Leadership By Numbers :: A Backwards Security Samurai?

It doesn't happen very often that different aspects of my lifestyle overlap, but sometimes a strange moment occurs, and chance mixes what cannot be planned. I happen to be a black belt in Kumdo (The Way of the Sword). My school is Korean, but more people are familiar with it as Japanese Kendo. So, I know a little bit about sword forms and styles (no false modesty here, there are many ancient sword styles).

But, whatever style is being portrayed in the picturesque winter setting of a snow-covered mountain side, it's wrong. I'ts backward. The sword sheath is always on the left-hand side. Perhaps the security school really does train at a samurai-style level, but when looking to evoke an image of cool intensity, doing it inverted looks more clumsy than elegant.

Today, I'll be part of a demonstration of sword forms at an annual championship at the Hwa Rang Kwan school in Vienna, Virginia. If you come and watch, I may make a mistake, but I won't be doing anything backwards.

Comments

3 - Well, a quick follow-up to acknowledge that www.intenseschool.com has update the print image and now the samurai is looking fine.

Posted by Jack Dausman At 05:40:47 AM On 01/14/2005 | - Website - |

2 - Oh, yeah, I'm sure it was inverted--but it's funny (to me) to be espousing expertise and looking silly. I've certainly done enough expert goofs on my own that I don't really blame them.

Now, if you've seen "Touching the Void" we might even question the likelyhood of practicing on mountain peaks.

Maybe I'm just a spoil sport in over analyzing advertising art.

Posted by Jack Dausman At 07:40:01 AM On 12/21/2004 | - Website - |

1 - They may have just flipped the photo. The probably wanted a photo of a swordsman looking left and just took one where he was looking right and flipped it. Simple modification for any graphics program, but obviously jarring to someone who knows better.

Posted by Jon Walkup At 05:14:02 AM On 12/21/2004 | - Website - |