It differs from Kendo and Kenjutsu because all techniques start with the katana still in its sheath. It was developed to counter sudden sword rushes and ambushes from single or multiple attackers. But you can train basic, big motions in your backyard.Iaido is the art of drawing the sword. Practice them and you will develop a few building blocks for your foundation and future as an iaidoka.Īt the end of the day though, heed the advice here, and do what you can to find a qualified instructor. Just as on example.Īll practitioners of iai never grow past the need to train the kihon (fundamentals), such as the above two examples.

This is a horizontal cut from the saya, or scabbard. Nukitsuke is the drawing and cutting with the sword in one motion, and in many cases, it’s rather shallow and is only meant to stop the opponent’s advance towards you by either cutting across his eyes or threatening his face with your point. I’ve heard it described like casting the line in fly fishing, but really it’s just a big arc. Kiriorosh, or the killing cut, travels across a vertical line from the enemy’s head to pelvic region. They are the heart and core of iai, essentially. Maybe you could also read some books on Japanese history or philosophy or something similar. Being fit, flexible and strong is the best way to prepare for learning any martial art. The best thing you can do is to do strength, flexibility and stamina training. You also miss out on the whole experience of attending a dojo with all of its etiquette and relationships. There are so many small things that could be misinterpreted without someone there to correct you. Without a teacher it is very hard to learn the right way. You CANNOT learn iaido or kendo or kenjutsu by yourself! This is also an opinion espoused by great masters such as Miyamoto Musashi (founder of Niten Ichi Ryu) and Yagyu Munenori (master of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu) in their writings. I have noticed that there has been an influx of people on this and similar subreddits asking about learning iaido/kendo/koryu by themselves, and that is of course something which makes me happy. Such material is intended for practitioners who already attend a dojo as supplement to their regular training. It is impossible to learn correctly from books as a beginner. You would only make yourself a disservice by trying to learn from videos or books. I'm sorry but you cannot learn iaido by yourself. You will probably have to travel to somewhere where you can attend a dojo.

Iaido technique