Reflections on iai

[iai_adept]

I just returned from iai class. It is confirmed - I am NOT testing for Shodan next week.

Sensei was really sweet about it though. He said that he thought I would benefit from another year of working on my technique. I need to learn how to project power and confidence. I need to have it down so that performance nerves don't ruin the test.

He said

Comments

[darth_qonfused]

You're quite welcome! I'm always glad to help when/where I can, especially as we're all training with the same goals in mind: that of self mastery. On the "planing the foot" realization you had: yes indeed. It becomes even more important when you try to actually cut something. If you haven't fully rooted your weight, then there isn't any power generated by your cast, and when you connect with your target you'll either bend it or the sword (unless it's really sharp

[iai_adept]

See? This is the perfect example of what I was talking about in the post. Your response to "bunkai" made me realize that I might have been using the wrong word. I was. I meant "enbu." We HAVE been working a lot on bunkai in class. Last night was one of those nights. We still stick to the kata though. It's main purpose is to help us work on timing, intent, and the reasons for all the moves in the kata

[darth_qonfused]

That reminds me. Oddly enough, we couldn't remember the Japanese word for the initial draw of the sword...have you run across the word, or a web page with common sword related words? I know most of them (virtually all common parts of swords), but there are a hand full that I'm not sure of...

[slobbit]

nukitsuke? Is that the one you're looking for?

[darth_qonfused]

well nikutsuke (I think) is the initial draw and cut, I'm looking for just the draw part..

[slobbit]

batto is another name for drawing -- is that the one you're looking for? That's the only one I know of that describes the action

koiguchi no kirigata (cutting the koiguchi) is the loosening of habaki
saya banare is when the kissaki leaves the koiguchi

In my style the sword is not drawn without cutting.

[iai_adept]

Hermione strikes again ;-)

It funny that this topic came up today because I asked about nikutsuke in class. I noticed the similarity in spelling and in the action between it and "kiritsuke." I asked if they differed in terms of the direction of the cut or something else.
I was told that nikutsuke involved drawing the sword and kiritsuke occurred when the sword was already drawn.

[slobbit]

Hey!

*narrow-eyed look*

Well, I can take comfort in the fact that Hermione had the chops as well. ^_^

抜 is the nu part of nukitsuke, and it means "pull out". The other reading is batsu, so when you combine it with "to" for sword, you get batto. So batto just means to pull out the sword, but nukitsuke means to cut on the draw.

And 付 for tsu means "apply". So nukitsuke is applying the sword from the draw. Kiritsuke is applying a cut. Some ryuha might use them interchangeably.

And . . . I'm done now.

Maybe I need a Hermione icon . . .

[iai_adept]

Hermione is probably my favorite character in the Potter series. There would have been no victories without her help. Potter succeeded through natural talent. Hermione succeeded through brains, hard work, and dedication. I have a lot more respect for that kind of success.

Thanks for the lesson. It helps to have it broken down like that.

I'm just starting to try to piece things together. I have few reference works to refer to regarding the kata and the terms look so different from what they sound like when I hear them used in class.

Does that mean that the "kiri" in "kiritsuke" refers to a cut?

[slobbit]

kiri, or giri does mean cut, so kiritsuke means to apply a cut.

And yeah, about figuring out terminology. When I began naginata especially, it was all Greek at first. I had to go back and look up basic things and kind of reverse engineer what I had heard to match the things. Like jogeburi, and shikake-oji, and furikaeshi (which I immediately recognized as the naginata version of a gaeshi cut).

[darth_qonfused]

In our kodachi forms (Toho Kodachi Iai) we have a kata which is all blocking, which is part of the reason I was asking in the first place...

[iai_adept]

If you find out the answer to that question, let me know. I can email Sensei and ask if he knows if you would like me to.

I would be interested in learning the blocks that make up an all blocking kata.

I've noticed our ryu is is rather lacking in blocks. We have a couple of sheathed blocks and overhead blocks and not much else.
It is very different from the Chinese sword styles and even Western fencing I have learned that have almost as many types of blocks as types of strikes.

[slobbit]

Pure blocks in traditional JSA will be scarce, if completely non-existent, because of the situations that gave birth to the techniques. Someone is suddenly attacking you with a lethal weapon. If you do not kill them, and kill them quickly, you are dead. Protracted swordplay is not in the cards. Therefore, what you typically see are uke-nagaeshi or gaeshi techniques, that receive the incoming blow on the shinogi of the sword, deflect the attack, and return that energy in the form of a killing strike. Why waste that energy? It's judo, with a sword.

Iai is all about getting the jump on the opponent, and staying ahead. A pure block is behind or even, at best.

[iai_adept]

LOVE the icon :-D

Sensei always says iai is like Aikido which (like Judo) is all about redirection.

[darth_qonfused]

I would actually really appreciate it! My sensei tells me that "nikitsuke" is specifically the act of drawing one handed continuing through with a cut (usually a miyoko giri or gyaku kesagiri), so finding out the specifics would be great

[iai_adept]

I'm not sure.
Batto-ho?
Nukitsuke?
I've used this site before for terms: "http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=52" and it wasn't listed on there though that was where I got "batto-ho"