Fluid Movement

[icy_flame]

For about a week (ever since I got bogu) I've been practicing making fluent movements, practicing tying moves and swings together in a combination of fluid motions. Am I just completly doing the wrong thing? Anything I could add or keep in mind?

[Bennosuke]

Staying relaxed is important for this, so that u don't try to muscle things, making you very stop and go. Did ur sensei tell you to be more fluid?

[icy_flame]

Did ur sensei tell you to be more fluid?

He describes a few waza as fluid motions. So yes.

[sainueng]

Could you be more specific as to which waza need to be more fluid?

My general advice is fluid motions comes after a LOT of practice, and usually out of nowhere. And likes to disappear on certain days too. :D Try to be more fluid with the most basic of strikes first. For example, try to be more fluid with men suburi. That is, imo, quite difficult already. Then your most basic big fumikomi men. That should take a couple weeks (months, years... :)).

And as Bennosuke said, relax. Try slowing down the swing a notch for fluid motions first.

[Masahiro]

u can run fluidly all you want, but that doesn't mean you are running efficiently. In kendo, it's not about "fluidity" (at least not the beginning stages of it) First you must exhaust your muscles until they "memorize" the movement itself, then you need to know what it fees like to use the least amount of energy to deliver the same "near perfect" kamae, or attack, then and only then does your body take on the whole "fluent' "fluid" "lucid" quality on its own. on the other hand, if i completely misunderstood what you said, you could have been one of those people that are very clumsy to begin with and your sensei is telling you to relax and let go of all the rigidness, then i apologize. Please just continue on following his instructions.

[icy_flame]

On the other hand, if i completely misunderstood what you said, you could have been one of those people that are very clumsy to begin with and your sensei is telling you to relax and let go of all the rigidness, then i apologize. Please just continue on following his instructions.


Not so much clumsiness, but that's apart of what I'm working on. Making strikes and movements with good balance, being ready to adjust to what ever happens next. A better way for me to put it is to make movements efficiently, yet in a way that my future moves can be executed more efficiently.

So basically balance and efficiency, just previously explained in a more complicated manor.

[enkorat]

Perhaps you are "thinking too much" during practice?

I could describe stuff from a neurobiological perspective, but I think that would be too much here and its not like my speciality is motor systems.

Are you thinking too much during practice and particularily during the strike or just before the strike? Are you trying to be "perfect all the time with al movements" and "choking" instead?

[Bennosuke]

Then just more practice, which will make your body used to the movements, and instruction from your sensei who will tell you when you are doing something wrong or inefficiently.

[Pan-Chan]

Practice.

You won't be able to get any kind of "fluid" movements overnight. They come with experience; your body gets used to doing things--correctly--and then does those movements at the time they are needed without you having to think about it. Well, that's my interpretation at least.

Just stick with it, and listen to what your sensei says and think about it, like you're doing. It will come with time, but when it does I bet you won't notice because you'll be striving for something farther down the road.

Good luck! :D

[Shazzanzzz]

its ur footwork dude. i bet ur left foot is coming up too slow

[Newbie]

This is weird but the last couple days I've been thinking about starting a thread because I keep reading and hearing "be like water" referred to a lot recently. I mean, I've heard it before but all of a sudden it seems to be everywhere. I was myself going to ask how you do that in kendo, if it applies in kendo (though the way it's talked about I kinda assume it's applicable across all martial arts) especially in the confines of bogu.

[ravenouswolf]

"be like water" ... especially in the confines of bogu.
Yes its more like bottled water :wink:

[Newbie]

*laf*

But seriously, there has to be an answer to this. I can't see something that gets mentioned in relation to martial arts not apply to kendo just because we're in armour. But then, I'm the last person who's gonna achieve this. I'm very stiff and not in a Seven Smutty Samurai kind of way!

[Paburo]

For about a week (ever since I got bogu) I've been practicing making fluent movements, practicing tying moves and swings together in a combination of fluid motions. Am I just completly doing the wrong thing? Anything I could add or keep in mind?
Kurasawa-sensei kyudan taught us about the concept dai-kyo-soku-kei.

kei is doing things smooth, lightly, easy, elegant, fluid.

but, that's the last step.

first goes dai (doing big motions/swings), kyo (doing strong cuts) and soku (doing the swing fast and quick)

i'm not a sensei... but i'd tell you to make sure you go through dai, kyo and soku before you attempt kei :bandit:


and, lately we've seen that BMW commercial where bruce lee is interviewed saying "empty your miiiiiiiind, be waaaaater my frieeeeeeend" :D

[Newbie]

We don't have that add but I saw him say exactly that on a docco I watched the other night :)

I wasn't expecting this to be something to achieve over night or anything but more something to strive for. I just wasn't sure how (even my tai chi is nowhere near fluid in the least). But thanks heaps. You've given me at least some idea of the steps towards trying to achieve it.

[MrChow]

Practice.

You won't be able to get any kind of "fluid" movements overnight. They come with experience; your body gets used to doing things--correctly--and then does those movements at the time they are needed without you having to think about it


I totally agree with this post and also would like to say that what was posted can be applied to lots of things apart from kendo. :rambo:

[bullet08]

For about a week (ever since I got bogu) I've been practicing making fluent movements, practicing tying moves and swings together in a combination of fluid motions. Am I just completly doing the wrong thing? Anything I could add or keep in mind?

foot work. keep they weight on both feet equally.. 50/50. don't lift your heel too high. slide, instead of stepping. take smallers slide then one big one. make sure your coordination with you right foot and cut is good without the bogu, then try that again wth only do on. do lot of kirikaeshi and kakarigeiko with bogu on. if that doesn't help, you might be like me.. just not all that balanced without beer bottle on one hand.

pete