Iado and light saber styles

[Rajen]

I'm excited about getting 'serious' about learning more about saber styles in practice and I was wondering about  Iado. I've discovered a school nearby and will hopefully be joining soon. My question is, is anyone able to comment about Iado vs saber styles - we're does it fit in relation to the saber styles, how does the real world application of it work with a saber etc?

[Thonolan]

Can't comment directly on Iado, but I did Bokken Sparring with a friend for a number of years I can say that the overall knowledge of blade control and body movement translates really well.

I would almost venture to say that any form of sword combat would translate well to saber combat.

[Darth Nonymous]

Depending on the style, Shii-Cho will be very beneficial. Since Iado is drawing the weapon, there is a difficulty in direct translation. Pretty much anything could be made into any Form. TPLA has a bit of Iado techniques in Niman.

[Master VorNach]

The Iado I am familiar with is very congruent with Shii-Cho in terms of basics of blade work, footwork and stances.
Iado is frequently taught as more of a contemplative, perhaps meditative, art with little to no combat application.

[xango]

Hi Rajen, I am a 3 year Iaido practitioner and I am working (as stated in other posts) in mixing Iaido with lightsaber, bare with me because this will be a long post and forgive any language mistakes cause English is not my main.
Iaido was intended for fast and swift attacks that will result in ones opponent`s dead directly from the scabbard of the sword called saya.
This gives Iaido 4 main stages, unsheathing, attacking, cleaning the blood (chiburi) and sheathing the sword (noto)
So, the katas are short but VERY difficult to master and most of them are performed in seiza (kneeling position) Another issue that makes Iaido a hard martial art is that there are over 30 styles recorded and many others hidden or unknown to foreigners. In an attempt to unify and grade students there is a Kendo  association called ZNKR (Zen Nihon Kendo Renmei) This association have 12 basic katas called Seitei-Iai that have to be performed in order to judges to have a parameter for grading the performance of the student.
I study a style called Kosheta Ryu, it have several Iaido styles along the way, and is based in Seitei for first graders.
Now, moving to lightsabering, unsheating and sheating is useless for LS, Noto (cleaning the blood) useless also... BUT, Noto can be used as a form of respect and honour to your opponent, looks amazing with lightsabers and you can easily adapt this to makashi in every ending of makashi forms, because every Noto is partucularly elegant and beautyful.

If you are able to go to Iaido school, do not think it twice, Iaido changed my life.

It will take a wile for me to show some of my work, I want to show something of quality that help fans (like me) to practice fun and useful forms for LS, but besides all this, I admire and have a lot of respect for the work of some masters in this forums, in particular Master Nonymous and as a Iaido practitioner I totally agree with him and Master Vornach that his videos of Shii cho are very close to what Iaido would be for LS
In my particular situation, being a big fella (and not very agile) I feel that Master Nonymous style come with a strong influence of chinese sword martial arts, probably Wu-Shu, and for me some of his movements are very difficult to grasp.
This way I can (in my own particular way of seeing this) apply Chinese style for every or almost every LS style. Fencing and European sword can go with every form with exception of Soresu, Ataru and Shien/Djem-so.
Japanese styles such as Iaido and Kendo are perfect for Shii-cho, Makashi aaaaannnndddd... Vaapad. Iaido have 2 very beautyful styles where they use the wakisashi (short sword) and fight with 2 blades, here you can learn some sick moves with a lightsaber and a shoto.
I really hope this post help you in your approach to Iaido and LS, and wish you the best in your path to come. If you have any other doubt or question I will be more than glad to answer.

[Rajen]

Thank you all for your responses!

Iaido sounds like exactly what I'm looking for - something steeped in tradition with more focus on the medative/disciplinryaspects.

I've always been fascinated with swords (I have a beautiful katana from WWII) and Iaido sounds like the perfect way to mix this with my obsession with lightsabers and Jedi. The school I'm hoping to join is known as Kuroyama (Black Mountain) Kai and is associated with the Australian Kendo Renmei so it sounds like the right place. In my younger days I trained for some years in Tang-Soo-Do and was never happier so I know I need to get back to a martial art soon!

Xango, your English is excellent and thank you for the long post!

[Master VorNach]

Hi Rajen, I am a 3 year Iaido practitioner and I am working (as stated in other posts) in mixing Iaido with lightsaber, bare with me because this will be a long post and forgive any language mistakes cause English is not my main.

Thanks xango, it's wonderful to have the perspective of an experienced practitioner!
A point for your thoughtful and eloquent response.

[xango]

Thanks xango, it's wonderful to have the perspective of an experienced practitioner!
A point for your thoughtful and eloquent response.

Master Vornach, thank you so much for your comment, I have a long way yet to be an experienced Iaidoka, but, I have a lot of passion and love to share and help. Let me tell you Master Vornach that many people will charge a lot of money for the things you, master Nonymous and other Masters on this forums do. Your work for me is priceless and an example to follow.
My Sensei is from Portugal, he take a lot of his precious time to film and edit videos for me and he do not charge me a dime, certainly I am lucky and blessed, so I will like to contribute the same way My Sensei and you Masters do, really... Thank you for the time you give to others.

[Master Uilos]

Actually, the defintion of Trakata always reminded me of Iaido. Trakata wasn't a Form as much as it was a tactic, it focused on the fact that a lightsaber blade could be activated and deactivated. Many would use them during a clash or a swing, the opponent anticipates contact, but instead finds nothing and leaves themselves open, with the user activating, or unsheathing their blade at just the right moment.

Hope this helps.

[Oramac]

Actually, the defintion of Trakata always reminded me of Iaido. Trakata wasn't a Form as much as it was a tactic, it focused on the fact that a lightsaber blade could be activated and deactivated. Many would use them during a clash or a swing, the opponent anticipates contact, but instead finds nothing and leaves themselves open, with the user activating, or unsheathing their blade at just the right moment.

Hope this helps.

I know nothing about Iado and not much more about Forms in general, but this is one tactic that surprises me in its almost complete lack of use throughout Star Wars.    The way I see it, this is one of the most unique and (to my mind) effective tactics one could use with a lightsaber.   I'm surprised that it would have any relation to a martial art, but I'm pleasantly surprised that it does, if only partially.

[Master VorNach]

 I'm surprised that it would have any relation to a martial art, but I'm pleasantly surprised that it does, if only partially.

It's a type of feint and a rather dangerous one.
While you are slipping past their blade, you've let them slip past yours.

[Oramac]

It's a type of feint and a rather dangerous one.
While you are slipping past their blade, you've let them slip past yours.

I can definitely see the danger in it.  But if we're honest, lightsabers by nature aren't exactly safe.  And you still have one major advantage: you know it's going to happen.  As I said though, I'm very inexperienced in all this, so I'll defer to those who know more about all this.

[Master VorNach]

This could turn into a "if...then" discussion (if he did this then I'd do that, etc.) and I'm now propagating going a bit off the topic.