Monday Week 2 (19th October 2009) Summary

I hope everyone has enjoyed the second session of the term.
Our week 2 session started with a warm up (jogging silently, suriashi footwork, side steps etc.), stretching (which was covered in our last week's summary), and suburi.
After that, beginners were instructed by Dave-sensei, and the armoured members practised separately under Michio-sensei's instructions. At some point during the term, we'll have joint practice where you can actually hit armoured members! So look forward to that and keep it up!

Here are some of the things you learned in this week's session.

1. Handling shinai
Shinai, which is written in Japanese as "bamboo sword", should be handled as if handling a real sword. Do not step over it, or lean on it. This also ensures that you don't damage your shinai. If you lean on your shinai, you may weaken the bamboo which may cause it to split while you are practicing. It is also important to protect the leather cover on the tip of shinai, because if this breaks during practice, it may cause serious injuries to your partner.
Also, be aware of how you hold your shinai. When listening to sensei's instructions during practice, you can stand with your shinai in front of you, pointing somewhere diagonally down to the right. If you are waiting or bowing, hold your shinai with your left hand, string side (which is represents the non-bladed side of a katana) down.

2. Suburi
a. Joge-buri: a warm-up suburi to relax your arms and loosen your shoulders. Make large swings and swing down to about knee height with big suriashi (sliding footwork) forward and backward. Take care not to super-extend your arms and wrists at the end of each swing.
b. Single men: cut men with a large swing using suriashi forward, and take one step backwards to chudan no kamae. Cut only when going forward.
c. Renzoku men: cut men both going forward and back. It's important to synchronise your footwork with your cut.
d. Sayu- men: cut men, but diagonally down to right and left, keeping your left hand in the centre. Swing going forward and back.
d. Haya suburi: start by raising your shinai up above your head. Shift right foot forward immediately followed by left. At the same time, swing down to men. Draw your left foot back, immediately followed by right, as you draw your shinai up above your head. This should be speedy and smooth. Sometimes about 10 or 20 in one breath. However, this will be very difficult for beginners, so try not to be discouraged even if you can't keep up. It will come naturally as you become better at handling shinai's weight and maintaining your posture and balance.

3. Distance (maai) and seme
You should always be aware of the distance between you and your opponent. That is, if you are within the opponent's maai, or the reach, then it is likely you get hit. On the other hand, if you are too far apart, you may miss your target and throw yourself into an awkward and unfavourable position. You should always remember to start from tooima, or the far distance, to issoku ittou no ma (one step, one sword-length) before you strike.
When you approach your opponent, you are making seme (directly translated as an attack). Seme should not destroy your posture. Do not shift your weight forward, extend or tense up your arms. It should be a firm, but relaxed movement forward with a small tenouchi (bringing thumbs inward) to maintain your centre. When approaching your opponent, the tip of the shinai (kensen) should continue to point at their throat rather than start to point above their head as the distance closes.
A good seme is vital for a good strike. Remember to maintain your posture and bring your back foot up quickly so that you can strike immediately when you see an opportunity!

4. Men and kote
Up till now, you have learned to hit two targets, men (straight down to the forehead) and kote (straight down to the right wrist). They are more or less the same movement, with a small adjustment in hight of swing and the impact.
Swing up high above your head when hitting men. Swing down the sword, in a way that the tip of the shinai is drawing a large arc over your head. Use tenouchi at the moment of impact.
For kote, raise your left arm high enough to be able to see your opponent's kote beneath it. Then make a cut the same way as you do for men, and using tenouchi at the height of the opponent's wrist. It is very important to use your left arm's movement rather than right for the strike. This will ensure that the cut is straight, and that it hits the correct target. (Not the tsuba or your opponent's knuckle!)
Know your target, and strike to the appropriate height. Don't try to swing your sword all the way through -- this will unbalance you if you miss, and will be very painful for your partner if it hits him/her.
Remember that your reach is longer when aiming for kote. Think about the distance and what your issoku ittou no ma is for either men or kote. Adjust your footwork and adjust your seme accordingly.


That's it for now... looking forward to seeing you all next week! New-comers are welcome too!

If you have any questions, or request on what to cover in this blog, please leave a comment or email ( naoki.ichiryu[at]lincoln.ox.ac.uk )

Monday Week 1 (12th October 2009) Summary

Here is the first of what will hopefully be weekly summaries of the beginner’s class. The main aim of these is to review and elaborate a little on the main points covered and raised in the week’s class, giving something to think about and work on before the next session. Hopefully these will help to improve the understanding and quality of kendo.

1. Stretching
Like all strenuous exercise, stretching should be done at the beginning of each practice, in order to prevent injuries. Warming up of the Achilles tendon is particularly important, as a large strain is placed on it when pushing forward with the rear leg.

2. Okuri-ashi (kendo sliding footwork)
Okuri-ashi is used when moving around so that one is always ready to push off and make a cut. For chudan-no-kamae, the stance used on Monday, the right foot will always remain forwards, the left behind. Push forwards, sliding right foot along the ground. Bring up the left foot quickly once the body has been moved forward to maintain readiness to move again. Always keep the rear heel off the ground to prevent injury to the Achilles tendon. Keep body upright and avoid hunching/leaning over

3. Making a cut
When making a cut, keep the arms, shoulders and wrists relaxed and unlocked. Doing so will increase the accuracy and speed. Trying to force the swing faster with tense arms has the opposite effect and expends more energy. At the end of the cut, use te-no-uchi, the twisting of the wrists inwards towards each other, to stop the sword at the target point. The target height is head level for men (top of the head) cuts and slightly higher than your own hands for kote (wrist). Imagine an opponent the same size as you when making the swing.

4. Kiai
Kiai (shout) is used to express your intention to fight and impose yourself on your opponent. Kiai before moving in to your cutting distance, shout the name of the target you are cutting at the time of impact to show that the cut is on the target intended, and continue to kiai until the cut is completed and you are ready for the next cut.

Please consider these points; they will be built upon and are part of the fundamental principles. Look forward to the next session!