How do you cultivate your Ki?

[Aurélien]

Hi everyone,

Last night I went through a bitter tasted experience during shiai practice. From the moment we started getting ready for shiai to the moment I actually fought, I went through a few psychological disappointment (which shouldn't have been, but aye, I am not perfect). Each of those disappointment brought my energy down to such a point that when the time for me came to fight, I lasted 10 seconds and gone.

I was ashame and upste at myself for letting my spirit fall so much that when I walked into the shiai-jo, I felt empty, just a body without spirit, in other words: a barely moving target. It went to such an extent that I didn't even think or had the reflexe to kiai at the beginning of the fight which is for me, relying so much on my kiai, a huge disaapointment in itself.

I won't go through the details of what brought my ki down as it is not even the point. The point is this: How do you keep you ki up? How do you keep your spirit strong all the way from the beginning of the shiai until the moment you get into the fight?

I left the dojo upset and ashamed of losing not against my opponent who was much more skilled and higher graded that I am, but against myself who lacked controlling my emotions. Looking back, I think I lost the fight about 15 minutes before I wactually stepped into the shiai-jo.

I couldn't sleep much after that, not being able to figure out how to cultivate my ki, not only in Kendo that is...

Just to anticipate, I do not cultivate my ki between 1 row of carrots and 2 rows of lettuce.

Aurelien

[The great I AM]

It basically falls down to how you choose to let everything around you effect you, if at all.

In a recent taikai, a team thing, I was taisho for our dojo. In the first round I had to win 2-0 or out in the first round we go. For that match, there was nothing esle in the world but me, the shiaijo and the other guy. Hey presto, 2-0.

We got to the semi final. In the semi final all I had to do was draw, but this time I was thinking about the final, winning, my teachers watching, my sempai watching, my kohai watching, my friends watching, everyone else watching, and how much I didn't want to lose. 0-1, we went out.

I recognised that the reason I lost was not because of what happened in the shiaijo but what happend out of it, before the match, and the way I dealt (badly) with the situation. If you can't control your own reaction to everything that's going on, then you won't be in control of yourself or what you do, and this WILL be reflected in what you then do in the shiaijo. If you are in total control of your head then you can do what you want. I've had it before and since that taikai too, it's one of my "big things to sort out" at the moment.

Good luck, because I know this one isn't easy.

P.s. nothing to do with key. That's what you use to open your front door.

[ben]

What's Japanese for "knocked down seven times, get up eight"? Basically, if you don't give up, you can't be defeated.

If you can hang in through the bad days, you often find down out later that they were some kind of turning point.

b

[Josh Reyer]

What's Japanese for "knocked down seven times, get up eight"?

七転び八起き Shichi korobi hachi oki.

[JSchmidt]

七転び八起き Shichi korobi hachi oki.

I think Ben was joking:)

[bobdonny]

What gibbo said, Its important also as a beginner to be trampled like this. The sooner your ego gets smashed to nothing the sonner you can progress in kendo. If your ego doesn't get trashed you will always fight with a chip on your shoulder and you wont be able to let go of whats not relevent like gibbo said.

Basically when you are at the bottom the only way is up.

When I was a beginner I went thru a really long period of being the best in my group at my level (stamina, kihon, kata etc). But I couldnt score ippon months and months of gigeiko and shiai keiko and ippon shobu and I couldn't score ippon. It was really demoralising, but if you choose to push thru when I did score ippon it was amazing. And likewise if you push thru and you learn how to control yourself it will be pretty amazing also.

[Aurélien]

Thank you for your answers. It is very kind of you.

I realize different things following this event. There are many different feelings attached to what happened at this shiai. First, I try to follow my senseis spirit as much as I can and they always say 'consider this as a real fight, same tension, feeling of life and death'. Well, that evening, I would have died without a word, without a sound and even without trying to fight. I got so upset with myself because that day I would have died without honour.
Then of course there is probably an ego thing that I didn't want to see up until I read you guys. The fact that I got out of the way so fast wasn't surprise for anyone, it was kinda obvioous. I want to believe that it can't be so obvious. Yes my oponent was very strong compare to me, but I want to believe that I could have done at least better without looking like... well, like I did.
Finally, I felt like the ones who could help and ask 'Well, what happened? You didn't even kiai!' just didn't and I felt quite lonely in my own shame, asking myself what would they care anyway.

It looks a bit extreme maybe but kendo do count that much in my life and this experience shaked my core. I went to Naginata practice tonight and my heart wasn't there. Tomorow will be Kendo again and I wonder how things willl go. I won't give up because kendo means too much to me now but I wonder how long it will take to get over this one.

[The great I AM]

Finally, I felt like the ones who could help and ask 'Well, what happened? You didn't even kiai!' just didn't and I felt quite lonely in my own shame, asking myself what would they care anyway.
The only person who can do your kendo is you. Even if other people had asked you it wouldn't change the fact that you didn't do it. You have to take responsibility for your own practise, and in this case short comings, and learn that even if you have the greatest teachers and sempai in the world, if you don't do it for yourself you'll get nothing.

[Aurélien]

Yea you are right. I guess that is another reason why I was so upset at myself. I kept wanting to have someone to fall onto but at the end, I was the only one to blame.

Arf...

[Frame]

I eat 3 cans of beans religiously before practise, sometimes I throw in a tin of Heinz Teletubby pasta for good measure.

[Paburo]

七転び八起き Shichi korobi hachi oki.
i thought it was read "nana korobi ya oki"?

i cultivate my ki by listening to ratm full blast on my mp3 before kicking the living bollocks out of my next opponent :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-58-36lSqG4&feature=related

just staaaaaaaaareeeeeeeeeee

sometimes it even works... :D :D

[Josh Reyer]

I think Ben was joking

I'm fairly certain of it. But, hey, I'm sure a lot of people reading this actually don't know, so might as well answer the question.


i thought it was read "nana korobi ya oki"?

So it is. I've seen it written far more than I've heard it said, and I just spaced there on the reading.

[Aurélien]

i cultivate my ki by listening to ratm full blast on my mp3 before kicking the living bollocks out of my next opponent :D



A mate at the dojo does that as well, hard out in his ears to get hard out in the shiai-jo.

I wondered if I should try but this a total outside factor motivation and I want to practice self motivation, coming from inside within silence. Make my mind totally empty somehow to react quickly without any thoughts...

[LowFatMat]

Some of my best practices have been the ones where I really didn't want to go, felt rough, was looking for excuses not to go but went anyway.
The short answer to most questions about kendo is 'practice'; yours falls into that category.

Keep at it!

[Paburo]

A mate at the dojo does that as well, hard out in his ears to get hard out in the shiai-jo.

I wondered if I should try but this a total outside factor motivation and I want to practice self motivation, coming from inside within silence. Make my mind totally empty somehow to react quickly without any thoughts...

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=2142

not much into his music tho... i'll stick to ratm for the moment.... :D

about the empty mind thing, thats something i dont understand yet....

personally i have a mind full of tactics, fully concentrated on not lowering guard and into cracking, spotting a 'suki', not stepping out of bounds, how much time is left, what waza is working best, etc etc. its like the brain is working 120% into one/few things! that sounds far from having your mind "empty"....

imho think the ability to withdraw from external thoughts, influences, fears, worries, etc. and focus only on your shiai and opponent is what makes the difference. when you lose focus and/or get nervous, that's when you're about to lose... :D

[Masahiro]

I do not cultivate my ki between 1 row of carrots and 2 rows of lettuce.

that's precisely it, first you must get through the carrots and lettuce, and "then", (only then) can you move onto the lemons and tomatoes for they are the "ki" cultivators.

we'll speak again when you've tasted the delicious blend of kendo V8

[Aurélien]

Kendo V8??

Should I ask what that is or is it just a catchy thing?

[MikeW]

Life cultivates my Ki.

[Kenzan]

Bourbon and extra large Burritos.

[LowFatMat]

That'll just cultivate farts.

[Kenzan]

That'll just cultivate farts.

You say Potato, I say Potahtoe.

[LowFatMat]

...as the dojo fills with the smell of 'ki'...

Seiza is a dangerous place with gas.

[MikeW]

Sonkyo is worse.. ;)

[LowFatMat]

Not true - although sonkyo involves some high risks, you're in seiza for longer and everyone is quiet.

[DCPan]

Hold down A+B before releasing method of mayhem for the fatal slash combo. :D

[DCPan]

Sonkyo is worse.. ;)

Esp if you do freedom kendo! :D

[selegilineHCL]

I am not sure that this is necessarily a problem with Ki.

I wouldn't worry about losing or winning the match, but like you said, how you win or lose also matters.

Focus on your basic practice and don't worry about winning or losing, and eventually you will develop the right kind of ki.

On a more practical level, be sure your getting good sleep, having a good relationship with your wife, exercise often, work on your spirituality (relationship with God), and your social life. If you have problems in one place, often it means you have problems in others. If you want to fix your practice, make sure the basics of life are funtioning well.

That being said, start with a sense of gratitude that you realize how weak you are from this experience. Being awaire that you are weak is the first step to becoming stronger. Congratulations!

[sirius1906]

beat the crap out beginners, and convince yourself that you are god. :D