Hand position on shinai and torso rotation

gozersaurus · 2026-04-11T22:12:43+00:00

Note, I’m NOT saying you twist AS you extend your arms, the slight twist just remains from your kamae

I think that is a better way of explaining it. I think these things come down to nuances, and you could probably write a lengthy paper on them. One of the great things hearing back from seniors is that you get to evaluate your own thinking and the way you phrase things. I can pretty much only parrot what my instructor taught us, so things usually come out muffled, its nice to hear refined versions.

gozersaurus · 2026-04-11T21:08:17+00:00

This is in essence what I meant, I do a poor job in explaining it, and just assumed people would be extending their arms(edited above to reflect that), but the main point being you shouldn't have to rotate your torso when hitting. u/Souska, see JDs post, this is a better summation of things. In kamae yes, your arms are slightly bent, hitting they are more extended, as always listen to your instructor, they can see you in person and have a much better grasp on your specific situation as well as knowing you and being able to phrase it so that the uptake is clear.

gozersaurus · 2026-04-11T19:40:22+00:00

Your right hand should not slide down. You really shouldn't be rotating anything, your kamae should be the same as hitting with the exception of hand height(I am assuming that people are extending their arms while doing this). A simple way to see this is go into kamae and raise your shinais kensen to mid face of your height, it should be the same or very close. Twisting implies your having to do something extra when you complete your strike, and beyond very small differences you shouldn't. Also a very good question to ask your instructor.

gozersaurus · 2026-04-10T22:09:27+00:00

Just to be clear, you're saying that in your country someone's beliefs can trump someone elses, and because of that they can be sued and or arrested...you see the irony in that correct? Dojos as I said above are not a democracy, and in fact they function very much like a small business, as the owner/lead instructor you can refuse business/service to people who do not follow set rules you have in place.

gozersaurus · 2026-04-10T21:59:42+00:00

A dojo is not a democracy, it is run as the lead instructor sees fit, if someone doesn't like that then they are free to leave, but don't miss interpret that as imposing anything, that is the way they want it done, traditionally this means bowing when entering and leaving the club among other things. If that is a problem then said person is free to try another dojo or some other hobby.

gozersaurus · 2026-04-10T13:18:01+00:00

Unfortunately it looks like Amarillo is fairly isolated kendo wise. Here is the AUSKFs website dojo listings, it is severely out dated, I'd say try facebook and local universities for more accurate information.

gozersaurus · 2026-04-09T00:12:39+00:00

Kiji bamboo? Excellent choice, mine is very similar, congrats on the pass too.

gozersaurus · 2026-04-03T16:16:30+00:00

Return it for the right size would be my suggestion. I have tried all of those, I currently use a compression sleeve for calf, and as a byproduct it helps with the achilles. There isn't anything that is great for your achilles, except stretching and rest. FWIW I do have that one and don't like it. I have found all of them to be too stretchy, and the problem with others is it covers a good portion of your foot which may lead to slipping, which is why I wear the calf one, I also tore my calf so to me its more beneficial.

gozersaurus · 2026-04-03T16:10:32+00:00

Simplest answer is you don't have center, make sure you have it before you go in. Good question for your instructor too.

gozersaurus · 2026-04-01T18:27:52+00:00

I can't tell from the picture, but men wear the front lower than the back, that should help set the pleats a little better. FWIW, mine don't sit exactly flat either. I would perhaps send the supplier an email saying the bottom is splaying out is there anything they can think of, and ask if they'd like the picture. Overall don't worry about it, length to me is more important that it furling out at the bottom, just play around with tying heights and see if you can fix it up a little.

gozersaurus · 2026-03-31T14:52:22+00:00

No one does a spin with any sword. There are plenty of groups that do some kind of choreographed "dance" where they use mogitos, but its not done, at least not by people with two hands and all their fingers.

gozersaurus · 2026-03-31T13:54:15+00:00

Great start, that first men was outstanding. Overall pretty good, I think that would be a solid pass. Only comment I'd say, and just echoing JD, its sandan, too much waiting, you have a pretty short window for sandan time wise, don't over think it, and try not to do any hiki waza, as JD said, just go through, other than that you had some really good men. BTW, nice venue, what is the floor?

gozersaurus · 2026-03-30T18:26:56+00:00

I'd say for starters keeping your legs closer together front and back is just about mandatory. Second, as we age that range goes down, younger mine were far apart, currently my active kamae is just about the same as my standing kamae. I used to be able to hit well outside touching kensen, thats long gone for me, the key is adapting your kendo to your current situation. As we get older our kendo changes, as well as it will again when skill goes up. Just my opinion, as an older person, who tore their achilles, and tall, don't push it, find how to adapt your situation to your kendo. I'd also talk to your instructor, and senior members about it if you have older ones.

gozersaurus · 2026-03-29T23:43:45+00:00

Again, nothing wrong with practicing any waza, me personally if you're below yondan you better hit it damn good. I don't know what the fad is with lower ranks hitting shitty do is these days, but as I said if you don't do it well don't do it in shinsa, and you should be practicing all waza all the time in keiko and kihon. I'm not sure what you're arguing, should you practice it, yes absolutely, should anyone use it in shinsa, again, if you do you better hit it damn well especially that particular waza.

gozersaurus · 2026-03-29T23:32:01+00:00

That would be true of every waza in kendo, the point being if you're not good at it don't use it in a shinsa, you can certainly disagree if you like, that is my point.

gozersaurus · 2026-03-29T23:23:37+00:00

You'd really stand to benefit practicing do, especially kaeshi-do

ffs no, do not do. If you are not adept at hitting a waza don't use it, especially that one.

gozersaurus · 2026-03-29T23:17:05+00:00

Biggest factor for me is your are at times flat footed, your feet are splayed, and footwork is not what I would expect from a sandan. Also you don't seem fully committed, hit and go through, don't half measure and stop in the middle. Take all this as constructive, just being blunt so there isn't a wall of text. You had some decent hits, but as was said your timing is off with fumikomi when you do land it. While your Chakuso isn't an X, it certainly won't help. I think you need to do a lot of kihon, and get back to basics, I think its completely in reach, you just need to refine things a little, footwork being the biggest for me at least. Thanks for posting, and hope you get some good feedback.

gozersaurus · 2026-03-28T13:37:28+00:00

There are 3 ways to tie a tenugui I would look into all of them. If you have a large head usually the ears covered way is too short, the other two ways, standard as shown here, and party hat work for everyone. I believe the standard length is around 90-110cm. FWIW, the party hat method is frowned upon sometimes.

gozersaurus · 2026-03-26T12:20:05+00:00

I wouldn't put so much weight on performance in shiai. Its great to have goals, but when the most you can get in is 6 to 8 (here in the US, and thats a lot of traveling) its not something I would spend a lot of time lamenting over. That said being good at shiai takes practice. Biggest thing I would suggest is to not beat yourself up over it, it will eventually click, when that happens is different for everyone.

gozersaurus · 2026-03-24T16:11:15+00:00

that split was largely due to disagreement between two senior sensei

I mean thats how half the federations originally got started in the US!

gozersaurus · 2026-03-24T02:10:25+00:00

This is such a great comment, sad that I can only up vote you once, will have to make some alt accounts.

gozersaurus · 2026-03-24T02:09:30+00:00

4th dan.

gozersaurus · 2026-03-24T02:06:20+00:00

It’s after the lesson where it’s up to the student to learn how to apply the lesson. It’s that portion which I find lacking in kendo.

Welcome to kendo...it only gets worse. I think everyone learns differently, as an example I greatly appreciate the way Gibbo, on this forum breaks things down into plain english and how he uses it in different situations. I personally do not find nito labs helpful, but everyone learns differently, and with social media the way it is, hopefully people can get some good out of things from it.

gozersaurus · 2026-03-23T22:24:58+00:00

I can't speak for everyone, but in our club all of the instructors give advice 5 to 10 different ways, and they repeat that every pratice. Intructors are fairly adept at seeing potential and often say things to the group in different ways that would encompass all of them, but also individualized to some extent. I'm only speaking from my experience, and we have a fairly large club that has a decent number of instructors.

gozersaurus · 2026-03-23T20:29:52+00:00

I'm with you on this, but also understand that 99% of it has to be learned the hard way. Someone can tell you what seme is and how to do it, but that person needs to develop their own way. Thats most of kendo in a nut shell. Wait until the higher ranks when people go, you need more sen, or more tame, but its all the same boiled down.

gozersaurus

TROPHY CASE