June 05

 

Day 303: Wednesday, June 01-05 - June 307: Sunday, June 05-05

 

I am concentrating on putting everything into each cut. Not in the physical sense of striking as hard as possible, but in the sense that the strike combines my mental strength, my technique in handling the sword, and my physical movement: ki, ken, tai, ichi.

I remember in Japan some teachers were able to strike you in such as fashion that they defeat you entirely. It would be great to perfect such a strike.

I am pleased that something new and discernable is emerging out of these endless suburi. The last few weeks have been a real test of endurance. 

 

Day 304: Monday, June 06-05 

 

My wife goes to kendo, selfishly taking her bokken with her. I practice simply moving from kamae with a shinai. Again, I am trying to put everything into each movement, moving with full concentration and spirit. 

It is difficult to keep a high-level of awareness throughout, kind of like in keiko where you believe you are ready but your opponent shows that you are not. 

My wife comes back from kendo late. She says, 'Sensei said that you are too afraid to come to practice'. I pull the duvet over my head and conclude he is probably right:)

 

Day 305: Monday, June 09-05 - Day 307: Wednesday, June 09-05 

 

I keep coming back to the idea of 'kan' expressed by Noma Hisashi in his kendo reader and am starting in some small way to experience this. 

It is very difficult to write about this without sounding odd, but I feel that I have made some small progress. 

 

 

Thursday, June 10-05 

 

I tell my tell my teacher that I am not afraid. He replies it was just a stratagem to get me into the dojo. He knows exactly where my ego is.

A very personal moment moment in ji-geiko which I don't feel like sharing on a public media. 

Onwards and upwards.

 

Day 308: Friday, June 10-05

Nothing much to report, just another session.

Saturday, June 11-05

I go to practice at the local ballet school. We do lots of kata, including kodachi kata. There is always something else to consider. I envy my teacher’s ability to see the reasons behind the movements and relate the whole thing as an interconnected story. 

After some kihon in armour we do ji-geiko. With the dancers we have to really concentrate on making good strikes and nice waza. They are all very light and don’t appreciate, say, a meaty elbow in the face. No shortcuts, just straight kendo.

I do a ji-geiko demo with my teacher. Every time he gets a point the dancers clap. Everytime I get a point, silence.

Afterwards he admonishes me for my crap kote. I am becoming a real exponent of the hunchback, flailing legs waza. I must change this before it becomes a habit. 

Day 309: Sunday, June 12-05

A long and uninterrupted session. I consider the position of my right hand and the tsukagawa as I have noticed that after sonkyo, and when the pressure is on, it tends to slip off the centre, giving my opponent and clear target and detrimentally affecting my strikes.

It is nice to do the suburi early in the day and stop worrying that I haven’t done them.

Day 310: Monday, June 13-05

Recently my sashi-kote has deteriorated to the point of embarrassment, so I focus on just that strike, keeping my back straight and striking with just tenouchi. I switch back and forth between normal strikes and katate strikes in an attempt to unlock some of the technique. Pretty soon my arms are aching. 

No particular insights, but it is useful to practice form away from the pressures of the dojo. 

 

Tuesday, June 14-05

I spend most of the day thinking of reasons not to go to training. In the end I go on the assumption that often the training you don't want to go to is the one which is the most valuable.

There are about 20 people there from 6 clubs in the area. I can't hit a good, straight kote and I am picked up on it again. Maybe it is my height, but I hunch forward and its pretty ugly. 

Having said that I have an enjoyable practice and do ji-geiko with about ten people. Lots of fun, especially towards the end when my legs go and I have to concentrate on getting technique right and keeping up the energy.

At the end I am reasonably satisfied with my performance, which contrasts with total despondency in the same setting a few months ago. Still lots to work on, but these sessions against some top kendoka are a real motivator.

 

Day 311: Wednesday, June 15-05

Not a session to write home about. my arms start aching quickly and my concentration is non-existent.  

Currently my suburi look something like this.

100 x men 
100 x kote
100 x sayumen
100 x doh/kyaku-doh
100 x men
100 x kote/men
100 x kote/tsuki
100 x men/doh
100 x men
20 x men/kote/sayumen/doh
20 x men

I always make two cuts going forward and two going back. I often slip some katate strikes into the mix. I always try to make 5 strikes per breath, although this is quite difficult to maintain.

 

 

Thursday, June 16-05

Kendo training. In the summer heat I make sure I am well hydrated before going. 

Lots of beginners and seniors. We do kata, kihon-geiko and ji-geiko. 

No particular insights. 

 

 

Friday, June 17-05

I am really busy all day, and travel 5 hours after work so that I can go to a weekend training. I skip a day's suburi. 

 

 

Saturday, June 18-05

I go to a seminar led by a 8th dan sensei. He firmly puts the emphasis on kihon, particularly:

- suburi, both shomen and side-to-side (sayu-men, or shomen uchi with hirakiashi?) suburi, with an emphasis on using the shoulders. 

- Men from issoku-itto no maai, with the idea of building up 'ki' in order to launch the strike. He describes this as the most difficult strike in kendo

- Kaeshi-do, particulalry after pressuring the opponent to strike men.

- Aiuchi-men.

- balance on the feet being 70% left-foot, 30% right foot. 

Carrying these ideas forward we don armour and practice the basics again, with comments on:

- striking the centre of the men

- Keeping the back straight and using the left hip

I get to fence with him and he demonstrates his mastery of men from issouku-itto no maai. It is amazing to watch, and to receive. I really can't get near him.

Afterwards he advises everyone to not tap-tap-tap the others shinai and to use less power. 

We finish with kata.

 

 

Sunday, June 19-05

More kendo, this time in a league shiai format. Last month I was promoted to the top league and my plan this month was to stay there.

I have four fights and record one win, two losses and a draw. 

During one fight I am penalised - rightly - for having my kote on the opponents shinai. This is certainly something to be aware of. When I leave the shaijo later in the match it becomes a full point against me.

On the plus side, the points I do get are one kote and two do, which shows how much my kendo has changed. (Last year all I would register were men.)  I still need to sharpen both these strikes to make them more effective. I also have to find opportunities to use my men, which I hardly used at all. Clearly the aim here is to be able to hit any target freely and without preference. 

I also receive, let's face it, a thundering tsuki that lifts my right foot off the ground. One moment I was standing there minding my own business, just trying to make an opening, not hurting anyone, the next moment BOM! As I leave the shiaijo the timekeeper looks at her watch and says, '1 minute 26. That's not too bad'. 

After shiai we do 45 minutes of ji-geiko and some hayasuburi. Its a great end to a great weekend. 

P.S. Someone  asks what I will do when these suburi are finished. The answer? Get a life;)

 

Day 312: Monday, June 20-05

I concentrate on the many pointers we received over the weekend, particularly on keeping the balance on 70% left foot, 30% right. It is more difficult that I thought, but crucial I suppose for seme and ashisabaki.

 

Day 313: Tuesday, June 21-05

I go jogging by mistake. This is actually a part of my 'get fit for kendo' regime. I manage about 20 minutes of a slow trot. In the heat of midday it is almost unbearable.

The heat continues in the evening.! Even though I am doing suburi in a T-shirt and shorts I am soon dripping with sweat. 

More work on the balance of my feet, and I also incorporate 200 side-to-side suburi. I am appalled at how bad my balance is. I can't even get my feet into the right position. 

 

Wednesday, June 22-05

There is a rail failure and I arrive home late. I fal asleep at around 9pm without doing my suburi. Weak. 

 

Day 314: Thursday, June 23-05

Another power failure. I get home at 22.00, but promise myself not to have a night off. I do my suburi in the dark and am glad to finish.

 

Friday, June 24-05

I go running again at midday. We are overtaken my lithe women in lycra, so it is not a complete waste of time. 

Coming home, I skip another day. That's three times this month. I am just so pissed off and tired with everything and I let my mood effect my behaviour. 

Another opportunity lost. I will never get that back.

 

Day 315: Saturday, June 25-05

I always have the same problem. I have all day to do my suburi, but end up doing them late at night. I have a slight excuse in as much as the Lions lost to a dirty, cheating All Black team who all deserved to be red carded. 

Anyway, I do 1000 suburi on Tana Umaga's head. (This is a joke)

 

 

Day 316: Sunday, June 26-05

More suburi. I am still concentrating on balance going forwards and backwards and side to side.

It is interesting to note that if the balne is right going forwards then it is easier to do seme. This also has implications for backwards movements where, it seems to me, 70% should be on the forward foot, and 30% on the behind foot. Hmmm....

 

 

Day 317: Monday, June 27-05

I reread Robert Twigger's 'Angry White Pyjamas' for what is probably at least the 20th time. It is an excellently written account of his year's intensive aikido training with the Tokyo riot police.

In it he mentions that they do a lot of suwari waza. In brief they do all their normal exercises on their knees to improve hip power and technique.

Somehow this appeals to me and I decide to experiment by making 100 suburi on my knees. I still move forwards and backwards, but from a kneeling position. I notice that it really helps emphasise the use of the hips in striking. This is certainly a weak point of mine so I will incorporate this into my suburi. 

 

 

Day 318: Tuesday, June 28-05

More of the same. Following recent seminars and reading my suburi now look like this: 

100 x men 
100 x kote
100 x sayumen
100 x doh/kyaku-doh
100 x men
200 x side-to-side men (What is the Japanese term for this?)
100 x 'suwari' men
100 x men
20 x men/kote/sayumen/doh
20 x men

 It's still hot. 

 

 

Day 319: Wednesday, June 29-05

We go running in a thunderstorm. My running partner goes crazy and decides we should tackle the biggest hill in the area. He has done it before. I'll never do it again. 

My wife goes out in the evening. My daughter and I sit around smoking cigarettes and reading glossy magazines. 

Once she goes to bed I do my suburi.  Nothing special to report other than shomen suburi feel easier after suwari waza. I have also developed a blister on the top of my foot from these kneeling suburi. This is the first time I have had a blister there. Cool.