To become an expert swordsman, one must pay close attention to detail, be highly self-critical, and practice diligently every day under the guidance of a good teacher. Unfortunately, contact time with a worthy mentor is limited for most.
Practice Drills for Japanese Swordsmanship
fills this obvious gap in the training of the modern swordsman by providing
bokuto
(wooden sword) drills to supplement the formal class activity of forms practice. Both single and two-person drills are presented, some common to
iaido
and
kenjutsu
, others extracted from
forms by the author and used to teach his own students the proper ways of drawing, parrying, and cutting. Each drill is illustrated with step-by-step drawings to help students hone their techniques; together they provide a comprehensive system of general skills development for anyone interested in using the Japanese sword.