Kata practice is usually thought of as restricted because you know what's going to happen. In good practice, you do know the movement o...

There are lots of kata around, from the kata of karate and iaido, to the very formal and seemingly fossilized two-man kata of koryu kenjutsu...

Kata invoke some strong feelings. Many competition oriented martial artists consider kata training a waste of time. Many koryu bugei folks...

I'm thinking a lot about what goes into a kata? What elements should a kata teach? What are the most fundamental parts of a kata? Eve...

This is in response to a very thoughtful and excellent post by Kevin Levitt on his blog at http://www.budo-warrior.com/?p=55 I have to respe...

In most Japanese classical budo, the vast majority of training is done with a partner, and in the modern budo there is generally some form o...

Kiyama Sensei called me early one morning last week. I'd sent him a letter about some training, and a link to pictures of a seminar I ha...

Martial arts, by themselves, are worthless. Any conflict art can only gains particular value by what it protects and preserves. The really...

In every system of budo in Japan, there is one, and only one, correct way of doing things. This seems arrogant, but it's not. A large ...

Last summer, I visited my iaido teacher, Kiyama Hiroshi Sensei, in Japan. Kiyama Sensei is one of the last of the men who fought in World W...