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Kendo-Guide.Com Newsletter, Issue #034 - Niten Ichi Ryu Noda-ha Part II

How are you doing?  

Many people purchased "How to Learn Kendo Movements More Easily and Quickly" for the special price and they gave me positive feedback.

John Maisonneuve from NY gave me a great comment.

“The video is quite excellent both for beginners and kendo instructors here in the US. Kendo is so exhaustive and extensive so this is indeed a wonderful resource for practitioners as well as instructors. The explanations are well thought-out and presented with clarity and easy-to-follow examples.

My only caveat is that a very important aspect of kendo learning and training is one's relationship with an advanced sensei in a dojo environment. (And to be sure,Imafuji sensei does indeed bring in comments about his own sensei and thus providing a sense of this relationship). Japanese budo teaching methodology is really quite unique and I believe integral to learning kendo.

The second point, from teaching kendo for many years, how important it is to have someone to actually observe you, to correct mistakes, misunderstandings, encouragement, some degree of appropriate discipline, admonishment, etc. and that requires contact in a live teaching/learning situation.

But I can say that from seminars I have attended here in the US, given that there are areas without adequate levels of instructors, students and instructors will have a good resource on hand.”

If you have access to a dojo, you should go. Even once a month. You should. Then use my videos as reference.

Now if you cannot go to a dojo, learn the correct movements. Do not mix kendo with other martial arts movements, which is very common. You've got to know what you are doing. If you develop bad habits, it is very hard to get rid of.

The price is 17 dollars. Majority said, it worth $20. So I chose $17.

You can grab your copy here.

In this issue, I want to share what I learned from an article about Niten Ichi Ryu Noda-ha again :)

Hope you enjoy the article.

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What we have in this issue is shown below. Enjoy this Newsletter!

Table of Content

- Kendo Q & A -

- Kendo Work Shop -

- Niten Ichi Ryu Noda Ha PartII -

- Comments or Questions -

There are links to change your email address for the newsletter or unsubscribe at the bottom of every newsletter. Thanks!

- Kendo Q & A -

- Movements between techniques during exam

- How big does a sparring area need to be?

- Kendo Work Shop -

- How not to hit kote too hard

Niten Ichi Ryu Noda Ha Part II

I would like to talk about what I learned from an article about Niten Ichi Ryu  Noda-ha in this issue again. If you have not read the first one, you can read it here.

Don't Swing, Drop

This concept is very important especially for beginners.  Once people see a target in front of them, they just want to swing their shinai down at their target.   This makes your strike a lot better and faster. If you have a problem with ki-ken-ta-no-icchi, a secret below will be very useful.

The secret is…

Deliver the body forward and drop your sword (feeling the weight of the sword).

Niten Ichi Ryu is not a school of two swords but of one handed cut

This is something we should really understand, isn't it?

Many lose control of their sword if they strike with only one hand, especially the left hand. It is because their strikes rely on the right hand strength.

Do kirikaeshi with only one hand. I guarantee you that your kirikaeshi will be a lot slower than the normal kirikaeshi with both hands and you do not feel that you are controlling the sword right.

Create a sculpture of Buddha but forget to put the spirit in it

We have a lot of Buddha sculptures in Japan. Buddha is supposed to have good soul and spirit. But if a creator of Buddha forgets to put them, the sculpture is just a form.

Why do I introduce the saying?

The head instructor of this Niten Ichi Ryu dojo continues, "It does not matter what we do, we must act with makoto no kokoro (honesty and truth) ". Not just pretending to be nice. We have to mean it

Example in Kendo: When we get used to, say the basics, we tend to just do the basics without putting our soul and spirit in each strike.

Always with our true heat and honesty.

Kendo should be practiced not only at the dojo but also outside the dojo with our true heart and honesty. This is the ultimate goal of budo, I think.

- Comments or Questions -

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