Iaito Sword
63 | Amazon Price: $48.99 List Price: $0.00 |
The Iaito Sword is a practice sword used to learn and practice the art of drawing the sword and returning it to the scabbard. In recent years it is commonly made out of aluminium, especially for use in demonstration kata tournaments so that the blade is easy to spin and move quickly for a flashy show. Here is one that I like and is very similar to mine:
Often in my martial arts classes the subject of martial arts weapons comes up, and of all the weapons that we discuss the one most of my students would like to learn is the sword. There is something about the romance of a long bladed weapon. I believe this obsession has to do with swords in the media, and I admit the sword was one of my top 5 weapons that I wanted to learn, for a long time it was my number one as well. The beauty and effort that goes into the craft of sword making is also an area of discussion. In ancient times Japanese swords were made by a skilled craftsman who would take different alloys of metal and join them in a process of heat, flatten with a hammer, fold the metal onto itself and then flatten and heat again. This process would create grains in the blade, similar to the grains in a piece of wood. These grains would make the metal stronger and less likely to bend or break. Today this form of sword making still exists, a lot of the process has been modernised, but there are still a few craftsmen that are true to the old ways.
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When one is first learning to wield a sword it is best to start with a bokken. The bokken is a practice sword made out of wood. The bokken sword allows the practitioner to learn the weapon without worry of injury. The wood is too wide to cut, is polished and smooth to avoid splinters, and is the chosen practice sword for anyone training with a partner, for show or for self defence. Here is a bokken similar to the one I use.
To learn the sword and when learning any weapon it is so important to have good instruction. Reading is the first place to start, then video, even online tools. Finally find a good instructor who can really give you the individual tips and recommendations that will make you great!
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Lance is a martial artist of 16 years, holds a 2nd degree blackbelt at Bushi-ban Martial Arts and Fitness. He is the head instructor at his own Bushi-Ban school in Lehi, UT. Lance is also the creator of the Martial Arts Weapon Certification program where you and your school students can earn different levels of certification for each martial arts weapon, become Specialists of each of the 4 weapon categories (Hardwood or Blunt weapons, Bladed weapons, Flexible weapons, Projectile or Long Range weapons), or a achieve Weapons Mastery.
