Has anyone had any experience with sword based exercising?
I have taken martial arts off and on for most of the last 20 years, and am currently taking TKD, but am interested in weapon training as an adjunct to what I am currently doing.
My original art had weapons training, so I’m not totally unfamiliar with it.
To be specific, I am referring to DVD’s like this one.
I used to be in a shinkendo club for exactly this reason. We would drill for the first hour and spar in the second. I’d often leave before the second hour.
Unfortunately shinkendo is a deeply disorganized art. I doubt there are instructional DVDs. They’re pretty serious about technique and needing a real live teacher etc. It was GREAT exercise though–noticeable improvement in my posture and toned arms.
Thank you Sattua! So nothing from any one else? 
I’m probably the only person who read the title and envisioned R.F. Burton’s “DVD of the Sword.”
Might accidentally become a weight loss program…
Hmmm…interesting roots for that video.
Ken-do techniques tend to be somewhat foreshortened - think of them as the equivalent of point-sparring strike techniques in TKD competitions. [However, do NOT dismiss Kendo as an ineffective art.]
In contrast, Aikido borrows its sword techniques from batto-jutsu and iaido because the founder was an expert in Jo-do and upper-level students learn Jo as an extension of the art – but Jo techniques were invented specifically for defeating katana-wielding opponents and therefore one must learn basic katana cuts so the Jo trainee can learn proper counter-moves.
I would actually encourage you to learn batto-jutsu or iaido [and I’ll admit I’m biased toward the latter] because you’ll be using fuller strokes and therefore using more of your muscle. Note, however, that Iai is not really considered an aerobic exercise; the emphasis is on clean technique rather than speed, and I did more aerobic workouts in my Italian and Belgian foil classes than in my Iai training. [I will force myself to step away from the lectern at this point.]
I believe Panther Productions may still carry copies of my instructor’s videos for Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iai-jutsu. There are also two editions of Grandmaster Shimabukuro’s book out there somewhere. Naturally, you’re encouraged to try and find an affiliated studio if possible.
—G!
…Better see if you’re holding
The wrong edge of the blade!
…–Steve Perry (Journey)
…Edge of the Blade
…Frontiers
I did sabre set taoist tai chi for a while; you might enjoy it if you can find a class in your area.
http://www.taoist.org/find-classes/http://
Most definitely not an aerobics class but I was never in better shape after a year.
It’s not a sword, but I have a pair of Indian war clubs and they are outrageously fun to exercise with. A half an hour with those makes me feel like a berserker and they work the core like no one’s business.