GETTING STARTED

We at Ishi Yama Battōjutsu thank you for your interest in our program and want to take this opportunity to go over some things about your enrollment process and impending training.

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We are fortunate that many people over the years have expressed a desire to learn our techniques and to experience what we have to offer at Ishi Yama. This is because we have a codified teaching method and technique that gets positive intentional results.

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Over our 30 years, we have determined an accurate way to properly place interested persons in our curriculum. Whether a potential student is a beginner in swordsmanship or has years of experience, each candidate is evaluated with the same criteria. Ishi Yama does not use subjective judgment when evaluating anyone for potential membership in our organization.

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Proper placement is the result of a succession of interviews each person passes through to become a student. This interview process and evaluation starts with the person’s first contact with the school and continues through all subsequent interactions. Elements such as appropriate attire, manners, conduct, and mental attitude all factor into the final outcome/determination.

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Individuals interested in training in Ishi Yama Battōjutsu will make an appointment for an in-person meet and greet interview with the Chief Instructor prior to the start of one of our regular classes.

This provides an opportunity for the Chief Instructor to meet and answer a few initial questions about our training program. Those prospective students will see how our class format develops and if it is something they want to pursue.

 

If the initial meeting goes well, a second interview is then scheduled, when the prospective student will have a chance to ask more detailed questions and get more specific details about our training format, ideology, and dojo etiquette. This would also be the time to complete their enrollment paperwork, pay their tuition, and get their training materials ordered.

 

Once enrolled, new students are requested to wear comfortable work out clothes – plain white T-shirt and shorts or sweat pants (without any rivets that may tear the mats during warm-ups or training) – for their initial training experience.

 

Part of the tuition fee provides a school T-shirt that identifies the individual as a beginning student and appropriate training instruments, until their personal equipment arrives as part of their enrollment fee.

 

If it is determined through the interview process that prospective students do not qualify for our regular group classes, there are other valuable training options available to them, such as private lessons or our Virtual Ronin training program.

 

Please contact the Chief Instructor (email is preferred) to arrange a time to visit the dojo.