Learning to relax

[keithhf]

Hi Everyone:

I would appreciate your suggestions on how to relax more during practice. I've been studying kendo for about 20 months (a very short time by any standard) and have a difficult time relaxing my shoulders and arms during keiko. This affects my breathing and consumes a lot of energy. My wife (who studies kendo) says I think too much during keiko. She says to be more like our son (who studies kendo, too) and not think so hard. I'm doing keiko without my glasses/contact lenses in order to rely less on my eyes and more on "feel" (what sensei described as a "sixth" sense). I'm trying meditation, too -- not only to improve my kendo but my mental health as well. I started kendo relatively late in life (at age 43) so I look forward to every practice and like to make the most of each keiko.

Thank you for your suggestions,
keithhf

[JSchmidt]

Try to remember the feeling in your shoulders after lots of kagari-geiko or kirikaeshi. (Not the pain, but the relaxed feeling ) and try to achieve the same feeling during practice.

Jakob

[nodachi]

Something to work on at home in front of a mirror that helped me a little, although more practice and more time will gradually fix this, is to do some men suburi. Stop right at when you would hit men, hold the pose, and look at your body posture. Chances are your shoulders are super tense and lifted up. Practice this little by little at home in front of a mirror and work on getting good suburi with good form while keeping your shoulders relaxed.

[stuartwilson]

Good question! One of my sensei is always telling me to relax. Once he told me that I needed to relax my mind. After working on it, I discovered he was dead on right. I have also found that I am much more tense when facing him than anyone else in the dojo. I think it has to do mostly with his kigurai and ki, and also that I know he is more demanding.

[keithhf]

Thank you for your suggestions. I will incorporate each suggestion into my routine since they do not appear to be incompatible with one another.

Sincerely,

keithhf

[chidokan]

I get my students to relax by making them tired out, ie lots of cutting and running about. that way they are too tired to tense up!

[Old Warrior]

I am not an expert and therefore my opinion has little value. Nevertheless, I have observed then when I face clearly inferior opponents, I feel as if I can fight them all day. When I bout with those of superior skill and I ratchet up my intensity, I tire much more quickly. Similarly, Master Seong is easily able to bout with every member of the class (sometimes 15 or more) without a respite and without losing focus; while each opponent basically fights to exhaustion.

Conclusion, controlling ones emotions and remaining calm, at all times, greatly impacts the utilization of ones energy. It is ONLY necessary to expend considerable energy at the instant of an attack and then you must relax. Relaxation not only allows the mind to perceive all it needs to sense, but conserves energy for the next time it is needed.

[Hai_hai]

Your problem has nothing to do with your sight. Put your glasses back on and start seeing your whole opponent, openings, weaknesses, etc.

You are concentrating too much though, i.e. thinking, and therefore are tensed up because you want to perform "perfect moves", you want to be ready to react, you want to maintain form, etc.
It's like in any sport where you are swinging something, you need to be relaxed at some times and very tensed up at other times in order to get optimal speed.
You are tensing up when you need to, but, you are not relaxed (in the shoulders and arms) when you don't need to be tensed. This is where you do need to practice through repetition. Relax-strike-relax. This needs to be natural, doing without thinking, so you can concentrate on other things like your opponent's moves/openings and your strategy.

[Yowai]

Watched too many movies? Meditating will not improve your Kendo. I don't know from which manga or ninja fiction you acquired that notion, but I assure you that meditating is a glamorized concept of sitting and doing nothing.
You only have five senses. Kendo only requires two senses: sight and feel. Get in touch with reality.

[ALI G]

Watched too many movies? Meditating will not improve your Kendo. I don't know from which manga or ninja fiction you acquired that notion, but I assure you that meditating is a glamorized concept of sitting and doing nothing.
You only have five senses. Kendo only requires two senses: sight and feel. Get in touch with reality.

Diss iz whyz youz onlyz a 3 Danz quitta

[Onara]

Watched too many movies? Meditating will not improve your Kendo. I don't know from which manga or ninja fiction you acquired that notion, but I assure you that meditating is a glamorized concept of sitting and doing nothing.
You only have five senses. Kendo only requires two senses: sight and feel. Get in touch with reality.

I realize that I have only been posting here for a short time, but it really seems like you are a meathead, if you don't mind my saying so.

[Nanbanjin]

I realize that I have only been posting here for a short time, but it really seems like you are a meathead, if you don't mind my saying so.

c.f. Who is Yowai
Until it gets sidetracked by "Neil's troll post" anyway.

[Onara]

Interesting reading. Thank you.

[Nanbanjin]

Interesting reading. Thank you.

No worries.

[lwegerich]

It's like in any sport where you are swinging something, you need to be relaxed at some times and very tensed up at other times in order to get optimal speed.
You are tensing up when you need to, but, you are not relaxed (in the shoulders and arms) when you don't need to be tensed. This is where you do need to practice through repetition. Relax-strike-relax.

VERY good point. The whole tension - relaxation thing in martial arts (ond other "sports") is NOT about whether more tension or more relaxation is good. I's all about showing the APPROPRIATE tension, depending on the situation you're in. Sort of a ability to adapt your tension to the things you are intending to do. One can also say it is a "2nd order" ability.

Most beginners in martial arts are pretty much busy thinking of what they are going to do, which is natural. Another thing is that you might be scared a bit when in bogu and getting beaten up. This also leads to more tension. Tell you what, just keep on training and your tension will vanish.

You might also think about getting some lessons in an "inner" martial art like Aikido or Tai Chi. From my experience this is a perfect cross-training.