Straight Heart

[Wark 1978]

I have recently been given a couple of pearls of wisdom about kendo that have made a big difference, I think, to the way I do kendo so I thought I'd share them.

At one of the dojos I practice at, I’m lucky enough to have a hachidan sensei who speaks English well. He always spends time coaching me and at the end of the session offers me advice.

There is one thing that he said to me which has had a great effect on my kendo. At the end of one session he told me that it was important to keep my body straight. The words he used were “Straight sword, straight body, straight heart. That is kendo.”

He then went on to say that if you lean your body to one side to make hitting kote easier or move your shinai in another direction other than straight that, “That is not kendo. That is just hitting.” He also said that during real combat, you owe it to your opponent to strike with a straight sword as he will die quicker and therefore “Go to paradise quicker.”

I already knew that it's fundamental to keep your body straight but this time he has made it stick in my mind and I think about more. Maybe that is what makes him a great sensei.

Also, at another dojo I go to, I get a lift to the train station on the way back from an English speaking sensei. He also gives a lift to another old hachidan sensei, who knowing that I am a beginner, always give me advice during the journey with the other translating.

He told me that in kendo　威風堂々(ifuu doudou) is very important. ifuu and doudou are 2 words that basically mean the same thing but are used together. They mean "majestic" or "dignified" and this is how he said that I should try to be during kendo.

I'm sure that to some people on this forum what I have said is old hat but to me, after only practicing for exactly a year tomorrow no less, these words have been very helpful. I hope they are to you to.

[Zato Ichi]

Michael,


I think you are in a fairly unique position. Not many people get to train with hachidans who speak good english.

(When I was in Japan I trained with a hachidan who spoke Japanese with a thick dialect. I had no idea of what he was saying, drunk or sober.)

I think it would be helpful to many people on this forum if you added to this thread other things that your teachers tell you. Over time you could build up a repository of knowledge that will benefit everybody.

Best of luck!

Z1

[hamish]

That's why we translate and publish a lot of stuff from those very same 8th and 9th dan sensei. We already have a growing repository of knowledge, please support us so we can continue to build on it. (ie. If it really is important to you, buy our magazine and books, please!!)

regards

Hamish
http://www.kendo-world.com/magazine/issues.php
http://www.kendo-world.com/kw_publications/index.php

[Zato Ichi]

That's why we translate and publish a lot of stuff from those very same 8th and 9th dan sensei. We already have a growing repository of knowledge, please support us so we can continue to build on it. (ie. If it really is important to you, buy our magazine and books, please!!)

Hamish,

I have been impressed by the contents of the magazine and I think it admirable to build a common body of knowledge.

However, what I take issue with is that, in your post, you seem to be dissuading someone from passing on what they have heard from high-level teachers as it conflicts with your interest to sell books and magazines.

I appreciate you need support for your channels, including this excellent forum, but surely you're not asking people not to post this type of commentary?

Z1

[JHusch]

Hamish,

I have been impressed by the contents of the magazine and I think it admirable to build a common body of knowledge.

However, what I take issue with is that, in your post, you seem to be dissuading someone from passing on what they have heard from high-level teachers as it conflicts with your interest to sell books and magazines.

I appreciate you need support for your channels, including this excellent forum, but surely you're not asking people not to post this type of commentary?

Z1

Hmmm... I didnt see it that way at all. I think all Hamish was trying to say was it is great to use this resource (Web Forum) to gather this knowledge, but a lot of this has already been done with the print magazine, and if you wish for this knowledge base to continue to grow, support KW in there endevors.

[misterkurukuru]

Here we go! “Straight heart” is good and all, but hmm lets see, you cant just have tunnel vision and go straight. Tada tsukonde ittara dame desu! 8 dan and other higher dan sensei do a different brand of kendo because they are higher ranking and usually pretty old. They have so much experience, that they understand timing, ashi sabaki, and all that other good stuff. The guy isn’t just swinging straight; he is reading your eyes, your body, and your kuse/habits. He also knows his own body, his own ability, and his kuse. He has seen over a million opponents doing kamae in front of him. Yes, for the hachi dan it’s as simple as going stragith, but for most kenshi, we are not ready to do that kind of kendo.

I guess it all depends on why you are doing kendo. I can do sports kendo and Shinsa kendo aka “nice” kendo. This allows me to win at tournaments and go up in rank at the same time. If your opponent’s kihon is better then yours, you will not be able to beat them with straight hits. If this doesn’t bother you, I guess you can keep attacking with the same moves and have your ass handed to you the whole time. Isn’t being able to be flexible with your kendo a good thing? Don’t good kenshi adapt?

I guess if you think that the samurai in “the last samurai” are noble for fighting with a straight heart, I guess that’s your thing. If I only had a katana and my opponent had a gun, I am re-stargazing!!!!!!!! When we are just using shinai I guess its okay to hold onto these beliefs because no one gets hurts, but ask yourself: if it were for keeps (meaning mortal danger) would you still have tunnel vision, not adapt, and go straight in just to be killed?

[Neil Gendzwill]

Hmmm... I didnt see it that way at all. I think all Hamish was trying to say was it is great to use this resource (Web Forum) to gather this knowledge, but a lot of this has already been done with the print magazine, and if you wish for this knowledge base to continue to grow, support KW in there endevors.

In fact, I think Hamish and Alex have gone way beyond the call of duty in providing this forum and a number of resources, free of charge and with very minimal plugging of their magazine. I took his comment to be a gentle nudge towards similar good resources available in the magazine.

[Charlie]

When we are just using shinai I guess its okay to hold onto these beliefs because no one gets hurts, but ask yourself: if it were for keeps (meaning mortal danger) would you still have tunnel vision, not adapt, and go straight in just to be killed?

Interesting points, Mr. Kurukuru. I don't have much of a response but I will think about it. Question: isn't shinsa kendo more of how you would fight in shinken-shobu, a real match with swords? And are some elements of shiai kendo inappropriate for shinken shobu?

Just thinking out loud. Here's another: why do great kendo players/teachers start the same way, concentrate on shiai kendo, learn all sorts of personalized little habits, but in the end up doing the kind of "straight heart" kendo described above?

Also, you speak Japanese, yes? Can you elaborate on the "straight heart" saying? Is something being lost in translation?

[Munnin]

I support those who support me, that is how strong communities get built. So I will be joining my local club ($120 for 2 months + shinai and bokken) and once that’s paid off then a subscription to Kendo world.

[misterkurukuru]

isn't shinsa kendo more of how you would fight in shinken-shobu, a real match with swords? And are some elements of shiai kendo inappropriate for shinken shobu?

I have been told by some of the sensei in the US that give out high ranks that its more about showing that you have mastered certain techniques and showing that you have body control and discipline. Like for anything higher then 5 dan you only need one or two really nice hits, but they have to be really kihon based. Kamae…seme…seme(oh not to close!!!) and then swing nicely when your seme has broken your opponents kamae and concentration. I like your spin on shinsa kendo a lot!

why do great kendo players/teachers start the same way, concentrate on shiai kendo, learn all sorts of personalized little habits, but in the end up doing the kind of "straight heart" kendo described above?

I was always told to do age appropriate kendo. Meaning you only do the type of kendo that you are physically and cognitively able to do. People will mature with time, and so will their kendo. Doing shiai kendo as you stated helps a person, “learn all sorts of personalized little habits.” This allows you to become aware of yourself and your opponent. These little tricks help you to do higher level kendo! I guess it’s a natural progression, and if you are lucky enough to realize what’s going on, then you can attain a higher rank.

Straight heart…yes…I guess I will start by saying that everyone interprets and translates language differently. This is a hard one because it all depends on your kendo philosophy. Depending on whom I am practicing with, I can sense and unspoken/unwritten set of rules that we are going to follow during our 5 minutes of keiko. I would say that who ever diverges from those rules does not have a “straight heart.” Wow this is harder then I thought!!!! I guess it can be, don’t hit as if you are running away…believe in your hits…if it was a real katana they would be dead, so don’t worry about what happens after the hit. Maybe that’s the mentality???

I just don’t want people to be rigid and have 1 pattern kendo. I don’t know if the sensei was saying masugu na kokoro or honki de uttsu, shinken-shobu, or majime ni yare kono boke!!!!! but I know he doesn’t mean limit your waza and yourself by following only one set of rules. A person is only as effective as the number of effective waza they have! would you rather be dead and noble or alive and clever?

[Charlie]

I know what you mean. Here's something I have been thinking about. Kendo is honest. Yes, there may be tricks, but to an extent there's simply nowhere you can hide and little you can do _consciously_ to "fool" the other player. And yet, the literature of the martial arts - I'm thinking specifically of Sun Tzu here - advocates deception in combat. How is this employed in kendo? Is it even employed consciously? I know personally my kendo is very direct. I might do something to frustrate my opponent's timing, like harai attacks, but I have very few "tricks." Is this what is meant by straight kendo? Is it more technical, as well as metaphorical?

One thing I see higher level players doing in shiai is letting their left foot turn inward in an attempt to get a bit more forward motion. I think this must also lead to the right hand and shoulder coming foward a bit more, "reaching" for the opponent a bit. This, combined with the smaller, quicker hits of shiai, might make for bad shinken-shobu habits. Is this what is meant by "straight?"

[hyuna]

Here we go! “Straight heart” is good and all, but hmm lets see, you cant just have tunnel vision and go straight.

"Straight" could mean to do the most direct and effective thing, so it doesn't necessarily mean to always be the same or only do basics. That interpretation would make sense in context of allowing your opponent to "go to paradise quicker."

However, I suppose what was meant is a question for the sensei who said it.

If your opponent’s kihon is better then yours, you will not be able to beat them with straight hits.

If your opponent is better than you, perhaps they deserve to win.

Maybe it is important to remember that the other advice from the original post is that one's kendo should be "majestic" and "dignified." What is dignified about winning through a cheap trick?

Isn’t being able to be flexible with your kendo a good thing? Don’t good kenshi adapt?

It is possible to adapt your way right out of doing kendo. If the goal is simply to win, perhaps you should just kneecap your opponent in the parking lot.

[Old Warrior]

"What is dignified about winning through a cheap trick?"

If a point is awarded properly, by definition, how can it be a cheap trick? While I am not a Kendo expert, I have developed the sincere belief that much of Kendo involvs deception. Is deception a cheap trick?

[Karaken]

"What is dignified about winning through a cheap trick?"

If a point is awarded properly, by definition, how can it be a cheap trick? While I am not a Kendo expert, I have developed the sincere belief that much of Kendo involvs deception. Is deception a cheap trick?

OW, I think a deception is considered a cheap trick ( pretend to hit Kote and go for Men ). A cheap trick doesn't work for aggressive kendokas ( aren't we all urged to Attack? ) because they have no cencept of defense ( we all should ) or high level kendoka who can read your moves. It might work once or twice in shiai with similar level. We'd rather think of Seme. The concept of Seme isn't simple ( many threads devoted to the subject ) but it's a way of forcing your opponent to do what he/she doesn't want to do therefore present an opening for you. Seme doesn't necessarily have a pre-determined target so there is no deception - It's just intimidating and uncomfortably radiating FORCE in the air..

Center

[hyuna]

Is deception a cheap trick?

Sometimes, but not necessarily.

I would say that using gedan to deceive your opponent as to distance is not a cheap trick. Nor would be disrupting your opponent's timing by perhaps changing the timing of your strike, or the pacing of your keiko. Or feinting a strike at one location and changing to strike a different location.

I would say feigning an injury would be a form of deception that I would call a "cheap trick." Similarly, doing illicit things to ellicit sympathy, like flirting with your opponent merely to gain advantage. One could very reasonably say that it should not matter to your opponent, and that they should take the opportunity as it arises. But, I do not think that we practice kendo to learn to ruthlessly take advantage of other people's compassion.

That wasn't really the kind of "cheap trick" I had in mind, though.

You can flip your head to the side to avoid receiving a men, or drop your arm and catch a do hit in your arm. Those things are legal and prevents scoring. Are such techniques really in the spirit of kendo? If the only way for you to prevent being scored on is using one of these methods, can you say that your kendo is better than your opponent? The reality is that you would lose shinken shobu almost immediately and it is merely an artifact of the sport that you may survive long enough to get in a lucky hit.

Perhaps we should take up quietly calling each other by nasty names and making fun of their relations during tsubazerai. Or, you can reach down and grope under their tare. It might disrupt your opponent's concentration and allow you to win. We can say that your opponent should not be affected by such tactics because they should seek fudoshin, so maybe it is even a logically reasonable tactic. Is it good kendo? If you win through such a tactic can one legitimately say that it is because of your skill at kendo? There is a philosophical difference between your opponent losing a match and your winning a match.