Super-slow big Men cut movement practice:
0. stand with feet apart in shoulder-widths + R-foot ahead of L-foot (most stable & ready-to-attack standing position when holding a long blade with both hands).
1 - hands up
2 - R-foot up
3 - cut (while R-foot up, stand with L-foot alone, keep upright posture)
4 - land with R-foot
4.5 - L-foot catches up
5. step backwards to return to the original standing point --> step 1 (repeat)
10 October 2014
3 October 2014
03 Oct 2014 - session 1
I wasn't prepared for any teaching, just wanted to have a look at the whole session to get a feel of it but ended up helping out the begs group.
Did rather improvised session with the begs, sorry about that. I was tricked into it by that boffin.
Did rather improvised session with the begs, sorry about that. I was tricked into it by that boffin.
1 October 2014
Meaning of shinai
When it's written in kanji, the literal translation of shinai is 'bamboo sword' (竹刀) however in Japanese, there's a word 'shina-u' (撓う) which means supple/bendy and that's where the word shinai seems to originate.
It's quite interesting to discover that in fact its writing 'bamboo sword' has nothing to do with its pronunciation 'shinai' which indicates its suppleness.
Somehow I assumed it's one of those exceptions (there are so many in Japanese) to read the 'bamboo' (竹) bit as 'shi', then the sword (刀) as 'nai' but it's turned out be completely false.
I guess a similar word play structure in English also exists, i.e. pigeon = flying rat ...but perhaps you'd never actually pronounce a written word 'pigeon' as 'flying rat' whereas that's what happening in the case of shinai.
Write 'bamboo sword', pronounced 'supple'.
It's quite interesting to discover that in fact its writing 'bamboo sword' has nothing to do with its pronunciation 'shinai' which indicates its suppleness.
Somehow I assumed it's one of those exceptions (there are so many in Japanese) to read the 'bamboo' (竹) bit as 'shi', then the sword (刀) as 'nai' but it's turned out be completely false.
I guess a similar word play structure in English also exists, i.e. pigeon = flying rat ...but perhaps you'd never actually pronounce a written word 'pigeon' as 'flying rat' whereas that's what happening in the case of shinai.
Write 'bamboo sword', pronounced 'supple'.
Son-kyo
Son-kyo is an elevated form of kneeling to indicate the highest respect to each other just before crossing the sword.
Symbolically speaking, elevated kneeling is to show respect to each other's swordsmanship and the life that will inevitably be lost in the combat. This should be an intense as well as sobering moment.
Requirements:
- straight & stable posture
- when kneel the both heels are lifted off the floor
- knees 90 degrees apart
- standing up with stable posture
Sumo son-kyo. Other than the hands position, everything is the same in kendo.
Kendo son-kyo posture practice. Stand up-down with hands stretched.
Stand -> kneel: as if a vertical stick slide into a calm water without a ripple
Kneel -> stand: as if a streak of thin incense smoke rising in still air
= movement on either direction must be performed in a steady pace with straight posture
Son-kyo is derived from a way to greet/worship gods in Shintoism which was indeed a proper kneeling with both knees on the ground (ki-kyo) however, the method was altered to avoid the soil getting on the knees later on.
Symbolically speaking, elevated kneeling is to show respect to each other's swordsmanship and the life that will inevitably be lost in the combat. This should be an intense as well as sobering moment.
Requirements:
- straight & stable posture
- when kneel the both heels are lifted off the floor
- knees 90 degrees apart
- standing up with stable posture
Sumo son-kyo. Other than the hands position, everything is the same in kendo.
Stand -> kneel: as if a vertical stick slide into a calm water without a ripple
Kneel -> stand: as if a streak of thin incense smoke rising in still air
= movement on either direction must be performed in a steady pace with straight posture
Son-kyo is derived from a way to greet/worship gods in Shintoism which was indeed a proper kneeling with both knees on the ground (ki-kyo) however, the method was altered to avoid the soil getting on the knees later on.
Moto-dachi
Moto-dachi (the cardinal role):
Albeit it is pronounced like a motorised Dutch, in kendo, it's the cardinal role in certain exercise patterns who sets the pace or tell the other side what type of cut they should strike.
It might seem boring to do moto-dachi, but it is an equally important part of kendo practice and good moto-dachi skill need to be acquired through good technical understanding and execution. When you are doing moto-dachi, you are still practising kendo.
Usually moto-dachi role is not attached to the grade of a player hence the role is interchangeable even if a no-grade is pairing up with an 8th-dan, except for a moto-dachi-geiko (a fixed cardinal exercise 1:1 to a queue of people - the same system as supermarket till).
In a pair formation, each side performs moto-dachi role in turn.
In a carousel formation, the side standing close to the club flag would assume the cardinal role. As the people rotate, everyone will get an even opportunity to perform the cardinal role.
Albeit it is pronounced like a motorised Dutch, in kendo, it's the cardinal role in certain exercise patterns who sets the pace or tell the other side what type of cut they should strike.
It might seem boring to do moto-dachi, but it is an equally important part of kendo practice and good moto-dachi skill need to be acquired through good technical understanding and execution. When you are doing moto-dachi, you are still practising kendo.
Usually moto-dachi role is not attached to the grade of a player hence the role is interchangeable even if a no-grade is pairing up with an 8th-dan, except for a moto-dachi-geiko (a fixed cardinal exercise 1:1 to a queue of people - the same system as supermarket till).
In a pair formation, each side performs moto-dachi role in turn.
In a carousel formation, the side standing close to the club flag would assume the cardinal role. As the people rotate, everyone will get an even opportunity to perform the cardinal role.
Why Dragonfly?
Dragonfly is prevalent and much-loved insect in Japan, also it's sometimes called a 'victory fly' because of its forward-going flying pattern. In olden days it was believed that the dragonfly never flies backwards (in fact it can) and that was attributed to its brave nature.
In medieval Japan the dragonfly was considered as lucky symbol amongst warrior-aristocrat class due to this belief.
Kendo equipments are still carrying this tradition today and often bear dragonfly pattern for the same reason.
Men-string holder
Kendo equipments are still carrying this tradition today and often bear dragonfly pattern for the same reason.
Men-string holder
Tsuba
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