I have been fascinated for many years with Japanese sword arts (Kenjutsu) and I would love to learn. I had some questions:
Are there any Iaido classes being offered in Pittsburgh by an expert? I found one martial arts academy that offered "iaido" but the instructor said he is only versed in "basic iaido". I want to be trained by someone who is a true expert, especially if I am paying good money for the classes!
Is 35 years old too high an age to start such training?
What sort of uniform and equipment would I have to buy and is it available in big and tall sizes?
Can you start such training if you are overweight?
PS: I was also interested in Kendo and I saw
http://www.pittsburgh-kendo.com/ but unfortunately there are no daytime or weekend classes. I don't have a car and don't want to travel at night by foot/bus since it's a bit dangerous.
So any information on getting started as a beginner and specifically who can teach me in Pittsburgh would be great.
Also I noticed that other martial arts such as Akido say they teach sword technique so I'm a bit confused. If I wanted to get the most pure Japanese sword technique training do you recommend starting with Iaido and adding Kendo? Are there other Japanese sword arts I failed to mention?
Kind Regards,
Zach
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
netrek@gmail.com