Iaido - me in action

I did my first Iaido grading in January of this year. My wife caught it on video, so here's your chance to see me in action.

Please forgive the errors on my part (^_^)

Training In Japan

One thing that is truly amazing about training in Japan is the quality and quantity of the sensei (teachers).

When I was first training at my Iaido dojo, I had a 6th dan with about 30 years of experience giving me one on one instruction for the whole class. Now I train with the normal class with a 7th dan, who has been training Iaido for about 40 years, as the primary instructor. It is amazing!

Training under this quality of instruction is fantastic, although it does make you realise how little you know.(^_^)

Changing Focus

I have found that what I want from my martial arts training is changing as I get older.

In my teens and early twenties, my training was focused on being strong and being able to hit hard.

The next stage was based on becoming a more well rounded martial artist. This included incorporating grappling and weapon training into the mix.

Now my training is focused my health and fitness and improving my existing skill set.

I must admit however, this focus is not stopping me from the Iaido and Shinkage Ryu that I am doing while I am in Japan. (^_^)

K1 Max 2007

My wife was flicking channels last night and said that she found something I might like. She was right, it was the K1 Max 2007.

I didn't see every bout but here are some results and my thoughts on the action.

Buakaw Por Pramuk defeated Andy Ologun - using classic Muay Thai, Buakaw Por Pramuk methodically racked up the points to get the decision.

Andy Souwer defeated Yoshihiro Sato by decision

Masato defeated Ole Laursen - Masato was the clear winner in a points decision over the heavily built Laursen who just didn't do enough. It looked like Laursen was trying to land the big one but it just didn't happen.