7 ms·
Like many other things worth doing, iaido is best experienced by doing it. Talking about it will get you nowhere. Get your sword out and start training until yo
by Tharkun 10y ago
Like many other things worth doing, iaido is best experienced by doing it. Talking about it will get you nowhere. Get your sword out and start training until you wear yourself out.
The people in your club who are there because katanas are cool will all quit within the next 3 years. Some may last 5. None will last 60 unless they get over the coolness factor and see it for what it is.
That being said, iaido is great. It's a good physical and mental workout. It'll teach you a lot about yourself, a bit like meditating but with sword in hand. There will be endless repetition in a search for unattainable perfection. It certainly can be 'spiritual' in a sense.
Source: over 2 decades of martial arts and nearly 2 decades of iaido.
- titanix2 10y agoJapanese university clubs are pretty intense, 3 sessions per week for first grader, up to 5 for the more advanced member. But given how much 1 and 2nd year and how few 3rd year and upper there is, you seems totally right on your point. Actually I was wondering why there was so few of them, but I guess the cultural background also plays a lot; 4th year mostly focus on searching a job and not a lot of student do a master degree. And sure it have the beneficial effects you point (I started it partly to correct my posture), but I think putting too much emphasis on the spiritual side is a kind of Orientalism bias.
- robaato 10y agoIt is common for members of a university club to be practicing effectively 2 or more hours per day. Over several years this brings pretty rapid progress. Getting to nidan is fairly common. But after they leave, the majority stop, or do maybe once a week at most. A friend of mine carried on to do a PhD, so was able to continue quite a lot - 20+ years later he is 6th dan!