nihonme

[Confound]

This betrays the newness of my study of iaidou, but who cares.

In nihonme, when you turn, is the drawing of the iaitou synchronized with the turning? My sensei moves fast, and explains in Japanese, so sometimes I'm not quite sure. I've seen many pictures, many many many pictures, but it's always good to be sure.

From what I can tell, it looks like the turning, raising of the right leg, and the drawing of the iaitou are all sychonized. then, after the turn, it's all ipponme all over again.

I'm finding the knee turning rather difficult. I usually end up turning too far, or losing my balance. any suggestions?

n

[alexpollijr]

It's sync'ed but as far as I know, at least half of the blade remains on the saya until you've finished turning and is facing head on. Then the last half or 1/3 is drawn in the 'Mae' manner.

I had this hard time with the turning as well. Solved it by turning slower and opening the left leg a little in the beginning of the motion.

Alas, I've been out of iai practice for a while now due to a very specific injury.

[Confound]

Alex,

Thanks for the explanation.

It's unfortunate about your injury. I enjoy iai just as much as kendou...

c

[Charlie]

I'm an iai newbie, too, however, here's my two Yen! One thing that's helped me with this is as you come up to your knees, push your knees together. As you turn, you spin on your right and your left comes up. So it's sort of like you push your knees against one another, and they cross as you turn all the way around.

Hmm. That doesn't read very well...

[alexpollijr]

Confound

Just stumbled over a page that might be of some help to you.

http://www.hawaiikendo.com/lessons.htm#lesson1

It has videos and photo sequences of the first three waza.
As for the injury, I lost the nail of my left toe finger during jigeiko, so sitting in seiza was almost impossible. I could endure the pain and disconfort for the kendo seiretsu sequence but for the long hours sitten in seiza that iai requires it was too much. But I came back last week and found out that I'm not that rusty.

Good practice

Alex Polli

[yakov macak]

4WIW my understanding of the draw in 'Ushiro' is that it will commence by breaking the seal (push the tsuba with your thumb)as you lift your weight from seiza, then continues as you turn, until as stated by Alex, by the time you face your opponent squarely there is about 1/3 of the blade still in the saya. the draw is continued and flows into the first, horizontal cut.

For me, keeping my balance during the turn is about keeping my body erect as I come up from seiza. If I lean forward or back, left or right, then it is difficult to keep balance during the turn. I think the most common tendency is to lean forward.

[roar]

I have been taught that there are two options regarding placing of the right knee during the turn. One of them helps me do the turn more smoothly and balanced. I practise both variations equal much.

1: When you draw, leave the right knee where it is when you sit in seiza. The attackline of your opponent will then be just ouside your body on righthand side. I find this hard to do convincingly, balanced and powerful.

2. My preferred way of doing the turn is by placing the right knee closer to the left, and a little bit in the front. In doing it like this, the turn is rather easy. You then meet the attack head on.

Both ways should be ok for ZNKR, but you never know from year to year.

Anyway, I am never satisfied with more than two/three out of ten times when I do ushiro. Bad kata, beeeryy diffikult:cross_eye