Sweaty hands

[emitbrownne]

Hi,
I was training last night doing a variety of suburi for Kendo and Naginata. I worked up quite a sweat with the suburi bokken, shinai, and shoto then took a 5 minute breather. I came back still warm and tried some suburi with the Naginata... however as I am one of the sweatiest people on the planet, my hands were still moist and tacky. When swapping hands on the Naginata there was too much friction and I kept on sticking..

Does anyone have any hints or tips on how to avoid this..?? (other than not doing Kendo suburi beforehand)...

Will I have to resort to my new freiend baby powder??

should I wear gloves, or even Kote??

[berghaan]

This is a common problem for me also, it usually gets better after a little while though. I dont have a real solution for you sorry.
I think it is a good idea to do suburi while wearing kote though.
Not every time but now and then just to get a better feel of the weapon while wearing your kote.
Even would recommend to do happoburi with kote or in full bogu if possible.

But I digres, babypowder?

[emitbrownne]

But I digres, babypowder?

It reduced the friction caused by the soles of my feet on the floor by a suprising amount.

If you think about it proffesional gymnasts (sp?) use talc to reduce friction when using the horse, or parallel bars.

[hamish]

Standard equipment in any naginata club/dojo in Japan is babypowder/talc for just that reason.

Don't use too much or you'll lose the naginata doing mochikae!!

[emitbrownne]

Right then Talc it is... cheers all :grin:

[xvikingx]

Right then Talc it is... cheers all :grin:

The problem with talc is that it is very messy. You'll end up with it all over your hakama and what not. What I do that work very well is...

Take 600 or 400 grit sandpaper and LIGHTLY (you do not need to use alot of pressure) sand the e-bu down. Then with either rape-seed oil or linseed oil (lemon oil is also good) and rag, oil up the e-bu. Let it sit for about 5 minutes and then wipe off the excess. Depending on how many times you practice (I practice 3 time a week) this should keep it stick free for about 2 to 3 months. This way you'll have a nice smooth e-bu with no mess.