Left foot in the air during men uchi.

[kendokamax]

One bad habbit that stayed with me for a long time, I still do it sometimes but it has become less often. When hiting men uchi, since i give it all I have, my left foot lift up in the air.

Many people in my dojo make fun of me because of it hehe. However, I have seen a couple of people with that habit too.. Anyway I was just wondering if anyone else share or shared my pain of doing such a goofy looking thing.

It looks like kendo ballet :s

[Tato]

I belive that you'll get a huge vote on the crazy kendo option. :p

[saki_wooah]

haha! this is soo funny! I did it one practice, but it was because my left leg was hurt and tired so I wasn't really thinking about what I was doing.
I don't think I want to do it again. Looks sooo funny! Kendo Ballet or Happy Crazy Kendo?
That's good that you do it less often than before (back then it was your symbol, I could remember your name by thinking about kendo ballet).

[mingshi]

Dear Max,

Ah, I'm so disappointed... I can't believe you are doing this!!

WE've named this bad habit "Hooked Leg".

I've only seen kids doing it. And photos of Japanese high school competitions... Their body is bending too much forward when they step forward... If your body is upright through out you can't hook up your leg like this.

People can knock you on the floor very easily if you only stand on one foot, mind you.

[Will]

Usually this is caused by getting use to not doing zanshin after your strike (ie after you hit men your opponent blocked your escape enough times that you feel that you can't get by after you hit it). Best cure, of the leg this is just to think of zanshin.

[kendokamax]

ya mingshi you are right

when I do men uchi I tend to bend my body like this ---> /

[Confound]

I didn't choose the crazy kendou option. I've never had that problem, but I do wonderwhy your sensei doesn't just whack your leg when you stick it up like that.

Stand up straight already. You'd better fix those habits, or you're going to be beaten to death at the budo university.

c

[Tato]

hmmm, I must confess that I answered to ligthly to your question, but this is your fault by giving a "crazy kendo" option.

Now, I didn't realize if I lift my left foot or not, my partners never signaled this to me (and they showed me plenty of other things instead :( ). Will try to find out in my next keiko.

Rei

[AlexM]

Originally posted by Confound
I didn't choose the crazy kendou option. I've never had that problem, but I do wonderwhy your sensei doesn't just whack your leg when you stick it up like that.
c

Confound,

Do you often get beaten (lightly) by your sensei for bad habits? (might explain a few things) I can't imagine mine doing so, he just tells us what the problem is and it's up to us to correct it (that doesn't mean he's above tossing us around when he feels like it).

As for Max's men uchi...it's not as unorthodoxe as it sounds. It's dammed fast and it works fairly well. It just looks a bit ridiculous :D . Strangely enough the only other person in the dojo with this "problem" has the same physique as Max (tallish and thin). Maybe it's a physical thing? Maybe his leg gets caught in a draft and goes up :p ? Still, they're not easy to knock down. Only time I managed was when Max's feet were tied together (as a handicap) in an internal "tournament". And in that case I was actively trying to throw him.

[kendokamax]

I know I will get my ass beat up in Budo University, however when I go there, I will do as if I never did kendo in my life : a new start...

as for the remaining time here, I dont really care so much about proper kendo.


I just wondered if anyone else suffered the same problem :P

[Confound]

If you don't care about proper kendou, don't go to Japan. You're a waste of everyone's time, kendokamax. it's hard to start over. If you can do it, kudos to you, but I think it is fitting to point out thecase of a famous jazz clarinetist (who shall remain nameless), who spent his life playing clarinet incorrectly. At an advanced age, he wanted to correct his playing, but couldn't seem to do it. Eventually, he had an operation to remove all of his callouses, and started learning to play all over again from the very beginning.

Seems like learning it right the first time would have been less painful. In this case, he didn't have to do it, he only changed his style because he wanted to. I wouldn't think you're in the same boat.

about senseis and whacking:

I don't get beaten up because I've learned good habits. My first sensei was a push over. He moved away. The second and third ones are tough. I moved away from the region where the second teacher works, so I don't train with him anymore. My curret crop of senseis are moderate. I rather miss the pushing sometimes. I have one sempai who makes up for it though, he's a demon. We can't stand eachother, he doesn't like foreign women, and likes them even less when they have clean kendou. He's harsh, and I like it.

c

[kendokamax]

Maybe for you it is hard to go back and start from 0 but for me it is not a problem, I'm sure I can do it since I havent been doing it my whole life.

I may be always saying I do crazy kendo but I have good basics behind it.

When I say I dont want to do proper kendo it just means that I dont really want to try to improve too much for now, I will live hell soon enough...So I just enjoy the mean time by enjoying playing kendo.

I dont really think I will waste anyone's time in japan...when you are back in canada we can have one fight to see if I waste your precious time with my kendo.

ciao~

[Raiza]

I'd pay real money to see that fight!

But petty barbs aside, the problem and the reason why it shows up is because it's a way (not the right way, mind you) of reaching men faster. And in kendokamax's case, it's damn fast. However it makes the dou look AWFULLY tempting and nuki dou is a pretty reliable way to beat this IMHO, based on observations I've made and the dou that I've done. Even a slowpoke like me can pull this off. The Tinkerbell in you will be drummed out of you, Max, at Budai but you know this and that's ok. I'll be hitting your dou a lot less from then on.

Good luck at Budai and I should be watching you soon from Tateyama!

Raiza

[ben]

Kmax (Kpax? hehe)- you are attacking with your shoulders not your HARA. If you attack with your hara (in effect your whole body) and not just your shoulders/arms, then your back MUST stay straight. Then you're left foot will come up gracefully behind you, not kick up in the air like a friend of Dorothy's. ;)

I hope all your dreams come true at Budai.

b

[kendokamax]

hm naruhodo

just that i tried to get that extra extention with my arms.
I will try to do more kendo with my hara next practice ;)

thanks ben

hmmm but I hope i got accepted to budai
i feel pretty sure, but still need the written confirmation.

[KATSUJIN]

it happens when u push with ur left foot forward too hard and ur body is leaning forward too much....mostly due to bad weight distribution on foot...

[kendokamax]

http://membres.lycos.fr/kendokamax/the_real_men.jpg

you guys have finaly the chance to see the famous left foot in action!

lot of class uh?

[munenmuso]

hahahaha:D

[saki_wooah]

hehe so funny
do you have a pick of it in action? or that kendo ballet?

[Steve]

When you say problem with your right foot "raising up too high" do mean you are bending your left knee as you leap causing your foot to come up, or just that your foot comes off the floor? (Left leg remains straight)

The first is a problem, the second is not. Its fairly easily fixed though. We call it Humi-Gomi suburi, but i've heard lots of other names for it. Just so we are all clear, here's a description.

Left foot planted on the ground. DO NOT MOVE IT. Lunge forward with full power and strike your favorite target. Hold the lunge. Your left leg ought to straight (ie your knee is not bent) and your torso should be vertical. Your Shinai and your back leg should form paralell lines. Your "ballet" will disappear in no time!

[Steve]

ooops, i meant "problem with your LEFT foot" rising too high in the opening of previous message.

[kendokamax]

hey saki I have a scary news for you....
the left leg going up ...well you do it too! and quite often!!

[saki_wooah]

I knoooooooooow!!!!! wait til i shorten my hakama a lil bit I have so much problems since i got it!!!!

[saki_wooah]

I tend to go down when attacking too (?_?)
otherwize i step on my hakama ;(

[Phorest]

I think we need a pic of saki and max doing this in unison. ;)

[Paburo]

i've seen quite a few 4+ dan who leave their left foot fly. just not very high.

i guess kenshi must fly at a low altitude.