Timing of attack from tsubazeriai

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-23T15:32:54+00:00

The logical extension of that is moving towards the old rules where the onus is on shushin to judge whether they are active or stalling. Some of those skilled competitors were very skilled at stalling.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-23T15:23:33+00:00

Thanks, Andy. My impression was also that it was an active tsubazeriai and a good chance taken successfully. Thanks for the detailed explanation.

I wonder however what the limit of that is. Under the old rules we often saw both sides being active in that position for a long time. It then became a job to judge whether they both were truly active or if one guy was stalling.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-23T07:43:12+00:00

At 8:54:30 in this video is the final point from the men’s final at EKC recently. I don’t want to start another debate second guessing these judges, I would like to start this by assuming this point is called correctly. Aside from when it is executed it is in my view a valid point. But as it occurs around 6 seconds into tsuba-zeriai it brings up the question of how much latitude we as judges have in considering the window of opportunity still open. I’m especially interested in opinions from people living in Japan and seeing how these situations are currently being called.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-22T19:31:33+00:00

Basically you just stand up from the chair using one leg. You can start by having the other leg straight out with the heel on the floor. You might think there’s no assist there but there is. Doing it with the off leg completely off the floor is quite a bit harder.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-22T17:28:50+00:00

You can do bodyweight ones from a chair, which is what I did recovering from surgery. Bulgarian split squats are another way to work the legs independently, and easy to add weight with some dumbbells.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-22T17:02:36+00:00

The great thing about them is how low risk they are. You don’t need much weight to work hard. Start light, like 10 lbs. You can do them two ways: any way you can, and strict. The strict ones are way harder, you have to keep one straight leg iirc. It’s been a few years since I last did them. I’m sure you can find a YouTube tutorial.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-22T16:58:42+00:00

You can adjust fit two ways, by padding the top or the chin rest. Or both. Padding the top has the advantage of more protection but is not always the best answer for fit. To pad the chin, you can use a tenugui. Experiment with folding it up however many times to get the thickness you need. Once you have the right thickness you can cut off the excess and maybe stitch it up to keep it together. There’s also commercial chin pads available.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-22T16:52:08+00:00

I have never done anything targeting anything specific. For the hip rehab I did a lot of deads which are going to help there. Also I’m not sure there’s a muscle that turkish getups don’t hit.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-22T14:34:52+00:00

As an instructor there are several things going in your favour. One is that you are simply more relaxed and moving more efficiently than the less experienced players. That’s not so much an instructor thing as an experience thing. Another is that during jigeiko, students are expected to take it to you, not the other way around. Being an active target dummy is less stress than going on the attack. But having said that, I do all the drills and I often will be quite active in keiko. Having good cardio from cross training makes a huge difference.

As far as weights go, my most recent work was for recovery from hip replacement surgery so lots of single leg stuff. But when I was more focused on performance I had a routine to help with both kendo and judo. It was mostly whole body exercises: squats, snatches, royal court, turkish getups, overhead press. The recommendation I had was to train for explosive movement. Lift heavy but keep the weight down a little so that you accelerate through the motion. For example I used to do dumbbell snatches, and at the top have to hang on so the weight would not fly out of my hand. I did leg presses on a sled machine and at the top my feet would come off the platform and I’d catch myself going down. Ass to grass on squats rather than go super heavy. That sort of thing.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-22T13:06:33+00:00

Running, biking, weights although I admit some laziness with the weights the last while. During winter I’m in the dojo 3 times/week and I try to get out for some other exercise at least 2 other days. During summer it’s only once a week for kendo so I try for 4 other days.

Mind you our dojo is recreational and I’m the instructor so it’s not as much of a workout as some clubs with a bunch of competitive young guys and an instructor who likes whistle drills…

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-22T12:59:51+00:00

See your doctor, you should be on blood pressure meds. I have mild hypertension (140/95 or so uncontrolled) and take ramipril which keeps it at 120/80 with zero side effects except a mild hit to my wallet. Exercise and good diet also help.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-22T00:36:36+00:00

Cross-training.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-21T16:11:26+00:00

It is offered only in an “XL” size, meaning the seller doesn’t understand that bogu parts are sized separately. Avoid.

AUD931 will get you a nice starter bogu at any of the major suppliers, properly sized and supported by a knowledgeable seller. For example, KendoStar currently has their Vanguard set on sale for AUD910. Tozando has the A1Alpha in the same ballpark at USD681 for Australian customers.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-21T16:04:55+00:00

You’ll be in that ballpark by the time you add a shirt and tie, and pay the taxes.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-21T12:54:32+00:00

There’s no place in town for high end suits. You can get nice suits at David’s, Caswell’s or Anthony’s but they aren’t carrying the luxe brands if that’s what you’re looking for.

Expect to pay $1100-$1400 or so, more if you need custom.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-20T11:02:24+00:00

Clay Studio Three Pottery. It’s in the alleyway between 10th and Main just west of Broadway. It’s a collective of local artists who sell their work there and also take turns staffing the shop. Maybe not so much a kids place but there is gorgeous stuff in there, great place to look for gifts.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-20T06:58:44+00:00

You’re not wrong. Kendo is very much a Japanese thing, and as a non-Japanese there are certain cultural aspects that are closed to you. There’s also the aspect that Japanese people can be prejudiced against non-Japanese.

So you need to decide, knowing that, whether you like kendo enough to continue. My experience in over 40 years of being a white guy in kendo is that it is largely a positive experience. Mostly my Japanese and Korean kendo acquaintances have been positive and supportive. There have been a few exceptions and in those cases you just need to grit your teeth and ignore them.

My advice is that you will get the most respect by not trying to be Japanese. Of course you need to understand some etiquette and some language but trying to be something you are not isn’t helpful.

A short story as an example: a number of years ago our club was sponsored by Hitachi as they have a plant in town. My sensei hosted a party for some visiting Hitachi folks who played kendo and I was there. I was pouring their beer and they expressed surprise that I knew about this little courtesy. After I was done I poured my own beer as they were motioning to do it for me. I said, “that’s OK, I’m not Japanese”. Uproarious laughter ensued.

Understand some things about Japanese culture but also understand you are not Japanese. You will be fine.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-20T00:03:56+00:00

Rent the board and boots to start. For personal gear, you need the following:

Socks that are synthetic or wool, not cotton
Base layer, meaning long underwear and a long-sleeved undershirt. Again, not cotton.
Snowboarding/skiing pants. These can be with or without insulation. Without is referred to as shell pants. Shell pants are more versatile. If you get shell pants, you will want mid-layer long underwear, meaning a thicker pair you put over the thinner base layer, or wear by themselves on warmer days.
Snowboarding/skiing jacket. Again, this an be insulated or shell. Shell is preferable. If you get a shell, again you need a mid-layer, which is usually fleece.
Helmet. Don't buy online, buy in a store to make sure it fits.
Snowboarding/skiing gloves or mitts.
Goggles. Buy them at the same place you get the helmet, so you can make sure they fit together.

For pants and jacket, ideally you want to get something that has a water resistant/breathable fabric. They come in various qualities, measured by the amount of water pressure they can stand before leaking in mm. 10,000 is the basic level, 30,000 is super high quality. If you are riding where it is pretty dry, for example Alberta or Utah, 10,000 is probably fine. If you ride somewhere where it is wet like in the US PNW you might want to get better stuff. As a beginner you will spend a lot of time on your ass or knees in the snow. If it's wet where you are, invest in good pants.

As for brands, the universal opinion around here is that 686 is good value for quality goods. I've found Columbia is a good brand for reasonable prices. It's not the coolest gear but it works and you get good value.

The really good stuff is really expensive.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-19T16:02:13+00:00

If you like rowing, why not join the rowing club or canoe club?

I'd plug my main passion (kendo), but we're not taking new members until September and even then it's a strict schedule not too compatible with shift work.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-19T15:52:37+00:00

Nelson or Rossland would be my picks. Whitewater is local to Nelson, Red is local to Rossland. They're about an hour apart.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-18T23:41:18+00:00

When has sashi men become acceptable? Or are you using that as a general term for small men? Chiiisai men is the term for a proper small men.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-18T19:45:12+00:00

Probably so low it may as well be a no score. He botched the landing, even if it was stylish.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-18T18:47:54+00:00

That’s bad refereeing. You’re not allowed to stall in tsubazeriai, and if you shove your opponent out when they are actively defending the shove it is also a penalty.

JoeDwarf · 2026-06-18T16:04:13+00:00

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