Uchinanchu
Green Belt
Hello all,
Sorry I do not get on here as much as I used to. A bit busy with everything that life tends to throw at you, when you are not looking.
I just wanted to add my two yen pieces worth of advice. No disrespect intended towards anyone or any particular art/style, but from my personal experience, cutting is an integral part of one's training in studying the Japanese sword arts. If you do not cut, you will never know whether or not your technique is up to snuff or not, period.
Yes, it is important to be properly trained in the basics/kata and to have a good/qualified sensei judge your progression so as to determine whether or not you are ready for a shinken or not. At the same time though, alas, not all students (or teachers for that matter) are created equally in terms of skill level or understanding.
On occasion, I have personally witnessed this very thing, when going to the local Budokan to practice cutting with a large group of other interested parties from various dojo and ryuha. The one thing that I noticed time and time again was that the people who practiced kendo, could NOT cut through their logs, nine times out of ten! The kendoka who had the least amount of difficulty in cutting were those who also practiced some form of iaido. The best cuttings were performed by those who's sole practice was Iaido.
Practicing only with a bokuto, is a first step for the beginner in many styles of Iaido. But at the same time, it is but a step. Training with a bokuto is not the same as training with an Iaito, and training with an Iaito is not the same as training with a shinken. A shinai is not even part of the equation, when training to learn how to cut. That is probably why many kendo styles have initiated training kata with iaito into their curriculum these days.
Sorry for the long winded message, but I have one last point to make. Though a sensei does play a deciding factor in when a student can START using a shinken, ultimately, it is up to the individual practitioner to make that transition. Keep in mind that many of the Koryu arts do not have dan rankings, and certainly do not have kyu rankings. They have what is referred to as mennomaki or menkyo kaiden. The dan system is handed out by the federations (ie. Zen Nippon Iaido Renme) that the respective Ryuha belong to. So time in training (not rank) plays a more important role in deciding if one is ready for the live blade or not.
Again, my apologies for my long windedness.
Respectfully yours in the martial arts,
James
Sorry I do not get on here as much as I used to. A bit busy with everything that life tends to throw at you, when you are not looking.
I just wanted to add my two yen pieces worth of advice. No disrespect intended towards anyone or any particular art/style, but from my personal experience, cutting is an integral part of one's training in studying the Japanese sword arts. If you do not cut, you will never know whether or not your technique is up to snuff or not, period.
Yes, it is important to be properly trained in the basics/kata and to have a good/qualified sensei judge your progression so as to determine whether or not you are ready for a shinken or not. At the same time though, alas, not all students (or teachers for that matter) are created equally in terms of skill level or understanding.
On occasion, I have personally witnessed this very thing, when going to the local Budokan to practice cutting with a large group of other interested parties from various dojo and ryuha. The one thing that I noticed time and time again was that the people who practiced kendo, could NOT cut through their logs, nine times out of ten! The kendoka who had the least amount of difficulty in cutting were those who also practiced some form of iaido. The best cuttings were performed by those who's sole practice was Iaido.
Practicing only with a bokuto, is a first step for the beginner in many styles of Iaido. But at the same time, it is but a step. Training with a bokuto is not the same as training with an Iaito, and training with an Iaito is not the same as training with a shinken. A shinai is not even part of the equation, when training to learn how to cut. That is probably why many kendo styles have initiated training kata with iaito into their curriculum these days.
Sorry for the long winded message, but I have one last point to make. Though a sensei does play a deciding factor in when a student can START using a shinken, ultimately, it is up to the individual practitioner to make that transition. Keep in mind that many of the Koryu arts do not have dan rankings, and certainly do not have kyu rankings. They have what is referred to as mennomaki or menkyo kaiden. The dan system is handed out by the federations (ie. Zen Nippon Iaido Renme) that the respective Ryuha belong to. So time in training (not rank) plays a more important role in deciding if one is ready for the live blade or not.
Again, my apologies for my long windedness.
Respectfully yours in the martial arts,
James