Going through - straight

[IndigoGirl]

My sempai and sensei keep telling me to go through straight after hitting men as I have the tendency to move a bit to the side.
The thing is, I am small and pretty skinny. Some of the guys in my club are 20cm taller than me and 30 kg heavier. I simply can't make them move out of my way. I tried and rather felt like a bird crashing against a window.
So when we practice waza and the motodachi moves out of the way that's all fine but what am I supposed to do in jigeiko or shiai?

[LarsCW]

The bigger guys have a disadvantage to you which is their weight.

There is a nidan at the dojo and she is really fast and she uses being lighter and faster against the other guys.

I think you need to learn how to do this and just go in with a bansai mentality. Focus and even if you would bash into the other guys then so be it.

In jigeiko you could go in and try to do hiki waza.

[axeline]

I really feel pity for myself having no knowledge on how
could I defend myself to guys that are harmful..
And for you girls who has the capacity to do so, then good for
you..

I've tried myself enrolling once in a judo class, but
unluckily again, my body can't handle the pain.and so
I stopped...

[Suiken]

Hi IndigoGirl,

as I read in your profile you are rather new to kendo. If you did it a few years longer you won't have to actually go through your opponent every time as there are other ways to do zanshin properly depending on the technique you use.
For now at least I believe your partner should make space for you to go through straightly, by stepping aside a bit after he/she got hit by you.

Keep it up!

[GothMelancolia]

Hi
First of all I’m a beginner in kendo so if you don’t agree it’s perfectly ok.

Don’t worry about jigeiko

The first time I fought my sempai it went something like this

-Bam–meeeennnn (him)

-Ouch (me)

-What are you doing attack, attack, attack (him)

Uchikomi men — (me) - till fainting limit

The point is, your sempai, sensei knows you don’t have the strenght to push him/or her so he/she will give you the space you need. If sensei says go though, you have to go through don’t worry, he’ll step out of the way when time comes.
I have the same problem since most of the guys I practice with are bigger stronger then me. The important thing is not to be afraid of being hit and attack with all your will.

And, you can hit your sempai in jigeiko!?! Waw, I never succeded a clean ippon on my sempais till now, I mean without susspecting they left me hit them on purposse wich is most of the time.

By the way Wellcome to the KWF

[b8amack]

My sempai and sensei keep telling me to go through straight after hitting men as I have the tendency to move a bit to the side.
The thing is, I am small and pretty skinny. Some of the guys in my club are 20cm taller than me and 30 kg heavier. I simply can't make them move out of my way. I tried and rather felt like a bird crashing against a window.
So when we practice waza and the motodachi moves out of the way that's all fine but what am I supposed to do in jigeiko or shiai?

I'm sure you've heard this before, but try not to get ahead of yourself. When you're practicing kihon waza, do as your sensei says. Don't worry about whether or not things will change in jigeiko, or use jigeiko as an excuse to keep veering to the side. I did the same thing when I started (I blamed the practice dummy, which one MUST move to the right of after a hit, or they'll be in some pain) and it was a sad excuse when I did it, as well.

[Anime12478]

My sempai and sensei keep telling me to go through straight after hitting men as I have the tendency to move a bit to the side.
The thing is, I am small and pretty skinny. Some of the guys in my club are 20cm taller than me and 30 kg heavier. I simply can't make them move out of my way. I tried and rather felt like a bird crashing against a window.
So when we practice waza and the motodachi moves out of the way that's all fine but what am I supposed to do in jigeiko or shiai?

Whenever you are in jigeiko or shiai, you are just supposed to crash into them. Heck, even during kihon-geiko, if someone's mind isn't there and they move out the way, then you're supposed to crash into them. I do understand where you are coming from though since I'm not the biggest and tallest person in the dojo either. But eventually, you'll find out how to best position yourself so even you would be able to at least give others a jolt and possibly find an effective workaround and still show zanshin and all that jazz. Right now, you just need to get used to the fact that someone is in front of you and they may not move the way you want them but still be able to show that you can hit the target and not just avoid the situation.

[annoraderenart@]

It is okay that you are whatever size you are! Some of the big ones wish they were slight and fast. I have seen some tiny ladies (Ladies who make me look large) deliver incredible follow through. You will find the path. One time I all but punched my Sensei in the throat. I was sorry...He was pleased that I was going so straight. It will come. Keep doing

[IndigoGirl]

Thanks everyone for the replies!
Maybe I should have used a different title for my post, like 'good zanshin for the lightweight person'. I'm not afraid of crashing into my oponent but I can't imagine that bouncing around like a pinball ball would be good zanshin in the eyes of any shinpan.
Well, I guess I'll find a way. I noticed one of the other ladies in my club speeds off at a slight angle after a men strike. But then again, she has enough dan grades to do whatever she wants.

[Tort-Speed]

As b8amack advised, though it's a good thing you're thinking ahead, don't get ahead of yourself. Your Kendo "seniors" know where you need to get to and how to get you there so trust them. Going in straight/through is excellent practice as it will develop and teach you to use lower-body power.
Goth Melancolia reminded me of the back- (I tended to arch my back as we hit) and stomach-aches one Sensei gave me by insisting I crash into him hard enough to move him back. It paid off in my Ni-Dan test.
I went straight in, hard, as he had taught (being keyed up helped), to hit "men." The opponent didn't turn aside, we were doh-to-doh, my fists at her throat, and she fell over backwards. Perhaps good technique but a little embarrassing when she went down. BTW, I passed.
Recently an older Sensei reminded me to go in hard like that...I'd nearly forgotten those first years with The Terminator, I called him: if I didn't hit hard enough, he just kept coming, tsukie-ing me into the opposite wall of the huge gymnasium. Sounds like you have it a bit more gentle so hang in there!

[JByrd]

Thanks everyone for the replies!
Maybe I should have used a different title for my post, like 'good zanshin for the lightweight person'. I'm not afraid of crashing into my oponent but I can't imagine that bouncing around like a pinball ball would be good zanshin in the eyes of any shinpan.

My understanding is that zanshin is primarily a matter of maintaining the ability to strike again immediately after you have performed a strike. If you have good posture, your feet are under you, and you remain mentally engaged with your opponent, you are showing zanshin whether you collide, or go all the way through.

Well, I guess I'll find a way. I noticed one of the other ladies in my club speeds off at a slight angle after a men strike. But then again, she has enough dan grades to do whatever she wants.

The key there is to go off at an angle after the strike. Beginners who wish to avoid collision tend to go off center while striking, which tends to diminish the overall quality of the strike. Going off center while striking is certainly a legitimate thing to do, but in my opinion it isn't what we are trying to accomplish in basic practice. In basics we are trying to cultivate the ability to dominate the existing center by virtue of straight posture, straight footwork, and straight swing. Creating a new center is a different issue, and is more advanced.

[cesarekim]

My understanding is that zanshin is primarily a matter of maintaining the ability to strike again immediately after you have performed a strike. If you have good posture, your feet are under you, and you remain mentally engaged with your opponent, you are showing zanshin whether you collide, or go all the way through.



The key there is to go off at an angle after the strike. Beginners who wish to avoid collision tend to go off center while striking, which tends to diminish the overall quality of the strike. Going off center while striking is certainly a legitimate thing to do, but in my opinion it isn't what we are trying to accomplish in basic practice. In basics we are trying to cultivate the ability to dominate the existing center by virtue of straight posture, straight footwork, and straight swing. Creating a new center is a different issue, and is more advanced.

Jon makes a great point here. My sensei is always on me because I tend to veer off on my (attempted) hits. I'm leery of doing the full blast on him as he is close to 70 and about 60 pounds lighter but that's just the same issue as the OP for the opposite reason. I think that some of the bigger (or in my case short and heavy) people on here may also relate to this issue. I still remember when I bowled a person over and had him fly back about 5 feet. He was about 20 pounds lighter than I was but was significantly taller. I was really sorry to do that to him and was relieved to see he wasn't hurt, then again, he was right in the middle of kicking my ass...

[Mugu]

I've been doing it a bit longer than you, and still have the same veering off problem. I've gotten better going in straight now after I got a tip from my sensei: when you Fumikomi, Fumikomi your right foot toward your opponent's right foot - that get you going in straight. Of course, right after you need to start moving at a 45 degree angle to avoid crashing.

Good luck and Ganbatte

[rfoxmich]

My sempai and sensei keep telling me to go through straight after hitting men as I have the tendency to move a bit to the side.
The thing is, I am small and pretty skinny. Some of the guys in my club are 20cm taller than me and 30 kg heavier. I simply can't make them move out of my way. I tried and rather felt like a bird crashing against a window.
So when we practice waza and the motodachi moves out of the way that's all fine but what am I supposed to do in jigeiko or shiai?

Bounce don't crash.

[IndigoGirl]

Yep, I'll keep trying!
I have to admit that some of the tipps I got from my (100 kg) sempai are not that useful. "Eat more!" for example.