Concussions and the kendoka

[b8amack]

FWIW, I have never actually seen a concussion from kendo, nor do i know anyone who's had one.

I have seen. I also think I know what the OP means by how he (I assume... guess I'm just sexist) may have received one. If someone goes for a short men and hits low, they sometimes essentially tsuki your forehead, right above the mengane. That gets your brain going back and forth in that "easy to get a concussion this way" style. I've had it happen to me (I'm sure a few of us have) and it can be unpleasant. Men pads do absolutely nothing to protect against this sort of hit. And for jj, tilting your head so you receive the blow on the mengane? Bad idea.

Personally, I think the OP should think about listening to all those doctors. If I ever slept for three days and couldn't talk in coherent sentences after a kendo practice, I would quit.

[Curtis]

Here's the pics. The sorbo sewn in and the half sheet left over from Advanced Antivibration Components, 50 durometer.

http://www.kendo-usa.org/images/mensorbo.jpg

http://www.kendo-usa.org/images/sorbohalfsht.jpg

[DCPan]

I wonder if KOEI didn't make a whole men futon out of sorbothane because of breathability and heat retention issue?

[Curtis]

I wonder if KOEI didn't make a whole men futon out of sorbothane because of breathability and heat retention issue?

Hasn't been a problem so far.

[jjcruiser]

I have seen. I also think I know what the OP means by how he (I assume... guess I'm just sexist) may have received one. If someone goes for a short men and hits low, they sometimes essentially tsuki your forehead, right above the mengane. That gets your brain going back and forth in that "easy to get a concussion this way" style. I've had it happen to me (I'm sure a few of us have) and it can be unpleasant. Men pads do absolutely nothing to protect against this sort of hit. And for jj, tilting your head so you receive the blow on the mengane? Bad idea.

Personally, I think the OP should think about listening to all those doctors. If I ever slept for three days and couldn't talk in coherent sentences after a kendo practice, I would quit.

I agree with all of this.

(But I'm curious why you say tilting back slightly is a bad idea since that was suggested to me a long time ago and no one's ever suggested otherwise.)

[jjcruiser]

Here's the pics. The sorbo sewn in and the half sheet left over from Advanced Antivibration Components, 50 durometer.

http://www.kendo-usa.org/images/mensorbo.jpg

http://www.kendo-usa.org/images/sorbohalfsht.jpg

Thanks! I ordered two different kinds. Going to test them out. Might be a few months before I learn anything useful though.

[b8amack]

I agree with all of this.

(But I'm curious why you say tilting back slightly is a bad idea since that was suggested to me a long time ago and no one's ever suggested otherwise.)

In response to an overly hard hit? Instead of the pressure from the hit going straight down, it's going onto a bent neck, and to the front of the head (pressure going front to back, iow). You make a mistake with your timing there and you could really injure yourself. Sometimes it's better just to tell uchidachi "you're hitting too hard", rather than expecting them to guess. My other issue with it... some people do the head tilt thing to avoid ippon. I'm not suggesting that's the case with you, but I've faced people who do it, even ones who should know better, and the truth is things we practice repeatedly become instinctive. I personally think it's a low-return habit, and ultimately a self-defeating one. Others may disagree.

[Lloromannic]

Plus there is the fact that this will make your aite's shinai break faster, which is both a douche move and increases the risk of injury by broken shinai.

[MikeW]

Thanks Marsten sensei. It looks nice (I realize you had it professionally sewn in). This is something I am definitely going to try for my daughter, perhaps even myself and tell some of our students here at UNC about.

Here's the pics. The sorbo sewn in and the half sheet left over from Advanced Antivibration Components, 50 durometer.

http://www.kendo-usa.org/images/mensorbo.jpg

http://www.kendo-usa.org/images/sorbohalfsht.jpg

[jjcruiser]

In response to an overly hard hit? Instead of the pressure from the hit going straight down, it's going onto a bent neck, and to the front of the head (pressure going front to back, iow). You make a mistake with your timing there and you could really injure yourself. Sometimes it's better just to tell uchidachi "you're hitting too hard", rather than expecting them to guess. My other issue with it... some people do the head tilt thing to avoid ippon. I'm not suggesting that's the case with you, but I've faced people who do it, even ones who should know better, and the truth is things we practice repeatedly become instinctive. I personally think it's a low-return habit, and ultimately a self-defeating one. Others may disagree.

Plus there is the fact that this will make your aite's shinai break faster, which is both a douche move and increases the risk of injury by broken shinai.

I don't want to give the impression this happens often with me, but even in the limited times it does, I appreciate your points.

[DCPan]

I agree with all of this.

(But I'm curious why you say tilting back slightly is a bad idea since that was suggested to me a long time ago and no one's ever suggested otherwise.)

Look up when you walk into the aite's chudan next time...it'll be pretty self-explanatory Besides, it's a bad spine alignment for movement in general.

[jjcruiser]

Look up when you walk into the aite's chudan next time...it'll be pretty self-explanatory Besides, it's a bad spine alignment for movement in general.

Well I'm not talking about in keiko. I'm talking about in drills and then only for big men uchi. But like I said, I appreciate the points.

[Toecutter]

Look up when you walk into the aite's chudan next time...it'll be pretty self-explanatory Besides, it's a bad spine alignment for movement in general.

This could be incorrect but I'm assuming jj is talking about adjusting your head position slightly, not looking up per say but slightly tilting your head back so that the shinai does not make contact with the top of your head but the men-buchi or the very start of the men first. I only mention it because I sometimes do it as well. This might be incorrect, but as someone who is tall I often get people that jump or hit with left and right fist flat, if they are able to hit the top of my men it is an unpleasant experience so I do exactly what I think JJ is describing and that is to just slightly tilt my head. I'd say if you're looking at someone's throat change the view to the face or top of head while keeping the eyes fixed, so it only changes maybe a degree or two. I haven't had anyone "accidentally" get under my tsuki-dare with that, but I usually only need to do that when being a hitting dummy for very beginners, or someone who jumps.

[Curtis]

There's more than one point to look at here about tilting the head back. Quite often we tell shorter people and in particular kids to do this when they are with taller people. This minimizes getting hit in the back of the head since the shinai will wrap clear over to back unless they hit the front portion of the men with the tip.

This is of course in contrast to where the stated valid striking area of the shinai is. If you put the datotsubu of a shinai on shorter person the tip is at the back of their head and if hit hard will hurt some or a lot depending. By tilting the head the men gane absorbs much of the impact. So as they say, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

[DCPan]

Well I'm not talking about in keiko. I'm talking about in drills and then only for big men uchi.

Yes, but a habit is a habit...when people get use to looking up when they think they'll be hit hard and they face a strong opponent, you might look up by habit when you really shouldn't.

Just saying.

This could be incorrect but I'm assuming jj is talking about adjusting your head position slightly, .

IMHO, that's enough to make the difference re: stand as if you are looking down on the opponent....