What is this martial art that focuses on drawing the sword? Is it a real martial art?

I%26#039;ve seen more independent films being made with a certain type of sword play. It%26#039;s not the films I%26#039;m focusing on, by the fighting system they use.





This fighting style seems to use katanas of average length and there were two people fighting in this particular scene. They started to go at each other but they did not draw their sword as you would expect except they took a very hands on approach. When they did weapon attack it was by flinging the sheathe in their off-hand between kicks or punches.





Ocassionally they drew the swords but with shearing speed. I admit it could be special effects that made it from sheathed to swung but it was interesting. And after they attacked with the sword they immediately sheathed it. I also noticed that when one of them drew from the hip again the defender held up his katana and drew it only half-way, successfully using it as a block.





More details follow:

What is this martial art that focuses on drawing the sword? Is it a real martial art?
its called iaido, and its gaining popularity in the states. just search just about anywhere that sells ma books n videos and you%26#039;ll find everything you wanna know. it was derived from the art iaijutsu which was the samurai art of drawing and simultaneously cutting. during the period of peace (17th, 18th century) it became more of a civilian method of samurai self defense. most practice consists of kata from sitting,kneeling, and standing positions. also there is two person kata and drills. most iaidoka start out using bokken before progressing to the iaito (katana with dull blade, usually made of steel or aluminum alloy) and finally to the shinken, or live blade. iaido training is best and usually is supplemented with kendo for a more live experience with the sword. hope this helps
Reply:Shienaran%26#039;s answer is the one I would have chosen if I had the chance. It got directly to the point I wanted to know. If only there was a way for me to be able to change that now.





Thanks for all the answers though. Report It

Reply:There is a book titled,%26quot; IAI the art of Drawing the Sword,%26quot; written by Darrell Craig. It is a study that focuses on the positioning the the sword from rest to motion and back to rest.
Reply:I think its and old japanese art but i dont know its name. I doubt the original art could be practised today but ninjas and samurias may have studied some aspects of it. Take up ninjistsu that probably as close as you could get to learning it.
Reply:It seems to be Iaido or Iaijutsu but the techniques predate the style so it could be any number of other sword-fighting styles. The edge of the daito is very hard and sharp, but will lose its edge very quickly when it hits something harder or just as hard as itself. Keeping it in the sheath protects it from any number of things that could happen to it and it would be more preferable to use the sheath for blocking.
Reply:Yes and no.Yes Iaido, better known as the art of Quick draw is a real martial art. And no, the punching and kicking part are not part of Iaido, they%26#039;re probably just shown for cinematic reasons. Just like shooting a gun and doing acrobatics as you see in movies, although shooting a gun is real, doing somersaults while shooting is not, as any real shooting enthusiast will tell you, trying to aim and hit a target is hard enough when you%26#039;re standing still and holding your arms steady, hitting a target while doing cartwheels is practically impossible.
Reply:Iaido.