Discover the fundamentals of bōjutsu and kenjutsu in this free lesson with respected Jinenkan instructor Adam Mitchell.

The staff has long been an important weapon within Japanese martial arts. In this introduction to bōjutsu, respected instructor Adam Mitchell brings you a free online lesson. 

Mitchell runs Yasuragi Dojo in New York State and has dedicated his life to studying and preserving traditional Japanese martial arts. He holds the rank of 7th-degree black belt and brings his extensive experience to this practical lesson.

The class explores fundamental bōjutsu skills while also examining the relationship between the bō and the sword. Viewers will learn the correct way to receive basic attacks and counterstrikes from the bō while training with a sword.

Don't Just Slap the Bō

Mitchell highlights an important mistake that can occur during weapons training: becoming too compliant with your training partner.

"Too often, we see training partners in Bojutsu practice taking an over-compliant and lazy response, essentially just slapping the Bo during the form. This is a major error, and worse - it's a missed opportunity for training a very specialized way of controlling a sword properly, against a heavy, fast-moving, impact weapon."

Rather than simply going through the motions, the lesson encourages practitioners to use the exercise as an opportunity to develop genuine control, timing and awareness when dealing with a powerful impact weapon.

This lesson provides valuable training principles that can help establish a strong foundation in both bō and sword work.

Watch the lesson and train alongside Adam Mitchell as he explores the fundamentals of controlling distance, receiving attacks and developing better weapons awareness.