What's wrong with my grip?

[dancingprawn]

Apparently, my grip off. I'm having a bit of a language barrier with the instructors. They don't speak a word of English and my Chinese isn't exactly perfect. Can anyone tell me what the proper method of holding the shinai is while practicing mein? I've understood it as using only the left hand for strength, raising it quickly and when it snaps, my left and right hand are suppose to snap or something....any way of keeping the blisters from forming on my feet?

[alexpollijr]

I dont' know if I got it right, but , anyway.

In the beginning, blisters are unavoidable. Think of them as a part of the process , love them, hate them, learn to live with them and then they'll depart and only come back on occasion for a visit after a bad dojo day.

The two hands are supposed to be in equilibrium. Many of use are right-handed though, so we tend to overuse the right hand which makes the shinai path in the air a little dizzy and the strike a little jerky. Work with both, and when the cut lands you have to squeeze inward the handle, to make the shinai stop right in the moment of contact.

Or else you'll have a sore and angry motodachi, which is a bad thing indeed. Same thing goes for all other waza

Keep on, eventually you'll learn some 'chinese' (mind you, never saw chinese kendoka, only Taiwanese).

[Kendoka]

I can't help too much with the grip from this distance, but make sure that your left hand is the "driver".

Re your foot blisters. They may be caused by your feet twisting while still in contact with the floor, as you move forward, be savage on yourself and MAKE sure that your feet are parallel, as in | | not \ / and that all your practice uses parallel footwork. Stop and check occasionally, try to use mirror if your dojo has one as well and correct if you need to.

Show your sensei, he or she will be able to help.

Good luck,

Richard

[ben]

Nice use of slashes Richard!

:)
b

[dancingprawn]

I notice some of the guys here wear a sort of mid foot sock, anyone know how well they work? I can hardly walk the rest of the night after two hours at the dojo. Another problem they had mentioned was the death gripping of the shinai with both hands instead of just the last three fingers on the left hand. In addition is overexertion of the muscles on the shoulders. Instead I'm suppose to use the muscles of the triceps when raising the shinai? So far, what I've gathered is that for a strike..it goes that I'm to have a loose right hand, tight left hand both in the middle position, then I raise both arms, snap down whilst twisting inward with both hands. It's only been about 1.5 months of practice so far with right men, left men, kote, stomp & running (I'm not sure what the terminology is)...how long does it take typically before I'm capable of a small little sparring?

The dojo is Taiwanese except for two or three Japanese people who stumble. I'm also Taiwanese, however the difference is that I was raised in the States speaking mostly English. The directions become a bit hazy sometimes due to the language which I have a hard time interpreting as Taiwanese, Chinese or Japanese.

Thanks for your help guys.......I agree with the creative use of the "/", Richard!

[alexpollijr]

Well, there's different flavors of 'half socks', for different purposes.
there are heel pads, to absorb the shock of fumikomi ashi (stomp) in hard floors. There are tabi, which are protectors to the ball of the feet to prevent blisters and small cuts, and there are achilles tendon supporters, they say it eases the effort on the left leg. I don't use none so I can't really tell you. As for the muscles, I have developed, over a while practicing kendo, some nice triceps muscles, but I don't think it's up to them alone to power the strike.

1 month and a half is very, very little time. Take your time and eventualy the body adapts to the motions & pains. I've come to wear bogu after 4 months of practice, 3 days a week, if I remember well.

[David J]

Here's some things to think of that really helped me to improve my technique.

1) The action of the left hand is like pulling a bell-rope - almost vertical

2) So as not to swing too far back on your upswing, think of "spiking the sky/ceiling" with your shinai.

3) When you deliver the men cut (with a little squeeze - you dont need a big twist), think of using the shinai to ring a bell - not knock it across the dojo.

This last one has done wonders for me. (thanks supernils (I think)). Also, I learnt that if as you raise the shinai, you involve the shoulders, the natural release of this tension helps bring the shinai down quickly - but it is just that, a release, not the muscling down that most beginners do.

Hope this helps

<rei>

Dave