New York Budokai

I just had my intro class and I loved it. I am a Japan/​Samurai/​Sword enthusiast and I believe I found the place I want to me.
Polite and helpful instructors and an overall great class. I will keep going there to continue my training and swordsmanship.

I observed a class summer 2012 and fell in love. But I wasn’t ready. I spoke to Sensei Ortiz and he suggested I check out other styles and schools. And I did. So when they offered a special on Signpost, I signed up and back to take my classes.
On my first night, I learned how to cut and actually got to cut a mat with a real sword. To say it was a thrilling experience would be an understatement. Just writing it doesn’t do this experience justice. It was like your first time shooting live ammo. Intense. Although it was a happy coincidence of timing, I was hooked. I was ready.
Instruction, depth of seniority, uniform and equipment lending, everything was top-​notch. Exactly what you’d expect for the oldest sword school in NYC. Highly recommend.
Note that classes meet at a dance studio facility. It would be nicer if they could meet in a space they own. However, they more than make up for this by organizing tournaments and other excursions off-​site.

One or two nights of any given week, I put on whites and kick ass with an electric sword at a fencing club. One night recently, I put on a gi and hakama instead (blue and blacks?) and tried iaido at New York Budokai.
Iaido is essentially what happened when the samurai class got eliminated in Japan — all the tradition got funneled into kendo (combat sport) and iaido (drawing/​cutting). From NY Budokai’s website: Iaido «involves controlled, precise movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard (saya), striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade (chuburi), and then replacing the sword in the scabbard (noto).»
HOW can you resist something where WIPING BLOOD FROM A BLADE is part of the art. !!!
Let’s be honest — I wanted to try it because it looks really. really. cool. But I was also wondering how it might inform my coordination and distance awareness in regular fencing. Eastern swordsmanship and footwork is totally different from Western (separated by several centuries and thousands of miles, duh).
NY Budokai offers a $ 20 intro class for the curious. All clothing and equipment is provided; just give them a call to let them know you’re showing up (Tues/​Thurs 7−9pm). Tuesday is better for beginners since the classes are bigger and they’ll have someone to focus on you and any other newbies: helping you dress, explaining movements and rituals, etc. Mitchell was endlessly patient, helpful, and easygoing despite the disciplined nature of the practice.
The club itself is legit and is affiliated with a dojo in Japan. Each class varies, but most seem to focus on «kata» — practice forms, rather than sparring. From an exercise perspective, it’s almost like fast-​paced yoga: You’ll improve body awareness and control, but sweat is more a result of the thick cotton gear than intense cardio.
Aside from being 90% men, the group is a great mix of ages, races, professions, etc. Everyone seems very committed to their practice and the club, but also friendly and welcoming.
Full membership is not for me — specifically, my wallet — right now (fencing ain’t cheap, either!). But if I could, I would. If you’re just a bit curious, go go go take the intro class! It’s a great way to try out something fun and different with a whole lot of history behind it. And, let’s not forget — it looks awesome.
(Nota bene: If you’re lefthanded, sorry — either deal with using your right hand as your sword hand, or don’t bother. No allowances are made for lefties. On the plus side, the footwork doesn’t bias the right leg being forward nearly as much as Western fencing does, so you could probably swing it.)

Have you ever wanted to learn how to fight like a samurai swordsman? Well, this is your place! I was lucky enough to score a complimentary session but the free class was NO free ride! All equipment is provided, and luckily someone will be there to dress you in a gi if you’re as confuzzled as I was. Since you can just join the class whenever, everyone starts out at a different level, so there was a separate instructor that taught us beginners separately from the rest of the class. You could tell he was a bit frustrated as we struggled, but it was difficult considering there was so much tradition behind each movement. We tried our best just to watch closely and follow along. Even though we never did any actual fighting, just a lot of basic routines, this was an incredible workout and my arms were sore the next day. It’s about $ 20 for a two-​hour class which is a pretty good deal, so I highly recommend this to anyone interested in Japanese culture.

I cannot agree more with the previous reviewers. I’ve been with NYB for close to two years and I am so glad that I found this group. I was always interested but did not know where to begin/​go.
The class is not too big and the pace is never overwhelming; instructors work with you step-​by-​step, depending on your level, making it challenging just about right so that you know what you are supposed to do now and aspire to do next.
It is a relaxed, collegial, fun group of people. I’ve made new friends — outside the regular circles of people you meet through work, school, etc.