Hi everyone, I just uploaded six more videos. Half are in the Fundamentals section and cover sword handling, home practice, and bowing in (2 videos on the latter). There are also detailed videos on sword draws. There are complicated mechanics and timing with draws that need to be practiced regularly, so hopefully these videos will help.

A part of our training is about every day preparedness. With that in mind, many parts of the country are expecting extreme cold, snow and ice this weekend. I am in upstate NY and high temps will be 9 degrees with below zero windchill. In the event i get stuck somwhere, i have in my car a wool blanket, extra gloves and a hat to keep warm. I also have some basic first aid supplies. What do you have in your car and/or home to prepare for weather extremes in your area? I am sure we can all help each other by posting suggestions for preparedness. Thanks in advance!

I find myself getting tangled up in words often, but I think there's a lot of value in unpacking the language we use in our art, and in adjusting our definitions as we learn. Today, we worked on relaxing our back muscles, and "relax" is one of those simple words that I've really had to think about over the years. When I first started training, I found that if I just relaxed my muscles, I would often wind up losing my structure entirely. I thought of relaxing as just "emptying my body of tension," and I'd get really floppy, and I'd be unable to actually perform a technique. Often, I'd just wind up gathering myself. I'm starting to understand relaxing as a much more active process. I am intaking breath, and softening my vision, and yes, relaxing my muscles, while activating my fascia and filling my body with the energy wave. There's a lot of active presence and subtle work required to truly relax. As much as we "do less" with our muscles, we are doing a whole lot more with the rest of our body parts. What are some of the definitions you've had to expand as your training has developed? And what are your thoughts on the complexities of relaxing?

Happy New Year everybody! We're already two weeks into the new year. Hard to believe, right? I've been thinking how time flies, and how important the small everyday routines and practices are for making progress in a focused direction. There's a lot of talk and discussion about discipline, but I like to emphasize the value of "routine" instead of discipline. I used to think discipline was the key, but once discipline fails, progress and mindset can weaken and fall apart. Last week's discipline can turn into this week's regrets. I've had the greatest success with progress and training when I've incorporated into my everyday routine. For example, when I'm in the kitchen getting a snack I practice classical movement, becoming light and relaxed, and moving with proper balance and alignment. I started doing that ever since I began training in Nami Ryu in 2008. Every time I'm in the kitchen, I automatically go into classical movement without thinking about it. It's like brushing my teeth before going to work or bed. What are your thoughts on discipline versus routine. For those of you who are new to the study of kenjutsu, have you started to incorporate any routines in your training?