to meet up with a swordsman
who's working to master
an ancient Japanese martial art.
[locker opening]
[gentle music]
- Carlos Frick: So, when I was very young,
one of my uncles introduced me to karate.
That got me interested in Japanese martial arts.
[traditional Japanese music]
My name is Carlos Frick.
I'm Venezuelan.
I've been living in the United States about 19 years.
Iaido is basically Japanese swordsmanship.
It comes from a line of more than 500 years of fighting.
The Samurai were warriors.
The Samurai were soldiers.
I was fascinated with the sword and how the sword was used.
The forms look elegant and beautiful
but also very intense in a way.
So, I was fascinated with that.
We recommend not using sharp swords.
I have a sharp sword,
and I started using it when I started at Iaido.
And fortunately, I still have my fingers.
[soft music]
[bell chiming]
So in Iaido, every form is performed solo.
You are conscious of everything
that is happening around you.
You sense danger.
You respond to the danger.
You try to do one cut, one kill.
That is the whole point of Iaido.
[sword swooshing]
I call it "meditation in motion."
It's about stopping everything that is happening
and being able to concentrate.
You're thinking of, "Did I turn off the light
"when I left home?
Is the door open?"
All those things that are everyday things
that tends to distract us from what is in front of us.
Ideally, you clear your mind,
and nothing else matters but the moment.
No single movement is as simple as it looks.
Every time you move,
you try to move better than the time before.
For perfectionist, [laughs]
this could be a dream and a nightmare
both at the same time
because you will never be perfect at it.
But that's the point.
You can always do it better.
[upbeat music]
[sword swooshing]
One of the things that fascinates me about Iaido
is the personal challenge.
You cannot be mediocre with the Iaido.
[sword swooshing]
I can silence the instructions and then just focus.
Understand that what is in front of me
at that moment is what is important.
And it's something that you can always translate to life.
How much of you are you putting in what you're doing
at every single moment?
It's a strange way of having fun.
[light music]