Height in kendo?

[opentarget]

Im going to be starting kendo as soon as I finish up in collage (4 weeks ish) and can hardly contain my excitement. So I was just wondering if height is of any advantage or disadvantage. As I am only a mere 5 foot 4”, I was just curious? Any opinions! ( im sorry if this has been covered in the forum before)

[hobbit]

I'm 5' 3" - you just have to adapt. Forget men against tall opponents, use your speed, and beat the proverbial out of their do at every opportunity :beard:

[Hai_hai]

Im going to be starting kendo as soon as I finish up in collage (4 weeks ish) and can hardly contain my excitement. So I was just wondering if height is of any advantage or disadvantage. As I am only a mere 5 foot 4”, I was just curious? Any opinions! ( im sorry if this has been covered in the forum before)

Hmm, did you skip English classes because it's spelled college.

No, being 5'4" is not a problem in kendo. Kendo bogu will normal on you compared to very tall kendoka who look like a large man wearing a child's bogu.

[Halcyon]

I'm 5' 3" - you just have to adapt. Forget men against tall opponents, use your speed, and beat the proverbial out of their do at every opportunity :beard:
no no no. NEVER give up hitting men. doesn't matter if you're opponent is the size of a wookie. you must maintain the pressure on their men. otherwise, they will soon be able to tell that you are only going to attack their kote or do. yes, it's a little but harder to hit a tall opponent's men, but the considerable length of the shinai is the great equalizer.

by the way, i'm 5' 5".

[Musha]

I am 5ft 10 not really small but maybe not tall either. Put I actually think that being small is a benefit in Kendo. In a book about Zen meditation it said you have to be like Daruma. I don’t know how many people know who this is but the doll is like a ball. I think this is good in Kendo and seems much easier for short people :).

[Tatsuko]

5'4" isn't so short that you have to worry about it at all. I'm only 4'6" tall and practicing kendo against the big guys. :) I'm only a beginner though, so I'm still learning to adjust.

Tatsuko

[Eldritch Knight]

When I was in Japan, one of the girls who I practiced with was 4'10". She didn't have the sheer force that some of the bigger guys could pack (of course), but she was 2nd dan, and still pretty good (she was also the sub-captain of the team).

[stuartwilson]

I was just in Japan too. I am 5-11 and had the opportunity to practice with a number of high-ranking sensei. One of these guys was a lot shorter than I am but had no trouble hitting my men. One of the things I have learned was that as people advance, they tend to refine particular waza that work well for their personal style. While all of these men were light years above me in skill, height was not a problem for this guy.

[ctan]

Hi! I'm like 5'8"; definitely NOT tall. I find that being shorter requires you to pay A LOT more attention to maai (and relatedly, seme). When I practise with shorter people (and this does not occur all that often!) I simply don't have to pay as much attention as I normally do to maai and it is a lot easier to put pressure on them. As a shorter person, I think the technique that you want totally pinned down is debana kote. That keeps your opponent on the defensive since he is going to think twice about going for *his* easiest target, men. I'm also told that one should focus on developing good oji waza but not be "passive" while doing so. Personally, from a regular practice point of view, I think the best thing to do is to develop a quicker response after a good strong (typically deep) seme (right after you break maai) on your terms, or, respond instantly once the opponent breaks maai***. The latter can open you up to debana waza or other counterattacks, but I think from a taller opponent, the risk is slightly lower since you need to "close in" more on him to get the strike anyway. You just have to be a lot more active on your feet to maintain maai and make sure that he doesn't close in on you, and that *you* are closing the distance on your terms; i.e., when you are prepared to hit.

My 0.02 cents anyway. I'd love to hear the strategies of other "short" kendoists. :)

*** I do agree with the earlier post about how when practising, we should still focus on striking men, btw. I think if you're confident about your ability to strike men even against a really tall person, it'll help your other strikes because achieving a good men strike off a tall opponent *requires* speed and correct understanding of maai and seme.

[Andoru]

There's this guy who told me after yesterday's training that being tall is certainly a disadvantage! :D

I'm 5'5'' myself. I personally feel that, as long as you're in issoku itto no maai, instead of being at toma (i.e. toma for you but not for him coz he's taller) just because you're afraid of being cut by the taller kenshi, then you're in a better position to apply seme and to cut. When you're in toma, you can't cut anything, while the other guy get to pick your men so easily. Besides, at a closer maai, the guy's cut may not be proper datotsu if he didn't judge the distance correctly.

A twist: I've seen Sano sensei "sucking" a taller kenshi in by purposely enticing that kenshi with his men, then apply oji waza when the other guy got "sucked" in and went for sensei's men.

Key point I've learnt:play to your advantage.

[samurai999]

in Norcal there are sensei that are REALLY tall. Over 6ft ! When you are hitting kote, it is as if you are hitting men!

Tim

[mystic_kendoka]

when you are confident it is okay, you can work around your height, but in the beginning, when u first go into bogu, or first jigeiko, you're scared, less able than everyone else, and short... all i can say is, chin up, dont cower and lower your head...

[opentarget]

Thanks for all the replies to my post!

[Musha]

One more thing I think tall peoples Do is much more open for Smaller people :D.

[dennis]

i am 6'3" im just beginning kendo...i hope it is not a disadvantage but on the other hand if im fighting someone who is 5'2" i should have no problem hitting their men

[Revenir]

Just don't raise your chin too high, might get hit by a stray tsuki by some overconfident shodan which'll proceed to flip your men off and incapacitate your breathing :p

[mingshi]

NEVER give up hitting men.
This is 120% true. The two most fantastic ippon I have got so far in shiai were both straight Men cuts against someone over one foot taller than myself. Also at the last WKC 5-dan grading, Uto-san (for those who know, she is even shorter than me, and she is SOLID) attempt Men on the tall guy... Sometimes you can get it by surprise because your opponent isn't aware of you'll be getting Men, so make sure it works!

Many senpai advised me a lot of things (because I am short ...5 ft 2...):

- Don't tilt your head up at all... You can look UP without bending your neck. Rather dangerous... Beside, it makes you look even smaller. So correct posture is the key.

- Double check your kamae... Because of height difference you have to adjust all the time. If you're not aware of it, sometimes it'll get either too high or too low... (Argh maybe it's just me on this one!!)

- Get better at Kote and Do... Kote is prob. the only thing you can get from Issoku-itto because it is closer than Men... Maybe I am wrong but in jikeiko I try one kote (or kote-men) after ever Men. Just keep practicing more.

- Given that in issoku-itto you are in disadvantage... either try sneak-in style (seme?) before an attack or Nidan waza... and more hiki-waza. Good ones.

- Watch where your hands are. Short people has lower body balance... If your hands are too high, esp. after cutting Men, you are highly likely to be off-balance (hmm been there, done that...)

- Observe the seniors... I mean the short ones... you know, Japanese sensei fighting against taller people.

Ok now I have to keep all these in mind... Speaking is easy, you know :)

[Neil Gendzwill]

Also at the last WKC 5-dan grading, Uto-san (for those who know, she is even shorter than me, and she is SOLID) attempt Men on the tall guy...
Pretty tough to pass 5 dan without a nice men.

[m_french]

To echo Mingshi, Uto is one bad-a$$ kenshi who never gives up! You should have seen her going against Ching from Sacramento at the N/S last year....dude is at least 6'3" and strong. She kept comming at him ....almost won too.

[Will]

To echo Mingshi, Uto is one bad-a$$ kenshi who never gives up! You should have seen her going against Ching from Sacramento at the N/S last year....dude is at least 6'3" and strong. She kept comming at him ....almost won too.

I'm sorry, but you're not accurately describing the beast of Ken Ching. This man, this demon-incarninate beast is something like 6'3 of rock hard solid kenshii. He eats children for breakfast to get his protein, and washes it down with a 3kegs of beer. He snores louder than the echo of falling rocks in a ravine. His vehicle of choice is a chariot of manliness. His lack of hair is made up for by his mustache and visciousness in kendo, and he wrestles with ogres for a hobby. He also likes gardening I hear.

He truly is a god among men.

[darren]

Personally I'm a tall guy and I have a minor 'fear' of shorter Kendoka. I do appreciate that often their Men is wide open from my perspective and I have a split second longer to see them approach.

My problem is that they are usually so much quicker on their feet. They can stop and go quickly. Add to that they when they play up at seme they are often too close for me to get a clean point.

My defense is to not let them get that close but to me this shows that each end of the height spectrum has its advantages.

[Sentunim]

I have a problem hitting kote on shorter people. I'm only 6'3" too it's not like I'm huge.

[misterkurukuru]

hey I am only 5'6''!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6'3'' not tall my ass!!! I have been known to rough house with the bigger kenshi. I tossed a 240 lbs dude into the judges table, and i beat Ching with a men and by pushing him out twice. It would be nice to be taller, but in the end the BETTTER kenshi wins!

[Zaphiel]

It would be nice to be taller, but in the end the BETTTER kenshi wins!
yes ...but if you are tall,that does give you a advantage....you've got much longer arm

[misterkurukuru]

I have the same advantage inside(close range) becuase i can make smaller and quicker cuts. a boxer with long arms is usually weak against inside fighting correct? you just have to know your strenghts! point gaurd vs center , wideout vs linebacker, each has a strenght and a weakness.
There is such a thing as short person kendo. I can come inside to a point where you can do nothing and I can do everything...of course getting that close takes skill ( a lot of quickness and seme). like i said before, the most skilled person will come out on top. not becuase they are tall or short, its just cause they are better. More than your height, its your skill.

[kendokamax]

I think being tall can make it difficult to hit men on smaller person. Of course the target is easier to reach in a way but on smaller person it is difficult to make a strong hit. I find that to hit a good men on people of normal height is easier than small people of like 5.5 feets and below.

[Kirin]

Maai is the key word!
Height is diffinetly advantage in kendo, only if he knows his maai.

[yangs]

Tall is usually an advantage in kendo if two people are in the same level. When tare-tare, or any othe crashes , tall people usually gain advantage.

But, it is not a certainty. Though, yes, tall people's men is very hard to hit, and he can get your men easily, his do is very easy to get especially since he have so man advantage on hitting men he will always try to do so.

Watch out for kote men from a tall people. It is usually a killer.

[samurai999]

I'm sorry, but you're not accurately describing the beast of Ken Ching. This man, this demon-incarninate beast is something like 6'3 of rock hard solid kenshii. He eats children for breakfast to get his protein, and washes it down with a 3kegs of beer. He snores louder than the echo of falling rocks in a ravine. His vehicle of choice is a chariot of manliness. His lack of hair is made up for by his mustache and visciousness in kendo, and he wrestles with ogres for a hobby. He also likes gardening I hear.

He truly is a god among men.

All I have to say is don't hang around too close to the boundaries of the court when going against Ken. I got tossed a couple of times. Ouch!

He is like a big bear. Roaaaar. Funny guy off the court tho.

Tim

[samurai999]

Minami sensei is pretty damn tall too. But not as tall as Ken. Watch out for his tsuki! Throws it hard and fast and if he does, you just pray to God that it hits its mark or doesn't slip off your tsuki-tare. Minami sensei is IMHO better at hitting kote and kote-men than at hitting men alone.

Tim

[ECL]

I'm at the opposite end of the scale at 7'2" I find men strikes easy as pie, but I constantly get hit on the do or kote by smaller faster opponents. Like everyone else has said there's advantages and disadvantages to all shapes and builds

[Black-Kendoka]

I'm about 5 ft 8 and i'm only 12!!

[Soul Blade]

Im 5'5" and in my training, I havent really had an issue with height.
I always use to sparr and even fight with people taller than me. I got pretty use to it, so I had to train myself, (especially when in the ring) to get in as close as I could so I could attack the body.
As for Kendo, I have only new with it, so I will let you know how I go as I am still learning all the basics and foundations of kendo..

[Nishi]

I'm at the opposite end of the scale at 7'2" I find men strikes easy as pie


Personally im 5'6". My opinion on height in kendo is that it is irrelevant. Correct training is the great equalizer. Height (or lack of) is a beginners issue.

[taganahan]

well yeah, height is irrevelant but it's like a bonus point if you have a height. i really have to agree that it is irrelevant especially when you're a skilled kendoist.

[DanDan]

I'm about 5 ft 8 and i'm only 12!!wow!
i was too! now i'm 5'9 and 13 yrs old! i'll probably be really short when i'm older tho...that'd be pretty funny...

[Twobitmage]

i am 6'3" im just beginning kendo...i hope it is not a disadvantage but on the other hand if im fighting someone who is 5'2" i should have no problem hitting their men

as long as you learn to use your reach to your advantage...someone here just mentioned spacing, though i'm too lazy to check who

[yamaguchi]

I'm 5' 3" - you just have to adapt. Forget men against tall opponents, use your speed, and beat the proverbial out of their do at every opportunity :beard:
This is so funny! Talking about height! We are just talking about height in Japanese Kendo web site.

I am 5'5'' too. I have been short since kids. I remember that 34shinai was longer than me when I was kid.

I have a different opinion about Men. It has been effective for me to hit Men to tall guys. They have a hard time to hit my Kote and Do, so I do not have to worry about getting hit those. So I just hit Men. Now if your opponent hit you Men faster than you, then you just need to practice Men more. That's all.

Yamaguchi.

[indigo0086]

I'm 6'1 and just started so I haven't been hit anywhere. I'm one of the tallest people at the dojo. I hope it doesn't work to my disadvantage.

[Random]

Taller people are a bit more intimidating, especially if you are short. ><
You have a small advantage I think, but you gotta have the skills.

....Unless you are really tall. Than you can just step on them. :)