Musha
21-02-2005, 02:19 AM
I thought I wanted to write about what it is like to train in Japan for the people in England who don't know. I took some photos today but I don't think they were too good.
I went to Japan for a home stay two years ago and my host family introduced me to a dojyo in there town. I went back to England and practiced at two dojyos around Manchester for about two years and learned Kihon.
My dojyo in Japan is mainly made up of Lower school and middle schoolers and afew lower ranking men and about 10 senseis men and afew women from about 4 dan- 7th dan. One seisei always leads the class and the other sensei give help to any one who needs it on the way.
Today we went to the town budokan which has about three sections, a kyudo (archery) dojyo, a tatami dojyo (sports tatami floor for jyudo, aikido and karate) and a wooden floor for kendo. Today when I arrived it was being used for a ping-pong game and a badminton game.
After donning my gi and tare, do in the changing rooms I went to the (wood floor) number 2 dojyo where some sensei were busy practicing kendo kata between them selfs.
Later all the kids got ready for the clearning of the floor. Done in Japanese style of course, if you have ever seen 'Spirited away' you might know what I mean but if you don't, It involves taking a cloth, placing your two hands on it and running forward across the floor like a weel barrow race without the guy holing your legs :d.
Later was warm up, this was quite usual, ICHI, NI, SAN, YON, GO, ROKU, SHICHI, HACHI, KYU, JYU! finger spreading, wrist twisting, leg streching etc. Then we made a small train made up of three people to a carriages, kind of like an army running group and headed around the dojyo showting ICHI, NI, SAN, SHI and some thing in reply. I say Sore! but I guess they are saying some thing else . BTW All this was lead by the chugaku sei female senpai.
We then split into Sho gaku sei (Lower school) and Chu gaku sei (middle school) students. I was in the Chu gaku sei section . We then ran to the end of the dojyo shouting AAAAHHHH!! with the sensei saying, "Whats that!, louder, faster", "How are you going to be a kendoka with that slow foot work!". The shogaku sei beat us Chu gaku sei for loudness even with me on the chu gaku sei side .
Then it was Suburi using bokuto and shinai if you feel like it or don't have a bokuto. The leading sensei giving info on the way and pulling people up for bad foot work. One Chugaku sei was brought to the middle to show his choyaku suburi (Jumping suburi) "Do you think this is good? Your back foot is too slow" he shouted. "Show us your choyaku suburi" he said to a shogaku sei girl about 4 1/2 feet 8 year old. She did it quite well! Better than me I guess :d.
Then we started the class with seza "Shomei ni rei!" "Kami za ni rei!", "Sensei ni rei!" "#Onegaishimasu!#", "Otagai ni rei" "#onegaishimasu!#" "Uchi o toshi!" "Mokuso" the young chugakusei senpai said.
Then waza eiko (form practice). Mostly the same things, Kirikaeshi, men uchi, kotomen, kote men men, kirikaeshi (2x) combined with men uchi yohon (4x), men, kote men, kote men men, men taiatari hiki men.
I felt like I would die by the time it was kakari geiko time but I sneeked a few minutes brake and did it. Finaly it was jigeiko time but I ended up practicing more semei and men cuts with the sensei.
Lastly we had a jigeiko session for the big people and sensei only.
Shiritsu (Line up) time again and the head sensei gave his last thoughts on things to work on, kendo in general, grading passes and upcoming event notice.
Well hope some one will read this and tell my what they though . I'll try make some more post on budo related things another time.
I went to Japan for a home stay two years ago and my host family introduced me to a dojyo in there town. I went back to England and practiced at two dojyos around Manchester for about two years and learned Kihon.
My dojyo in Japan is mainly made up of Lower school and middle schoolers and afew lower ranking men and about 10 senseis men and afew women from about 4 dan- 7th dan. One seisei always leads the class and the other sensei give help to any one who needs it on the way.
Today we went to the town budokan which has about three sections, a kyudo (archery) dojyo, a tatami dojyo (sports tatami floor for jyudo, aikido and karate) and a wooden floor for kendo. Today when I arrived it was being used for a ping-pong game and a badminton game.
After donning my gi and tare, do in the changing rooms I went to the (wood floor) number 2 dojyo where some sensei were busy practicing kendo kata between them selfs.
Later all the kids got ready for the clearning of the floor. Done in Japanese style of course, if you have ever seen 'Spirited away' you might know what I mean but if you don't, It involves taking a cloth, placing your two hands on it and running forward across the floor like a weel barrow race without the guy holing your legs :d.
Later was warm up, this was quite usual, ICHI, NI, SAN, YON, GO, ROKU, SHICHI, HACHI, KYU, JYU! finger spreading, wrist twisting, leg streching etc. Then we made a small train made up of three people to a carriages, kind of like an army running group and headed around the dojyo showting ICHI, NI, SAN, SHI and some thing in reply. I say Sore! but I guess they are saying some thing else . BTW All this was lead by the chugaku sei female senpai.
We then split into Sho gaku sei (Lower school) and Chu gaku sei (middle school) students. I was in the Chu gaku sei section . We then ran to the end of the dojyo shouting AAAAHHHH!! with the sensei saying, "Whats that!, louder, faster", "How are you going to be a kendoka with that slow foot work!". The shogaku sei beat us Chu gaku sei for loudness even with me on the chu gaku sei side .
Then it was Suburi using bokuto and shinai if you feel like it or don't have a bokuto. The leading sensei giving info on the way and pulling people up for bad foot work. One Chugaku sei was brought to the middle to show his choyaku suburi (Jumping suburi) "Do you think this is good? Your back foot is too slow" he shouted. "Show us your choyaku suburi" he said to a shogaku sei girl about 4 1/2 feet 8 year old. She did it quite well! Better than me I guess :d.
Then we started the class with seza "Shomei ni rei!" "Kami za ni rei!", "Sensei ni rei!" "#Onegaishimasu!#", "Otagai ni rei" "#onegaishimasu!#" "Uchi o toshi!" "Mokuso" the young chugakusei senpai said.
Then waza eiko (form practice). Mostly the same things, Kirikaeshi, men uchi, kotomen, kote men men, kirikaeshi (2x) combined with men uchi yohon (4x), men, kote men, kote men men, men taiatari hiki men.
I felt like I would die by the time it was kakari geiko time but I sneeked a few minutes brake and did it. Finaly it was jigeiko time but I ended up practicing more semei and men cuts with the sensei.
Lastly we had a jigeiko session for the big people and sensei only.
Shiritsu (Line up) time again and the head sensei gave his last thoughts on things to work on, kendo in general, grading passes and upcoming event notice.
Well hope some one will read this and tell my what they though . I'll try make some more post on budo related things another time.