Skip to main content

Turning Pressure into Motivation

Saturday 7th January 2023 Keiko Reflection - Janet

As the new year begins, it signals a new beginning for us to have new resolutions or goals to aspire to. Don’t be scared from pressures of grading or just life in general & try turning these challenges into healthy motivations & positive drivers for change & opportunities for bettering ourselves by having better awareness of oneself to actively reflect upon to improve constantly. This way it will certainly make our otherwise dull repetitive everyday lives more interesting & meaningful.

The first half of the Keiko today consisted of Bokuto Keikohou (AJKF) & Nihon Kendo Kata (AJKF) number 1 & 2. We also had the privilege to observe Leo & Joyce senpais demonstrating all Katas. In total there are 10 Katas & 9 Bokuto Keikohou techniques we will eventually learn throughout the course of our kendo journey. So make sure we come to Keiko regularly & make the most of the opportunities to learn from Sensei & senpais when Kata teaching sessions come up.

The importance of Kendo kata cannot be emphasised enough. Proper kendo training involves practicing katas with Bokuto as well as doing regular Shinai Keiko. Not only do Katas help to train our mental concentration, learn proper distance & timing to strike, but the postures, forms & techniques learned will also help us to better control our bodily movements (as every step or even Sonkyo are properly controlled & committed movements with confidence & resolve), thus allowing us to better apply these during regular Keiko. 

Whereas things we learned from Keiko (Such as the feeling of proper striking distance & applications of each techniques during Jissen situations) will also feedback into & improve our Kata forming a positive feedback relationship to help our kendo grow steadily.


Following the usual warm up & Suburis, we started off with Uchikomi-geiko on both migi & hidari Dō strikes, focusing on Tenouchi, use of lower body to sink down a little during each strike & to relax at end of Tenouchi to allow kensen to naturally bounce off from the Dō.

The rest of the Keiko was then focussed on practicing faster/long Kirikaeshi (Osaka University of HSS Kendo Club, Kendo Jidai). Being able to perform proper footwork with faster Suriashi which consists of slight jumps is most crucial to achieve proper rhythm & speed. Then once the lower body footwork, core muscles & upper body are in sync, the faster strikes will follow naturally.

The Kyu grades then practised Kirikaeshi with each other by rotating as Motodachi while doing some mitori-geiko of Senpai & Senseis doing Ji-geiko. We then finished off with Kakari-geiko with Sam sensei.

Even though it was rather disappointing that I couldn’t perform my best & had to refrain from doing some drills due to a partial torn elbow tendon causing pain on extension & striking, I felt happy to still attended todays Keiko as I still got to do kendo to the best of my current ability, as well as able to observe others around me & work on other parts of my body like footwork. It was also a good opportunity to reflect on my posture & grip & where it’s causing the pain to try to correct it. Fingers crossed that it’ll heal uneventfully soon so I can do more training🤞 

Thanks to Sam sensei for leading the Keiko today & thanks to every Kyu grades & senpais for helping each other train🙏🙏🙏



Comments

Popular Posts

2025 Beginners Information

You are warmly invited to join us and  start your New Year resolutions as a  Modern Samurai .  --- Information for Year 2025 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: Term 1: Saturday 25 January Term 2: Saturday 10 May  We will be accepting new students all Saturdays of May, but the earlier you can start, the better. Term 3: Saturday 19 July   Term 4: Saturday 11 October Join our 2025 Beginners Facebook Group  now to get updates. Or, email us for more information.  Course Information: No previous experience required. Regardless of gender,  ages from 6 to 60  are all welcome. First lesson  is your Free trial. Membership 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...

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...

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...