zen

[Kendoboy]

A number of us have been in contact with some very experienced and knowlegable kendoka. What has been the most interesting/helpful advice or info you've heard from a sensai or sempai?

[Kuri]

Relax Relax Relax

[alexpollijr]

Don't give up and Don't expect immediate results. .

[KhawMengLee]

Hmmnnn...A Shidan drew this up for me in my Kendo Dairy.

Its a rectangle with a line running from the top left corner to the bottom right corner.

The bottom line represents spirit and time, and the verticle one physical strenght.

When we start kendo we use a lot of physical aspects in our kendo but as we progress with age we gain more in spirit and skill and require less physical strength.


PEACE
MENG

[Ares2907]

.

[Kendoboy]

Relax....

I've heard that like 50 times. I've heard some great things from my sensei in the past month, but can't remember. Good reason to start a kendo diary....

[qpuppy]

"High Risk... High Return
Low Risk.... Low Return"

- Words from the famous Toda Sensei....

[akihiro]

If you are able to say "kote" when striking kote-men, that is telling you that your kote-men interval is too slow and/or large.

[mingshi]

:cheerful: I'd be very likely to fall into narcissism if any Senpai/Sensei say this to me:

"Your Kendo is improving."

My favourite line within the dojo is:

"Kirikaeshi--------!!!"/ "Kakari Keiko--------!!!!":eek:

[stakenaka]

Attack, Attack, Attack!! But Kendo is not suicide!

[ben]

Ares - your reply is excellent, but something's still missing...
;)
b

[akihiro]

Cut your toenails!!!

[David J]

I think this came from a book actually...

Commit to every cut/technique as if it is your last one, then you will have no regrets after the end of keiko

<rei>

Dave

[stakenaka]

"The amount of friends you make in Kendo is directly proportional to the frequency of washing your uwagi."

[kendokamax]

"this is stupid kendo"
"this is good kendo"
"this is kendo"

[kendokamax]

ah ya also
"keep the center"
"kendo is not ping-pong"

so many good advices

[Kendoboy]

Keep em coming!!

[David J]

From a book again....("Flashing Steel")

"A master is simply a novice who has performed the techniques millions of times"

And on the earlier subject of flattery, I had, after a couple of months, what I think of as the ultimate Kendo compliment. I was doing Kirikaeshi with a senior, and giving it my all. Afterwards he said:

"That was....almost very good"

To me, that says it all....

<rei>

Dave

[Confound]

Not the best advice, but the most unusual:
"Your kamae shoudl reflect the world."
Think about it. I'm still wondering what it means. The sensei explained that chudan kamae is the centre of the 'kendou world' and that chudan kamae is in the shape of an egg, like the world. He was grasping near the end of his explanation. I think he was just pulling my leg. read into it what you will.

c

[David J]

Or he could have been referring to the chudan:earth, jodan:fire etc thing?

<rei>

Dave

[JSchmidt]

Chudan is water.:D

Jakob

[David J]

D'oh!

[David J]

Hey Kendoboy....can I ask the significance of the thread title? A little misleading, non?

<rei>

Dave

[Ares2907]

Originally posted by ben
Ares - your reply is excellent, but something's still missing...
;)
b

This is true. It is missing nothing. . .

[ben]

Much better! But for that you still receive thrity blows of my shinai...
PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON! PON!
:D
b

[KenD'OH]

Originally posted by akihiro
Cut your toenails!!!

:D

[Confound]

No, my sensei wanted me to have a fuller chudan that 'embraces' the opponent. He wanted me to be more relaxed and flexible. I'm absolutely certain it had nothing to do with the elemental associations of each kamae.

Personally, I would think he means embracing the opponent. There is the element of your spirit as well, and if you are able to project your desire to cut down and master your opponent through an aggressive and yet responsive chudan no kamae, then you have already won the match.

then again, he could have been talking without meaning altogether. I've discovered that it's a very popular kind of discourse in this part of the world.

c

[AlexM]

Words of wisdom:

"Don't be afraid of the shinai"

"Kendo is not sumo!"

"Relax"

[kendokamax]

no alex you didnt get it right!

it was:

"This is kendo!, No sumo!"

......

encho.......

[inner_cent]

Originally posted by AlexM
Words of wisdom:

"Don't be afraid of the shinai"



I think this is more or less I will take first..... Doesn't anyone of you feel that, through out the course of your Kendo life, there are times/period where you somehow feel..... "Afraid" of getting hit or lose a point, and ends up very defensive of your kendo.
I know msot of times, it is all about the mind, but sometimes (or most of time), we just couldn't shake the feeling off.....

(Thank god I actually managed to shake that off for 10 minutes when I was doing my grading........)

[reicheru]

From my college sensei, suddenly assuming jodan and staring at me menacingly from across the room (not during keiko) -- "Reicheru, you are going to die." Everyone laughed, but it was a sort of nervous laugh. Scared the shit out of me, and I think I've taken kendo more seriously ever since 'cause I knew that if he had meant it, well, I wouldn't be writing this post today!

[Kendoboy]

About the thread title, I just pictured some aging monk saying zen like things like;

"your kamae should reflect the world"

and;

"Commit to every cut/technique as if it is your last one, then you will have no regrets"

[JSchmidt]

Hmmm..I had the opposite experience. Having practiced jodan in the previous fight, a senior comes up to me and asks for the next fight and says : "If you do that jodan shit, I'll tear your head off".
(At that point I wasnt planning to jodan with him, but when I finally did, my head stayed firmly attached to my neck).

Jakob

[Confound]

Kendoboy,

Then i'm glad to gratify you.

c

[lewis]

A japanese (former policeman) samdan at my university always tried very hard to teach us "the essence" of kendo. One day, he brought in a large mixing bowl filled with water and set it on the floor. He had all the students stand around the bowl after the water had stopped splashing, and dropped a rock into it.

He said, "To do good kendo, your mind must be like still water so you can react naturally to an opening."

[kendokamax]

oh that's the definition of musshin isnt it?

[Kendoka]

Never give up, never retire and don't tell sensei to get stuffed.

[David J]

On cultivating tenouchi:

The men cut should feel like you are a ringing a bell with the shinai, not trying to knock it across the dojo*

<rei>

*: (c) Supernils? I think...

[Nishi]

Relax completley....breath deeply....store air in belly.....watch the eyes....perceive the moment...attack men....again and again and again.

[roar]

"kendo is easy. Just lift the sword up-and put it down. But you have to know WHEN."

[Matthew Lagden]

something the senpai (sp?) said, when Sensei was away and he was taking the class

treat every cut as though it was your last ever cut.

i had tended to hold something back to conserve strength etc for the duration of keiko - but then i tried to do as he said, and although i was even more exhausted than usual, my cuts were better (for a while at least)