

Use the length of your arms and legs to enhance your stature. Order your copy today!ĭon’t let contracting muscles shrink you. Samurai Swordsmanship: The Batto, Kenjutsu and Tameshigiri of Eishin-Ryu is written by Masayuki Shimabukuro and Carl E. Give it too little, and you stress your structure and fatigue your muscles more quickly. Give it too much angle, and you lose your balance point. Feed it too much, and you telegraph your intentions. Your posture should provide balance for your intended direction. Release the tension in your body to avoid stiffness and cramps. Use your breathing to relax and energize your muscles and to keep them fresh. It’s poised, with its breath flowing in and out, muscles ready to strike. Imagine a wild animal, coiled and ready to spring into action. Then, when you drive from your heels, you can move with minimal delay. You should allow your heels to settle onto the surface so they provide a direct connection from the bones in your legs and hips to the ground.

Grip it with your toes and brace yourself as if you’re resisting a strong wind. Use your muscles to anchor yourself to the surface you’re standing on. Their musculature must exert firmness to take up that slack. The bones of your feet can move a considerable distance within the skin that encases them. Try repetition drills that raise your aerobic levels and stationary meditation that calms and centers you.ĭon’t stand flatfooted with your feet relaxed.

It takes time and effort to cultivate the ability to stay well oxygenated. Beginners tend to gasp for or gulp in air because of nervousness or overextended action. If you lack proper muscle control, it will be noticeable to an opponent who’s looking for an opening to attack or to a judge who’s grading you as you cut. It’s essential to observe the transition from moving air in to moving air out. Your inhalations and exhalations should be calm, smooth and full. The flow of air into and out of your body is directly connected to how smoothly you flow from movement to movement and how polished you look. The primary element of action is breathing. Often called the “inner principles” of movement, they have four main components. Obviously, external movements play a major role in drawing a blade and effecting a cut, but the internal skeletal and muscular mechanisms are every bit as important. When it comes to the Japanese way of the sword, it’s fair to say there’s more to it than meets the eye.
