protectivearts

Emmanuel Todd

Gail Kelly had us read Emmanuel Todd’s, The Explanation of Ideology: Family Structures and Social Systems, shortly after it was first released in 1985. She loved the breadth of the work and I recall her musing, “Mr. Barker, wouldn’t it be wonderful to be French? To be so certain you were right?” That Gallic confidence – nay,Continue reading “Emmanuel Todd”

CLASS NOTES – Eight Ken Suburi

Over the last two classes, we covered the foundational suburi (sword forms) for bokken which are derived from Chiba sensei’s curriculum. We will continue to refine and expand the conceptual movements over the next several classes. To provide video references between dojo sessions, here are the eight basic suburi as demonstrated by Hori sensei: AndContinue reading “CLASS NOTES – Eight Ken Suburi”

CLASS NOTES – MARCH 8, 2021

As we get back to training in the dojo, movement and breathing are the keys to development. To facilitate upper and lower body integration, conditioning practice focused on Suri ashi and Okuri ashi footwork: contact with the ground with a variety of movement patterns. The patterns derive from Japanese swordsmanship and kendo preserves the granularContinue reading “CLASS NOTES – MARCH 8, 2021”