Disciplines of the school
Takeda Ryu school gathers several different disciplines and each of them have exercices called "shiai" which helps to improve the techniques and tends to approach the reality. Each discipline has its own particularities but also a lot in common with the core discipline of the school : Aikido.
Several times a year, some tournaments ("taikai") are organized to give the students the opportunity to show the quality of their technique and to prepare them to DAN grades.
Aikido
Aikido is the art of empty hand defense against one or several opponents and gathers several locks, projections, chokes and ground immobilization;
Jodo
This discipline is based on the manipulation of a stick to hit, project and submit the opponent. In the school, a "hanbo" (more or less 92 cm) is used.
Iaido
This is the art of cutting when unsheathe a sword. This is an ancient art that can be practiced alone or with a partner in order to reach the perfection of all movements.
Ju Kempo
This is the traditional japanese boxing art studying strikes and clenched fist techniques. This fighting art using fists and kicks is a perfect complement to Aikido.
Shugi Jutsu
This art is made of defense techniques with short sticks and is a lot related to Jodo.
Tachi Kendo
This is the art of the sword, using two hands to hold the bokuto. It is composed of strikes and projections that can be done during the fights.
Shuriken Jutsu
It is the art of trowing "shuriken", a steal trowing weapon. It was mainly used during the fights to hurt (without killing) or disturb an opponent.
Battogiri
Cutting exercices with a "shinken" on a humid reinforced bale of straw in order to perfect cuts in Iaido.