Sonkyo

[DCPan]

Hi,

Food for thought.

When getting in and out of sonkyo, how many of you do it in keiko the same way you do it in kata?

Especially after gosame-to, do you take 5 little steps back like kata, or do you back up in 3 big steps?

Checking different Japanese Kendo books, I've seen both for keiko, not kata.

Thoughts?

[Kirin]

We were tought 3 steps forward and 5 steps back ... very basic kendo in japan. ....long before start learning kendo -kata.
(not many dojos in japan start teaching kendo-kata until you are ready for 1-kyu when requires kata as part of testing)

.... and its osame-to(u)

[JSchmidt]

Yups, 3 forward and 5 back.


Jakob

[Yann]

Yep, same in France...

[Caleb]

We were tought 3 steps forward and 5 steps back ... very basic kendo in japan. ....long before start learning kendo -kata.
(not many dojos in japan start teaching kendo-kata until you are ready for 1-kyu when requires kata as part of testing)

Really? I learned all the tachi kata for the shidachi side in the fist month of joining. I think kata is essential for kendo, because everything in the kata can be applied to keiko. Some of it isn't reasonable, or that applicable, but in theory, everything is applicable to taikai/shiai style kendo. On to the relevant subject-
Iv always been told 3 forward 5 backward, same as kata.

[souljah]

Is having the thumb on the tsuba important when going in and out of keiko? I find it almost impossible with kote on.

[meow]

3 steps forward, 5 steps back here in germany.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Is having the thumb on the tsuba important when going in and out of keiko? I find it almost impossible with kote on.

I'm told that the etiquette has changed on that due to the difficulty of doing it with kote. Now you just lift the shinai to waist level, no thumb required. I still use the thumb myself, just habit.

As for the footwork - 3 forward unless you're too far apart at the start, then add extra steps as necessary. 5 back.

[Kirin]

I'm told that the etiquette has changed on that due to the difficulty of doing it with kote. Now you just lift the shinai to waist level, no thumb required. I still use the thumb myself, just habit.

Hmmm.... I believe thumb on tuba at taito position still apply to kendo etiquette. ....was it changed recently?

[streetcleaner]

3 steps forward. 5 back. thumb on tsuba. only that way here in russia

[LNGUYEN]

The thumb on the tsuba is quite difficult for the new kote, but after it was break-in, I found it was easy. A quick secret, just don't hold you shinai all the way to the tsuba, leave some room for the thumb movement.

[Old Warrior]

Now try it with 2 swords in one hand. I keep worrying about, not dropping them. And, when it takes me too long to put them away, my opponent is leaving the court while I'm still scrambling too look moderately coordinated. So, its practice, practice and then more practice.

[DCPan]

Now try it with 2 swords in one hand. I keep worrying about, not dropping them. And, when it takes me too long to put them away, my opponent is leaving the court while I'm still scrambling too look moderately coordinated. So, its practice, practice and then more practice.

Have you considered using Naginata kote?

[Hai_hai]

Hi,

Food for thought.

When getting in and out of sonkyo, how many of you do it in keiko the same way you do it in kata?

Especially after gosame-to, do you take 5 little steps back like kata, or do you back up in 3 big steps?

Checking different Japanese Kendo books, I've seen both for keiko, not kata.

Thoughts?

I do what is taught in class. I am a robot.

[DCPan]

I do what is taught in class. I am a robot.

Hi Hai Hai,

Shu-Ha-Ri?

It's not that simple when you've belonged to multiple dojos and trained under multiple teachers. In some ways, I really envy the consistency of having learned your basics all in one place. I certainly didn't have that "luxury"

As a case in point of how "different" things could be, at one of the dojos that I did belong to, the head sensei advocates not using fumikomi at all...all suriashi. I didn't even learn fumikomi until at my second dojo. You might think that's wack, but that sensei happens to consistently place in the top 3 at nationals (not US), so who's to say he's wrong? What he didn't wasn't mainstream, but...

FYI, the "book" that I am referring which mentioned moving forward 3 steps and backing up 3 steps also is published by the Osaka Sports Education University....

Also, looking at the recent visit by a group from Kanagawa, the visitors had different timings and form for nuke-to and osame-to...not to mention foot placement.

Add iai to the equation, the timing gets even more interesting for nuke-to as I am used to gripping the sword in second step in iai, whereas this is not so in kendo kata.