Should one train in both?
 

I apologise if such a thread has already been done, although if it has, I'd like to see the thread links so I can read it for myself ^^

This isn't a thread about which is better out of Iaido and Kendo, at all.
More so an interest in what people think...to get a true feeling of using the sword, or to truly be able to call yourself a swordsman/woman, should you train in both Kendo and Iaido?

I know that there are things in Kendo that you don't do in Iaido, and vice versa. For example, in Iaido, noto is important, even more so as you aim to train with a live sword one day and don't want to chop your hand off... whereas in Kendo, you already start with the sword out. There is more..well spirit, I'd say, in Kendo than Iaido, because you depend on that more than we do.... kind of hard to do kiai against an imaginary opponent (when you actually manage to think up one)...and to make it feel like you are actually hitting something - when you are not!

This is something I have often discussed with the guy I am seeing...he does Kendo, cant train in Iaido as there is no dojo near him, I train in Iaido... considering starting Kendo at the Preston club, when I can afford lots of trips to Preston and the equipment.... he says that in order to be able to call yourself a swordsmen, you have to train in both Iaido and Kendo...

So what do you all think? Have those that do both found that they can use one swordsart to improve the other? Or has anyone found it quite hard to commit to both swordsarts? Or that they are doing Kendo cuts (don't know the terminology) in Iaido, or vice versa...or any other things?

Get a good grounding in one first. That way, a noob doesn't get the two mixed... http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/smile.gif

well i say take both. i take both because my dojo offers both. you dont really need both to be a good swordsman though. kendo was toned down from kenjutsu for a lot of reasons( check a brief synopsis of the history of kendo on the home page) but kendo is not really swordsmanship. it is called the way of the sword but since you are aiming for less targets than it cannot be considered swordsmanship. but dont get me wrong kendo is excellent for developing accuracy in your attacks which also improves your iaido. so i say take both. both arts compliment each other.

I don't think that you NEED both, but you definitely get a better understanding of the history, mechanics, and spirit of Japanese swordsmanship doing both, since like you already mentioned, you get things for each that the other can't neccesarily give you. But I guess that is if you define a swordsman as a person who is able to use a sword well.

I had been training in kendo for a little over a year before I started into iaido. And I found that just after the first few sessions in iaido, my kendo looked significantly better. And a lot of things were easier because I knew a little more about what the bamboo or wooden sword in my hands was suppose to be like and what it was suppose to be doing. I aslo found that since I had semi-firm grasp of the sword knowledge in kendo, I progressed in iaido more quickly.

But I don't think that it takes both arts to make one a "swordsman/swordswoman." I think that whether you practice both or either, you get the what you need to obtain that knowledge and mindset that makes one a swordsperson. Because today a swordsman is a person who disciplines him/herself through the art of the sword, not through the actual use and successfulness of and in it. We don't carry swords with us, so the only thing that defines us as a swordsperson is how we use what we learn outside the dojo.

At least that is how I see it.

Funny how it's appear that katate-guntojutsu in kenjutsu textbook from the Meiji era use exactly the same targets, and they consider it's the real army swordmanship. Police in Meiji and Kobusho (Military academy of Tokugawa shogunate) also use the same targets.

I think what sportify kendo is achually practitioners' intent and goals, not targets.

For the thread starter, it's depend on your goal, what is your goal?

Doing both is good to give you broader idea of JSA, but it's not necessary.

I think

Fuzzie,

You've got a good iai teacher, so stick to that for a while. Get a decent understanding of it before venturing onto other things. If you learn both at once, neither art will genuinely sink in. They will both become confused and you will start letting kendo into your iai and vice versa. If you get into one first, you will be able to differenciate between the two arts much easier, and be able to 'put your iai head on' on one day and swap it for the 'kendo head' the next.

BTW, I practice iai, kenjutsu and kendo. I learned in that order. Iai to kenjutsu was a nice transition, but kendo is veeeery different. Yes, they all compliment each other in a way, but they can also confuse. You practice NIR too - persevere with that as well, but try to keep the two seperate.

My humble opinion, that's all. Good luck with whatever path you choose - and I may bump into you again soon. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/smile.gif


Wolf - what style of iai do you practice?

i agree with scott.
stick with the iai for a bit longer before starting kendo as well.

i did iai for over 2 year before i started kendo. and i still got a bit muddled (posture, cut shape etc) though at the same time the kendo really benefitted my iai, as well as being an ace art to practice.

the 2 do compliment eachother well. remember iwata sensei used to do kendo.

im not sure about the swordsman comment. for a start, you are a girl not a boy http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...es/biggrin.gif

preston club (doshinkenyukai) is a nice one though. and as you already have hakama etc, you will only need a shinai, which they can get cheap for you. they have club bogu to start you off with (not that you'll wear it on the first couple of sessions)

stick with the iai for now anyways.
http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/tongue.gif

Come and do Kendo at Preston!! its great, we'll turn you into a sword weilding ogre! It shouldn't stuff up your iai too much, i know loads of people that do both.

I dont coz, as with many things in life, i prefer to play with a partner than with myself... http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/wink2.gif