Hello, as a new student and member of this group, I was wondering if you have a video, or could do a video, on how to properly tie and wear the hakam as well as respectfully fold and store it after use? Thank you for your time.

In class we often talk about home practice or daily practices. Sure there is suburi and rokudangiri, and the kenjutsu and iai katas, but ultimately, it's the little things that do the most. One thing Angier Sensei would say is that every time you're at a red light, relax your shoulders. For me, when I have a second waiting for food to cook, I release my hips and open. Sometimes I'll do what we call "separating the body" and move into ichimongigoshi (I might have spelled that wrong, sorry Sensei). A big one for me was walking the dog. He'd stop to do his business, I'd fix my posture, and then start walking like we do on the mat. We also have cats. When I would scoop their litter, instead of just leaning over, I lower myself into seiza, scoop, then raise myself back to standing. This is also a part of making the art your own. *Everything* is kenjutsu. How do you incorporate your training into your every day life?

Howdy all, I've held a friend's polypropylene katana, about a year ago. He's a beginner, but he's huge, so I was surprised at how small the sword was. I'm not beginning kendo anytime soon—I've just dipped my toe into swords at all, and I'm a curious fella. I have a 29"-blade training dao, the one in my profile photo, that I call the butter knife, and a Chinese straight sword that's intentionally a bit oversized for me, with a 37" blade and space for both hands on the handle. Do you have a rule of thumb, a principle, or a good resource for sizing a katana? I know, you match the tool to the job, and for a beginner, the job is training. Even still, I'd love to hear how you select a sword when you can choose based on feel. Much obliged 🖖