Skip to main content

Happy Rabbit Year 2023

Image
By

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 demonstration) to prevent showing weakness or opening to the opponent. Make the opponent feel uneasy to step forward without an opportunity.

2. Have good Kiai (the shout we generated before & during strikes) to show our determination & spirit.

3. Perform Seme (to attack or break through opponents defence or creating opportunity by taking centre) & step into Issoku-Ittou-no-Maai (one step one cut distance) to execute the strike on target.


The senior Keiko menu consisted of Kihon-geiko Kirikaeshi, Uchikomi-geiko focussing on Gohon waza as well as Hiki waza (Chiba Sensei's demonstration; Hiki-Men, Hiki-Kote). 

The difficulty of executing Hiki waza was being able to create proper opportunity by making the opponents move & expose an opening from Tsuba-Zeriai position (this is usually done by pushing against opponents Shinai to encourage them to counteract the force when we let go suddenly) then execute accurate strikes on target when going backwards to create enough distance for proper arm extension for strikes while maintaining same control & power of each strike with proper Tenouchi & backwards Fumikomi stamping & swift Okuriashi going backwards to quickly get out of the way to regain enough distance & maintain good Zanshin (alertness) & Kamae to be ready to block or counter opponents follow up strikes.

Even though a few of us had to excuse ourselves from Keiko early today to attend New Year’s Eve dinner with family & friends, other members who stayed behind with Sensei continued on with Kakari-geiko.

Many thanks to all those who turned up today to make this Keiko possible & thanks to Sam Sensei for leading the Keiko & Joyce Senpai for leading the warm up🙏🙏🙏

Best wishes to everyone at WKC a happy & prosperous year of the Rabbit 🐰



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Kendo Dōjo basic etiquette & commands for beginner & kyu grades

By
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...
Post a Comment
Read more

How do you practice seme?

By
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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kirikaeshi

By
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...
Post a Comment
Read more