http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog Commentary focusing on aspects of kendo training, practice and philosophy Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:53:46 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A recent study examined the phenomena of seeing stressful events in what seems to be in a extremely slow speed. Tests have shown that even though everything appears to be visually slowing down the eyes do not have the ability to see things at an either a slower or at ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=119 I am sometimes asked about the transition from practice drills which is a controlled sequence of striking and predetermined outcome to keiko where one is not protected by the part of the mind that is full of distraction. How does one become comfortable with the freedom to attack using what ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=118 The first years of learning kendo is just learning how to move your body, footwork and striking. Eventually one may learn the meaning of mushin or striking without the use of consciously thinking. Mushin is reached by constant training since it involves precise striking and timing using the whole body ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=117 Miyamoto Musashi the legendary master swordsman mentions in his book the "five rings" that one should consider how the opponent feels when in a confrontation. Indeed putting yourself in the opponent's shoes is useful to quickly determine the strength of the opposition. This and other techniques enable one to see ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=116 Kendo is unique among sword arts as it requires a complete spirit, sword and the body unison when attacking. This may seem odd since one with no training in kendo can just slash and even kill an opponent with the same motion and a similar sword. Ki-Ken-Tai-Itchi is translated as ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=115 "KAGE O OSAYURU TO IU KOTO" or "suppressing shadows" is a subject the legendary Miyamoto Musashi describes as determining the morale of the opponent, then checking and thwarting his every move. Once the opponent is overwhelmed and thwarted change your tactics and seize the initiative, defeating the opponent. Suppressing the ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=114 Kendo has developed over many hundreds of years to be as efficient in dispatching an opponent as humanly possible. One efficient method is moving the sword out its scabbard with the thumb just before an attack, it is said this move is designed to prevent the tightly fitting blade from ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=113 Miyamoto Musashi the great master swordsman never mentions zanshin in his book “the five rings.” Musashi’s views on swordsmanship was molded by his actual battlefield experience.  As with every aspect of kendo everything is connected and related to the whole experience of wielding the sword. Details and notions such as ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=112 I have observed many kendo champions both on and off  the court, and without a doubt there are many ways to win. Winning by being a bully or using pure technique is one way but seems limited, yet another way of winning is winning by using your mind/heart, or harmonizing ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=110 I find it brilliant that many of the writings of the great Japanese swordsmen such as Miyamoto Musashi are so complete and so relevant in practicing kendo today. Strategies such as the recent popular use of feinting, along with many unused methods and tactics are described in the writings of ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=107 The general definition of suki is an "opening" in the opponents attack or defense.  The dictionary defines suki as: "a weakness of the mind" or "a weakness in one's actions or posture."  In kendo we specifically try to cause or recognize these weaknesses in our opponent. Weakness in the opponents ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=105 The definition of Seme is “attack.” There are two types of seme the visible and the invisible. The visible seme where one pressures an opponent with a sword movement or a body move. The invisible seme is a pressure applied to an opponent to strike with or without the sword ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=102 The space or distance between opponents in a kendo match is called maai. There are three distinct maai or distances as measured with both opponents in chudan kamae: chika-ma (close distance), issoku-itto-no-maai (one step distance), and to-ma (far distance). These defined distances are fixed and the same for both opponents. ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=94 In practicing keiko with a superior opponent, one that defeats you every single time, it is useful to allow your opponent to strike for a short time in the match. We are programed to press an attack without thinking against all comers, this does not allow any room for observing ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=90 There are a few general explanations for the meaning of kendo kata, I think there is another meaning for why there similar kame and movements for both attacking and responding opponents and why only countering techniques are used to win. Firstly, the sometimes identical kamae movements of both (opponents) shidachi ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=86 Ancient sword masters of Japan describe strategy for war and apply the same strategies to individual combat. I have come to realize that the difference between the two strategies is time. The large strategy of war has a time frame of from minutes to hours and longer, the time frame ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=84 Miyamoto Musashi the legendary master swordsman was one of the first to see the opponent in terms of strategy and to define the supporting elements of an attack based on strategy. An interesting passage in Musashi's book "The Five Rings" states that 'harmonizing' or being in rhythm with the opponent ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=79 In kendo the mind is a formless part of the body. Many of the great swordsmen of ancient Japan used different metaphors to describe the mind such as the void, a mirror, wind and water. The moon reflecting on the water is a famous metaphor for the mind of the ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=77 In kendo two hundred thousand strikes is roughly the average number of strikes one will strike in 15 years. The beginner will strike many times before the mind and body is actually able to coordinate with the footwork for a correct strike, it then becomes years before one is actually ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=71 A technique Miyamoto Musashi the great swordsman mentions in his book is the "in one timing" or the “timing of an instant”. An advanced kendo technique requiring an accurate split second assessment of the opponents mind for suki (an opening) and a complete commitment to the strike. It is ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=68 Yagyu Munenori was known to be a great rival of Miyamoto Musashi. Yagyu Munenori was the kendo teacher to the shogun, a great and gifted swordsman who was the founder of the "No Sword" school of kendo and just as famous as Musashi. Munenori was known to have ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=65 Despite the fact that the kendo routine can be very predictable do not let the training lull you into a sense of mental relaxation. Search for every instance in which to improve yourself, a search for perfection in technique. The mind searches for patterns and once found searches to find ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=64 The purpose of kendo as stated by the: All-Japan Kendo Federation: The purpose of practicing kendo is To mold the mind and body, To cultivate a vigorous spirit, And through correct and rigid training To strive for improvement in the art of Kendo; To hold in esteem human courtesy and honor, To treat others with ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=63 In a contest between two opponents there is a winner and a loser there is an implied acknowledgement that something is given and that something is taken away. In kendo the win implies life for the winner and that the loser dies, a terrible burden for the ego of the ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=60 There are many notions about exactly where to look while in a kendo match. Some say look at the eyes others say stare or fix your gaze on other parts of the body, or the whole body of an opponent. Myamoto Mushashi the legendary swordsman is known to advocate gazing ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=59 Kendo can be very routine and it is sometimes hard to get motivated even for those of us that live and breath kendo. What makes me continually motivated is that what I do and how I feel affects all those around me. I have realized that even a small doubt ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=57 Kamae pertains not only to a physical posture but more importantly to an inner kamae. The inner kamae is an alert mental presence and a purposeful attitude that seeks to defeat the opponent. Both the physical stance and the inner stance must not be fixed, but fluid, changing to the ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=54 Sutemi and Zanshin are some of the many parts of an attack that defines kendo as separate and distinct from other sword arts from other countries. Sutemi is defined as: The state of giving (something) one's all, prepared even to give one's life, without thinking of the outcome. Zanshin is ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=51 In kendo there is often a feeling of helplessness when being struck by an opponent. This feeling is the experience of seeing or sensing an event in your mind in an instant, with your body lagging unable to move FASTER than a split second.  The reason why repetitive physical practice ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=50 Striking exercise drills are a staple in all martial arts, kendo is no different in where most often the outcome is predetermined. The compliment to the striking drills in kendo is keiko or ji geiko, a type of free sparring, where the outcome is not predetermined. You may have noticed ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=48 In kendo it is important to see the opponents mind, and resolve, quickly. You can determine the opponents mind in the first few seconds of crossing swords, the opponent will react to your seme, or not, his presence will be strong or weak. Since the mind controls the body the ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=46 I have made it part of my training to review kendo matches from Japan. I am always amazed by how the contestants exercise a great degree of self control and how they respect each other. Since ancient times the samurai were expected to show a great amount of self ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=44 Mokuso is defined as: The act of composing one's breath, posture mind and spirit while in the seiza position. In kendo the mokuso exercise has a greater significance than at first glance. Mokuso is performed in a span of two to three deep breaths with the eyes slightly open so ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=42 Every living being has a rhythm in which they live life, some are fast paced others slow paced. Rhythm in a attack is no different. The dictionary has a few words to define rhythm: 1 the rhythm of the music beat, cadence, tempo, time, pulse, throb, swing. 2 poetic features ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=41 Beginners are aware that all you need to win a match is to constantly attack. What they do not realize is this is just one of many strategies. Higher ranking kendoka will devise a different strategy to defeat you based on past matches. Talented kendoka can devise strategies on the ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=40 I have often been puzzled by the seemingly contradiction of trying to rid oneself of the desire to win in order to obtain mushin, and how do you win without the intense desire to win? Mushin and Fudoshin are both a Buddhist, Zen tradition. The most famous zen master was ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=38 The kendo three methods of killing are: kill the sword (ken-o-korosu) meaning to move the sword off center, kill the waza (waza-o-korosu) meaning to spoil the opponents waza, and counter with your own waza, kill the spirit (ki-o-korosu) using seme to overwhelm the opponent. I believe there is ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=36 There is a saying in kendo that physical training and training the mind are like two wheels of a cart. For me the purpose of ji geiko (free practice/sparing) is to experience mind training such as strategy and other intuitive aspects not easily taught or understood in physical exercises. It ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=35 The great sword master Miyamoto Musashi advocated using a natural step type of footwork. It is likely that Musashi could strike from any position and any distance as if walking through a park. Once basic footwork is mastered strive to attack from any position or from any distance without the ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=34 Everyone who follows the path of the way of the sword faces the four poisons of fear, doubt, surprise and confusion. All of the poisons are the products of the false mind, the realm of the ego. Because the poisons are products of the false mind they will always be ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=30 There is more than one way to take the initiative and forestalling in kendo. The dictionary defines initiative as: The power or opportunity to act or take charge before others do: we have lost the initiative and allowed our opponents to dictate the subject. In his book the Book of ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=27 As absurd as it sounds there are many martial artists that feel kendo has no relevancy since no real harm can come to yourself or to an opponent that loses. In today's world there is no martial art that can say the end result is that you or your opponent ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=23 "discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the katana" Development of character is the stated goal of kendo. What is the character and sword connection? I think the connection is both simple and complex. The simple connection is that You become a better human being but ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=20 It is not surprising that many of the old techniques are lost either because they are not legal to practice in modern kendo. Legends ring with stories many schools of specializing in particular styles of kendo. Kendo kata is a collective memory of how to do some of the best ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=19 The definition of mitori-geiko is: observing the practice of another, learning his or her good points and reflecting and improving upon one's own kendo. Many years ago our kendo practices at our dojo were very relaxed and not strenuous. Sometimes one of my senseis would sit quietly on the side ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=15 As I grow older day by day it becomes increasingly apparent that what I perceive as fast movement in a younger opponent is a normal speed for that age and my speed is normal for my age. How then is it possible to be faster than a younger person? ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=14 I have a great interest in understanding the methods and wisdom of the great swordsmen of Japan and using that wisdom and knowledge to perfect my kendo. It is my thought that kendo as it is practiced today is not just a sport and not a pale reflection of what was ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=13 In kendo like all sports alot to emphasis is placed on whose the better kendo player, who wins or who loses to whom. I think that the deeper meaning of kendo is whether you approach it as a real life or death sword match. If you are concerned about the ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=9 Fudoshin is translated as: immovable heart or immovable mind and stems from the Japanese Buddhist deity: Fudo Myoo destroyer of delusion (attachment). Mushin is a Zen Buddhist expression meaning: mind of no mind. Fudoshin means to have a calm mind an indomitable spirit, flowing not focused on anything in particular, ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=6 The translation of maai is: space. The definition of Maai: Proper distancing or timing with respect to one’s partner in a kendo match. In kendo there are three distance catagories: Chikama or close distance, Issoku itto no maai or one step distance and toma or far distance. Issoku Itto ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=5 Learning kendo is far more nuanced for the people who practice the way of the sword than for people that do not. Suki translated means an "an opening between objects." In kendo suki is an integral part of training, many exercises are purposed to take advantage of an opening ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=8 I have come to understand only now that becoming a better kendo player means to be creative and to find your own techniques. Over the years, I have sensed that it is necessary to find your own path in kendo, I came across a Japanese word for it Suhari. Suhari: a natural ... http://www.bestkendo.com/kendoblog/?p=4