Insights

Gary Swift 7th DanTameshiwari

Could this be another dying art within our Dojo?
In the ‘new-world order’ of the H&S and the political correctness
army, we have seen over the years a total eradication of elements
of our martial-arts disappear one by one. No more bladed weapons
in the Dojo, paranoid warm-up procedures, mats, padding, risk assessments, anything and everything to make martial-arts conform to a process of aerobic exercises that eliminate the fundamental values of ‘survival’ - which is (or was) the reason martial-arts came into being in the first place (or have I missed something here?).
Makiwara and body conditioning are among the latest elements
that will, I am sure, be targeted by the Nanny-state Brigade, if they haven’t already started their march on it. Breaking techniques? Goodness me! Be careful, you may scratch your nail-varnish! Oops, some dust got into my eye....!

Gary E Swift Kyoshi.