Kenshi size question (in the right location this time)

[Goomba]

I have a question for everyone (not just women or men, hence the everyone), is the size of your opponent a huge factor during a match and how do you deal with it? I'm not talking about just tall or large opponents, I also want to know if you are tall and have to fight smaller opponents.

The reason: During the SCKF championships I saw a couple of male vs. female matches and it was always a big guy vs. a smaller gal. When they got to tsubazeriai, it looked like the male was able to press easier than the female.

I would assume that your opponents size and physical strength is a factor.

[Hongsermeier]

Speaking for myself only. Size is not much of a factor. You simply have to adjust your kendo. I have fought people much bigger (taller and heavier) and people much smaller. That is why I like to go to other dojo's occasionally to practice. It gives me the chance to practice against people of different sizes and abilities.
My wife is only 5 ft, but she doesn't get pushed around. Technique is a very big factor. :cross_eye

[Danny Boy]

If you have to adjust your kendo to the size of the opponent, then i'd call it a factor no ?

[Karaken]

Of course it is a factor. I thinks Hongs meant ( if you don't mind ) that bigger is not necessarily better or advantageous.

Center is advantage.

[Hongsermeier]

Yes, that is what I meant. Sorry for the poor wording on my part. If your technique is good the adjustment for size is a minor factor. :Cross_eye

[kendomushi]

Size does play into many peoples kendo. But remember, the goal in tsubazeriai is not to push the opponent, but to get yourself the change to attack. I'm bigger by far than almost everyone I've ever fought, but I always try to remember that pushing them down doesn't give me a point, tends to set the body in place possibly giving the opponent an opportunity to attack, and if I push too hard and topple the opponent I end up getting a warning or losing a penalty point.

[M.K. Kawai]

Goomba,

The tsubazeriai ruling should've been in effect that day. But, like most things... it wasn't :rolleyes:

Anyways, at my dojo Uto sensei is under 5 feet and she knows no fear against someone who is bigger than she is.

I saw her at the North South tournament force a person who was twice her height into the corner several times :cool:

That, my friend, was a sight to see :)

Technique is important, but you also need a lot of spirit to back it up.

MKK

[Old Warrior]

"If I push too hard and topple the opponent I end up getting a warning or losing a penalty point."

Help me understand this one. If I go for men and miss and I collide with my opponent, striking him with my hands (while holding the shinai) I get a warning. But if I go for men and miss and my hands pass over the opponent's shoulder and the contact is body to body - that's OK.

[samurai999]

Originally posted by Goomba
I have a question for everyone (not just women or men, hence the everyone), is the size of your opponent a huge factor during a match and how do you deal with it? I'm not talking about just tall or large opponents, I also want to know if you are tall and have to fight smaller opponents.


I have three words in my actual reply.

1 2 3
I don't care.

Tim

[samurai999]

Originally posted by M.K. Kawai

Anyways, at my dojo Uto sensei is under 5 feet and she knows no fear against someone who is bigger than she is.

I saw her at the North South tournament force a person who was twice her height into the corner several times :cool:

MKK

Uto sensei.. One time I heard this really loud kiai, turned around and couldn't find the person who did it. Later I found out it was her. :D I saw her later go up against giants like Minami sensei up here. Crazy stuff.

Tim

[JSchmidt]

" If I go for men and miss and I collide with my opponent, striking him with my hands (while holding the shinai) I get a warning."

No. As long as it's part of an attack, it's valid. We're talking about deliberate pushing the opponent into the ground or out of bounds, without any intention of attacking. Unfortunatly, I've never seen this enforced with any level of consistency.

Jakob

[M.K. Kawai]

OW,

If I understand what you're saying, under tournament conditions after hitting Men, you are either make an effort to find the path to avoid your opponent or stop before you run into your opponent. But, if you must make contact with the body then you need to bring your hands down in preparation for Tsubazeriai.

Of course, like all tournaments, that is depended on who your shimpans (referees) are.

I hope this helps.

MKK

[Inouye02]

i think that was ching sac kawai sensei...

[kendomushi]

Old Warrior,

When I use the term push I do mean running into the opponent with arms outstretched in an intentional ramming movement, or trying to hurl the opponent away from me when in tsubazeriai to throw them off balance. It is not good kendo in the first place. But contact incidental to an attack or trying to pass an opponent to take up zanshin is expected. However, running over the opponent after an attack is not acceptable.

[Old Warrior]

kendomushi

Your response was very helpful. I am substantially bigger than my classmates; which include a number of young women. I am very conscious of not appearing to muscle anyone, although I am frequently pounded by my opponents. As you know (better than me) you have to attack through your opponent. You can't just stop dead upon the cut. My speed (if one could call what I do speed) is really slowed by my fear of the consequences of a collision. I find myself holding back; which is a problem, because it takes a bit to get my 6' 230lb frame to move.

[Goomba]

This leads me to my next question, when is it deemed acceptable to execute tai atari?

As I have said before I am 6'3" and 220 lbs. and I have just started learning kote-men-tai atari-men (among other things). This seems to be a strong combo when I execute it correctly, but it seems kind of "beardy" (you know, wrong) yet fun at the same time.