Today learned some good lessons. Seme - controlling opponent. Keep the hilt or blade covering them. Seme from moment you start kata - moving forward from your centre.

Cutting - dont step then cut. Cut as you step, careful of back foot.

Cutting 2. Big strokes, then small strokes as you get more advanced. Big strokes generate power. Put a sock on end of blade so you can see how well  you are projecting the cut. But keep elbows in so no gap. Biceps on chest.

Kesa giri - keep in mind it's a straighter cut rather than an exagerratted diagonal. Point the tip directly up at ceiling before cutting, dont let it wander back behind your head.

NOTO - sensei talked about the danger of 'hooking.' Remember to ACTIVELY push the saya back onto the blade, to avoid this. Sheathe the sword, dont sword the sheath
.

Also push out with the palm under index figure

PUSH is key to Iaido.

http://www.yaegaki-kai.be/your-first-nukitsuke-reflects-your-training-years/

11/10/15: Create a gap before attempting nukitsuke after draw - when doing first cut in Mae, or forward diagonal cut in morote tsuke. This helps to avoid scraping. But needs to flow.

Noto - note right angle of blade, push down saya more sayabiki. LITTLE FINGER STICKS TO HIP
Need Hakama.

Too much power in cuts. Keep armpits in. Bigger movements

Pivot on Toes. Need to work more on this. Dontt let sword fall too far behind head on cuts - tighten up little finger. The further the blade goes back further haver to swing - not logical

Back foot - arch too high. That will make you lean forward, disrput moving from centre.

Kirioroshi in Mae - tip of sword come back to left ear - practice more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AI2UctxIO8

Clunky English but kind of interesting.
http://www.iaido-aachen.de/Download/Sword.pdf

General points - kata look a bit wild. More finesse. Head always turns first to look, keep sword guarding, left hand only comes at end to make strike - eg in Morote Tsuki, Ganmen Ate.

Ganmen Ate -
1) Aim for between nose and mouth. Not a big deep step. Bring up back foot, not off the ground so much - get a coin under it, only.
2) Full unsheath sword with left hand before Tsuki.
3) Don't make a rapier type lunge with tsuki, economical movement.
4) Keep tip of sword pointing then turn head and pivot. Dont do extra shuffle movement.

Mae
1) Blade must be out of saya, by koiguchi, before you try first strike - otherwise, scrapes. Don't rush it. Don't let sword cross centre as you come in for kirioroshi. Tip to left ear (check this).
2) Iai goshi  - straighten up heel.

Sanpo Giri
1) Five steps, final steps hips pointing at angle - otherwise hard to turn to rear.
Always JODAN KAMAE as you can see what is happening.

Morote Tsuki
1) Not big lunge tsuki with arms, whole body movement from hips.

Noto
1) Dont try to hold/grap handle - just a few fingers, lightly. If you try to grip, you are overextended

2) Push saya into blade - sheath the sword dont sword the sheath

SAYABIKI is mirror image of strike in MAE and MOROTE TSUKI. Like Yin and Yang. Morote tsuki, downwards sayabiki. Mae, horizontal sayabiki as  you can see from this picture.

Useful background here. I love the translation of Iaido as 'the way of meeting life.'
http://musoshindenryu.com/about/index.htm

also really push back with the sageo before you sheath - means you not stuck out with your right arm. Watch left foot doesn't turn out - better, but still an issue.

Tough lesson today. My OCD is raging, feels like brain inflamed. Found it hard to concentrate but everyone very kind. Learning to tie sageo better and great tip from James about keeping biceps on chest when cutting. Helps to keep the left hand in. Also point tip to ceiling while cutting.

Here is the better quality colour version of the Seitei Kata from YouTube

http://youtu.be/TJ5_JaRaOtQ

I am so lucky to have found my school. Whatever life throws at me, this is great training for it and I hope I one day deserve to be called an Iaido ka.

In memory of my late wife, who was not here to celebrate our daughter's 21st birthday. I miss her more than words can say and although she only studied budo for a few years, she personified its brave, dauntless spirit. We used to love going to Kamakura when we lived in Tokyo.

Today we learned about breaking the kata down into sections - nukutsuke, kiriotoshi, chiburi and noto. Also practiced ushiro kata. A good tip was to aim to your left as you start to draw and turn but dont draw too early. Still problem with scraping saya.

Noto tips included try to keep the blade straight as you sheathe it (ie dont let it come up high), push back further with left hand so sageo is behind you parallel, this left hand point is key. Also keep pommel pointing towards adversary and keep little finger glued to hip.

Then practiced tsuka ate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGr3C7m_FkQ

points:
1) Pommel strike is to solar plexus, not eyes (check)
2) Draw back saya with left hand to release blade.
3) Blade sits in crook of elbow for strike, then pull in with left helps keep strike straight
4) Then straight cut.
4) Yoko chiburi short movement, parallel to floor.

Welcome to my new blog, where I am going to jot down notes I have learned from my Iaido classes at Hagakure Fudoshin Iaido Club in Somerset, UK. I will also be jotting down my reflections on this noble art. Feel free to share, but I take no responsibility for the accuracy or inaccuracy of the material herein!