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I've had my first taste of Japanese martial arts this past Friday. It was my day off, and I decided to check out a dojo that teaches iaido-ryu -- the art of attacking an opponent by drawing the sword and striking. After having watched some episodes of Rurouni Kenshin, and hearing that while many elements of martial arts portrayed in the anime are outright fakes conjured by artistic license, the battou-jutsu techniques are real (except, of course, for the over-exaggerated aspects). Therefore out of curiosity, I decided to check it for myself.
But, I'm sure most of you who practice kendo or some other form of this Japanese art know these things already:
1) First and foremost -- as soon as you enter the dojo, leave the anime behind! There is no such thing as "shukuchi", and there is no way of striking a person in nine different places simultaneously.
2) Second -- my grandfather had given me a Japanese katana, very sharp. However, you will not be allowed to use a sharp sword at the dojo if you are a beginner. You may not even be allowed to use the wooden swords at all! That is just common sense -- a sharp sword in the hands of someone untrained and lacking even basic skills of swordsmanship is just an accident waiting to happen, and a very bad one at that!
3) Third -- you will not practice the basic strikes or even be taught the basic techniques until you can master (or develop the required forearm and wrist strength) to hold the sword properly without your hand shaking in the slightest. You need to be able to hold your weapon perfectly still.
4) Fourth -- forget about being able to cut through ten tatami mats after training for a short amount of time or developing "god-like" speed in a day. You'll need to develop Buddha-like patience first. Don't bother wasting your time, your energy, and your money if you don't have the patience. Battou-jutsu takes a long time to develop.
But, I'm sure most of you who practice kendo or some other form of this Japanese art know these things already:
1) First and foremost -- as soon as you enter the dojo, leave the anime behind! There is no such thing as "shukuchi", and there is no way of striking a person in nine different places simultaneously.
2) Second -- my grandfather had given me a Japanese katana, very sharp. However, you will not be allowed to use a sharp sword at the dojo if you are a beginner. You may not even be allowed to use the wooden swords at all! That is just common sense -- a sharp sword in the hands of someone untrained and lacking even basic skills of swordsmanship is just an accident waiting to happen, and a very bad one at that!
3) Third -- you will not practice the basic strikes or even be taught the basic techniques until you can master (or develop the required forearm and wrist strength) to hold the sword properly without your hand shaking in the slightest. You need to be able to hold your weapon perfectly still.
4) Fourth -- forget about being able to cut through ten tatami mats after training for a short amount of time or developing "god-like" speed in a day. You'll need to develop Buddha-like patience first. Don't bother wasting your time, your energy, and your money if you don't have the patience. Battou-jutsu takes a long time to develop.