Seiza

[bokkenbreaker83]

when sitting in seiza how should ur legs be? should they be touching each other or a few inches apart?

[Anime12478]

I have been taught that for men, your knees should be 2 fist widths apart. For women, it is 1 fist width.

[Halcyon]

The big toes can touch, but shouldn't overlap. The rationale is that if you overlap your toes, an opponent behind you can effectively immobilize you with one foot by stepping on both toes. If your toes are side by side, it's a little bit more difficult to do that.

[kuzu70]

In our dojo, we are taught to keep the right toe over the left toe (overlap them), because when you get up, you get up with your right foot first. But what Halcyon said about not overlapping the toes makes sense too.

I guess it is just another one of those things where different dojos do different things!

[Halcyon]

Yep. That's something I picked up in iaido. I've seen some kendo sempai overlap even the balls of their feet.

[Neil Gendzwill]

I have been taught that for men, your knees should be 2 fist widths apart. For women, it is 1 fist width.
Most women from Japan sit with their knees right together and aren't comfortable with them apart. I tell our women they can sit that way, or sit like the men with knees 1-2 fists apart.

I prefer toes together, but big toe overlap is OK. Overlapping the arches or up on the balls of the feet is only permissable if you are injured.

[shotoblogger]

Do a Google search on "seiza". The first hit is a good article:
http://www.furyu.com/archives/issue6/Seiza.html

Remember, aspects of kendo like seiza are, at least partially, general Japanese etiquette, so you can find a lot of information in non-kendo-specific sites.

[Stefan]

I was told that the legs shouldn't be so far apart to make it possible for the persons sitting in front of you to ram their foot into your genitals:wink:

I was also told the one should not spread out his elbows to far because the make an excellent target for a lever attack.

One favourite saying of my first teacher was:"Japanese people are polite, but they are not stupid.".

[ratdeau]

The big toes can touch, but shouldn't overlap. The rationale is that if you overlap your toes, an opponent behind you can effectively immobilize you with one foot by stepping on both toes. If your toes are side by side, it's a little bit more difficult to do that.It's the opposite. If your big toes just touch and do not overlap, when an opponent step on your feet, you cannot move any more. If your big toes overlap, left over right, you will always be able to move your right leg forward. In the same time you either grab your opponent arm for a judo move or you draw your sword and do a backward tsuki. The best way to believe it is to try it...

[mingshi]

It's the opposite. If your big toes just touch and do not overlap, when an opponent step on your feet, you cannot move any more. If your big toes overlap, left over right, you will always be able to move your right leg forward...
Hold on... You can also draw and cut with left leg advancing first... and I m not just talking about Ushiro as in Seitei #2.

...What if both your legs were being stepped on? Draw the sword and commit seppuku on the spot? :rolleyes:

[kuzu70]

Is how you seiza a part of waza? I suppose how you seiza may be important to what waza one can perform from the seiza position.

[Halcyon]

Is how you seiza a part of waza? I suppose how you seiza may be important to what waza one can perform from the seiza position.Yes. In iai, proper seiza and how one lifts oneself out of seiza are important aspects of a waza.

[ZealUK]

Seiza comes from Ogasawara Ryu Reishiki right?

And who the hell came up with Tate-Hiza? Maybe its actually comfortable in Yoroi.

[Halcyon]

And who the hell came up with Tate-Hiza? Maybe its actually comfortable in Yoroi.Le Marquis de Sade.

[Mikeyprime]

I was told that the legs shouldn't be so far apart to make it possible for the persons sitting in front of you to ram their foot into your genitals:wink:


You know, i never really thought about that. But that is good advice. However, if the person in front of me is going to do anything back in the day, I doubt it would be to get up and kick me in the nuts. however.......you never know.