I joined the Western Circle of Swordfighters in February of 2000. I make and fight with my own bokken as well as training and sparring with live steel (rebated/blunted) swords. My preferred sword is approximately 40" overall length with around an 11" hilt, which I favor for its two or one handed versatility. In 2008 I was granted permission to open my own dojo in Redding, CA which I lead until the end of 2014 when I handed it over to my lead student Kaiden Brokkr as I have moved further North. I am in the process of expanding my class in Portland, OR. I appreciate the structured training approach of the Western Circle, with its strong emphasis on honor, respect, and applying realistic martial skills to modern sword combat. The flexability of the style that allows practicioners to use the sword best suited to them is excellent. In addition to the arts taught by the Western Circle of Swordfighters, I have cross trained in German HEMA longsword and Myo Sim Kendo, and I also train in Shotokan Karate and have had minimal training in Tai Chi Chuan and Aikido. I record my training notes in an online journal which is open for general reading. If you are so inclined, you may find it at http://taage.livejournal.com. "Sweat more in training that you may bleed less in battle" - origin unknown