Beginner's Course Week 2

Hi everyone!

Hope you enjoyed the second session of this term's Beginner's Course.

Last week, our president, Wei Hao, has covered the general and safety aspect of our practice. So this week, I would like to go slightly more technical, and also touch on some of the dojo etiquette.
Please also refer to "Kendo Etiquette" section of our club's "Kendo for Beginners" guide: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~kendo/kendo4beginners/k4b2.html

Posture

1. Stay upright with shoulders back -- don't hunch over even when you are swinging the shinai.
2. Imagine a vertical line that runs through from the top of your head to the floor between your legs. Maintain this throughout.
   
3. Relax -- No point in tensing up. You need to be relaxed to move the way you want to. keep your arms and legs relaxed, and don't lock your elbows or knees.

Footwork

1. Legs shoulder width apart, left forward, right back.
2. Left heel off the ground, weight on the ball of both feet. (right heel should be very slightly off the floor as well)
3. Never cross your feet during movement, no matter which direction you are moving towards. (open and close)
4. Get back to the balanced, even position after each step. This is important because you want to be ready to go whenever you see an opportunity.

Just a small caution: if you are not used to walking or running bare foot, it's important NOT TO land on your heel first. We tend to strike the floor with our heels first if you are used to running with your shoes on, but doing this bare foot may cause problems. Try to delay your landing until your toe is down... it's hard to describe it, but try to think of it as running quietly. Striking with your forefoot will create a smooth and quiet movement.

Here are some videos from Youtube that might help you see what I mean:

Barefoot Heel Strike Running with Force - Slow Motion



Barefoot Forefoot Strike Running with Force - Slow Motion




Movement

1. When you are moving in suriashi (sliding footwork), try not to bounce up and down. Imagine a line horizontal to the floor running along your waist. As you move forword or back, the waistline should stay leveled with this imaginary line.
2. Remember not to let your heels go flat on the floor at any point in your movement! This is to allow agility in your motion, and also to protect your akelies tendon from snapping.

"Rei" at the dojo
When you enter the dojo (in our case, the sports hall), bow (rei) towards the general direction of where we practice. It shows your respect towards the people who use the dojo, and commitment to what you are about to do -- kendo. Don't forget to bow towards the dojo again when you leave: it will become natural after a while.

"Onegai shimasu" and "Arigatou gozaimashita"
We will cover more specific mannerism during kendo practice. But the important thing for now is that you respect the people you practice kendo with. For this, please remember the following two words.

Say "Onegai shimasu" at the beginning of each session and each practice, and "Arigatou gozaimashita" to thank at the end of the practice/session.

• Onegaishimasu is a bit hard to translate... in terms of kendo, it means something like "please teach me" as well as "let's train together". It shows good will and respect to your partner. "
• Arigatougozaimashita" simply means "thank you".

Shinai handling
Treat your shinai as if treating a real sword.
Do not leave them lying around where people may step on or trip over. Similarly, try not to step over a shinai, and NEVER kick a shinai out of the way. Shinai should be handled with care and respect. It will last longer with a bit of care, so you save money, and more importantly, it will be a lot safer for the people who practice kendo with you.

Don't forget to check for cracks or splinters before you start hitting something or someone.

Practicing at home
Remember what you were told at each kendo session; especially the safety aspects. Stretch well, and make sure that your surroundings are safe. Check the height of the ceiling, conditoion of the floor. Make sure you are not close to things or people when you swing your shinai. Not just in front of you... your shinai naturally falls back when you are swinging over your head!!

Stay safe, and be responsible!

That's it for this week: hope to see you again next week! ;)

--Naoki