Kendo reflection

Kendo reflection - Clement

Dear Sam,

These past few trainings have been most humbling, Irealised the depth that Kendo has to offer.

Thanks to Jeffrey Senpais guidance, I was able toslowly improve my cuts. We mostly practised thebasics, footwork, stamping and Kiri-Kaeshi. Yet heshowed me how much further I needed to go.I would like to use a quote that reflects my journeyin Kendo; "The more I learn, the more I realise, howmuch I don't know". Thanks to Jeffrey Senpai, Iunderstand how much I still need to work on mystrikes.

Every time I practise my Men, Kote, Do cuts, I feel unsatisfied and compelled to further improve them.Ki-Ken-Tai-no-Ichi, Te-no-uchi, Following up of theleft leg, using big cuts, 30% back, 70% forward,40-80, 50-100 etc. This made me appreciate thechallenge of Kendo, to be committed to one self andcontinue to strive for perfection.

In yesterdays grading, I was taught yet another lesson: teamwork.

I realised I was too occupied on my strikes, stampsand kiai that I have forgotten to practise my role asa Mototachi. As a consequence I was unable to give myopponent Kevin the full opportunity to demonstrate hiscuts [which would have affected his outcome, SorryKevin! >< ]

It also affected our Kata, with our distance or Ma aitoo far and our cuts a little out of synchronisation.

Marleen Sensei once said that teamwork is vital in Kendo. I've learnt that no matter how strong you are,you are only as strong as the weakest person in yourteam. So yesterdays experience reminded me thatmototachi is just as, if not, more important than thestriker.

Meanwhile, I will continue praticing my Kendo, nomatter how difficult and tough it may be. I understand how challenging Kendo is...

...but I like a challenge =)

Clement [I think I wrote too much haha..]

Comments

How do you practice seme?

Kobayashi Hideo Sensei – How to Seme (w/English CC) 小林英雄先生 - 攻め方 How do you practice S eme ? Very early on, I have heard of the “Three Opportunities to Strike”: strike when your opponent’s technique is about to start, strike when your opponent’s technique ends, and when the opponent is mentally and physically depleted. Since then, this line of thinking has given me a direction in how to train. In 2017, Utsunomiya sensei, 7-dan kyoshi, came to visit us and taught me the concept of “okori”. That reminds me of the conversation that happened 8 years before that in 2009 with Morioka sensei, also 7-dan kyoshi, who asked me: “What is the timing or reason of your strike?” I think most people are familiar with the idea that you should “ seme then strike ”. However, when do you strike after seme has been a source of struggle for most kenyu. That’s why when I saw the video from Kobayashi Hanshi where you seme for the purposes of creating “okori” , I felt this added a whole other d

Ji-ri-ichi - practice & theory combined into one 事理一致

Wednesday 19th April 2023 Keiko Reflection by Janet Tonight’s Keiko is a timely reminder of the importance of training in Ji-ri-ichi (事理一致, practice & theory combined into one). While we are constantly receiving knowledge & theory passively from Senseis, one must also be actively applying the theories learnt into action to make it their own through repeated practice. We must also be proactive in our own learning by actively seeking more knowledge such as observing other kendokas keiko ( mitori-geiko ), reading books, asking questions when in doubt, & constantly reflect & ask ourselves why do we do this? what are we doing wrongly or correctly? This way we can better understand our bodies, the mechanics of each movements & the purpose behind each individual action, therefore maximise our learning outcome by improving productivity & quality of our practice or Keiko. Remember Kendo is a martial art that descended from Japanese swordsmanship or Kenjutsu, so it’s no

Kendo Journey: A "Travel Guide" from Shodan to Godan-and-a-Half

Waikato Kendo Association Grading (2009) Kendo Journey: A Travel Guide from Shodan to Godan-and-a-Half （中文） by Sam Tsai December 27, 2017 Those that know me should know that back in 1998, Marleen and I moved to Hamilton, New Zealand and ended up being the only two people that practiced kendo within the 100 kilometers radius. In the following year, the stars were aligned as we formed the Waikato Kendo Association and I found myself shouldering the responsibility of being a kendo instructor. Practicing kendo myself and teaching others how to do kendo are totally different things! About half a year after we established the dojo, Hsu Heng-Hsiung sensei , coach of Team Taiwan, led a delegation of more than 20 kenshi to come visit us in New Zealand. About a year after their visit, I was in Taiwan visiting sensei. The first thing he said to me was, “Tell me, what are you having trouble teaching?” I could not help myself but laugh out loud as I replied, “Coach you are wise

Waikato Kendo Club

Search This Blog