Skip to main content

Yana - My Kendo Journey

Yana - My Kendo Journey
24 December 2018

Beginning (general)

Up until 2015 I was playing volleyball and lived through that sport. In January 2015 I got a really painful muscle spasm in my lower back. Then we found out I had scoliosis. I was 14 at that time, which is the latest age for fixing things like scoliosis, leaving me with little hope for playing sport in the future. This news meant I couldn't continue volleyball, as my spine simply couldn't support the pressure of jumping, landing and colliding. My mum forbade me from playing volleyball or doing any other type of sport from then on. This really made me despair, as a big chunk of my life was gone, and so is its social/physical benefits and the feeling of being alive.

Sometime later I also got asthma (living in an old house), which made my physical exercise experiences even harder for me.

Around the same time 2014-2016 I was reading a book series called "Young Samurai" which described a range of Japanese marshal arts people had to learn to become samurai. In a fiction form, of course. I really got interested in kenjutsu, because it seemed to me as cool and in the same time fun. Cool because of fights, and fun because the main character trained with his friends. I got curious if this marshal art still exist in the world today, and to my great surprise I found out that there is a Kendo club just in Waikato university. From the first look I wanted to take part in it, and mum seemed alright with it. So I joined and I never regretted it. By the time we learned how to do the proper ashi sabaki (footwork) my back and asthma were somewhat under control, which let me proceed with further training. It was amazing actually, and I think kendo played a role in fixing these things.

Fun fact: In 2018 I played a season (2 terms) of football to increase my stamina and get more muscles in my legs. Which also amazed me, that I was still able to play sport after 3 years.


2016 
Focus: Ashi sabaki, kihon and kiri kaeshi.
Mainly footwork, kihon waza and trying to remember other people's names in the dojo. Everyone is very shy, including me. Kiai is very hard.
Morioka sensei taught us about zanshin, and he was very funny.


_
2017
Focus: Midori keiko, kiai and tai atari. 3 kata. 3 waza.
I learned that the more I practice something difficult, the easier it will become, even if I don't understand it yet.

Novice 2017
I learned that there is a joudan no kamae and nito (2 swords). 

I lost all my fights, and afterwards Sam sensei told us about losing and winning, and how he got fighting spirit in his first shiai.

I thought it would be great to get fighting spirit next year.



_
2018
Focus: Endurance, using waist when moving and using dante for kiai. 100 suburi challenge (a lot of catching up before it becomes a habit). 4 kata. 9 waza (kihon, renzoku, harai, hiki, nuki, suriage, debana, kaeshi, uchi otoshi.) Small men has been a challenge.

This year, and the previous years, Sam sensei and Marleen sensei and my senpai taught me and helped me a lot in my kendo journey. I am very grateful to have such kind sensei and senpai. I need to train as hard as I can to not let my sensei and others in the dojo down. I want to get as strong as Joyce to match higher level people and help my senpai and everyone in dojo to improve.

I feel like I'm not only improving in kendo, but also becoming a better person in life, in terms of being confident and decisive. 

_
April 2018 
Birthday keiko! It was extremely tiring, but I understood what Sam sensei was trying to show me, and that is; using my mind to move the body, no matter how painful it got. I was, again, so grateful to have Sam sensei teach me kendo!

_
November 2018 
Novice November 2018

I won some of my fights and lost most. I could see the training pay off in the real shiai. I got fighting spirit, just like Sam sensei, and that made me very happy, because to me it was a great honour.

I need to stop stepping out of shiai jou and stop thinking too much.
Clark helped me to improve my small men, even though I was tired. 

_
Nori sensei taught us a number of things. He was very kind and patient, especially with me (I'm very slow in learning new things). 

Extra focus: I need to master ki-ken-tai ichi before he comes to New Zealand again next year! 

_
December 1-2 2018
Yamagami sensei seminar at AKC 

My first time in Auckland kendo club, I was nervous. The training and people's kendo was different, which was a good opportunity to learn new things. The most surprising part was the feeling like we knew each other for a long time, when training with people I met for the first time in my life. Kendo is truly an amazing marshal art. 
I met Yamagami sensei, and even thought I didn't get chance to fight him, I learned about san sappo and 4 sicknesses. Most of the seminar was in Japanese, a great opportunity to practice my Japanese listening and talking! His 6 students from Hiroshima were very friendly and also strong.
In kyuu grade shiai I clearly saw my mistakes as I was making them. I still felt a number of things I need to work on for the next shiai. Also, new opponents provided new strategies, which was interesting to analyze for myself.

Wells sensei helped me improve my walking in terms of not looking down and use my ki. 
The iaido demonstration looked impressive, and it made me look at kendo from a new perspective. I got to hold a real katana (thanks to Brent sensei). It was heavier than shinai, and very beautiful. 
The highlight was my last keiko of day 2, which happened to be with Blake sensei. It was the hardest one that day in terms of my tiredness and expectations. I really wanted to show my best kendo to the sensei, but my tired body was preventing me from doing so. I had the feeling of being pushed to my limits as with Sam sensei, and that made me think to myself; "So this is what kendo is really about, isn't it? To overcome oneself." At the end of the keiko, Blake sensei said something along the lines of me doing great, but my brain was too burnt out with effort to interpret any information. I said thanks, but really I was just happy with my realization and really grateful that he went into that effort for my benefit, even though we never met before. I was glad that after all I could still do my best to represent Sam sensei's and Marleen sensei's dojo.
And to conclude my seminar experience, watching Jing, Claire, Joyce and Rex pass their gradings, I felt very proud. It's a great feeling seeing your senpai succeed.






Comments

SonjaHauen said…
Hey, Sam! Greetings from another kendoka! I have scoliosis too. How do you manage back pains? And did you perceived improvements in your spine curvature? Thanks in advance

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

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

Starting your kendo journey in 2024

You are warmly invited to join us and  start your New Year resolutions as a  Modern Samurai .  --- Information for Year 2024 Beginners --- Little Samurai Class (age under 14): 1.30 - 2.30pm, Saturdays  Beginners Class (age 14 and above): 2.30 - 3.30pm, Saturdays Intermediate and Advanced Class : 3.30 - 6.00pm, Saturdays Starting Dates: Class A: Saturday 10 February Class B: Saturday 9 March  Class C: Saturday 4 May  Class D: Saturday 27 July Join our  Beginners Facebook Group  now to get updates. Course Information: No previous experience required. Regardless of gender,  ages from 6 to 60  are all welcome. First lesson  is your Free trial. Fees:  Kids and School students: 50.00 per month Tertiary students and adults: 80.00 per month Family discounts : the 2nd family member is 50%OFF, and from the 3rd one is free. Learning Objectives:  By the end of the course,  you will be ready to put on Bogu (armour)  and start your Kendo journey as a modern Samurai! Venue: School of Education (SOE