Shiai tips

[daks]

I have never participated in a shiai before, and my first one is in 4 weeks time, I was just wondering if there are any pointers from experienced shiai-ers?

[ender84567]

kill them before they kill you.

[Wookiesmurf]

Stay inside the shiai-jo!

[hl1978]

Asuming you are new to kendo, don't spend a ton of time in tsuba zerai, shimpan are unlikely to give you a point for hikiwaza and it eats up your shiai time.

[daks]

Asuming you are new to kendo, don't spend a ton of time in tsuba zerai, shimpan are unlikely to give you a point for hikiwaza and it eats up your shiai time.

thanks for the help - well noted!!, I've been doing kendo for 3 years, but there aren't many shiai's in my area - so this time I could afford to go to one

[JSchmidt]

Go forwards, not backwards.
Be aware of the basic shiai rules (stay inside the shiai-jo, correct tsubazeria) so that you avoid silly hansokus.
You'll have 3-4 mins worth of work. Give it your all. The worst kind of regret is when you realize you didn't try hard enough.

[b8amack]

Humility in defeat.

[verissimus]

Going by my experience:

1) Visit the loo before your match. Just one less thing to worry about.
2) If you end up in a situation where you have back-to-back matches (happens as the rounds progress into quarter-finals, and then semi-finals) and the shinpan allow you a 1-min or 2-min breather, take that break, even if you don't think you're that tired. Take your men off and re-tie it.

[Bokushingu]

Make sure you get there on time. you don't want to miss sign in or shinai weigh-ins(if you have them). Next find out when & where. Where will your court be & and when will they begin for your division. Find out you meijirushi color & make sure you have both with you.

Once you have prepared & warmed up. Go around and watch the various matches before your group starts.(don't wander too far & keep track of your court) After you are done competing, stay and watch the Dans & Sensei's compete--great watching & learning experience.

Above all, enjoy the day & good Luck to you. ^_^

[GothMelancolia]

From my limited experience and besides what everyone else told you already

• Learn the commands Hajime, Hansoku, Ippon, Nihonme , Shobu-ari , Wakare, Yame, etc
• Don’t get nervous…shiai is the perfect opportunity to learn and practice with somebody you will not fight in the near future…so make the best of it
• Do your own kendo
• Most important ….HAVE FUN…………….. and beer after

[daks]

thankyou guys so much!!! so much good info - I WILL BE A TREE OF KNOWLEDGE!

[ShinKenshi]

One thing that I see happen with people's first shiai is that they go so far when following through and then they turn around casually, only to get their men hit. When you strike and try to follow through with zanshin, don't go too far and turn sharply such that you're ready to defend yourself. Also, don't stop the second you see a flag go up because for all you know that could be the only flag that was raised. Better to keep fighting and have the shimpan yell "yame" a couple of times than give up an easy point. And as others have said, have fun and don't get hung up on whether or not you win or loose. Enjoy it for what it is and watch as many matches as you can, especially the 3rd dan and up division.

[Neil Gendzwill]

One thing that I see happen with people's first shiai is that they go so far when following through and then they turn around casually, only to get their men hit.

The flip side of that of course is that when you see this happen with the opponent, it is an excellent opportunity to hit. Furthermore, the judges love to see a beginner recognise and take advantage of a clear chance, so their flags are much more likely to go up.

Speaking of flags going up, ignore the flags. Just because one or more go up doesn't mean it's a point. Many people will stop when they see flags go up, especially if they think they've been hit. If it's not a point, then your opponent is likely to hit you if you stop and then get a point for sure. Don't judge yourself, and wait you hear the point called or "yame". Even if he has to repeat himself to get you to stop, it's OK.

Learn the two most common penalties for beginners: going out of bounds, and touching your shinai on the blade portion. If you have a problem with your equipment, wait until a safe moment and then raise your hand. The shimpan will stop the match, you explain what is wrong and he will either fix it for you or let you fix it. But if you just straighten your nakajime or something like that in the match, that's a penalty. If you go out, that's a penalty. Two penalties is a point for the other guy, and it sucks to lose on penalties.

[b8amack]

One thing that I see happen with people's first shiai is that they go so far when following through and then they turn around casually, only to get their men hit.

Brings back memories! I did this despite being warned not to do it, in advance, my first shiai!

[ShinKenshi]

Brings back memories! I did this despite being warned not to do it, in advance, my first shiai!

While I'm unsure if this is this person's first shiai, this exactly the sort of thing we're talking about. Better to have them yell yame a few times than have this happen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5HlY3GSORU