By David Aguero

Many beginners and even advanced kendoka make the mistake of looking or focusing on one particular part of the opponent when in a kendo match. The great master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi advocated gazing at the opponent in a natural manner. An intense gaze with no particular focus. In addition the vision of the eyes is complimented by the vision of what the mind senses about the opponent. The photos below shows different views of what focusing on different parts of the body looks like to your mind. The following exercise will allow you to see clearly and give you a sense of what the state of your opponent's mind is. Practice gazing at people taking in as much of the person as possible without allowing your eyes to become fixed on any particular point. Do the exercise without judging the person thus forcing yourself to just see what's in front of you. Practice sensing whether the person is agitated or calm, thinking about something or not. Were you able see the whole person clearly with just a glance? This is not an easy exercise to do it takes time to adjust long time habits. Indeed, just seeing clearly will not ensure that will win a kendo match but it will help give you a glimpse into the opponent's state of mind and strategy.

focused on the eyes the entire body is obscured	focused on the hands or sword the entire body is missing.	not focused on anything in particular, but taking in as much of the opponent as possible