4 part or 6 part?

[eKenshi]

The 4 part and 6 part shinai which is available,which is better for fine strikes?(I already trained my arm strength at max)

[Nishi]

6 piece shiani is meant for suburi, if im not mistaken. You need to use a 4 slat bamboo shiani (or carbon fibre) for competition and standard kendo practice, and ask your sensei if he minds you hammering the other students into the ground with that 6 slat bamboo telephone pole....

Stick with regular 4 piece bamboo shinai (or carbon fibre), and train with suburi bokken if you want some extra ummfff...

Just my opinion though.

[xvikingx]

"6 slat bamboo telephone pole...."

Ha-! yeah everyone would leave class at least an inch shorter! :ko:

[eKenshi]

good one, :dead: i try hammering a nuisance. :dead:

[kenshinkan]

i just got a 6'er as a present, lets do some keiko ;);)

[elfboy]

Ok... so I'm confused here. I'd really like to invest in something for suburi practice but looking at the wide selection of suburi shinai and bokuto, I'm lost as to what to get. What's the difference in training with a 6 part shinai than a suburi bokuto? I assume that both work off the basic precept that if you swing something heavy, you'll develop forearm muscles. But, can anyone tell me what the advantages/disadvantages between the two, or is it just personal preference?

Personally, my hands get sweaty easily and the tsukagawa leather absorbs the sweat nicely but I can only imagine what would happen if the sweat on a bokken caused me to let it go midswing.... there goes the chandelier! :o!

[Raiza]

Personally, my hands get sweaty easily and the tsukagawa leather absorbs the sweat nicely but I can only imagine what would happen if the sweat on a bokken caused me to let it go midswing.... there goes the chandelier! :o!

You could use kote with suburi bokuto...

[justforkendo]

Ok... so I'm confused here. I'd really like to invest in something for suburi practice but looking at the wide selection of suburi shinai and bokuto, I'm lost as to what to get. What's the difference in training with a 6 part shinai than a suburi bokuto? I assume that both work off the basic precept that if you swing something heavy, you'll develop forearm muscles. But, can anyone tell me what the advantages/disadvantages between the two,

The differance between a suburi shinai and bokuto is in the handle. The bokuto is oval shaped so while you are doing suburi you will learn to do tenuchi.　Ｉ suggest the bokuto

[lwegerich]

(...) that if you swing something heavy, you'll develop forearm muscles.

I think this is a common misperception in the "western world" where most people are used to use strength and power in "sports".

Yes, we need quite an amount of muscles for doing Kendo, but good muscles alone are not the key to fluid, strong and quick movements.

Using heavier shinais / bokutos has a different huge advantage over lighter ones. Using heavier gear "forces" you in a natural way to align your whole body to achieve your goal, here swinging the shinai doing suburis.

You can swing a light shinai like you want and use force (muscle strenght) to adjust the movement. The outcome is probably a stroke which is done by the arms only, in one word it's isolated.

Using heavier shinais "exhausts" your muscle strength quicker so the whole body has to move properly, no isolated movements. If you reach that point of training where a men stroke is done with the whole body you can easily switch to lighter / standard shinais and get even more quick and powerful because you sensed the right "idea" of the stroke.

[eKenshi]

ICIC,talking about the bokuto,which is better/nicer the red oak or the black oak?

[xvikingx]

ICIC,talking about the bokuto,which is better/nicer the red oak or the black oak?

Unless you are actually planning to fight with it, the type of wood it made of doesn't really matter. So go with what is cheaper or what ever you think is pretty. Black oak?

[eKenshi]

Say,which online shop is better?
Tozando?e-Bogu?Kendoshop? :cheeky: