A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to compete in a local taikai. It was the first time I was competing in the senior dan division, for us old men of 45 or older. Which means that those of us who began the study of kendo as adults, who are of low-to-middling rank, can be matched against our sensei who are ranked considerably higher.
My first match was with a kenshi a few years younger than I and my junior in rank, but a very serious opponent. He trains very hard and competes every bit so, and I was compelled to rise to the occasion. After nearly 4-minutes of fighting, I managed to score kote, and shortly thereafter time ran out and I had won the first round.
My second match was with a kenshi a few years older, and three ranks above me. He is one of my sensei, who regular gives me a sound drubbing whenever we practice together. And so I figured I had nothing to lose by fighting him full out to the best of my ability, not only matching his ferocity, but his strategy. I managed to score a kote on him fairly early on, which surprised both of us. After that, I knew I had to prevent him from scoring on me, and if possible to watch for the opportunity to score a second point myself.
Having been shinpan on the court earlier in the day, I knew that one side of it was susceptible to hansoku. A competitor who steps outside the court boundary once gets a warning; stepping out the second time awards a point to the opponent. If you would call such devious thinking on my part dishonorable, I charge you to remember that Musashi taught his students to use the advantages of nature. When fighting an opponent, a warrior's first concern is to defeat the enemy. If you are fighting at the edge of a cliff, the cliff can be your ally if your enemy steps off of it.
And my sensei, having been shinpan on the court himself, also knew about that weak spot and avoided stepping out of bounds. But because he was thinking about where the boundary line was, he was not thinking about hitting me. We fought for 4-minutes, and the time ran out with me the winner.
"Do not question the gods!"
My third match was with a sensei some years older and several ranks higher, who I know less well. I've seen him for years, and know that he is a most sincere and dedicated swordsman. Again, all I could do was challenge his dominance in the match and fight to the absolute best of my ability. We fought for 4-minutes with no points scored; hike wake, tie match. Encho--1-minute, sudden death overtime. Perhaps 20-seconds into it, Sensei scores kote and I am eliminated.
I had fought very well and have nothing to be ashamed of. My next two matches, in team competition, were less successful. I lost them both, the first by tensing up and reverting to bad habits I gave up two points, and the second, where I fought quite fluid and well against a fierce jodan waza and lost by a badly aimed kote that looked good to somebody.
And when the awards were handed out at the end of the day, I had tied for third place in the Senior Dan Division. The last time I won a trophy for individual achievement was when I tied for third place in a non-degree tournament in 2000. Eight years of training and pain, beatings and the burning acid shame of having been beaten. But now, that is last week's victory.
Next week is the U.S. National Kendo Championship, held every three years. This year it is being held in Las Vegas. I am not competing, have no real ambition to compete on that level. I never really have, and now aside from perhaps some"goodwill" keiko for old timers it is unlikely that I will. We will have a whole new crop of heroes, kenshi who through years of rigorous training will have won, placed or showed, gained in name recognition and reputation, and have proudly represented our kendo federation among it's peers in the A.U.S.K.F.
My third place tie locally has been forgotten by all but the participants, as it should be, and those few memories of it will alter and fade. If anyone got any pictures, I've never seen them and they will be of random, unidentified people. But it was a rare thing, for that one, brief moment. I impressed my sensei, and fellow kenshi, some of them my students. I impressed my 16-yr old son, who was watching me fight for the first time in several years (humiliating losses). He had never seen me win before.
And so I can go to my rest knowing that I am a blessed man.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Some Important Points in Teaching Beginners
Most of my thoughts here are not original. My own sensei have worked very hard for many years developing a program to promote and advance kendo, and have been nurturing and mentoring kenshi in the United States and in other countries for years as well. It is my goal to someday carry on this mission, and I'm sure I will look back on these poor notes of mine in years to come and find room for improvement. Anything of value you may find in this are borrowed from others far more knowledgeable than myself. Only the errors are mine.
1) Be prepared for a the long haul! Kendo is not a mystical, esoteric art with which the enlightened are magically gifted. It is nothing if not a lot of damned hard work, but if one sticks with it they will find intense pleasure and fulfillment in the Way and will form close, lifelong friendships with people of quality and good character.
Kendo is an extremely technical, complex set of skills that require literally years of focused practice to gain any real proficiency. You will not master bushido or kenjitsu skill in a few weeks like Tom Cruise or Luke Skywalker. This is a real martial art, not a movie fantasy. Shake off your illusions, and knuckle down. Illusions are ego, and conquering the ego is a goal worthy of attention.
2) Reigi--The manners and etiquette for displaying respect. Here in the United States we are not raised with the tradition of manners and respect that people are trained in from birth in Japan. There is an awareness of stature and hierarchy that we do not readily recognize here. In kendo it is said that all things begin and end with reigi, and it is important to follow the rules closely, demonstrate respect and decorum, and to understand one's place in the Way.
Bowing: This is something we simply do not do, and many have difficulty understanding it and learning to do it properly. There are standing bows, seated bows. Greetings to your sensei, and to your fellow kenshi. When you enter the dojo you bow to the room itself, not pay reverence to a deity but to show respect to the place in which you and your fellows, present or not, train your minds, spirits, and bodies. For this reason also, it is important to get there early and clean the dojo, to sweep the floor, wash it if necessary. Kendo is practiced in bare feet, and so there is the safety of removing dirt and debris from the floor, and also it's just nasty to tread in other people's droppings. It is an honor for junior students to cleanse the dojo for their seniors, and a shame for the seniors to be too proud to do so.
Seiza: The formal seated, kneeling position. In olden times it was--and even today can be-- used as a punishment or form of torture. Legs folded straight back under you, a fist's width between your knees, feet parallel or only the big toes overlapping, seated between you heels, back straight, head up, erect. Students lined up in ranked order in a straight line. Straight lines, 90-degree angles are desirable; they are positions of strength and efficiency. And they show respect. Respect for one's self, for one's sword, one's art, and well as for one's teacher and fellow students.
Holding the shinai: A real sword is called katana or a shinken, a live sword. The wooden sword is called a bokken. A shinai is the bamboo sword used in kendo. The parts, all removable and replacable, are referred to by their names in Japanese: take (bamboo), tsuru (cord), tsukagawa (leather handle), sakigawa (leather tip), etc. You will learn the basic words and terms in Japanese, because that is what they are...this is a Japanese artform, and it is only right and proper that the correct manner of naming things and doing things is observed. The sword was worn or held with the cutting edge up, and so the shinai is held this way as well, with the tsuru down, gripped just below the tsuba (hand guard), at an approximate 30-degree angle. You do not play or fool around with your sword. You do not handle another's sword or equipment without their permission. In olden times, such things were a killing offense among the samurai, and while we are not samurai and would not aspire to be one--it would not be a lifestyle I, for one, would enjoy--we must respect ourselves, our swords, our fellows, our teachers, and the Way. If we don't respect it, why would we be doing it?
These are just a few of the aspects of reigi that one learns in the first few weeks of kendo. There are a myriad of rules and customs to learn along the Way.
3) Basics Basics Basics: Without a solid foundation in basics, no progress towards more advanced skills is possible. Even then, as you progress, you must often go back and re-learn your basics to correct mistakes and flaws, bad habits that you have picked up along the way through laziness, bad example, or just persistance in self-indulgence and unwillingness to change. It is far easier to learn the right way of doing things right off the bat than it is to go back years later and try to unlearn bad habits and re-learn the right technique or practice, but we are all human and therefore fallible, and that's the way it goes. That is the Way.
So, what are proper basics?
a) Proper ashisabaki (footwork)--Kendo is predicated not so much on swinging the sword or stick-hitting as it is on footwork. Correct alignment of the feet, weight distribution, movement; these are essential to making an effective strike. The right foot is forward, the left foot back , about a foot's width between them, with the toes of the left foot even with the heel of the right. The weight is distributed evenly across the balls of your feet, the right heel even with the floor, the left raised no more than a half-inch. The left leg is straight, but the knee not locked. Whether you are going forwards, backwards, sideways or diagonal, you drive from the foot opposite to the direction you are going, the trailing foot; but your movements must be crisp and quick. The trailing foot doesn't trail or drag, it snaps up into position so that your feet remain under you and your balance stable. Musashi wrote in his Book of Five Rings that all things begin from the ground up. A solid foundation, good footwork, is as basic as it gets.
b) Proper handwork/grip (mochi-kata)-- To properly hold the shinai when at kamae (ready or "on-guard"), the left hand grips the very end of the tsukagawa with the ring and pinkie fingers holding 60-percent of the tension, the middle finger maybe 30-percent, and the thumb and forefinger no more than 10. The right hand should grip just below the tsuba, with similar tension, and both hands need to be rotated so that the point of the V-shaped space between the thumb and forefinger are aligned with the tsuru, the top of the sword. This way, the bones of the wrist and arm are lined up with sword, and the handle is wedged into the palm in such a way that the sword becomes a solid extension of the left arm itself. The elbows should be relaxed; not bent, but open and curved in such a way as if one were cradling a beach ball between them. The shinai should not be extended too far from the body, the left hand should be no more than a fist's width from the body, positioned just below the navel.
c) Proper kamae--There are three basic kamae. Actually, there are five we use in kendo, but only three that are common, and two of those are for more advanced waza. The three are chudan no kamae (middle on-guard position), jodan no kamae (upper on-guard position), and gedan no kamae (lower on-guard position). Most of the techniques in kendo, certainly the basics, begin with chudan no kamae. If your hands and feet are in the positions described above, you are mostly there. Your body needs to stand straight, tall and erect, shoulders relaxed and squared, head up, eyes straight ahead. Your sword is pointed straight in front of you, with the tip extended in a line towards your opponent's throat. Your eye, sword tip, and navel should form a triangle, and your gaze should be what's called enzan no metsuke, "to gaze at the far mountain". If done correctly, you can see your opponent from head to toe, and detect any movement.
d) Proper swing (furu)-- Also referred to as enundo, this is a broad, vertical swing. The left hand pushes forward, arm straight but not locked, raising the sword straight up overhead. A common mistake is to use the right arm to lift the sword, and then to muscle it down, but it is the left arm that drives the sword. The right arm is just along for the ride, to help guide or direct the sword, but not to provide any power. Since the right leg is forward, and the left hand the fulcrum for the sword, the sword will be centered. If the right arm assumes control, the sword will descend at an angle and shear or slide off to the side, or crunch down sideways and cause pain, injury or accident, but it will not properly strike or cut. With a real sword the ideal was to make a clear, decisive cut; not to hack, slash or mutilate.
To swing the sword correctly, you must swing the sword broadly. The left hand should be up above the forehead, and at the top of the arc your elbows should expand out slightly. The wrists should not break, the sword tip should not dip behind your head, but should be level behind it. And as you swing forward--note, forward, not down--your elbows should come in, the sword tip should trace a big, round circle outwards, and when the strike ends, at the level of the head, the hands should squeeze at the same time, snapping the sword to a stop. The right arm should be extended straight out from the shoulder, stretching forward; the left hand approximately a thumb's length from the the right forearm.
Your foowork should by synchronized with your strike, and your breathing as well. Your breath should be expelled as kiai, a forceful shout that explodes through a relaxed throat that is generated from deep in your lower abdomen, from where your center of gravity is driving you forward. You should strike with speed and intensity, with what's known as "Ki Ken Tai Ichi", the spirit, sword and body coming together as one.
These are just a few of the basic, basic basics, easier said than done. A quarter century down the road, I have still not mastered them. I am still a beginner myself, not yet able to consistantly make a good, decent men strike; seldom able to score. It is humiliating, shameful. I am a very slow learner. But I am a swordsman in training on a path of my own making. Someday, perhaps, I may be competent.
1) Be prepared for a the long haul! Kendo is not a mystical, esoteric art with which the enlightened are magically gifted. It is nothing if not a lot of damned hard work, but if one sticks with it they will find intense pleasure and fulfillment in the Way and will form close, lifelong friendships with people of quality and good character.
Kendo is an extremely technical, complex set of skills that require literally years of focused practice to gain any real proficiency. You will not master bushido or kenjitsu skill in a few weeks like Tom Cruise or Luke Skywalker. This is a real martial art, not a movie fantasy. Shake off your illusions, and knuckle down. Illusions are ego, and conquering the ego is a goal worthy of attention.
2) Reigi--The manners and etiquette for displaying respect. Here in the United States we are not raised with the tradition of manners and respect that people are trained in from birth in Japan. There is an awareness of stature and hierarchy that we do not readily recognize here. In kendo it is said that all things begin and end with reigi, and it is important to follow the rules closely, demonstrate respect and decorum, and to understand one's place in the Way.
Bowing: This is something we simply do not do, and many have difficulty understanding it and learning to do it properly. There are standing bows, seated bows. Greetings to your sensei, and to your fellow kenshi. When you enter the dojo you bow to the room itself, not pay reverence to a deity but to show respect to the place in which you and your fellows, present or not, train your minds, spirits, and bodies. For this reason also, it is important to get there early and clean the dojo, to sweep the floor, wash it if necessary. Kendo is practiced in bare feet, and so there is the safety of removing dirt and debris from the floor, and also it's just nasty to tread in other people's droppings. It is an honor for junior students to cleanse the dojo for their seniors, and a shame for the seniors to be too proud to do so.
Seiza: The formal seated, kneeling position. In olden times it was--and even today can be-- used as a punishment or form of torture. Legs folded straight back under you, a fist's width between your knees, feet parallel or only the big toes overlapping, seated between you heels, back straight, head up, erect. Students lined up in ranked order in a straight line. Straight lines, 90-degree angles are desirable; they are positions of strength and efficiency. And they show respect. Respect for one's self, for one's sword, one's art, and well as for one's teacher and fellow students.
Holding the shinai: A real sword is called katana or a shinken, a live sword. The wooden sword is called a bokken. A shinai is the bamboo sword used in kendo. The parts, all removable and replacable, are referred to by their names in Japanese: take (bamboo), tsuru (cord), tsukagawa (leather handle), sakigawa (leather tip), etc. You will learn the basic words and terms in Japanese, because that is what they are...this is a Japanese artform, and it is only right and proper that the correct manner of naming things and doing things is observed. The sword was worn or held with the cutting edge up, and so the shinai is held this way as well, with the tsuru down, gripped just below the tsuba (hand guard), at an approximate 30-degree angle. You do not play or fool around with your sword. You do not handle another's sword or equipment without their permission. In olden times, such things were a killing offense among the samurai, and while we are not samurai and would not aspire to be one--it would not be a lifestyle I, for one, would enjoy--we must respect ourselves, our swords, our fellows, our teachers, and the Way. If we don't respect it, why would we be doing it?
These are just a few of the aspects of reigi that one learns in the first few weeks of kendo. There are a myriad of rules and customs to learn along the Way.
3) Basics Basics Basics: Without a solid foundation in basics, no progress towards more advanced skills is possible. Even then, as you progress, you must often go back and re-learn your basics to correct mistakes and flaws, bad habits that you have picked up along the way through laziness, bad example, or just persistance in self-indulgence and unwillingness to change. It is far easier to learn the right way of doing things right off the bat than it is to go back years later and try to unlearn bad habits and re-learn the right technique or practice, but we are all human and therefore fallible, and that's the way it goes. That is the Way.
So, what are proper basics?
a) Proper ashisabaki (footwork)--Kendo is predicated not so much on swinging the sword or stick-hitting as it is on footwork. Correct alignment of the feet, weight distribution, movement; these are essential to making an effective strike. The right foot is forward, the left foot back , about a foot's width between them, with the toes of the left foot even with the heel of the right. The weight is distributed evenly across the balls of your feet, the right heel even with the floor, the left raised no more than a half-inch. The left leg is straight, but the knee not locked. Whether you are going forwards, backwards, sideways or diagonal, you drive from the foot opposite to the direction you are going, the trailing foot; but your movements must be crisp and quick. The trailing foot doesn't trail or drag, it snaps up into position so that your feet remain under you and your balance stable. Musashi wrote in his Book of Five Rings that all things begin from the ground up. A solid foundation, good footwork, is as basic as it gets.
b) Proper handwork/grip (mochi-kata)-- To properly hold the shinai when at kamae (ready or "on-guard"), the left hand grips the very end of the tsukagawa with the ring and pinkie fingers holding 60-percent of the tension, the middle finger maybe 30-percent, and the thumb and forefinger no more than 10. The right hand should grip just below the tsuba, with similar tension, and both hands need to be rotated so that the point of the V-shaped space between the thumb and forefinger are aligned with the tsuru, the top of the sword. This way, the bones of the wrist and arm are lined up with sword, and the handle is wedged into the palm in such a way that the sword becomes a solid extension of the left arm itself. The elbows should be relaxed; not bent, but open and curved in such a way as if one were cradling a beach ball between them. The shinai should not be extended too far from the body, the left hand should be no more than a fist's width from the body, positioned just below the navel.
c) Proper kamae--There are three basic kamae. Actually, there are five we use in kendo, but only three that are common, and two of those are for more advanced waza. The three are chudan no kamae (middle on-guard position), jodan no kamae (upper on-guard position), and gedan no kamae (lower on-guard position). Most of the techniques in kendo, certainly the basics, begin with chudan no kamae. If your hands and feet are in the positions described above, you are mostly there. Your body needs to stand straight, tall and erect, shoulders relaxed and squared, head up, eyes straight ahead. Your sword is pointed straight in front of you, with the tip extended in a line towards your opponent's throat. Your eye, sword tip, and navel should form a triangle, and your gaze should be what's called enzan no metsuke, "to gaze at the far mountain". If done correctly, you can see your opponent from head to toe, and detect any movement.
d) Proper swing (furu)-- Also referred to as enundo, this is a broad, vertical swing. The left hand pushes forward, arm straight but not locked, raising the sword straight up overhead. A common mistake is to use the right arm to lift the sword, and then to muscle it down, but it is the left arm that drives the sword. The right arm is just along for the ride, to help guide or direct the sword, but not to provide any power. Since the right leg is forward, and the left hand the fulcrum for the sword, the sword will be centered. If the right arm assumes control, the sword will descend at an angle and shear or slide off to the side, or crunch down sideways and cause pain, injury or accident, but it will not properly strike or cut. With a real sword the ideal was to make a clear, decisive cut; not to hack, slash or mutilate.
To swing the sword correctly, you must swing the sword broadly. The left hand should be up above the forehead, and at the top of the arc your elbows should expand out slightly. The wrists should not break, the sword tip should not dip behind your head, but should be level behind it. And as you swing forward--note, forward, not down--your elbows should come in, the sword tip should trace a big, round circle outwards, and when the strike ends, at the level of the head, the hands should squeeze at the same time, snapping the sword to a stop. The right arm should be extended straight out from the shoulder, stretching forward; the left hand approximately a thumb's length from the the right forearm.
Your foowork should by synchronized with your strike, and your breathing as well. Your breath should be expelled as kiai, a forceful shout that explodes through a relaxed throat that is generated from deep in your lower abdomen, from where your center of gravity is driving you forward. You should strike with speed and intensity, with what's known as "Ki Ken Tai Ichi", the spirit, sword and body coming together as one.
These are just a few of the basic, basic basics, easier said than done. A quarter century down the road, I have still not mastered them. I am still a beginner myself, not yet able to consistantly make a good, decent men strike; seldom able to score. It is humiliating, shameful. I am a very slow learner. But I am a swordsman in training on a path of my own making. Someday, perhaps, I may be competent.
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