[abledon]

If anyone lives in London and would like to investigate how the ancient sword arts of japan tie into meditation, I highly recommend http://battodo-fudokan.co.uk/

[jshaqaw]

I did tameshigiri for the second time last night. Speaking as someone who regularly practiced zazen for 15 years it is an incredibly Zen meditative experience!

[sorokod]

Just because you could match your meditation experience to your martial arts experience does not imply that there is something unique to martial arts going on. As I mentioned, almost any simple physical activity may become a meditative practice and may benefit from such practice. I like the following quote about zanshin (from https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/zanshin)

"In taking a step, it is the weight rolling smoothly and the next step arising. In breathing in completely, it is this breath. In breathing out completely, it is this breath. In life, it is this life. Zanshin means complete follow through, leaving no trace. It means each thing, completely, as it is."

[sorokod]

So can be almost any phisical activity that requires simplicity and precision.

[mercer]

so what?

[sorokod]

From the websight "Nakamura Ryu Battodo is a distillation of traditional Japanese swordsmanship ..."

In other words, it is not a traditional sword system but a modern one.

[kevin_thibedeau]

Given it's less than savory origins I wouldn't consider it a basis for meditative contemplation either.

[Razengan]

For those wondering, this may be referring to it being the replacement for allegedly using live prisoners for sword practice.

[mirimir]

In my experience, Aikido includes many practical bits of Japanese swordsmanship. Practitioners (especially Iwama style) typically use wooden knives, swords and staffs in practice. Because that helps with proper form. Given that most Aikido moves are based on weapon moves.

[bradknowles]

Advanced Judo is also like that. I've never practiced advanced Judo, but I've seen it played. And I saw them using wooden weapons.

Given that both Judo and Aikido were born from Jiu Jitsu, that makes sense.

[sgt101]

Heh - I practiced Kendo with Raoul Knutsen for a few years, there wasn't much meditative about the school he followed!

[sorokod]

I have a lot of respect for martial arts disciplines that put martial arts first and keep spiritual aspects of the practice ( if they have one ) off the marketing material.

[Spearchucker]

This is interesting. I've been doing Krav Maga for some time and a few years ago did a week of it in Isreal, sampling all its aspects and applications - military, close protection, civilian, police /crowd control and... it's spiritual side. For a martial art so young I was surprised it even has a spiritual side. It's also become the aspect I find most fascinating. And yet the instructors accompanying us seemed embarrassed by it and the single instructor world wide teaching it from a kibbutz outside Haifa.

It certainly wasn't why I chose to practice Krav Maga.

[hutzlibu]

Can you tell more about the spiritual side of Krav Maga?

The seeming lack of it, might be why I never took a closer lock into it. So I am also surprised that there might be one. Can it be that just some instructors personal spirituality got mixed into it?