Kendo XVIII -- Steam Man

   No relation to the animated film Steam Boy, though.

   Today, after a very intense practice, after I took off my men, steam was rising from my head for a while and the kids couldn't resist poking fun at it. The dojo was very cool and I was very hot, hence the steam.

   Practice started with kata review. Kendo has seven basic kata using a wooden katana, or bokuto. Each kata has two halves; the uchidachi's (teacher) and shidachi's (student). I know the shidachi's halves better for obvious reasons, though I'm able to do the uchidachi for the earlier ones. I've been taught the first five kata.

   Since we had an odd number of students today, my partner was sensei. I always like having him for a partner; he's a great example and partnering with him somehow makes me more confident in my own abilities.

   Some of the things I say after this may not make a lot of sense; I need to remind myself that this blog is as much for me as it is for other people! Writing about this stuff helps me commit it to memory and also provides a way to look up things in the past.

   The first kata is really interesting to me because it really forces you to consciously think about the basics of kendo (as I see them): grip, footwork, and distance. The uchidachi attacks the shidachi with a men strike, but the shidachi steps back and then forward, striking the uchidachi's men. As the uchidachi starts to draw back, the shidachi's sword remains ready as it draws down the center of the uchidachi's face before the shidachi steps forward, raising his bokuto to high guard.

   One of my main problems (as I see them) with this kata is the flow from the strike to high guard. When sensei does the first kata as shidachi, I can "see" the meaning behind the movements... and though I feel like I understand the meaning, when I do it myself, there are herky-jerky pauses that upset the rhythm. Those pauses show up in a lot of my kata, actually... I don't practice them as much as I'd like to since I can't find anyone at the kendo club at school who knows them. Well, one guy knows them, but he hasn't been going lately...

   A similar problem I have is in the fifth kata, where the shidachi deflects a men strike before dealing his own, then his sword traces a line down the middle of the uchidachi's face AS he moves his body to step back into high guard. I've been using my arms to draw the line, then stopping at the bottom of the uchidachi's face before going into high guard. It should all be one fluid motion, though. Sensei worked with me on this for a bit and I feel a little better, knowing what I should do and what to look out for.

   I really, really love kata.

   After kata, we lined up and I made the mistake of sitting down first and putting out my gear; I was fixated on getting everything on the ground properly and completely forgot about etiquette. Oops.

   I felt pretty bad about that.

   At this point, Tozuka-sensei came in.

   Then we went into practice mode. My third practice in armor! Little did I know that it would be my roughest so far.

   Practice began with kirikaeshi; a large men strike, a push back, then four diagonal men strikes while pacing forward followed by five diagonal men strikes pacing backward. Then, to cap it off, two large men strikes with a follow-through that leaves you behind the opponent. It's a basic exercise because it involves footwork, distance, and grip. You have to match yourself to your opponent's rhythm to make sure you stay within proper striking distance.

   Until now, I've pretty much always been doing it with sensei, so I'm used to his rhythm and the distance his steps take. It was really jarring doing it with the kids -- sometimes I found myself way too close, and then when I tried to compensate, way too far.

   I'm also not used to being uchidachi in kirikaeshi, so my footwork in walking backward/forward while parrying is really inconsistent. It's something I need to pay more attention to and work on.

   After a few rounds of kirikaeshi with different people (including two with sensei), we changed modes and started jigeiko.

   Jigeiko is Japanese for "run around screaming until you feel like you're going to die".

   Not really, but it should be.

   It's free practice; you and your opponent go at each other trying to make valid strikes, though nobody's keeping score. It's supposed to simulate an actual match without score and time constraints. Man, did my respect for the kids shoot up after jigeiko.

   Not only did they seem to have boundless amounts of energy, but the strikes I used to think were slow and clumsy from the sidelines are pretty good face-to-face. I totally got my ass handed to me by a bunch of kids.

   During jigeiko, since I only had the slightest idea of what I was trying to do, I just went for men all the time, which may have contributed to me getting hit a lot. I got whacked a few times in bad places -- the arm, my thigh, just above my chest armor, and once a shinai got under my men to whack me in the throat... This isn't to say I was perfect, either. I smashed a kid's fingers once. The same kid I smacked in the ribs last time, actually... I get the feeling he hates me now.

   Jigeiko lasted about an hour and a half; we rotated consistently, changing partners. Tozuka-sensei went a lot easier on me than the kids; the kids just wailed on me constantly, while Tozuka-sensei gave me openings and let me go for them.

   One of the things I had problems with at the beginning was the follow-through. I'm used to simple practice for men strikes where you strike, dash past, and then turn to prepare for another strike. In jigeiko, you can't really do that; or perhaps you can, but I'm not abl e to do it. It leaves you open for more strikes as you pass.

   So I got in the habit of dashing in, striking, and stepping diagonally to the side while turning to prepare for another attack. Sensei really got me into that habit after my first jigeiko with him; he kept whacking me on every open spot I had as I ran past him. Now I see the power of a 7-dan...

   Jigeiko was incredibly fun. Just incredibly tiring, too.

   Not only was I running and swinging, but I tried to get a good kiai (shout) out with every swing as well. I was constantly breathless and tired; at one point I leaned against the wall to keep from falling over. Things that seemed a little hard at the beginning of practice suddenly seemed nigh impossible toward the end!

   I guess this just shows how out of shape I really am... a problem that should remedy itself with more practice.

   Speaking of more practice, practice at the dojo is canceled for this Saturday and next Tuesday as well. I can't practice at school, either, since club activities are closed because a set of big tests is coming up soon. No kendo for a week!

   Maybe I can still use the school dojo and practice by myself or something... better than nothing.