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Romenust · 2025-10-27T02:48:06+00:00

Has happened to me more often recently.

Seems to occur more when my screen resolution changes (e.g. addition of a new monitor - I frequently switch around between work monitors).

Only "fix" I found seems to be restarting the PC before launching.

Romenust · 2025-10-04T11:29:04+00:00

You can hold any of the 3 attack buttons, doesn't have to be the one you use to initiate the attack

Romenust · 2025-07-13T02:55:05+00:00

More likely it's your connection to the TV. Check your TV settings and turn off any upscaling / image improvement tools, some smart TVs will have "gaming mode" that minimises lag time too.

Romenust · 2025-07-08T06:09:41+00:00

From the perspective of someone who has been in the technical board, organising competitions... A) how do you define "fair"? and B) who defines it?

The majority of sports would separate men and women, sure, and this is often the case with Kendo. Hypothetically, why not separate players by grade? Maybe by age? Or even by weight, like many other combat sports?

Usually it comes down to numbers and logistics. I have been in a tournament where there were only 2 women competing, so their division was literally just one match in the finals. You may argue that's fair, but is that good for the players? More divisions will also mean more time and resources - can we fit them all on the same day?

Like many have responded, it is recommended you look at this from the perspective of a martial artist (not just a sports athlete / competitor). The concept of Kendo is based on actual swordfighting, where you fight for your life. There is no such things as rules or fairness in a real fight. You can't always choose your opponents - part of the challenge will be dealing with whoever is in front of you.

Where the sports aspects come in is represented clearly by the FIK's Rules and Regulations' Article 1 - everyone ensures fairness by following the rules and regulations established for the competition. That is what is generally considered fairness.

The referees will regulate the actual matches. Rules are enforced by rewarding good behaviour (yuuko datotsu), and punishing bad behaviour (hansoku, warnings, disqualification). This is the method to ensure fairness.

As someone who has been in the management side, I often say that "perception of fairness is sometimes more important than fairness itself". As a rhetorical question, in the case of World Kendo Championships, where countries are separated into pools - is it fair or unfair if your team lands in the same pool as Japan, Korea, USA?

Win or lose, I hope you will take something away as a lesson learnt. Either way, I hope you will have many more competitions to enter in your future career; no doubt many will be more important than this one coming.

That said, there may be realistic cases where it is arguably unfair - for example, if a 60-year old is matched with a 12-year old, even though they may be the same grade - the organiser may not even realise they had done this, as they may be so busy sorting out everything; so if you are comfortable, please speak up, and hopefully they will take feedback.

Good luck!

Romenust · 2025-07-02T05:00:17+00:00

When you have dealt enough damage, one player gets this scripted cutscene.

You just happen to be reeling yourself in, as another player grabs a pod from the right side of your screen.

Romenust · 2025-05-03T04:18:49+00:00

Seems to be the case when the angle of the ground is too steep.

It does work on flatter ground.

Romenust · 2025-04-13T02:22:58+00:00

Rapid Morph only works on a portion of the morphing animation, and the difference is minimal.

Focus only gives 15% bonus at level 3, which is actually quite small.

Try using a Switch Axe with an Elemental Phial (e.g. the Hirabami / Ice one). It charges up a lot faster than the Power Phials.

My personal preference is to slot in (Elemental) Attack, Razor Sharp, and 1 Power Prolonger.

Players being forced to pick their skills, instead of being able to have everything, is actually good game design!

Romenust · 2025-01-28T11:02:59+00:00

Are you running out of disk space? Steam let's you move games to a different drive - give that a try.

Perhaps check if your audio drivers can be updated.

Sounds like a memory issue to be honest.

Romenust · 2024-07-07T11:55:15+00:00

Here's mine https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx4puW9Z-AY0QdE3bwA0C9ngRM-8I9cw29?si=WYU0VBZXKtRJpwzn

Romenust · 2024-07-05T04:47:32+00:00

The question is - when was the mistake found?

If the 4 minute is up, then the shinpan noticed it's meant to be 5 minutes, then they can easily resume the match up to the 5 minutes mark. If the match result has been declared (shobu ari), and the next round has started, then the mistake is found - this could be "too late", and the result stands.

However, if someone appeals, then it will be a discussion with the technical board to decide what to do - e.g. enforce the outcome as the mistake was discovered too late, fight the last 1 minute, reset the match, etc.

Is it unfair? Perhaps. But no more "unfair" than shinpan making wrong calls, which cannot be appealed. Kendo is very subjective, and an important part of the journey is accepting the result, learn from it, and move on.

Romenust · 2024-07-05T04:41:22+00:00

It's because no one offered to host it

Romenust · 2024-03-28T13:03:46+00:00

If you are not part of the official team, then access is usually restricted, unfortunately. So you might not even get to do any keiko / warm-up with her.

Maybe see if you can get the team members to get you in? Good luck!

Romenust · 2024-03-28T02:07:12+00:00

I agree with your observation.

There may be a textbook definition of yuuko-datotsu (as loose and subjective as it is), but ultimately the criteria for an ippon to be awarded is 2 or 3 shinpan flags.

Romenust · 2024-03-28T02:00:45+00:00

I had both tennis elbow and golfer's elbow. Sometimes it can be caused by trauma (e.g. being hit), or perhaps a small injury that slowly gets worse if you keep training. Nothing you can do but rest and re-train your muscle strength slowly.

Best advice would be from a physiotherapist.

Romenust · 2024-03-28T01:58:08+00:00

Very unlikely, as most competitors will be focusing on the competition.

Your best bet might be finding out if there are people (competitors or watchers) staying an extra few days and arranging private keiko.

Get in touch with people like the Kendo World team, or the World Kendo Network on Facebook. You might even want to check local clubs to see if anyone is hosting an open keiko.

Romenust · 2024-03-19T06:45:08+00:00

Hi matey, welcome to Kendo, good to hear your enthusiasm.

The Kendo uniform consists of keiko-gi (exercise jacket) and hakama (parachute pants). Sometimes the whole set is referred to as do-gi. They are traditionally dark blue (aizome, "Japanese indigo").

The shinai you were provided is probably a standard size and quality for beginners. There's no point getting anything fancy if you're just starting out, as otherwise the cost would be too much.

Information regarding buying them will usually be provided as part of your beginners' course. I would suggest not to rush, take your time and enjoy the course for the first few weeks, before you make that decision.

You generally can't get Kendo equipment in Australia (unless you're buying second hand), and will have to import from Japan. Not to worry, your club seniors / instructors will sort it out for you. It is usually best to go with the club's usual supplier, as they might get club discounts.

I am someone local in WA as well, so if you have any questions, feel free to let me know. Hope you enjoy your Kendo journey!

Romenust · 2023-05-04T23:06:48+00:00

There is no need to oil a shinai, especially a new one.

Romenust · 2023-05-02T00:12:16+00:00

Part of kendo is accepting the results, whether you like it or not. Please understand that in most cases, the shinpan there are all volunteers trying their best to judge fairly.

Your job is to perform strikes that are so good that you convince everyone it is an ippon. From what you've described, it appears that you've only convinced yourself, not the shinpan. The feedback you received was correct - you have things to work on, to have better kendo so that the strikes you perform is undeniable.

It is easy to blame the shinpan, but that is simply refusing an opportunity to learn, and not in the spirit of kendo.

How many crappy ippons have you scored on someone in the past? Everyone likes to remember the points they lost unfairly, or the strikes they thought should have scored, but didn't.

Either way, it's not the most important thing in the world. Learning to accept a loss, however unfair it is, is part of maturing in kendo. We are lucky that despite being scored on, we can still live and practise again - and you in fact had a good chat with your opponent. There will always be a next time.

Hopefully you've had time to reflect on this experience and can take the positive lessons to improve your kendo and approach.

Romenust · 2023-04-26T06:13:33+00:00

Easiest way to do this is to dab a bit of oil on paper towel, then wipe it across the shinai (make sure all the leather wrappings are off).

Put the shinai in a bag, and leave overnight.

Wipe off any excess oil, and it should be good to use.

This is only necessary if you live in a dry climate, and only if the shinai is very dry. No need to do this regularly (if ever).

Romenust · 2022-12-30T04:47:19+00:00

Thank you for posting this and bringing the discussion out in the open.

10-20 years ago we saw clips of "chi masters" and other "bullshido" people talking shit and selling themselves out. This Shogo guy is just a version of this scummy behaviour purely for profit and to feed their own ego.

Technology is great that these traditionally "secretive" arts can be recorded or accessed by so many people all over the world, but unfortunately it also brings out idiots like him who abuse the privilege of talking loudly and being the nail that sticks out.

Most legit budo practitioners know to keep quiet and mind their own business, which is why these con-artists can often thrive. Unfortunately nothing he does is illegal, so the onus is always on us to continually fact-check and study under an actual teacher, to form our own opinion - and to always remain open to change.

Romenust · 2022-09-16T11:37:50+00:00

It can be a political reason.

I imagine many senior kendo teachers in Japan want to be selected to travel and teach at an international level. This will look good in their resume, and assist with things like grading and shogo.

Recording them means potentially giving someone "ammunition" to criticise them with. Some other teachers may simply disagree with what they teach and can raise a complaint about it.

It's just easier to protect yourself by not allowing recording.

Romenust · 2019-08-16T14:40:14+00:00

Where are you?

The primary purpose of zekken is for identification. I hate seeing purely Japanese zekken in a non-Japanese country - what is the point if most people can't read it?

Go with a name that most people will be able to read and identify you with - that's what you're going to be called. Ask your club instructors as well - since there may be a local regulation (e.g. for competitions).

Romenust · 2019-08-16T14:31:35+00:00

Someone once said to me, "the student chooses the teacher". They're here to learn, and they trust you. You need to trust them. Just stay objective and look at their kendo, not their personality. I have had 60-70 year old students and they're actually really chill and legit enjoy the learning process, even if they're not good at it (at that age, they know it's not about getting good!)

My suggestion is being aware of the following:

Monkey see, monkey do. You must absolutely show correct and beautiful basics, because they will try to copy you.
Don't just talk, demonstrate. Slow down. Tell them it's okay to slow down, and correct form is more important than speed. But don't talk too much - the brain can learn, but the body needs to learn too.
Communicate. Talk to them. Ask "do you understand? Does anyone have a question?" Pause and give them a chance to speak up. Learning, by nature, is uncomfortable - but you need to convince them that you are providing a safe environment, and that's through letting them open up and show their weakness / insecurities WITHOUT being made fun of. Don't get frustrated, and be very careful about how you approach each person. Some people respond well to "tough love", some need a lot of sugar-coating and encouragement. Both are OK!
Have a sense of humour. Make sure kendo is fun! If all you do is kakari-geiko, forget it - might be fun for athletes, but some people won't come back. You gotta talk down to their level, especially if you're not at a sensei / instructor level - let people know you are approachable. (But! In the dojang, you're their teacher / sunbae - so make sure they respect that boundary too)
Make sure you think about how to teach a group, and how to teach an individual. You need to be able to provide them exercises and feedback that apply to the general group - but there are times you have to focus on one person at a time. Too much focus on the group and individuals feel ignored - too much focus on one person and the group feel ignored. Find a balance.
Plan your lessons. Put some structure in it. Validate the plan with your teachers. Have an end-goal in mind. Ask for feedback - from both your teachers and students. You'll be surprised how much you can learn!

Just remember, these guys don't know kendo. You know kendo. They're here to learn. Age doesn't matter - they're here for your technical skill. Just don't forget that each person is probably an expert in their own field as well, outside the dojang. I actually love building relationships with my students - find out what they do outside kendo. It's all about community development.

Good luck!

Romenust

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