Newbie Going Solo...

[mingshi]

Hi all Naginata Senpai~

Irresistible to the Art of Naginata, I bought my own Naginata (bamboo tip one for matches) and it'll be in my hands shortly.

Problem being that there is no Atarashii Naginata Dojo + Sensei in the UK (nor in Hong Kong, mind you). I've only "learnt" the basics in around 2 hrs in total, and by watching a day of Eureapean Championship...

I'd like to brush up the Suburi and Kuruma swings first, and maybe some Kata, just to get used to the distance and timing...

My Kendo Sensei has granted permission to "swing" my Naginata before the Kendo session starts. I'll take full use of it for the moment.

Questions:
1) When could I promote into Sune-ate and practice Keiko?
2) Would it be beneficial if I go and practice with Kendoka as a temporary solution?

Still looking forward!!

[Nagi David]

first of all , look at this link :UK NAGINATA (http://members.aol.com/uknaginata/index.htm)
since I began Naginata I had to train in many differnt place. Sometimes I was alone, sometimes I was other Naginataka sometimes I even train with kendo ka. But this requires a small experience, because basic positions in Naginata are different than kendo. Remember this golden rule : your opponement is not suppose to see your back sholder. Profile position is difficult to get for someone who comes from kendo.

[R A Sosnowski]

Mingshi,

Contact me off-list.

What you want to do, I have done for a number of years, but there are some caveats.

[James]

Hi Jenny,
As you are in London - Rachel who made the UK Naginata site is in London at Hizen, I am sure she would be happy if you contact her about Naginata.

j

[Atama]

I just got my naginata for xmas and due to the lack of naginata in the uk I went out and bought my fiance one so I had someone to train with. We manage to get half hour a week training in before our sunday kendo class, but I am dying to fence some other people.

There is quite a bit of interest in naginata at my dojo their are 3 of us in Preston and another 2 up in Halifax. We need some kind of seminar over here....if anyone hears of any naginata practices in the uk please let me know

[kendokamax]

Thats so cool mingshi!

I hope you can find someone to spare with soon.

I have one thought about this, what's the difference between mingshi buying a naginata kit and trying to learn it by herself and Phorest trying out bogu so soon?

Both situation look very similar no?

[Atama]

I went into bogu 4 weeks into my training, and it did me no harm. I know of some people who have had to wait 6 months to a year before they where allowed in bogu, its beyond me why they had to wait so long.

[KhawMengLee]

Where can we practice Naginata formally in the UK?

I'd love to learn!

[Paburo]

you just want to join for the chicks baboon, admit it.

max, i think it's too different.

forrest goes bogu on early cause that's what his sensei thought would be best. not really cause he wanted to.

but mingshi goes solo because there isn't just any other way to learn naginata in the uk.... well, i hope that japanese sensei comes back to lecture another seminar there.

p.s. what are we boys doing in this forum? naginata is for girls!

jk

[R A Sosnowski]

Originally posted by Atama
I went into bogu 4 weeks into my training, and it did me no harm. I know of some people who have had to wait 6 months to a year before they where allowed in bogu, its beyond me why they had to wait so long.

Because Naginata training is not Kendo training in spite of the many similarities. The emphasis is quite different. Movement in Naginata is more complex than Kendo. The Ikkyu exam is the first time Bogu is required for Shinsa.

In general, people with no training in Bogu or no prior Budo training wait longer before training in Bogu. Proper form and body motions are emphasized before putting on Bogu. What one finds is that the Kihon (basic techniques) need to be relearned in Bogu in order to adjust for wearing the Bogu.

If you cannot do good Kihon without Bogu, there is no sense in reinforcing bad habits by attempting Kihon and more in Bogu.

Also Naginata has an explicit emphasis on forms, Shikake-Oogi and the ZNN Kata, and forms practice that is quite lacking in Kendo. So many Kendo Dojo simply ignore the Kendo no Kata until just before a Shinsa (maybe until the day of the Shinsa). This is a shame.

[R A Sosnowski]

Originally posted by Paburo

p.s. what are we boys doing in this forum? naginata is for girls!


That is a Japanese stereotype.

Outside of Japan, the gender ratio is closer to half-and-half for Naginata-ka.

And this is slowly changing in Japan as well. Some women do Kendo, and some men do Naginata now.

[Nagi David]

girls ??? what about Benkei ? Have you heard about Yamabushi?
Try to inform yourself before sending such kind of sentence.

KhawMengLee : Try to contact Rachel...

It's a shame I just realize many UK people want to practice Naginata and look for a dojo. I had a talk with Rachel and she would like to practice more Naginata with people from UK. So go ahead...

[Paburo]

hey guys, take it easy and read again...

in the former post said i was 'jk' as in JUST KIDDING. i was just teasing the baboon for crying out loud... tsk, tsk.

i do know naginata is not exclusively a girly thing. it's a modern misconception. though i find more interesting the naginatado vs kendo fights(gojo hashi, remember nagi?)... i even challenged our dear thread starter mingshi already heh heh :D

and nagi, of course i know yamabushi benkei, he's pretty cool.
though i like wakamusha ushiwakamaru way more. younger and stronger! :D

----

wakamusha ni
make oshimi iu
Benkei mo
kobushi o nigiru
taka no hatsuyume

Refusing to admit defeat
to the young warrior,
Benkei clenches his fist
just as a hawk appears
in a New Year's Dream.

[KhawMengLee]

shhhhh...paburo don't give away the game! ;)

Dave: thanks for the tip, will do!

[gill]

The biggest problem we have in the UK is that everyone who is interested is so far away from each other, and really the best place to learn is to go over to Europe to a seminar - I went to one in the Netherlands last year and it was fantastic.

Jenny if you speak to Rachel and Alice Graham between them they should be able to keep you up to speed on any seminars. Also, Alice does Naginata practice at Mumeishi before kendo on a Sunday. its not a formal club.... but with a bit more interest......

The intention is still to try and get everyone interested in naginata in the UK together - but time is a bit of a problem with the Kendo WKC this year

Gill :D