Skip to main content

Training notes for week 11-17 Sep


Murakami sensei explained the correct tsuba-seiriai 




Some notes about our training on week 11-17 Sep 2011:


I think we all had a good time on Thursday's ji-geiko evening. Thanks to the members who came at the evening. As discussed, we won't have group warm-up on Thursdays. Please come earlier and get yourself ready. Hope we can start at 6.30pm sharply.


After the shiai-geigo last Saturday (10 Sep), we talked about the tsuba-zeriai situations and have some practice of hiki-men waza. I can see your tsuba-zeriai has much improved today. Of course, we still need more training and practice on hiki-men.


My plan for next week training will be:
  • continue the small-men and small-kote-men practice,
  • continue the hiki-men practice,
  • introduce one exercise to enhance leg muscle strength,
  • more kakari-geiko to enhance fitness and reaction.

* * *

As for beginners, I am pleased to see that you can well perform the first Kata of Bokuto Keikoho (other than tsuki yet). We will move to Kata Two of Bokuto Keikoho next week. Also, jump-suburi will be our main task for the coming few weeks.

Here is a video clip on Youtube for you to preview the Bokuto Keikoho.

Just two more tasks (fumikomi and kirikaeshi), and then you can have a further step from the Beginner Class. 

Finally, thanks to Scott's feedback on the Beginner Class:

Kendo is challenging and fun. 
Each week I look forward to learning new techniques 
and the chance to practice. 
There is always a good mix of humour and seriousness.


Wish you all have a nice weekend and see you next week.

Last word, I think we need to take more photos from now on and video your shiai-geiko on Saturday for both memory and review purposes.  :-)


Comments

Mazza said…
excited for tuesday!

Popular posts from this blog

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

Happy Rabbit Year 2023

We wish everyone have a Happy Rabbit Year Saturday 21 January 2023 Keiko Reflection - Janet As lunar new year of the rabbit arrives so is our Dojo welcoming new beginners to get a taste of what kendo is like. While the beginners learned brand new ideas, the senpais were reminded of the basic purpose of Kendo, which is self discipline, development & improvement of our body, mind, & spirit. Constantly striving for a more perfect & beautiful cut rather than being just a form of self defence or stick fighting. Ashi-sabaki or footwork ( Kouda sensei demonstration ) is very important in Kendo particularly Suriashi or sliding steps as it not only look more graceful & elegant, but also would reduce noise when moving on wooden floors & reduce likely injury from stepping onto hidden weapons or obstacles on the floor in medieval Japan. We were also reminded of the basic sequence of engagement during a kendo duel: 1. Holding good Kamae (on guard position, Kouda sensei demonst

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