Crossroads

The last few months have been an aggravating experience regarding my kendo career. I returned to practice with the hope that I could take off from where i left after my sandan grading last year... however, a few weeks passed and I realised that this will never be the case. Firstly I struggled with the problems anyone else would after 8-9 months out of the game, my timing was out, loss of speed and my cardio was blown. However, more upsetting was the discomfort in my knackered wrist. I now have trouble lasting a standard night's practice, if I jar it in either taitari or over doing a 'wristy' waza the dull ache can last for 4-5 days afterwards.

This situation has really knocked my kendo enthusiasm for 6. I've become more frustrated as the weeks pass and even considered jacking it in on more than one occasion. In addition I caught a couple of cracks on the right hand knuckle (probably the return of an old bad habit) which means i've also had to deal with a swollen hand.

All this came to a head a few weeks ago after a couple of particularly rotten rounds of jigeiko. My abysmal kendo combined with injured hand and wrist meant I packed up and left the dojo half way though the night. I was absolutely seething and was the first time in 8 years i've left a session early. If i'd passed the Thames on the way home i would have lobbed my bogu into it.

A change is required.

Firstly I told myself Rule #5 and dug out my old 'sausage kote' with the protective band over the knuckle. This should let me practice without further injury.

Second, I'm seriously considering studying Jodan. I managed a couple jigeiko with jodan last week to protect my swollen hand and enjoyed it (my katate men was pretty bad haha)..... this got me thinking. People have suggested trying it in the past because of my height but i've always been put off by becoming the club tsuki magnet, my low grade and a lack of local Jodan specialist friends I can leech advice from. However, I now feel that I have little choice due to the injury. I plan to discuss with my peers to see what they think as Jodan (the 'kamae of fire') requires a fearless attacking spirit - not how i'd describe myself!

By travelling down this road I have to accept that future grading opportunities will be bleak and i'll have to go back to basics. This will be a test of patience .

Waza Against a Defensive Posture

Attended squad training again where Mano sensei taught us a series of waza against a defensive posture, usually found in shiai situations.


The image isn't the best as it was difficult to find a good example. However, you should get the idea.

Mano sensei identified three key areas when this posture is taken by the opponent - kote, tsuki and gyaku-do. Distance and height of arms will dictate which target to attack.


Tsuki - If the arms are high enough then there is an opportunity to attack tsuki. This can be followed up with ni-dan waza (e.g. tsuki-men) if the initial thrust is ineffective. If the arms are low, covering the tsuki then there is an opportunity to attack men.


Gyaku-Do - Mano sensei explained that a right sided do cut can be made if the opponents posture allows. Sensei encouraged a follow though to the left rather than hiki waza style retreating zanshin.


Hidari Kote - This is a small target to attack. If the opponent's hands are far over defending the men/Do then it leaves the bottom of the left kote open


The main problem with these waza is that they have to be performed without hesitation. If too much time is taken to decide then the opportunity will be lost.

[edited 02/03/11]: I have since found out this defensive posture is called 'Sanpomamori'. Kenshi247 writes a very good article about it's use in modern kendo here.

Chiba Sensei and Tatsuo Hayashi Sensei Seminar 2010- Day 2

The second day and my feet were prepared for another pounding.

We started off with a recap of the techniques we learned the day before. Chiba sensei emphasised the importance of observing the opponent and using the reaction from the seme.

We then progressed to taking it in turns to cut men while the opponent cut kote. The idea was to beat the opponent. Sensei introduced a surprise intensive, whoever lost had to perform 20 hyasuburi. However, most of the time both sides admitted defeat and did the hyasuburi together (I suppose no one wanted to appear superior).

O'Sullivan gave some advice to me which struck a chord. He said that seme should be indication that i'm ready to cut, not an indication that I will cut. Therefore, I should use it for pressure rather than the first part of a men/kote etc..

The following technique we learned was Hiki waza. By now the soles of my feet were raging and my fumikomi suffered. Chiba sensei showed us ways of attacking the opponents kamae in tsubazeriai.

• Hiki men - Keeping the body active with the top of your tsuba pressed against the edge of your opponent's. Push the tsuba against your opponents body then quickly step back left then right foot, then cut men while performing fumikomi moving backwards.
• Hiki do - Same as above but lipping your tsuba over the top of the opponent's. Quickly jam it downwards causing the opponent to fight and push up. This allows you to step back and cut do.
• Hiki kote - Push the sword left across the opponent making them fight back, let go making them move to the right. Step back and strike the open kote.

I think this is how we were instructed - my memory is a bit hazy on this.

Chiba sensei gathered everyone around and spoke about keiko and fighting shiai. He said he'd let us into the secret of winning shiai, this was translated as:

"The secret to winning shiai is to practice until you are good enough to win"

Ha! I think he was saying that we wont be good enough after a weekend seminar, we must go back to our dojos and practice hard on the techniques we have learned. Then we'll be good enough to win.

The latter part of the day involved a mock grading and I was paired with a good fighter from Hizen. I was hoping for a good performance considering my nidan is only two weeks away... however, disaster! I choked at the critical time and failed to score a good ippon. Very disappointing as I know I can do better.

Hayashi sensei took notes during the mock test and explained that I showed good posture and a strong kamae (he said I initially looked threatening). Then it all went wrong, my men cuts were feeble. Hayashi sensei said i need to work more on my men cuts - worrying!

The day finished with sensei jigeiko. I managed to get my men on early and queue for Chiba sensei. The fight was inspiring, but again I didnt cause any upsets. He could see right though my attempted seme.... how do you fight someone so strong?

I also practiced with Hayashi sensei. I started ok with my seme but I then switched to 'headless chicken' mode, sensei stopped this by blocking away my pointless cuts which made me consider pressure again. He said that I managed to cut him once when I spoke to him afterwards, but I don't remember it.

All in all it was a very enjoyable seminar. I hope they return again next year!

A better explanation of the two days can be found on Salmon sensei's blog here.

Chiba sensei jigeiko

Hayashi sensei jigeiko

Chiba Sensei and Tatsuo Hayashi Sensei Seminar 2010 - Day 1

The first day of a two day seminar run by the famous Chiba sensei supported by Tatsuo Hayashi sensei and based in Reading, Berkshire. During this session we concentrated on basic men, kote, do and maai/seme.

I have listed what I can recall from the lesson:

• Suburi

We instructed on how to hold the shinai correctly. The left hand must grip the end of the tsuka with three fingers, ensuring that the bottom of the shinai its on the 'ball' of the palm (unsure the correct term). You shouldn't have any part of the tsuka poking beyond your palm.

The right hand must have a loose grip with the index finger about two finger widths from the tsuba. No hand should hold the shinai in a 'axe handle' grip.

Chiba sensei then instructed us how to 'snap' a cut using soft hands but powerful wrists. Its was amazing to see the power he can generate with such little effort.

Sensei instructed that we should aim to cut to the chin to 'pop' the cut. The cut must snap and not land heavy.

• Men, kote & do

We instructed in how to make small, sharp cuts. We started at chikama with one step cut (no run though or tsubazeriai), then progressively moving back to find our own comfortable cutting maai and running though after cut. This exercise was repeated for men, kote and do.

• Seme

Chiba sensei then instructed us to create pressure with our opponent when cutting a target when the opportunity presents itself. This was done by stepping into distance, motodachi then waits for approx 3 seconds (building pressure) before reacting and providing either a men, kote or do opportunity. It is then up to the shidachi to immediately cut the target using the small cut technique taught earlier. The aim is to cut without hesitation.

During this period I asked Chiba sensei on his opinion of seme for taller people as I am constantly told to cut from distance (being 6ft 4). Hayashi translated simply "do what works". This topic lead to a discussion between 4-5 sensei. I'm unsure if I got the gist of the full conversation but to my understanding Chiba sensei meant that I should try to create pressure from distance, if it is ineffective then I need to move in closer to disturb my opponent and create an opportunity.

• Oji Waza

Our seme work moved on to a higher level of kendo. Instead of motodachi simply presenting a target, they were told to cut either men or kote. Shidachi's job was to step in with seme to create pressure then perfom oji waza (defensive waza) when motodachi cut. We were instructed in:

• Men kaeshi do - Sensei told us to thrust the shinai forward above his head to collect the parry before the do cut. The parry had to be with the monouchi and not too far down the shaini.
• Men suriage men - Again the parry had to be with the monouchi part of the shinai. This was to be performed with forward motion.
• Men, kote men - Sensei emphasised we must step forward with the right foot only for kote cut (dont move the left forward). The left is then brought up after the men cut, this results with a quick pow-pow footwork.
• Debana kote.
• Kote nuki men.
• Men nuki do.

After a period of rotating kihon with these techniques we took a short break in preparation for jigeiko.

For the final hour of the day we had rotating jigeiko. During this time I was lucky enough to practice with Chiba sensei for 5 minutes. I attempted to use what we had learned during the lesson but of course I couldn't connect with anything I tried. I did manage to touch his kote once but it was well messy, no way ippon worthy! One thing that struck me was when I attempted harai or suriage I couldn't move his shinai, my weak attempts just bounced off hahaha.

I did gain some success of a few other people I fought, connecting with some good fake kote men and suiage men.

Looking forward to tomorrow's session although my feet aren't.

Saburo Iwatate Sensei and Tatsuo Hayashi Sensei Seminar Day 2

'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This kendoka is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed 'im to the perch 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-KENDOKA!!

14 hours of kendo over the last few days has broken me. Lots of suburi and kihon was really hard work (but fun in a perverse way). After a hot bath i'm having trouble typing out these words due to lack of energy.

Today was a mixture of recapping Saturday and learning some new techniques. We went though the basic kote, men, do drills as before but also practiced hiki waza. Iwatate Sensei instructed on the following aspects of hiki waza:

• Receiving Taiatari

Must step into the taiatari keeping his/her arms low to meet the aite's tsuka. Motodatchi must NOT step back while performing this.

• Creating Opportunities

Must move the motodatchi's kote to create an opening to cut. The one I remember clearly is for kote, kakarite must try and lip their tsuba under the aite's tsuba and push/roll the opponent's kote up and to the right using their own hands. Once this opportunity has been made, the kakarite must step back and cut the kote using a straight cut (not angled in). Zanshin is shown by retreating at speed and immediately pointing the kensen to the aite's throat.

Zanshin for men and do are also performed at speed with the kensen to the aite's throat. Iwatate Sensei encouraged us to strike using big cuts.

We were asked to perform repeated kote, men, do then hiki men, do, kote as a single string during mawari geiko. After this we practiced repeated kirikaeshi and men cuts across the width of the dojo.

After a break for food and water we had to perform a mock grading. We were sorted into grades and asked to treat it like a real shinsa with the hachidans providing feed back at the end. For my two jigeiko fights I was told that I need to seme more and show stronger attacking spirit. I wasn't creating or reacting to enough seme responses, thus relying on preconceived men cuts. This is something I should work on. On a good note my kiai pleased them.

After the gradings Iwatate Sensei ran though reigi. The main point he highlighted was that the three steps in then sonkyo must be done in a fluid action. Not three steps, pause, then sonkyo... but as a single unbroken string.

The final part of the day was an hour sensei jigeiko. This time I made sure I got to fight Iwatate Sensei. During my turn he conveyed the need to seme, he didn't let me cut unless I created pressure and made an opportunity (well, enough for him to let me cut anyway!). It was a pleasure to fight him even though my kendo is so basic compared to what he is used to.

It was also fun to see him practice with the kids, he always seemed to have a grin on his face as he dodged and weaved to make them cut with precision.

Due to the queues I only managed a short jigeiko with Hayashi Sensei. This was very intense and Hayashi Sensei doesn't let up for lower grades (within reason). It was amazing to fight with such skilled opponents.

All in all it was an enjoyable few days. The aim now is to try and integrate what I have learned into my 'every day' kendo.

All photos taken and kindly provided by Jeff Martin:

Mock grading (me on right)

Nishioka, Hayashi and Iwatate senseis observing.

Final group photo.

Saburo Iwatate Sensei and Tatsuo Hayashi Sensei Seminar Day 1

The first day of a two day seminar run by Saburo Iwatate sensei and Tatsuo Hayashi sensei was enjoyable but tiring. Most of the seven hours was concerned with kihon and basic men, kote and do cuts.

This is a list of what was taught (what I can remember anyway):

• Suburi

We were told to swing the cut over our head so the shinai hit between the butt cheeks. With timing of one the shinai was then swung over the back head to finish the cut. Making sure the arms were extended at the end (but keeping correct posture). This was done for shomen and sayumen suburi.

• Posture & Fumikomi

We were formed into lines and told to place our shinai across our lower back and in front of our arms (straightening our posture). We were then told to push with the left leg (straight knee) and fumikomi, making sure the foot is only lifted a small distance and 'stomped' with the whole sole. No lifting the foot so the sole faces forwards or backward with the toes pointing to the floor, the sole must remain parallel with the floor at all times.

We were constantly reminded to look up at all times, our neck much touch the back of our kendogi collar. Iwatate Sensei said it should be as if we are looking at a 'far away mountain'.

• Men

For a small cut we must start the cut as if we are attacking tsuki but at the last moment lift and cut the men, snapping with the wrists. The follow though must be straight and the arms not too high (right arm parallel with the floor). Iwatate Sensei stressed we should not run though at an angle after the cut.

• Kote

For a small kote we were told that when we push forward, we must align our right foot with the aite's right foot then cut with a snap. The kensen must be pointed at the aite's tsukidare to show proper zanshin.

Iwatate Sensei insisted that there should be no body twisting or spinning to the side for a correct kote cut.

• Do

Iwatate Sensei instructed how to perform nuki do with motodachi cutting men and kakarite stepping forward/right cutting do.

The main exercise came in three parts:

1. Motodachi lifts their shinai above their head and kakarite steps forward/right and taps the aite's left do with his left hand. This is to understand the body movement.
2. Motodachi lifts their shinai and kakarite steps forward/right and completes a do cut.
3. Motodachi cuts men and kakarite steps forward/right and performs nuki do.

The do cut itself was a small action with the hands lifting about face hight, the left hand sliding up the tsuka to meet the right hand, then cutting the do at 45 degrees (just below the aite's elbow). The cut must involve the body, not just the arms.

We then formed into groups and performed Mawari geiko using only the techniques we'd been taught. I was told by Nishioka sensei that I should turn to my right after my run though.

After a short break we had sensei jigeiko for the last hour. I managed to practice with Davis Sensei (BKA Kendo Bucho) and Hayashi Sensei. The queue for Iwatate Sensei was huge and I ran out of time.

Hayashi Sensei was very strong (as you would expect from an 8th dan!). I tried to keep my posture and use seme, however he saw me coming every time. They're like bloody yoda these hachidans.

Hayashi Sensei indicated that I should immediately follow up and cut if an opponent retreats. Just like what Young told me on Friday night. This is obviously something I need to work on further.

Kote Query

I have been in contact with Michael from Chiba Bogu and asked about the correct sizing of my Mine kote to protect the knuckles.

After trying a number of dojo mate's kote on for comparison I came to the conclusion that the upper portion of the Kashira should also protect the knuckle, this is wrong. Michael drew me a nice diagram and confirmed that the knuckle should sit underneath the fold, between the upper portion and the Keri to aid flexibility (which mine does).... it seems I was unlucky to catch a heavy cut at this point.

I need to inspect the padding to see if I should send it back to have more deer hair inserted. Expensive, but worth it? IT does worry me that I could hurt my hand in a similar way again.

Hello

Welcome to my new blog.

There's lots of Kendo blogs floating around on the net so I thought I'd do something a bit different. All kendoka know that injury is a familiar part of this martial art, this blog will list mine as they occur.

PAST INJURIES

I started kendo in November 2005. Since then I have damaged the following:

April 2006 - Broken right thumb.
This occurred when I caught it against my aite after it was sticking out during a cut. I fractured it at the MCP joint.



It was my my fault and as a result I quickly learned that i need to tuck all fingers in.

I visited the hospital and they x-rayed then strapped it up. They used fabric tape and cut it into short strips. The strips were wrapped around the bottom of my thumb and crossed at the top, creating a ridged herring bone effect. I had to maintain this strapping for 3-4 weeks.

In the mean time i used single hand chudan and jodan, which was tough after only a few months training.

December 2008 - Torn left shoulder rotator cuff.
I did this after some over enthusiastic kagarigeiko. I felt my shoulder go after I hyper extended it ( I think i 'threw' my arm'). Stupidly I used freeze spray and returned to practice only for it to go again. I need to listen to my body more.

I visited the GP who refereed me to the hospital. After a series of in conclusive x-rays (it was soft tissue damage), I was told to rest it completely for a few months.

I then started a program of physio at the hospital that lasted from February to August 09. I was instructed to use weights, theraband and stretching exercises to build up strength. Unfortunately I was unable to return to full fitness in time for my intended Shodan Grading in April.

After my physio program I had an MRI scan. This wasnt an enjoyable experience as it involved a long needle being inserted into my shoulder joint. This showed that I have a small tear in the rotator cuff which has caused some slight thickening around it.



I had an option to either have surgery now which may not produce any improvement or wait until I get older where i may feel the effects more. I still experience an achy shoulder but you get used to it.

September 2009 - Damaged right hand knuckle
I caught a painful kote from an opponent fighting Nito. I have a feeling it caught my knuckle between the rolls of padding on the fist part of my kote - therefore I had about 2mm of leather protecting it!


I should have rested it until the bruising disappeared but I kept training for the following few weeks (stupid again!). Sods law I seemed to get hit on it during every subsequent training session which resulted in a lot of swelling and shooting pains up my arm when i bent my wrist down. Not good.

To remedy this ive been icing daily and applying voltarol. I've also been fighting in Jodan.... an interesting experience which I would like to study further. However, my lowly shodan status means I need to fight chudan for a fair few more years until i can practice Jodan seriously.

To try and increase my kote protection in the meantime it was suggested that I stitch a tsuka stuffed with tights over the problem area. It works but looks a little odd as I am currently fighting with a big white sausage attached to my right hand.



Phew.. that was a bit of an essay. Bye for the mo.