Outdoor training

[aru-ma]

Has anyone here had club training session (including kihon, jigeiko, etc) on sand/grass/concrete(sp?) or other outdoor/ non wooden floor conditions?
Our club had to train on dry-grassy ground last time and doing fumikomi on pebbles and hard soil actually hurt, I even got splinters in my heel:( the good part was that we got constant air circuation.

[kendomushi]

Every year on Midorinohi (Greenery day, April 29, formerly a holiday for the birthday of Showa Teno) our club participates in a big shiai at the entrance steps of the jinja atop Mt. Mitake in Tokyo. It is held outdoors in a fine gravel/sand area. It doesn't hurt, but it is cold and doing fumikomi is completely different feeling.

[Charlie]

We've been stuck doing it on grass and sand a few times. Nice change of pace, but not something I'd want to do all the time.

[KhawMengLee]

Hmnnn....did a demo for a primary school once on grass(ie. cow fodder not the bob marley kind). It was wierd...ground was uneven and I got lots of little bindies and thorns stuck into my feet...nice

[Raígma]

What about these strange kind of "sheos" of cotton which are sold on some kendoshop sites?

[KhawMengLee]

eh, you mean tabi?

[Paburo]

i think so meng.

i wonder what would be outdoor training with geta and zori too.

would the footwork change a lot? umm.

[kendomushi]

I've done a bit of keiko outdoors in zori (if I'm not at work zori is usually what I wear). It is very distracting as modern zori are not made to stay in place when you make big or fast moves. My footwork and focus went to hell fast as the zori twisted and tried to shoot off my foot. Old style waraji (basically a grass/straw sandal that is tied on to the foot) would be easier to deal with I think as they would be much mor esecure though not very comfortable.

[KendoShiai]

Hello all. I just wanted to let you know, the place I help teach at on Saturday mornings is exclusivly outdoor. In the high grass out by Lake Ivanho to be exact. Lots of things in the grass that you don't want to be there. Then there are the fire ants here in Florida as well. Never know where they will show up. Its fairly flat but there are a few little dips in the ground and for someone thats done Kendo for 13 years indoors its a transition. Most of my guys there have never been indoor though. Yea the foot work is horrable. But until I can get them indoor there is no way to correct it. I and one or two of the guys were the cheap Kung Fu Shoes that East Coast Martial Arts Supply sells (a little plug for you there Bob). Its not to bad with them but still its not like the nice wooden floor that I have on Friday Nights. The real chalange that I am faced with right now is another place that wants me to teach one day per week at is indoor tile Basket Ball Gym. This will be interesting.

[xvikingx]

I think it would be nice to train outdoors for a change. I would like to give it a try, but all my classes are at night.. so its pretty much out of the question.

[Kendoka]

Originally posted by aru-ma
Has anyone here had club training session (including kihon, jigeiko, etc) on sand/grass/concrete(sp?) or other outdoor/ non wooden floor conditions?


Hey aru-ma, where were you earlier this year when we trained on the footy oval in Parkville?

It was quite nice on the grass, and the weather was a bit humid, we checked the ground first and took it easy at the start, but as we got going we adjusted. Toward the end of training nearly everyone was training as usual!!

And best thing was the rain did not start until just after we fininshed - and I was wearing my new gi and hakama, just as well, I may have gone even more bluer!

[aru-ma]

Originally posted by Kendoka


Hey aru-ma, where were you earlier this year when we trained on the footy oval in Parkville?


was this when the dojo floor was being refurnished? hmm... cant remember what I did but our club dojo floor was being refurnished too (must be that time of th year) we did PT (physical training) instead of our usual training. We did have a training session outside two weeks ago when we had booking complications with the court we usually use to train so we had to train on a circket pitch (like I said before, dry and pebbley)

[Raígma]

Check out this.
Enter the store of www.ninecircles.co.uk
Click on "Accesoires".
Choose "Iaido Accesoires: Clothing".
Look at the Tabi Socks T-3.

Those are made with leather. Has anyone ever practiced
with something like that? Maybe it doesn´t ache so much
wearing them.