Historically, Iaido comes from Kenjutsu and Iaijutsu, the Japanese martial arts of swordsmanship and of the decision taking abilities like for example the fast Katana drawing techniques.

When those arts met Zen philosophy and its principles of inner development, a new discipline was born and its main features are to melt the sword techniques with exercises and methods of self improvements of everyday use.
Learn how to feel the danger, react immediately drawing the sword ready to strike with the highest precision, a cut, a stab, the time to get the right distance from the opponent and to check out that the danger is finished, reheating the sword and taking the time to let go of the feelings and to go on with your own path after what's happened, these are the main gestures shown during the practice of Iaido in the silent and concentrated mood which absorbs the practitioner.

The techniques studied let you to get used to handle a Katana and studying the katas (forms) will let you simulate individually and in pairs an ancient duel.
The repetition of strikes and movements of sword draw and sheathe (suburi, batto, noto) help to get more precision and speed thus increasing the efficiency of the cutting techniques and are also unique movements, like the ones of the brush in calligraphy, and can be enjoyed from the first day of practice.
Iaido is a discipline aimed to develop self coordination, speed and elegance in the movements and to enrich the inner self especially if it comes across with the other practitioners, like a measure of self improvements in terms of technical skills, self confidence and concentration.

If you take on Iaido keeping all this aspect in your mind, it will help you to unleash your potential and you'll discover that every single movement done with the katana has its own "alter ego" in the everyday life.
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