To become an expert swordsman, one must pay close attention to detail,
be highly self-critical, and practice diligently every day under the
guidance of a good teacher. Unfortunately, contact time with a worthy
mentor is limited for most. Practice Drills for Japanese Swordsmanship
fills this obvious gap in the training of the modern swordsman by
providing bokuto (wooden sword) drills to supplement the formal class
activity of forms practice. Both single and two-person drills are
presented, some common to iaido and kenjutsu, others extracted from
iaido forms by the author and used to teach his own students the
proper ways of drawing, parrying, and cutting. Each drill is illustrated
with step-by-step drawings to help students hone their techniques;
together they provide a comprehensive system of general skills
development for anyone interested in using the Japanese sword.