do you shave your shinai???

[Mitsurugi_xx]

there's a Taiwanese dude in my dojo who shaves his shinai.. he'd shave the inside top 40 cm of his shinai.. and add wax to the bottom part near the handle. After he does it, the shinai doesn't feel any lighter, but when you swing it it feels like a tooth pick. Just wondering does anyone here do the same thing? he's busted 4 shinais already in 2 months' time.. and i'm not talking about minor chips.. the bamboo just splits in half down the length of the shinai..

[steliosk]

I have not heard of that before. I am not too experienced, so I do not know if that is useful. All I shave are the sides, to allow the staves to move more freely and remove the sharp edges. Anyone else shaved the inside before?

[sminki]

He's obviously doing it to shift the weight balance toward the tsuka so that it'll still be heavy enough per regulation, but light to make the swing faster.

I think this is typical competition-minded cutting corner of which one should be ASHAMED. I've heard of a lot of things like this that some weak minded people do to gain an edge in competition, but this one certainly takes the cake. Furthermore, by doing this I think this guy is compromising safety issues which even puts other kenshi in danger. His shinai (as you have pointed out) are much more prone to breaking and splintering following this type of modification thus put people at increased risk of having the shinai bust in people's faces. I think this is ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE.

[steliosk]

Hmm... that is a good point sminki.... the whole "shaving shinai to save weight" ties in with the trend towards competition/sport kendo :(
Anything that could end up injuring your sparring partner would be a bad thing. Why does he not just buy a dobari shinai instead? Safer and close to the same result.

[Yowai]

I think this is typical competition-minded cutting corner of which one should be ASHAMED. I've heard of a lot of things like this that some weak minded people do to gain an edge in competition, but this one certainly takes the cake. Furthermore, by doing this I think this guy is compromising safety issues which even puts other kenshi in danger. His shinai (as you have pointed out) are much more prone to breaking and splintering following this type of modification thus put people at increased risk of having the shinai bust in people's faces. I think this is ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE.


A wail of a losing dog.

[sminki]

A wail of a losing dog.

Very funny Yowai, but this sort of blatant disregard for other people's safety ticks me off to no end.

[DCPan]

there's a Taiwanese dude in my dojo who shaves his shinai.. he'd shave the inside top 40 cm of his shinai.. and add wax to the bottom part near the handle. After he does it, the shinai doesn't feel any lighter, but when you swing it it feels like a tooth pick. Just wondering does anyone here do the same thing? he's busted 4 shinais already in 2 months' time.. and i'm not talking about minor chips.. the bamboo just splits in half down the length of the shinai..

Tricks like this have already been done by a lot of high school kids in Japan.

That's why there's the "new" rule about tip diameter for shinai....If you shave the shinai tip down, you won't make the minimum diameter rule unless you are REALLY creative on the way with which you shave it down....

Personally, I have no respect for those folks either....

:D

[AlexM]

I now shave down the sides of each individual latice (take) on new shinai. When a shinai is brand new the edges tend to be "sharp": I do it not to take weight off but on the assumption that the sharp edges splinter faster.

The kezuri is a perfect tool for this by the way.

http://members.rogers.com/mississauga-kendo/shinai_mtce.html

[litige]

I'm too lazy to shave my balls, my shinai wouldn't even come to my mind.

[not-I]

I'm too lazy to shave my balls, my shinai wouldn't even come to my mind.
LOL, litige!

as soon as i saw the title of this thread, i knew it was a set-up for someone with a decent punchline. glad it wasn't a troll. :wink:

not-I.

[litige]

Well thank you young man. :wink:

[Mitsurugi_xx]

He's obviously doing it to shift the weight balance toward the tsuka so that it'll still be heavy enough per regulation, but light to make the swing faster.

I think this is typical competition-minded cutting corner of which one should be ASHAMED. I've heard of a lot of things like this that some weak minded people do to gain an edge in competition, but this one certainly takes the cake. Furthermore, by doing this I think this guy is compromising safety issues which even puts other kenshi in danger. His shinai (as you have pointed out) are much more prone to breaking and splintering following this type of modification thus put people at increased risk of having the shinai bust in people's faces. I think this is ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE.
I agree man.. he's been doing it for so long that all the other "unmodified" shinais are too heavy for him.. even though he's a huge guy 200+ pounds. He uses them not only for competition.. but for everyday practice too... it's so dangerous cause he never notices when his shinai is busted. he just keeps using it... not only that he blames other for busting his shinai up... I think there should be some sorta regulation in clubs as well.. to protect others..

[DCPan]

I agree man.. he's been doing it for so long that all the other "unmodified" shinais are too heavy for him.. even though he's a huge guy 200+ pounds. He uses them not only for competition.. but for everyday practice too... it's so dangerous cause he never notices when his shinai is busted. he just keeps using it... not only that he blames other for busting his shinai up... I think there should be some sorta regulation in clubs as well.. to protect others..

Well, if you casually mention to the sensei how "cool" and balanced your dojomate's shinai is so that your sensei gives your dojomate's shinai a try, that would end it rather quickly.

My sensei would kick my *** if he caught me with a shinai like that....

As for shaving the sharp edges of the shinai, an alternate method is burnishing the edge against a hard surface....

:D

[DCPan]

I agree man.. he's been doing it for so long that all the other "unmodified" shinais are too heavy for him.. even though he's a huge guy 200+ pounds...

Is he the guy with the Taiwanese flag on his uniform that I see at Taikais?

Or is he the guy with the kanji "Dragon's spirit" on his nafuda/zekken?

Just curious....

[LNGUYEN]

According to some women, waxing is better than shaving. I sometimes shave my lovely shinai all the way down to the legs, then wax it one more time for silky smooth effect. Good buy aligator, hello sexy shinai

[Migoto]

I was just at a seminar with four or five high ranking Sensei and the lead Sensei an 8th-Dan not only shaves his shinai but also sat us all down for about 30 minutes to walk us through just how to do it. He said that since some people may not have the chance to test swing shinai before we buy them we have to learn how to custom balance them so they swing well for us. He did not say any thing along the lines of it would help you cheat to have a super light shinai. He did not say anything about competition at all. He did say that beginners should have lighter shinai then more experienced Kenshi and that as you progress to higher ranks you should have a heavier shinai but “you should handle it so that it looks light”. I had a chance to swing his shinai and it was very heavy and this was the one he shaved down! It appeared to be almost solid bamboo. This was from an 8th-Dan who started Kendo in Japan some years BEFORE WWII.

[steliosk]

According to some women, waxing is better than shaving. I sometimes shave my lovely shinai all the way down to the legs, then wax it one more time for silky smooth effect. Good buy aligator, hello sexy shinai LOL
Just where I thought the thread could not get worse, comes this reply! :grin:

[Hai_hai]

there's a Taiwanese dude in my dojo who shaves his shinai.. he'd shave the inside top 40 cm of his shinai.. and add wax to the bottom part near the handle. After he does it, the shinai doesn't feel any lighter, but when you swing it it feels like a tooth pick. Just wondering does anyone here do the same thing? he's busted 4 shinais already in 2 months' time.. and i'm not talking about minor chips.. the bamboo just splits in half down the length of the shinai..

Well, the shinai is relatively light as it is. If you are properly swinging the shinai, it should feel the same for the left arm regardless of where the weight is distributed.

[Shogun97]

What is this rubbish about shaving?
You could hurt someone and that's not the point of Kendo, isn't it!?
I say take the Shinai like it is!
That's the best, do it like the old Samurais!

[xm177e2]

so this is my first post...
i do not have a schinai and i do not study kendo....
i have respect for the people who do and maybe i will sometime do it too...
but in the meantime i will fortyfie my strengh and my ability to concentrate while bullets flyby my head....
and by the way....
hi flix!!!!!its me!!!!

[Mitsurugi_xx]

Is he the guy with the Taiwanese flag on his uniform that I see at Taikais?

Or is he the guy with the kanji "Dragon's spirit" on his nafuda/zekken?

Just curious....
haha neither man.. he just started here... he did kendo for 7 years in taiwan he just came here as an exchange student..

curious man.. where you practice?? lol

[cockknocker]

What is this rubbish about shaving?
You could hurt someone and that's not the point of Kendo, isn't it!?
I say take the Shinai like it is!
That's the best, do it like the old Samurais!
You are so damn right, man! the way of the samurai is the best way of doing things!

[cockknocker]

so this is my first post...
i do not have a schinai and i do not study kendo....
i have respect for the people who do and maybe i will sometime do it too...
but in the meantime i will fortyfie my strengh and my ability to concentrate while bullets flyby my head....
and by the way....
hi flix!!!!!its me!!!!
bullets are for fags!

[xm177e2]

bullets are for fags!ey man what da fuck are u talkin about? what da fuck is a fag? I dunno what you are talkin about!...if it is something nice: My apologize!
ähm...i dropped my rifle....have to get it....just a second!...
so here i am again....RATATATATATATATATATATATATATA....aaaaaaaaa hahhh.....just jokeing...
do it like the samurais....go the way of the warrior!
as an old friend says: it is not about anger...it is about peace!...it is not about strengh....it is about grace!....
so keep these words in mind
until we meet again!!! (or how to say it)

[forbidden]

I know it is possible to buy higher quality shinais that are better balanced.
When it comes to sanding shinais down, then wax it to keep the same weight, the first two words that comes to my mind is : cheating , dishonorably

[Shogun97]

ey man what da fuck are u talkin about? what da fuck is a fag? I dunno what you are talkin about!...if it is something nice: My apologize!
ähm...i dropped my rifle....have to get it....just a second!...
so here i am again....RATATATATATATATATATATATATATA....aaaaaaaaa hahhh.....just jokeing...
do it like the samurais....go the way of the warrior!
as an old friend says: it is not about anger...it is about peace!...it is not about strengh....it is about grace!....
so keep these words in mind
until we meet again!!! (or how to say it)
Well xm177e2,
he is talking rubbish!
You can't know because you have to understand german to know this but he wants to say ' bullets are the thing'.
In fact he isn't even doing Kendo as you can see on his profile!
I think he just wants to make fun of us!
See you xm177e2

[Mitsurugi_xx]

Well xm177e2,
he is talking rubbish!
You can't know because you have to understand german to know this but he wants to say ' bullets are the thing'.
In fact he isn't even doing Kendo as you can see on his profile!
I think he just wants to make fun of us!
See you xm177e2
but it's funny to read lol... RATATATATATA... hahaha

[DCPan]

haha neither man.. he just started here... he did kendo for 7 years in taiwan he just came here as an exchange student..

curious man.. where you practice?? lol

PNKF :D

There's nothing "wrong" with prepping a newly-purchased shinai. You want to round the edges and stuff to help the shinai last. "Shaving" the shinai to prep it vs "shaving" the shinai tip to make it into a needle tip flicker are too different things. Semantics I guess.

Also, the high-rank senseis in Japan have the benefit of being able to purchase over-weight shinai and customizing it.

If you do too much with the shinais bought out here, it'll probably end up underweight.... :D