1st competition shia.

[neanderthal]

:confused2

i have my first competition on sunday.

any advice or tricks i can use?

im confident i will last only 3 seconds, but im hoping any advice will help me last at least 5 seconds.

many thanks.

:eek:

[Spendius]

Go for men

[ahmed61086]

Go for kote.

Dont let your opponent hit your men or kote.

[ahmed61086]

Seriosly though, there are so many things you will learn from your first few(first 10 or even 20) shiai that we realy can't try and teach you. It will just come with time.

But Ill try,

1. Try not to go out of bounds.
2. Try and stay calm
3. Do what you do in practice
4. Kiai loud

[NorthernKendoka]

I have no idea how long you have been doing kendo so here is my most universal advice. As I was told on my first shiai and many times since: Never move backwards.

It's quite common that first-timers goes into hiki-waza/retreating mode because the opponent puts them under so much pressure, that is usually how people step out of bounds. I personaly feel better after a shiai if I've lost by two full-frontal men then having backed out of bounds four times.

[Mr.Tvola]

Relax and enjoy it. Do not worry about the result.

[JoDuncan]

No doubt you know exactly what you should do:

Enjoy yourself
Keep it simple
Smote their ruin on the mountain-side
:D

[dwez]

From my limited experience the plus side of being very nervous as it's you first shiai means you could be facing Musashi reborn, it won't make it anymore daunting. Just try to take stock after the initial shock of being in a competition and remember you don't have long so try to attack so you feel like you actually did something instead of waiting to be hit.

[Whitefire]

Watch the Out of Bounds is a good one.

Keep it simple if you don't know a waza now, its unlikely to be a useful tool for a while.

Never believe that winning is everything. As some people will say just entering shia/shinsa indicates a level of success.

Also Personal Victory Conditions are always good, set them according to your opponent, when I was drawn as Gibbo's warm up fight (Round 1 of a Mumeishi 3's a couple years back), my personal victory condition was not to go out in under 30 seconds :ko:.

btw Personal Victory Conditions should be achieved 'normally' so if I'd held back and focussed on defence, and purposefully attempted to 'spoil' the fight that shouldn't have counted.

[SmellsLikeBogu]

I had one last weekend, and I went out of bounds twice :( and the guy scored a kote on me :(
anyways, I was backing up to much, the guy was like glue, constantly in tsuba-zerai .... the 2 times we were in normal distance, I felt in control and thought I stood a chance, but there was just no way to create that distance,

any advice on how to deal with people that stuck to your tsuba? I mean I hiki'd my way out a couple of times, but bam he was right back against my tsuba .... I felt weird and abused afterwards :p

[nodachi]

Make sure that you don't forget your zanshin. Frequently people will do a hit that would normally score ippon, but they lack zanshin because they are nervous and so it doesn't score.

In regards to hikiwaza, be careful not to be hit by it, and unless you are somewhat confident of your own hiki waza, I would use it sparingly. Most people can't do it well at their first shiai and so it really just drains their energy while not being solid enough to earn a point.

[Charlie]

Relax and enjoy it. Do not worry about the result.

Agreed. My advice is:

1) Be to your court on time. Pay attention to when you're supposed to fight. Help others in your club do this.

2) Know the shiai rei. If you're unsure how to bow in and out, ask.

3) Treat it just like a jigeiko at home practice. Do your best and try to win.

[Chaby]

Never move backwards.

It's quite common that first-timers goes into hiki-waza/retreating mode because the opponent puts them under so much pressure, that is usually how people step out of bounds.

Yep!
1st shiai=4 hansoku.

I'm still having nightmares about that day...

[JoonShik]

just make sure your match is long then your sonkyo time.

[neanderthal]

many thanks for the great advice.

ive been taght well and hope i can live up to my senseis expectations.

im looking forward to the experience and dont have any nerves now but no doubt when its sonkyo time i flash of doubt will come across me.

im planning on lasting 3 seconds and with that i will be happy as i have now self delucions of my ability. but to last 5 seconds would be great and to even score a point would be out of this world. my technique is sound but thats in practice. when it comes down to it its split second instinct.

thanks again.

any more advice will be taken on board and appreciated.

[verissimus]

A friend told me to warm up enough to have your kote palms moist with sweat (the kind of feeling you get maybe half-way through a practice session - hope you know what I mean). I felt a lot more relaxed after that.

[JByrd]

One thing that helps in high pressure situations is to prepare in advance as much as possible. I check my shinai, bogu, and clothes the night before. If possible I arrive at the venue early, and beat the rush into the dressing room. Basically I try to guard against last minute problems that might distract me mentally, and make it harder for me to perform well.

[Lady_Kitsune]

The first time I ever participate on a shiai I just dedicate myself to have fun and learn a lot, so my advise is for you to do the same, watch your partners, senior kenshis, etc. When you're in the shiai don't mind the result do all you know and already learned on classes and have fun. Is your first time, it has to be fun :laugh:

[Badtz-Maru]

Do you feel ready? Nervous?

That's normal if you don't feel ready or feel nervous. Nothing wrong with that.

If you're going to go to your first tournament, don't go to lose or to last a certain amount of time. Yes, you can learn through losing, but don't feel that it's OK to do so. This is a competition. You compete. Your goal isn't to go and learn. What do you think lessons and practice is for? Your goal is to go and do your very best Kendo that you learned and win. If you're telling yourself it's OK to lose as long as you learn, then don't go. You have to tell yourself that you will do your best and win as much as you can. Only after you have done your best and there was nothing more that you could have done, then you can lose and say you learned something.

Do you understand what I am saying?

How long you last or whatever is not a concern. If you lose in 3 seconds or lose deep into encho, you still lose. Make your goal into doing your best. If you believe in your best, then you will be fine.

[Alison2805]

Only after you have done your best and there was nothing more that you could have done, then you can lose and say you learned something.



You know, thats one damn good piece of advice. Thats going straight into my kendo journal.

[Stephen]

Definately agree with Badtz-Maru, shiai is no time to be humble. I can't remember where, but I read something before my first shiai that I've tried to keep in mind since - If your focusing on the idea that you will either loose or win, you'll loose. The trick is just to concentrate on each and every moment from start to end. The result will be the result.

One trick I remember being told prior to my first shiai (which paid off) was if you know your oponent is alot more experienced and your feeling unsure of yourself is to kiai louder than them (ever time they kiai) and hit when they hit (doesn't matter if either cut lands or not, kia like yours did).

Last piece of advise I was given was your first goal in shiai is to score ippon. Second goal is to win your match, and third goal is to make it out of your pool etc etc. Having small achievable goals helped take the pressure off. You can be proud of yourself for achieving every one of these little goals, as each will take you a step closing to the end goal of winning a tournament.

Good luck and have fun:)

[ahmed61086]

I also dont like that Idea, about trying to last a certain amount of time, or thinking its OK to lose. No matter who I go up against, I am allways trying to win, and thinking to myself that I will win. I have been doing this since the beginning and it helped me alot. I know that if I were to tell myself, that Ill probably lose, I would have no chance of winning whatsoever. And that if I tell myself, let my try to last for a certain amount of time, I would rather walk out of the shiaijo. I go in with the mindset of winning.

[Kenshi]

i have my first competition on sunday.

Whats the competition?

It can be a lot more intimidating to do shiai in Japan if you find yourself to be the only non-Japanese person in the proceedings. A lot more people stare at you, and you are almost certainly expected to not-win. Also, unless you are in a beginners compeition, you could find yourself fighting anybody, including professionals.

Saying that, my kohai entered into his 1st shiai last year as a shodan (beginners, shodan and below competition) ... and got 2nd place. Everyone was delighted and he got chatted to alot. Not bad for an Yank!

Anyway, its tomorrow right? Cant stop the train now!!!

[neanderthal]

No doubt you know exactly what you should do:

Enjoy yourself
Keep it simple
Smote their ruin on the mountain-side
:D



definately the best piece of advice ive recieved so far!!! :smiley:

ive had a very stressful week so someone is getting the whole load on them.

i will keep my technique and waza i have been taught but my kiai and forward moving is a one way direction. non stop and indiscructable.

if i lose at least its fair and square and i gave it above my best as my mind is not set to do some damage, well gain points while inflicting my best.

im honestly the lowest on the totem pole but im going to suprise them as im hyped right now as its only 12 hrs away. the fact that im a whitey will give then something to think about too, hello whats your name???? eeehhhhh???? MEN! OWNED!

:eek:

[neanderthal]

I had one last weekend, and I went out of bounds twice :( and the guy scored a kote on me :(
anyways, I was backing up to much, the guy was like glue, constantly in tsuba-zerai .... the 2 times we were in normal distance, I felt in control and thought I stood a chance, but there was just no way to create that distance,

any advice on how to deal with people that stuck to your tsuba? I mean I hiki'd my way out a couple of times, but bam he was right back against my tsuba .... I felt weird and abused afterwards :p


:alien:

you were abused - taiitari! and out size them, moved like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

thanks for the experience its all giving me ideas on what to react to and what to strike first.

[neanderthal]

I also dont like that Idea, about trying to last a certain amount of time, or thinking its OK to lose. No matter who I go up against, I am allways trying to win, and thinking to myself that I will win. I have been doing this since the beginning and it helped me alot. I know that if I were to tell myself, that Ill probably lose, I would have no chance of winning whatsoever. And that if I tell myself, let my try to last for a certain amount of time, I would rather walk out of the shiaijo. I go in with the mindset of winning.


in the past few days this has been my mind and i am going in to take heads home with me to show how well i did in battle - oh sorry we dont use the sharp swords anymore.

anyway i will give a few people a shock or two. im hyped up to win.

:eek:

thanks for the time and advice!

[neanderthal]

Whats the competition?

It can be a lot more intimidating to do shiai in Japan if you find yourself to be the only non-Japanese person in the proceedings. A lot more people stare at you, and you are almost certainly expected to not-win. Also, unless you are in a beginners compeition, you could find yourself fighting anybody, including professionals.

Saying that, my kohai entered into his 1st shiai last year as a shodan (beginners, shodan and below competition) ... and got 2nd place. Everyone was delighted and he got chatted to alot. Not bad for an Yank!

Anyway, its tomorrow right? Cant stop the train now!!!


being a brit i will dig my trenches and have the churchill spirit!

yes being the only whitey there certain draws their attention and lowers their expectations. i can use this to my advantage. my senseis are excellent and i trust in what ive been taught.

[neanderthal]

i will post the results tomorrow.

you guy can have a betting ring in the mean time.

how many seconds:

score ippon:

win a match:

get disqualified:

what are your bets. we can see who is the better judge of beginners character.

but i will enjoy the day as its special for me and a step up just to compete.

last week shodan and now a comp. i actually feel like a kendo player.

but hey so did tom cruise - lol

[Sutemi]

Just calm down, like others have said.

I like the comment about the 4 hansoku-ikkae. Jeez, man. I thought I was alone in getting destroyed in my first shiai so bad :D.

I dug this on my computer from my first shiai three and a half years ago. This is about three seconds after hajime, and I'm the guy on the right.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j128/amanoske/n83901226_30124300_6615.jpg

As you can see, that didn't work out so well.

Yeah, go for men.

[neanderthal]

well the comp is over and sadly i lost.

but i went in with the right attitude, i was ready to rip down walls. i timed my tension just right for release.

my kiai was powerful as well as my strikes. but i was out skilled by a better man.

but i lasted about 30 seconds.

first he got a sneaky kote in after about 10 seconds.

then he got a good clear men after another 20 seconds.

the guy reached the semis and i was really hoping he would win.

his next apponent went out just a quick so im a little relieved.

anyway next time i will try harder.

i really enjoyed the adrenalin rush of the build up and the walk to sonkyo. after sonkyo my mind went blank and the kendo took over.

i thanked him after and thanked him for taking my kendo virginity. ( i feel abused! ) ha ha ha

[Lady_Kitsune]

LOL, hope you had loads of fun and I expect pictures soon... or a vid.

I'm glad you had quite a good time and you can always try harder the next time. For now train hard and learn more.

[Mr.Tvola]

Good work! It is good you understand the begining of the match (going concetrated to sonkyo and starting to fight without doubts after that), that is very good! Please keep this experience and try another shiai soon. And keep us posted :-)

[neanderthal]

many thanks for all your support and advice.

i had a great time and released a lot of tension.

after the match i was smiling so much. i didnt mattter that i had lost. it mattered that i gave it my best shot and was out skilled.

this i can be proud of, sorry no pics or video. well there may be a video going around somewhere but it wasnt taken by my family.

after 1 and a half years of kendo all the pics just look the same so i dont see any point.

but as i said to my sensei and team members. i know i need to practice more and enjoy it much more.

other than that i have no excuse at all i was out skilled by a better man.

i was mentally and pysically and skillfully prepared.

anyway i was smiling like id won, it was so much fun.

next time ippon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sutemi]

many thanks for all your support and advice.

i had a great time and released a lot of tension.

after the match i was smiling so much. i didnt mattter that i had lost. it mattered that i gave it my best shot and was out skilled.

this i can be proud of, sorry no pics or video. well there may be a video going around somewhere but it wasnt taken by my family.

after 1 and a half years of kendo all the pics just look the same so i dont see any point.

but as i said to my sensei and team members. i know i need to practice more and enjoy it much more.

other than that i have no excuse at all i was out skilled by a better man.

i was mentally and pysically and skillfully prepared.

anyway i was smiling like id won, it was so much fun.

next time ippon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You conquered your initial fear, waltzed into that ring, and gave the guy the best fight you did. Afterwards, you learned a lot about shiai, and reinforced your interest in the matter.

What is this "like [you] won business"? You did win. :D

[nodachi]

No he didn't win... if you aren't first, you're last!

Just kidding,

In addition to the feeling that you were outskilled, make sure that you pick a lesson or two that you learned from the shiai loss. Walking away with that will help you to improve each time. It's when I can't think of something that I learned that I would feel like I lost, and that hasn't happened yet. Besides, we learn more from our failures than our successes.

[neanderthal]

No he didn't win... if you aren't first, you're last!

Just kidding,

In addition to the feeling that you were outskilled, make sure that you pick a lesson or two that you learned from the shiai loss. Walking away with that will help you to improve each time. It's when I can't think of something that I learned that I would feel like I lost, and that hasn't happened yet. Besides, we learn more from our failures than our successes.


:smiley:

its so true, i think i learnt more in those 10 seconds than 10 weeks of training hard. attitude is everything as is politness. i really wanted the guy to go all the way to the finals. but his club is pretty close to my house and its on mon wed and fri where as my club is on tue and thurs, mmmmmmmmm i could have kendo maddness.

if i could id quit working and get my physical strength up to a level where i could train hard 5 days a week. im sure id improve in a year or two to be able to get ippon.

again it wasnt so much about the competition but greeting familiar faces and making connections which could last a long time. as im at the bottom of the ladder i want to climb, but i would like people to share their best advice so i can become more skillful and keep on giving my best.

if i had won one match and then lost another i may be a little dissapointed as it would have shown potential. but as i lost easily i know i have lots of work ahead to be able to compete at a more respectable level.

:)

[dukboy123]

Congrats Neanderthal! I'm really interested in this thread because....

I have my first shiai in about a month. My sempais asked me if I wanted to fight and I was for it but doubted if I was ready. After they assured me that I would be Ok, I said "Then, YES!, count me in!".

When the tournament comes, I will have been doing Kendo for 5 months. I love everything about it but I would be lying if I didn't say I was a little nervous about the tournament. I'm not very good at ANYTHING so I really don't know what I will do when it comes time to fight. I can't pick a favorite waza because I don't have any waza to pick from.

I've taken all the advice you guys have given Neanderthal and put into my journal and I'll go over and over it.

Man, I'm getting all hyper just thinking about it! I can't wait!

Thanks Neanderthal for the after report. I really got some insight from it.

[Inner_Silence]

remember boys
out there in tournament try fighting for winning, not to avoid loosing.


of course its easy to say it

[Bokushingu]

congtrats Neanderthal. Glad you had fun. I wouldn't say that 10 sec of shiai adds up to 10 weeks of good Dojo training. But I really enjoy Shiai & I learn from it. One of the San dans from Japan told me that shiai is a trial of your training, dedication & kendo maturity. So you should go to as many as your work & family life allows :)
Good Luck at your next taikai.

[nodachi]

"My sempais asked me if I wanted to fight and I was for it but doubted if I was ready. "

You're never really ready for your first shiai, I think, regardless of how long you train. It's one of those things you have to just do it and see how it goes. The atmosphere and pressure and everything feels so different that it's a sink or swim sort of trial. But it is great for testing where you are at as others have said.

[neanderthal]

best advice is to prepare before hand mentally.

then at sonkyo let you kendo instincts take over.

your sensei really know what they are doing.

win or lose its a step up.

you have learnt something new and met many new people. now thats a good day out.

watch what the others do and trust in your training and senseis.

have fun and try to get ippon! thats my next goal. it will take a few years though so im not aiming to high. - maybe a kote or do.

let us know the results and i wish you the best of luck.

although your instinct will kick in.

those hiya subari and kirikaishi arent there to torture you. my action was kote men hiki do. ( try and avoid that as it did me noooooo goooood! )

[dukboy123]

Thanks Neanderthal...

The good thing about it is that I have a whole month to prepare. I told my dojo mates to not take it easy on me, to really rough me up to prepare me, and their response was..."Oh, like you need to encourage us to do that! Don't worry, you'll get yours!" Yikes! What have I done? :laugh:

The way I figure it though, I've been hitting them for 5 months so now it's their turn to pay me back. To tell you the truth, I have been feeling a tad guilty about that and them getting a chance to hit me will probably do ME some good, at least physcologically. :wink:

[Simon R]

Yep!
1st shiai=4 hansoku.

I'm still having nightmares about that day...

Haha, I almost did the same thing. My opponent got ippon, then I stepped out of bounds twice :nervous:

[DavidLee]

What are the dimensions of the . . . what's it called? Court? Ring? Field? In-bounds-area?

[Neil Gendzwill]

Shiai-jo, but we often say court. Nominally 10 m X 10 m, but it can range anywhere from 9 X 9 to 11 X 11 and still be within the rules.

[DavidLee]

Thanks, Neil.

Good info.