Tomas is from Saito, Miyazaki prefecture, Japan, and born in Chile.

Tomas has been training for over 20 years, during which time he’s become National Champion and representative of Chile internationally as a National Team Member; was Sensei at Club Providencia in Santiago; Studied 2 years at International Budo University and is now living in Japan working at Zen Nihon Budogu.

He has continued the Budo journey with experiences such as Kendo instructor for kids, Coach, Shinpan or Referee and competitor in Japan

Tomas holds the rank of Kendo 6-Dan, Iaido 1-Dan, and Jodo 1-Kyu

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Ashley Mason is a friend of Ron Beck (Iaido 5-Dan, Rochester USA) and is a member of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus in New York City. http://www.metchorusartists.com/chorus-roster/ashley-logan 

Ashley graciously shared her experiences with us over a morning group conversation. 

TOPICS COVERED:

1) To focus on breath, or to let it come naturally?

2) Where should you feel the breath in your body?

3) Balancing tension and flexibility

4) Breath exercises to reduce stress and anxiety

5) Breath exercises when nervous before a performance

6) Common challenges like "stacking the breath" 

7) The importance of "getting rid of air" to have more air

8) Use of the entire body when breathing

The goal of the “In-Depth Look” series of videos is to explore these subjects in more detail — examining the relevance, efficacy, and methods of incorporating these work and life experiences into budo practice, budo teaching, and community building.

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Vladimír Hyndrák is from Ceske Budějovice, Czech Republic, and has been training for over 25 years, he’s organized seminars in Zlin city for over 14 years, and led the Kokki dojo to 2nd and 3rd place finishes at the European Iaido Championships.

Vladimír holds the rank of Iaido 5-Dan and Kendo 1-Kyu, and has been leading the National Iaido Team for the past two years.

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This episode is also available at the following platforms

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/tokushikaicanada

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/tokushikai-inside-look/id1523336799

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Hiro Imafuji is from Indianapolis, USA, and has been training for over 40 years.

He holds the rank of Renshi 6-Dan in Kendo, and is the founder of Kendo Guide.com, author of Kendo Guide for Complete Beginners and Kendo Guide for the Intermediate, and has produced tutorials and other products to help share kendo with the global community.

In this wide-ranging conversation we talk about motivation for starting Kendo, becoming successful in competition, experiencing Kendo in different countries, process of developing Kendo-Guide, important considerations when teaching Kendo

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Jessica is from Saitama, Japan, and has been practicing Kyudo (or the Japanese martial art of archery) for about three years, during which time she has reached the level of 2-Dan.

Jessica is also learning sports yabusame which is horseback archery, as well as hankyu and yokyu which also used smaller sized bows and arrows.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about kyudo and sports yabusame, and how Jessica is approaching work, life and kyudo in Japan.

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Valentin Vervack is from Ghent, Belgium, and has been training for over 10 years, during which time he’s achieved National and European Champion for Iaido and Jodo in both Individuals and Teams on several occasions.

Valentin currently holds the rank of Jodo 4-Dan, Iaido 4-Dan.

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Nicolas Diaz is from Santiago, Chile, is a graduate of the International Budo University's specialization program, and is currently the President of the Chilean Kendo Federation.

Nicolas has been practicing martial arts for over 20 years, and holds the rank of Renshi 6-Dan in Kendo and 5-Dan in Iaido. 

He is the Director and Founder of the Santiago Budokan, the largest Kendo and Iaido dojo in the country, with over 70 practitioners that range in age as young as 10 to 60+. 

Nicolas been a member of the Chilean National Kendo Team on multiple occasions, medaling several times in both individual and team matches; and is the legal representative before the Ministry of Sport and the Chilean Olympic Committee.

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Horng Bor Goh and Zoel Gan are the President and Vice-President of the Singapore Kyudo Association.

Horng Bor and Zoel have been training for over 6 years and currently hold the rank of 2-Dan and 1-Dan, respectively, from the All Nippon Kyudo Federation.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about the beginning of Kyudo in Singapore and dojo transition from field to school to range, their first trip to Japan and learning proper dojo etiquette, and the growth of Kyudo in South-East Asia.

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Matthew Sykes-Gelder is from Radelfingen, Switzerland, and is a member of the Shin Ho Kan Dojo for Iaido and the Sakura Dojo for Jodo, both in the Swiss capital of Bern.

Matthew has been training for over 20 years, during which time has become assistant teacher in the Iaido dojo and is the organisational leader for Iaido and Jodo in the Swiss Kendo + Iaido federation, having managed several national and international events to help with the progression and enjoyment of these arts in Switzerland and Europe.

Matthew holds the rank of Godan in Iaido, Yondan in Jodo and Shodan in Kendo, and has been a regular member of the Swiss Iaido and Jodo national team; winning two bronze medals in the Iaido and Jodo European Championships.

In this episode, we talk about transitions in budo corresponding with transitions in life, we talk about the benefits of hosting national and international events for the participants as well as for the organizers, and the importance of developing a strong network of instructors and practitioners across many countries.

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You can find episode videos for these interviews as well as deeper dives into other subject matters at https://patreon.com/tokushikaicanada

If you are enjoying this work, please consider supporting us.

Martin Arevalo is from Lima, Peru, and has been training for over 17 years achieving 5-Dan in Kendo, and is the only jodan practitioner in the country. 

Martin has been part of the Peruvian National Team, achieving 3rd place in the teams, and making top 8 and kantosho in his latest Latin American Championships. 

Martin has been the President of the Peruvian Kendo Federation since 2017.

In this stimulating conversation, we talk about the development of Kendo in Peru and the Latin American community, we talk about different approaches to Kendo and the benefits of travel, and we talk about integrating these many mindsets and methods into a program for the Peruvian National Team.

I continue to be floored by the unwavering dedication of practitioners in small and remote countries like Peru, and am motivated to work even harder to nurture this strength of character in my own dojo and organization. 

** Looking for more?

We have additional videos and articles available to help you grow your practice and your community through membership on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tokushikaicanada 

This episode is available on the following platforms:

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/tokushikaicanada

Anchor: https://anchor.fm/tokushikai-canada

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/tokushikai-inside-look/id1523336799

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Mf1mrLTfVT3Sbu8XM032m

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