Good morning, I was mildly horrified to see myself included at the beginning of the official video of a number of Saturday classes. I have used Zoom almost exclusively setting up my wife for work and can get it functioning. In order to no longer make myself part of the production I assume that I need to keep the video portion of my input feed shut down until the class begins? Also, do any of you know who that bent old guy sneaking around my “garage-do” was? I must have a much (much) older and dramatically widened sibling who snuck in there when I was not looking. In my mind, I feel ageless and my internal feed of self-images has me more securely anchored in my 40’s, still active and 20 pounds lighter. Even if almost no system of my body still works properly, I am committed to learning Nami Ryu but I do not have to inflict images of myself on the rest of you! Thank you for not lodging complaints lol…

Is there a zoom failure today?

Recently I’ve been rethinking how I approach weapons training in kenjutsu and Nami Ryu. For a good while, I thought of practice mainly as what happens in the dojo: techniques, kata, corrections, and trying to keep up with class material. I understand not every practitioner has military experience, but bear with me—this analogy comes from my time in the Marines. Strategy is a core tenet of war and, as Williams Sensei teaches, part of the craft of the warrior. It seems natural that the same principles I learned there could apply here in the dojo. Not all of my time with a rifle was spent on the range practicing marksmanship. Virtually all of my familiarity came from everything outside of shooting: carrying rifles and pistols, moving with them, maintaining them, inspecting, disassembly, reassembly and simply handling them constantly. That constant and consistent daily contact removed a lot of the awkwardness that comes from marksmanship. By the time I needed to shoot all that I needed to concern myself with was shooting itself. I realized that weapons training in the dojo can run into the same awkwardness if our only meaningful contact with the sword/spear happens during class. Much the same as if one were to only handle the firearm the day they arrive at the range. Then we’re trying to learn familiarity, handling, awareness, and technique all at once. Williams Sensei has taught that timing, distance, relationship, and energy are crucial to martial application. When I train, I typically ask myself how these principles apply to simple movements: walking with the weapon, transitioning from kamae, bowing in, carrying it, and handling it confidently. Once I’ve developed that baseline, kata and cutting practice feel more natural and easier to correct over time. Before a weapon can be a weapon it must first feel familiar in the hands, at least, that’s been my experience. I’d love to hear everyone else’s thoughts and experiences as well!

Hi Sensei. I noticed with partner drills, particularly when trying to slowly displace someone with a cut they feel me lean. It is subtle and honestly I don't notice it doing solo work. Any suggestions on solo practice that will help me recognize that or is it strictly partner training to resolve. I am happy to hear from anyone who has same issue and found way to resolve it. Thanks.

"The hardest to learn was the least complicated " Just happen to think about this lyric and how it relates to our training. We tend to want to do more and complicate things when relaxing and doing less is what will allow the technique to work. I guess that isn't just a lesson for kenjutsu but also life.🙂