Iaido
Focusing on mental development, Iaido is the art of sword drawing and practitioners train in the skill of drawing the sword, cutting an imaginary opponent and wiping the blade before returning the sword to the scabbard.
In many ways, it is associated with Zen, and the emphasis of Iaido is in the psychological state of presence or absolute martial awareness; “Mushin” (or “no-mindedness”).
Practice is entirely based on Kata (set forms performed against an imaginary opponent), with however some schools include paired practice.
