Surprise Visit

Nice surprise at Mumeishi last night!

I wandered into weekly practice at the usual time only to find Sumi sensei taking the class, it was a bit of a double take moment I have to admit. He was in the UK as a 'stop over' before travelling to a seminar in the Ukraine.

Sensei taught the use of footwork to create pressure in chudan/seme. First of all we all partnered up and placed a shinai between both lower abdomens (on the tare or bottom of the do). The idea was to use the hips and left foot to push the opponent, with the feeling of power in the hips and abdomen - NOT leading from the shoulders.

The next stage was to hold the shinai in chudan and try to create the same feeling as before, forward attitude/seme from the lower abdomen, hips and footwork. We were also instructed to 'feel' the opponent's sword, quick sharp pressure on left or right to generate an opening for a men, kote or kote-men cut. We practiced this for 15 mins or so and progressed on to men kaeshi do.

With both people generating the feeling of pressure, motodachi then pushes and opens for men cut, shidachi reacts by cutting men and motodachi completes with a kaeshi do. I was unable to cut do due to my wrists so I cut men instead.

I was a bit nervy during Jigeiko with Sensei. It's not everyday you cadge a practice with one of the best known kendoka on the planet.... he commented after that I need to attack more from distance (I'm still falling foul of this). However, It was ace to be able to talk in english to a Japanese sensei.

I've also had another trip to the physio. He thinks the problem originates further up my forearms, tightening all the tendons which means they fail in the weakest location under stress (the wrist area). The physio also demonstrated how to tape up my arm with kinesiology tape to try and support the forearm muscles.

IF I pass my grading then i'm planning to take a few months to recover.... its a big if. 4 days to go... pecking it.

Liverpool Squad Training Weekend

Squad training again, this time it was held in Liverpool. I didn't really fancy the drive up there but I was able to break the journey by staying with my folks in the midlands on Friday night, this left only a two hour trip in the morning.

Turn out was good and it was nice to see lots of new faces. After everyone was changed and ready, Mano sensei gathered us around and explained the theme of the weekend - Tame.

As you can see from my blog i've spent a bit of time collecting online sources which focus on seme and tame (they are directly related with each other). However, reading up and putting into practice are different beasts.

Sensei instructed us on entering our Issoku ittō-no-maai and applying pressure to the opponent in order to unbalance or urge them into striking for oji waza. This is done though a combination of seme and tame.

Now i'm still learning these concepts and my success is still very haphazard. Therefore, i'll leave the detailed theory to the 6th-7th dans (see links on right hand side of page). What Mano sensei made clear though is tame isn't simply waiting, its an attacking mind and intention without physically rushing in. This is where kendo's battle of will and minds emerges.

Mano sensei outlined these points, apologies if I've forgotten anything:

• Identify your own Issoku ittō-no-maai as this is where you will apply pressure.
• Seme can include a step in, once in Issoku ittō-no-maai further seme can manifest as a movement of the shinai or bending of the right knee (see here). There were others which I can't recall.
• Remain stationary but project intention/spirit with posture, kamae and body language - we've all been done by a sensei this way i'm sure.
• Tame isnt simply waiting for an opportunity - its creating an opportunity without resorting to rushing in.

Overall, this is a very high level concept which I'm still battling with - I tend to move in too close without applying adequate pressure. I think once someone has cracked seme/tame they are on the road to an advanced level of kendo.

Over the two days I experienced enjoyable jigeiko with quite a few new people. My only shiai practice match finished in a draw (no points). I was matched with a squad member specialising in jodan, I think I did ok but I was far too defensive which spoiled the fight. I'm still unable to score ippon :(

On the injury front, I managed to complete an impressive toe-in-hakama-arse-over-tit technique which left me sprawled across the dojo floor. Spent the last few days hobbling about with a sore right big toe.

I also caught a nice tsuki in the throat due to my rubbish tsuki-dare - check out the kensen asterisk!

Chiba Sensei Seminar 2011

Just enjoyed four interesting days of kendo.

Last week Chiba sensei made his annual trip over to the UK for a weekend seminar. However, I was lucky enough to attend two additional practices on Thursday and Friday before the ‘main event’. This was because Chiba sensei, accompanied by Salmon sensei, visited my regular Thursday and Friday club night.

This meant I was lucky enough to experience two jigeiko with Chiba sensei in as many days. As a result, I was happy that if I missed out on any further opportunities over the weekend (which ended up being the case).

Right, onto the seminar….

The main themes of the day was Te-no-uchi and Seme.

Te-no-uchi

Chiba sensei main focus (as with previous years) was the use of correct Te-no-uchi in order to achieve a correct cut and Ki-Ken-Tai-Ichi (KKTI). This was our first lesson on day one.

Firstly Chiba sensei instructed how to hold the shinai correctly with the base of the tsuka in the heel of the palm with it running diagonally across to the index finger. The tsuka is held lightly with the little fingers while the right hand grips very loosely, also with the little fingers.

With a light grip the cut is performed with a snap from the wrists, at no point did he strain his arm muscles or elbows to create Te-no-uchi. He simply tweaked his little fingers, I could hardly see any movement in his right hand while doing this.

Chiba sensei’s cut was made though the target. So to stike men he cut to the chin, kote was though the wrist (but with less power). Performing this with a relaxed grip and Te-no-uchi created a very quick cut with a powerful *pop*. Sensei explained that cutting with an ‘axe grip’ with too much arm power, the shinai will finish at the wrong angle (point too high).

This lead onto KKTI training with large cutting with correct Te-no-uchi. We were instructed to raise the shini slowly before stepping forward, then using hips/left foot push, increase the speed of cut down using the wrists. This should be performed fluently without a pause (timing of one), with fumikomi, cut and kiai all landing at the same time.

During all our drills, sensei emphasised the need to maintain a soft grip in kamae.

Sensei also has us practicing continuous do cuts without moving our feet (image a static do kirikaeshi). I’ve always been taught to cut do at a 45 degree angle down, yet Chiba sensei advocates an almost horizontal cut. I have to admit I had difficulty applying this alternative method.

From what I could see, this style od do involves moving the left hand up and down for each cut while the right hand moves over either to it’s left or right. It’s imperative that the left hand remains centralised and moves above the forehead for each cut. This results in a quick wrist based do stike that reduces the heave created by a shoulder based cut and possesses an advantage when performing techniques like men kaeshi do.

Salmon sensei better explains HERE.

Seme

Chiba senesi outlined the fundamentals of seme. He explained it was a combination of distance (different heights and techniques = different distances) and forcing your opponent to react.

There was a lot to take in on this subject so my recall is a bit patchy, I might be able to fill in the blanks when I get to see some video footage.

Sensei split the use of seme in shikake and oji waza.

Shikake waza

We were urged to step in and harai to open up the kote or kote-men, this involved using a sharp deflection to the right using the wrist, opening up a target.

We were also instructed to use a slower push to the left hand side of an opponent’s kensen. This encourages the opponent to push back which leaves his kote open if you lift your sword slightly – letting his kensen jerk right.

Sensei demonstrated additional techniques to make your opponent react. This included stepping in and dropping your kensen below an opponents shinai, this ‘should’ make then drop their point opening up their men. Another example involved stepping in and riding your shinai over the top of your opponents (pointing to their right kote), allowing a quick men cut (osae waza I think).

The final method he demonstrated is to seme in and use a high thrust (towards their right eye I think). This makes them lift up/across, instantly opening up their kote or do.

Oji Waza

We progressed onto oji waza after our initial shikake waza drills. For this training we were instructed to seme the motodachi who then performed a pre arranged men or kote cut.

We were shown how to perform men kaeshi do/suriage men (omote & ura)/ nuki do and kote suriage men/kaeshi men/nuki men.

I have practiced all these before, but following Chiba sensei’s instruction I realised the reason why many of my techniques do not work is because my hands/arms are not relaxed when deflecting the opponent’s shinai then cutting.

The biggest ‘lightbulb’ moment was with men kaeshi do. I tend to cut do too close using big movements, meaning I hit the front of the do while facing away from my target. During the drills Chiba sensei demonstrated to me how to ‘catch’ then quickly rotate the wrists to cut using very little arm movement. This increases cutting speed thus creating distance. I’m in no way proficient at this, but it’s a marked improvement in what I have been doing.

Regarding suriage men, again this needs to be performed with relaxed arms and good Te-no-uchi. An important point demonstrated by sensei is to rotate the hands anti-clockwise when deflecting a kote attack from the omote (left hand side). This means at the point of deflection the left hand is almost underneath the right arm, the kensen should still in the centre and the ‘blade’ of the shinai facing outwards… this is performed as a thrust forward and completed with a wristy snap on the opponent’s men.

I landed a few half decent cuts when deflecting men suriage men from the omote (although I was a bit too close). However, I was terrible from the ura – couldn’t achieve any timing. I need to work on this one.

By the end of the two days and 12 hours in the dojo my body was broken, the soles of my feet were in ribbons, ha! The challenge now is trying to remember sensei’s techniques and apply them during normal practice.

The guys at Imperial Kendo Club and Katsuya sensei have kindly uploaded short vids of Chiba sensei's teaching HERE (all 58 of them!).

Easter Hates Kendo

It's easter holiday season again which means school closures and disruption to regular kendo :(

My regular place was shut so I planned a visit Tora kendo club. However, first capital connect had other ideas (surprise, surprise) and cancelled my train. Not straight away mind, they let me wait 30 mins on the platform so we could watch the late train wiz past without stopping to make up time – no announcement, nothing (F****** ****s!). I hate that train company.

I have been working on a number of things over the last few weeks with varying degrees of success. Some resulted from another pasting I received from Young (as usual), who explained that I rely too much on Hiki waza because my Shikake waza and attacking presence is weak.

I have to admit my faith in my men attacks is at a low, I can never seem to get though. As a result, I’m using oij waza more to try and compensate for the poor success rate. I suppose I should keep plugging away and not get caught up with ‘must win’ attitude.

On a plus point he did say my footwork is improving, but I still need to increase my distance.

I’ve been doing a bit of research on the net to try and get an idea on how to improve my Shikake techniques.

One vid interested me in particular, I’m wondering if this will help me attack from distance. HERE.

I was also given a few more tips from Katsuya sensei. These included:

• Attack/seme by bending both knees so it looks like I’m moving forward. Salmon sensei also demonstrated this technique to me a few weeks ago. I have since tried this a few times in jigeiko and I cant quite get it to work. Will persevere.
• Don’t stand there doing pointless tapping and fiddling with the shinai. These moves must serve a purpose otherwise keep kensen straight.
• I explained that I have difficulty fighting rank beginners and end up getting tangled up. Katsuya suggested I use straight, big waza with follow though and zanshin. This can help create an opportunity to change target if the opportunity arises which means I can learn something new.
• I should open out chest with my shoulders back in kamae. Not only does this improve posture and appearance, it also means the shoulders can snap forward slightly with the cut and increase its effectiveness. If the shoulders are already rolled forward in chudan then the have nowhere else to go while conducting a cut.

Blake sensei has also been bashing into our heads that we should sustain our attacks until be mentally beat our opponent. He doesn’t mean unleash in a torrent of kakarigeiko cuts, but maintain absolute pressure. E.g. kote, men…. Hiki men without procrastinating, then zanshin and ready to immediately beat the opponent if they show an opening/ signs of weakness.

He repeats the phrase “Beat the man, not the equipment”. Words which I feel takes kendo from a mechanical process to understanding how to dominate the opponent.

Another phrase I heard last week made me chuckle. This was ‘Statue of Liberty’. This was coined by a dojo mate to describe an opponent who rigidly stands in chudan and allows you to run onto his sword point.

‘Statue’ describes their pose and ‘liberty’ describes taking liberties in thinking you’re going to simply run onto their kensen. Heh, I like it.

Edit//: This is ace! HERE

Video on Seme & Centre

Happy New Year to all!

Wow, another year gone... they seem to pass so quickly now.

No kendo since December due to loads of uni assignment deadlines :( Therefore, i've posted an interesting youtube clip which Katsuya Sensei of Wakaba dojo sent us on an email a few days ago.

The link if of a kids seminar in Tokyo, he also included a short description on what is being taught. It's times like this I wish I could speak some of the lingo!

Hokkaido Kendo Seminar 2010

Katsuya Sensei's notes:

"This is Kendo Kid's seminar by Tokyo police, Nishikawa (3 time champ), Uchimura (twice champ, wearing Men) and Asano (Tokyo police chief instructor).

Unfortunately there are no subtitles. Basically they explain 'Seme' and 'centre'.

Nishikawa (first teacher) explains that the tall guy always wins if the attack happens at the same time. But if one of them starts from far distance and steps in first, they will win in most cases.

Asano (second sensei) explains 'centre', how important it is and how it works. Basically, he is suggesting use minimum shift on a Shinai for Kote and own body position for Do."

Back Up North

I had to travel up to Glasgow again due to work so I arranged another visit Taisedokai. This time I was lucky enough to meet Gerry Kincaid Sensei who taught the class. Keiko consisted of seme and oji waza, concentrating on using suriashi to focus the seme.

The main tips I took from the class:

• Seme should be moving forward (varying speed). Don't move into distance then stop and wait.
• Seme is driven with right foot and left hand moving forward.
• Don't open out the elbows too wide when making a big men attack, it exposes tsuki and do targets.
• Misdirection - fake a kote then cut men or fake men then cut kote if the aite lifts their hands. I have practised the fake kote for a while but never the other way around, this is something I will try in the future.

Kincaid Sensei was kind enough to explain these points to me in detail after practice.

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.

Another New Dojo

I was back home in the midlands for easter which provided a good opportunity to visit Kashi No Ki Kenyu Kai dojo in Ollerton (Notts). Considering its only a 50 min drive from my folks I've never got 'round to visiting before.

Due to the easter holls there were only a few people there. I was greeted by Ken (a senior at the club) who was very friendly. Luckily, Alan Thompson who's a key member of the British Squad was visiting and took the lesson as Ken was coaching a beginner.

We started with kihon and progressed to shiai techniques, focusing on seme, sashi men and kote men/do. I found the session very helpful and gained some useful advice:

• Cut immediately after seme, don't pause after I step into distance;
• Dont hang my kensen before cutting down with sashi men, cut must be an immediate snap;
• Dont grip the shinai too tight during seme;
• Move the Tsukagashira (end of the Tsuka) in a circular motion with left hand to snap a cut for a small do (using Tenouchi). Ideal for kote-do technique;
• Dont stare at my target before cut. Concentrate on opponent, quickly look at target when cutting but immediately focus back on opponent on contact; and
• Alan was pleased with the speed of my sashi men. He suggested that I need to build my attacking confidence to be able to use it effectively.

I have been given similar advice from many other sensei. I'm hoping one of these days I will be able to incorporate them into my kendo correctly!

Three parts to the cut

During tuesday practice Blake sensei taught a kihon lesson which broke an attack into three parts.

The first was to step into issoku-itto-no-maai with either an overpowering centre, harai or uchiotoshi technique. Next was to make a big cut (making sure it was timing of '1') and the final step was to step into tsubazeriai.

We were encouraged to cut straight with tenouchi so that the superior cut will win, and to maintain a high degree of zanshin after the third part. This meant that we were aware of a weakness in technique or spirit in our opponent after the initial cut which then allows continuous attack (e.g. second men or hiki waza).

This proved to be an intense exercise which didn't allow a drop in energy or mental concentration.

New Dojo

I visited Mumeishi for the first time today which proved very enjoyable and helpful. They have Holt sensei, Salmon sensei and a few high grade Japanese sensei who are nice to practice with. They also have and a bunch of kids who are lightening.

I first practiced with Funaki sensei who immediately picked up on my continual problem of weak seme and not relaxing my arms/shoulders. He also told me not to move backwards (I seem to do this more when I visit an unfamiliar dojo... must be the nerves). I performed a number of shomen cuts with seme and relaxed posture which gained approval. Why cant I do this all the time?

He also told me to concentrate intently, focusing on my opponents's eyes but viewing the whole body (The whole mountain).

I think i'll acknowledge seme and tense arms as a long term issue as it's pointless me repeating the same kind of post all the time. Coincidentally, the BKA recently posted a good article on Seme and Tame here, an article by Kenshi247 is here. A poster on KendoWorld forum submitted an interesting seme vid here.

I also practiced with Holt sensei who taught me improved zanshin. I tend to run though too far after a men cut so sensei explained I need only to run slightly over two shinai distances away (mine + my opponents). In addition, I need to keep my hands up and shinai forward during the run though and as I rotate to face my aite, not pull them into my chest like i'm doing now. This will stop people creeping up behind me and cutting as I turn.

Holt sensei's final point for better zashin is to turn the correct way to face my aite. If they are behind and to the left then turn anti-clockwaise, behind right then turn clockwise to face them.

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.

Seme

We spent most of Thursdays practice in Surrey performing and reacting to seme. O'Sullivan Sensei instructed kakarite to initiate the attack by sliding the right foot forward a few inches with a sense of pressure. This is done while keeping the left foot still and the left leg energised, ready to cut in an instant. Motodachi was asked to cut men when they felt threatened by the seme, at which time kakarite performed debana kote.

This was a test of posture and reaction time. I found it difficult to 'snap' a kote cut instantly as I tended to hesitate at the critical point, thus losing time.

Key points which were raised during the lesson:

• Seme and kote/men cut should be a complete movement. There should be no break between seme and the cut.
• Do not reach out with your arms during the seme, keep a solid centre as you push forward.
• USE LEFT HAND!
• Snap the cut with the wrists.
• Arms during chudan should not be pressed against the Do, leave a small gap.