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. (^_^)

Owari Kan Ryu

My introduction to Owari Kan Ryu was seeing a group of practitioners walk onto stage with almost 12 foot yari (spears). I thought to myself "how in the world do they control them?" Their demonstration of their sojutsu (spear art) soon showed me how much control they had over their weapons.

Owari Kan Ryu is a yari based koryu (traditional system) based primarily in Aichi. A number of different yari are used including a tube yari, in which the the shaft of the yari slides through a tube or sleeve. This sleeve reduces friction and the speed, power and control that can be demonstrated is awesome. The system also incorporates some Shinkage Ryu sword work.

The demonstration I watched was excellent and I am looking forward to seeing more of this system while I am in Japan.