So I had my first sword class on Saturday, and it was awesome. I did some really basic things and yelled in a way that I did no know that I could. However, on a bit of a downside I was unbelievably sore, particularly in my biceps, forearms, and shoulder. Does anyone know of any exercises that are specific to strengthening the arms for the sword. I will be practicing the techniques and will build up strength over time, but am wondering if there is anything that I can do to help myself so that next time I am not nearly as sore.
3 Steps: 1.) Practice 2.) Practice More 3.) Practice Again (Steps 1 & 2) This soreness is that of your muscles not being used to this new activity. Only constant practice will get them adjusted
What type of sword? Western or Oriental? There are a variety of people on here that do sword work of one sort or another. LFD
I believe there are a number of members on the Koryu Bujutsu and Aikido forums that do Iaido as well. Is this what you are studying or something else? powchoy
You could get a baseball bat with bat weights. But it could throw off some sword tactics It always goes back to what I state Practice. Keep practicing
There is no substitute for more correct sword practice to develop the correct muscles.... Over weight bokuto (suburito) and weights on the sword at the tsuba can be used to increase the weight of the thing without messing with balance.
Improve your forearm strength, learn to relax your grip. Understand there's truth in "less is more" when utilising a nihonto is concerned. Study.
It is interesting that you mention to relax my grip, because I know that I was really holding on to the bokken; I am not sure if it was first time nerves, but my hands got really sweaty and I was afraid that I would throw it across the room.
Hmm, you're with Troy Wideman, yeah? Get him to check your grip, it should be concentrated in the last few fingers, with the thumb and forefinger loosely wrapped (sometimes pointing with the forefinger, depending on lineage... Kukishin tends to do that, so it could easily be a feature in what you're doing). If the forefinger is pointed, one reason for that is that it ensures that the rest of the fingers do their job, and there is no risk of the sword "flying out of your hands". Other than that, there's a range of sword conditioning drills that I do, all based around basic cutting, most commonly Shomen Uchi, and do a fair amount of work with a Suburito. So, like everyone else has said, it comes down to practice, and allowing your body to become accustomed to it. As you said, you've just had your first class....
Relaxing is very important. Don't "muscle" your cuts, you'll just wear yourself out for no good reason. The sword is a force multiplier... a machine with one moving part, if you will. Let the sword do the work. Remember to breathe. More important than anything is your footwork and hip movement. Make sure it's perfect. Practice it without a weapon in hand sometimes so you can concentrate on it without worrying about your cutting technique. Cut standing still some of the time to work on your handwork without having to worry about footwork too. Take this time to make sure your grip is correct and that your edge alignment is good (the blade has to have the same angle as the cut or you'll hit slightly flat). Practice in front of a mirror and observe your movements to make sure they're correct. As you perfect your technique, it will take less effort and you'll need less physical strength to use your sword, and you won't get so sore. Good luck! Best regards, -Mark N.B. The MOST IMPORTANT THING is to not get discouraged. At one point you'll start saying to yourself "this is hard". Your brain will use this as an opportunity to MAKE it more difficult than it really is. Much more useful is to say "this is unfamiliar". That way your brain will trust the training process and you'll eventually make it through the frustrating parts.
Buy a tanrenbo or suburito. Train with it a while, until you realise they are unneccessary training aids and you would've been better served by just doing more kihon. Interesting choice of inaccuracy, there.
Sorry Scott. I am completely new to this style and did not really know how else to describe it. If you could give me a more accurate description that I can use in the future it would be very greatly appreciated.
Practice practice practice. bruce lee woke and practice every moment of the day. There is another way to practice, do it without the sword. work on the grip and you can feel how much your gripping when nothing is there. you just have to imagine that the sword is there
