What you need for Ippon (a point)

Hi all,

Hope you are enjoyed the first session of term if you are returning and the first practice if you are just starting.

Here is a short excerpt from show by NHK that was found by Alan Thompson, the events manager of the British Kendo Association, a description about how to score ippon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLDuQJ7iYhI&feature=share&noredirect=1

The aim of the beginner's course is to teach you to perform attacks which fulfill these criteria.

See you at the practice tonight!

Best,
Weihao

Debana waza

As some of you may already know, 'waza' means 'technique' in Japanese.
I would like to introduce you to some waza in kendo now that everyone who started in October last year have gotten into armour.

The first one is 'Debana waza'.
Debana roughly translates to "when about to go".
It's a technique to capture a moment of opportunity, when the opponent is about to initiate his/her move, and strike first.

The sequence usually works like this:

1. Watch your opponent at to-ma (far distance), make sure you have good kamae.
2. Kiai, showing fighting spirit.
3. Without breaking your posture, step into issoku-ittou-no-ma (one step, one strike distance).
4. Apply pressure to the opponent by holding centre. Watch the opponent carefully.
5. When the opponent 'thinks about an attack' (which you can detect by their balance falling forward, or their shinai tilting up slightly) you strike. You can either do debana men or debana kote.
6. All the rules for yuko-datotsu (a valid strike) applies.

Sounds simple enough?
It's a very effective technique in shiai!

However, you would notice that this technique requires you to react and move fast.
It may not work very well when you are making a large cut (mainly because the opponent will have time to respond, or will hit you first), but the principal is the same.
Remember to watch the opponent, and remember to be ready for it. Once you master the smaller, faster cuts, you WILL be able to use this technique effectively!

There are a couple of things to think about.


1. You have to be ready, first.
Check that you are in a comfortable distance to make a strike.
There's not much point in being too close or too far from the oponent, because even if you see the debana oppportunity, you can't make a valid cut at a wrong distance.
Holding a good posture is crucial as well. Be ready to go!


2. Don't 'wait'.
Often, people think that you have to wait until the opponent makes an obvious move before you initiate your strike.
It's usually too late at that point. You are not looking for the initiation of the strike (ie shinai swing), but more for the tilting of the body balance forward before the actual movement of the body.
So opponent's shinai may move very little or not at all when it's the right timing for debana waza.

3. Don't make it obvious you are waiting.
This is slightly advanced stuff... remember kendo is about mind-game as much as it is about physical abilities and good technique.
Don't make it obvious you are waiting for your opponent to do something so that you can go for debana.
Always keep your attitude positive, and make the opponent feel pressured. That's usually when they initiate their move, because they 'feel' that they need to do something.

Many sensei will tell you that you are not supposed to wait for your opponent to make a move --You make your opponent do what you want him/her to! ;)
Some people also make a deliverate opening (so that opponent is tempted to hit men or kote) but this is a bit risky, because if the opponent is a lot faster than you, then they WILL hit you.

Hope this articule helped you understand debana-waza a bit better.

See you all next week!

Naoki

Flow of an exercise

Hi all,

It's been a long time since the last update! But now that most of you who started at the beginning of the year are in armour, it is important to understand the flow of the exercise and how to receive a technique. This post will describe the order of events between kakarite (practice side) and motodachi (receiving side) when practising any particular exercise.

1. Kakarite and Motodachi start at tooma (long distance).
2. Both sides kiai to indicate readiness and will.
3. Kakarite moves into a distance at which the exercise can be performed. While kakarite is doing this, motodachi holds centre and tests the pressure of kakarite.
4. When motodachi senses that kakarite is ready, motodachi responds to the pressure and provides the opening. When practising shikake-waza (attacking techniques), this will involve showing the target. When practising oji-waza (counter techniques), it will be making the prescribed cut.
5. Kakarite performs the technique.
6. While kakarite is finishing the technique and displaying zanshin, motodachi moves to a position such that when kakarite returns to kamae (stance), both are once again at tooma. This does not need to be at the centre; the position motodachi moves to will be dependent on how far kakarite moves through or back at the end of the exercise. Return to the centre only at the end of the exercise or if it is dangerous to perform the technique where you are.
7. Repeat the exercise the required number of times.

Following this flow improves interaction between motodachi and kakarite, very important to improving the kendo of both sides: it trains spotting the opportunity, making and responding to pressure, and timing. It is important to remember that kendo is between two people, even when practising the most basic of techniques.

Later posts will have me attempting to describe the more advanced waza that having armour now make safe to be practised, so stay tuned!

Weihao