Irimi: “split their sword in two…” …and the world of today…

by Kimbal Anderson Sensei

So the definition.of Irimi  we’re going to work with right now is the idea of entering through the center line by  half-half-half… My sword-teacher said:   “Split their sword in two.”  You can’t do that by force – you have to do it by finesse and feeling an ever thinner, thinner, thinner, thinner, thinner line. If you understand this you can go through their energy really quickly

And you cannot hesitate. You have to develop sufficient understanding, and then simply trust that you can make the shape,  that you can do the line, that you can do it without fail.

Irimi does not have a place for checking in,

So you develop martial spirit: shinken shobu. You enter under the cut of the sword,  because you’re going to get there before it descends… you’re going to control it before it descends on you.

You’re not going to wait for it to be falling at you at a dangerous speed and then try to fix it.

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Now, apply this to everyday life… you see how it would be different than waiting for a complete breakdown, for things to go South, before you do something?

No. You just seize the initiative…

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