see in the movies, with the prolonged and fancy sword fights and anime-friendly moves.

Instead, (from what I have read and seen) a swordfight was lightening-quick, and had a sublety to it. One false move and you were finished. Watching olympic fencing, you can see how the points are scored quick, in the blink of an eye. It is truly amazing to watch.

Same with the samurai fighting style. Two swordfighters stand there, gauging, waiting, and then the strike comes. One man is lefting standing, the other maimed for life. That kind of attention to detail and whole-body/mind interface holds major appeal to me.

I doubt swordfighting has any relevant value for fighting, overtly, but it does have some philosophical and psycological elements that can help a martial artist develop warrior spirit. Plus, it is a great reminder of where we come from as martial artists, as every culture has employed the sword and other weapons to some degree. Well, perhaps not American Indians.

Besides, it is fun! However, I would caution against fighting with shinai. The shinai is too light, and you really cannot get hurt. Having respect for the devastating power of a live blade is a huge part of sword training. That's why I prefer the Bokken. You can really hurt someone if you duel/train with one. The weight is the same, the feel is the same as a real sword. It builds shoulder strenght, and abdomen strenght. All in all, sword training can be a huge beneficial addition to a martial artists bag of tricks. I would not rely only on it, though. Training with a Hanbo is more helpful to actual self-defense, because a hanbo can be easily reproduced by other objects such as walking sticks, canes, umbrellas, baseball bats. My two cents, and I did not even have to use one of Jubaji's 7 word pseudo-haikus to explain it!

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