Best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy and excellent 2011.
I'm looking forward to our new training schedule - Saturday nights from 6 - 9 pm - starting January 8.
Check out this extraordinarily cool video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rDJkjI13HA&feature=player_embedded
One of the early versions of the ZenKen Iai (once known as the seitei iai).
Also, please note the video on MSR there too.
Both videos speak to how rigid the ZenKenIai has become, in my opinion.
You can see how infused this more original version of ZenKenIai is with the koryu which constituted it.
Thanks to Nathan also for reminding me to get back to blogging here a little more in the New Year.
Send me your updates too and I'll be sure to post them!
Best wishes.
Chris
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Expertise and Practice Groups
For the electronic record, let this act as witness to our club's official status in the arts we mention on our website, just in case (and these cases too often arise) someone thinks we're making claims to expertise we shouldn't be:
I have expertise in Iaido. I have no qualms calling myself an instructor in iaido and taking the lead on instruction in our club.
As for the other arts in our club, they are practice groups, which is to say, although there is/are people in the club who are more experienced than others and thus teach the arts, they are not instructors in these arts, at least not in the sense of having aged over time and training with the arts. Their apprenticeships in the arts have been brief. We work hard to sustain what we have learned and to continue to expose ourselves to the leaders in these arts BUT we are not sensei in these arts like I 'might' be considered a sensei in Iaido. I lived and trained in Japan for 4 years with one sensei and I've been at it consistently for 15 years now. The other arts of our club have seen us exposed once or twice a year for a few years now, for several days at a time, to top leaders in the arts. One of us recently lived for one month with one of the sensei: a definitely intense training period if one were to spread his training time out over our regular training calender. And yet, we are all still just students in practice groups in these arts.
Jodo is mainly taught by myself but several of us are similarly ranked and experienced.
Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu is led by Alex Cook.
Kage Ryu is led by Nathan Morrison.
If Kyudo comes back (we have the equipment!) that woud be led by Sohail Thaker (because David is off to Japan)
There you have it. Iaido is our claim to expertise in our club. The other arts are practice groupings.
I have expertise in Iaido. I have no qualms calling myself an instructor in iaido and taking the lead on instruction in our club.
As for the other arts in our club, they are practice groups, which is to say, although there is/are people in the club who are more experienced than others and thus teach the arts, they are not instructors in these arts, at least not in the sense of having aged over time and training with the arts. Their apprenticeships in the arts have been brief. We work hard to sustain what we have learned and to continue to expose ourselves to the leaders in these arts BUT we are not sensei in these arts like I 'might' be considered a sensei in Iaido. I lived and trained in Japan for 4 years with one sensei and I've been at it consistently for 15 years now. The other arts of our club have seen us exposed once or twice a year for a few years now, for several days at a time, to top leaders in the arts. One of us recently lived for one month with one of the sensei: a definitely intense training period if one were to spread his training time out over our regular training calender. And yet, we are all still just students in practice groups in these arts.
Jodo is mainly taught by myself but several of us are similarly ranked and experienced.
Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu is led by Alex Cook.
Kage Ryu is led by Nathan Morrison.
If Kyudo comes back (we have the equipment!) that woud be led by Sohail Thaker (because David is off to Japan)
There you have it. Iaido is our claim to expertise in our club. The other arts are practice groupings.
Off they go...to return
Joe is off to the East Coast, to Acadia University, to be precise, to begin his post secondary education, and all that entails (I shall live through his tales to be told!). As Yoda might have said, "Miss him, we will."
Just as I've missed Colin and Alex and others who have become part of our family and have moved on. It's very rewarding to see the young grow as they do, to be a part of their lives, their growth. It's more rewarding to have them come back from time to time - to check in - to show care for those of their past, who in most respects, are always with them, a part of the woven fabric of their lives.
So, Joe is off and I'm both sad and happy at once. Life's complexity makes it worth dwelling upon, I think. Joe, like the others on their paths now, have in many ways moved beyond the intentions I had for them in training. They have not yet met me on equal ground in Iaido however, in many related and other areas, they are my teachers. Thank goodness for the young! Already, I see their ability to teach, to evaluate self and others, to ask questions and think about their arts, as ways of being in the world that require me to re-think, ask again, continue to keep a beginner's mind on its perpetual path of knowing.
They leave and return in cycles reminding me of the work involved in getting to be senior in the art, relatively speaking: I too must always return to a place that keeps me (re-)connected, in order to stay on the path of knowing.
See you when you make it back Joe!
Miss you, I will.
Just as I've missed Colin and Alex and others who have become part of our family and have moved on. It's very rewarding to see the young grow as they do, to be a part of their lives, their growth. It's more rewarding to have them come back from time to time - to check in - to show care for those of their past, who in most respects, are always with them, a part of the woven fabric of their lives.
So, Joe is off and I'm both sad and happy at once. Life's complexity makes it worth dwelling upon, I think. Joe, like the others on their paths now, have in many ways moved beyond the intentions I had for them in training. They have not yet met me on equal ground in Iaido however, in many related and other areas, they are my teachers. Thank goodness for the young! Already, I see their ability to teach, to evaluate self and others, to ask questions and think about their arts, as ways of being in the world that require me to re-think, ask again, continue to keep a beginner's mind on its perpetual path of knowing.
They leave and return in cycles reminding me of the work involved in getting to be senior in the art, relatively speaking: I too must always return to a place that keeps me (re-)connected, in order to stay on the path of knowing.
See you when you make it back Joe!
Miss you, I will.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
How to Tie Your Sword Bag
I had a profound realization today while I was practicing suburi with my iaito and watching Chefs vs City. I realized that I didn't actually know how to properly tie my sword bag! Wuh? I had always just improvised some quick method so I could get out the door and grab an Aero Chocolate McFlurry before I headed home.So today, while I was watching Red Cliff pt. 2 (big day amirite?), I thought I would look online and see if there was a particular method to tie the swordbag. I came up with this website.
Though they use a tanto in their example, the same method applies to any sword bag.
Hope this helps you as much as it has helped myself.
See ya'll, Thursday!
Joe
Friday, August 20, 2010
September to June schedule
See our main page for the new schedule for September to June.
Senior students will teach (and train) mainly the Seitei Iai on Thursday nights.
I will train and teach both Seitei and Koryu Iai on Saturdays, as well as Jodo.
Niten and Kage ryu will be offered both training days depending on who is present to instruct and practice.
Thanks.
Chris
Senior students will teach (and train) mainly the Seitei Iai on Thursday nights.
I will train and teach both Seitei and Koryu Iai on Saturdays, as well as Jodo.
Niten and Kage ryu will be offered both training days depending on who is present to instruct and practice.
Thanks.
Chris
Delta West Academy Jodo training
Pictures of our training with the students at Delta West are now posted online.
They were eager and intense groups.
It is very rewarding to see young people improve so quickly at endeavours, especially when
they are keen to do well.
Perhaps we planted a few seeds which may one day bud and blossom into martial artists!
Thanks to Sohail and Amanda for their support during our training!
Chris
They were eager and intense groups.
It is very rewarding to see young people improve so quickly at endeavours, especially when
they are keen to do well.
Perhaps we planted a few seeds which may one day bud and blossom into martial artists!
Thanks to Sohail and Amanda for their support during our training!
Chris
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