Skip to main content

My Refection for Kendo - Awatea




My Refection for kendo


For me kendo is not just a sport but also something on a spiritual and mental level That requires patients, spirit, mind and will power. Trying to make mind, body and spirit into one bond and being. Which is very very hard as I am quite uncoordinated sometimes with my body I tell it to do something but it doesn’t do it well or it doesn’t do it at all. Or my mind is too full of thoughts or too empty. I believe in time this will be something a will get better at but it will take time as do all thing’s in life.


What I have discovered while doing kendo is I have learnt a little about patients due to my injuries there fore I can apply this to my every day life. Also seeing everyone improve week by week as I watched it was awesome keep it going guys.

I’ve become More in depth with my body’s movementMore understanding of timing of footwork and strike (together) with snap of the wrist But still have very long way to go (only at the bottom of the mountain now and getting the equipment ready at this stage once this is done I can start climbing the mountain)What I mean by this is at the bottom of the mountain is the beginning of my kendo journey and the equipment is the basics movement, knowledge and techniques I must learn before I can truly start to fully understand kendo.

My dream or goal for my journey in kendo is to become a great teacher of kendo like Sam sensei and Marleen sensei and Jeffery senpai. And also achieve the highest-grade possible of myself. And NZ champion maybe world too but like Sam sensei said at the dinner on the camp get married before cause championship maybe a very long way in the end to achieve. 

Kendo has made me a better person and I thank Sam sensei and Marleen sensei and Jeffery senpai and everyone else. I have gained a lot of knowledge from kendo and understanding but not just this I also have found new friends and someone very special and cherish to me.

Thank you everyone for keeping the club alive. See you at tomorrows training.

Awatea



****************************************************************************

Something More Important than Dreams. Its Always There.

Theres Always Something More Important Then Our Selves or our Dreams

*****************************************************************************

Comments

Popular Posts

Kendo Dōjo basic etiquette & commands for beginner & kyu grades

Kendo Dōjo basic etiquette & commands for beginner & kyu grades Thanks to Janet for organising this article. When entering & leaving the Dōjo (道場, training hall), we need to bow respectfully from the waist, first towards the direction of Joseki (上席), in our case this is the Waikato Kendo Club WKC banner.  (But in Japanese dōjo there is often a Kamiza (上座) with a small Shinto shrine or altar displayed with religious significance). And then bow towards Sensei & Senpai on your way in before neatly organising your belongings on the side & getting ready quietly. At beginning of each Keiko( 稽古), Sensei(先生)or Senpai(先輩) will say: Line up -  Seiretsu (整列) :  We will need to quickly find our position along a horizontal line facing Sensei (in the middle) in order of our experience/ rank with Senpai (Seniors) on the right and Kōhai (Juniors, 後輩 ) & Shoshinsha (Beginners,  初心者 ) on the left. Standing straight facing the front, holding Shinai firmly...

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 whol...

Kirikaeshi

After Tatsuya's visit, Marleen has asked me write someting about Kirikaeshi (切り返し). Instead of starting from scratch, I used the article in Wikipedia (only add some colours or break sections to emphasis some points) and we can discuss it from here: Kirikaeshi From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Kirikaeshi (切り返し) is a kendo exercise, combining the practice of attacking and receiving strikes and is meant to develop physical strength, spirit, and vigor. It is a drill done with a partner that involves a succession of strikes to the head (men, in Japanese). Kirikaeshi was established as a basic exercise around the end of the Meiji era (1868-1912). The exercise typically begins with a strike to the center of the head, followed by a series of alternating strikes to the left and right sides of the head (yokomen). Though the exact method of kirikaeshi can vary among dojo , the most common scheme involves a single strike to the center of the head, followed by four lateral stri...