This week’s video blog is all about sword basics. While there are lots of different Japanese sword schools, there are some foundational basics that are common across most arts and this includes aiki-ken. Here I discuss how to hold the katana correctly, some commonly found kamae (postures), moving between kamae, and some common grip and cutting mistakes. I used a bokken (wooden sword) in this video since that’s what most people studying sword work in the context of Aikido will be most familiar with.
Pull, don’t pull!
Due to a nefarious flat tire I wasn’t able to shoot any new content this week, so here’s a re-post from my private YouTube channel. Here in this 2018 video, Evan and I work with the concept of “pulling” yourself to help neutralize and control your partner’s pull. This is a direct application of many of the drills we’ve been posting lately and is similar to part of Aikido’s “boat rowing” exercise.