What does martial arts mean to you? Leave your thoughts in the comments.🙂

“The purpose of today’s training is to defeat yesterday’s understanding.” - Miyamoto Musashi

The meaning of self defense has certainly changed for me. I first started training in Taekwondo when I was 18. Newly graduated from high school and going to college my thinking on self defense was pretty basic. If a bad guy tries to mug me I am going to learn how to fight back hard so I can survive. A fellow student in my class was in the military and earned his black belt while serving in Korea. He told me mindset in a threatening situation is incredibly important. His mindset was saying to the attacker ""I may die, you will die" After training with him for years, i can assure you this did not come from ego but more of a quiet certainty. I think that mentality is the same as the samurai. A willingness to accept death as one outcome helps take away fear of that outcome and actually increases your odds of survival. Eventually I came to realize self defense is as much about prevention and awareness as it is about a physical confrontation. Trust your instincts, avoid situations that don't seem right. Have constant situational awareness without being paranoid. What are your thoughts on self defense? I would love your tips on every day safety.

Welcome to Nami ryu Kenjutsu online. I'm excited to have you here, and to share your passion for learning Japanese swordsmanship. ⚔️ Please take a minute to introduce yourself and share what motivates you to learn kenjutsu. Maybe you're into Kurosawa movies, the samurai, or Japanese swords, or maybe you've wanted to learn Japanese swordsmanship but don't have a place to train or a community to support you. We'd like to know what brought you here!