Agressive vs Non-agressive

[KoXinelle]

Hi all
I've been playing Kendo for 6 months now and I am part of those very agressive females, luckily or not. I learned how to control my agressivity as to reach a more mental keiko.
It helps me a lot when playing against men but I never know exactly how I should play with females. I'm afraid of scaring them away from Kendo. Only my Kiai has already a lot of power on those that just got their bogu. Most of the time, I try to only focus on my technique and my form while playing against them but I'm not sure if it's good to protect them from the agressivity they will surely face at some point.
All the books I've read say that one should give the best no matter who he's playing against. Yet, isn't it too hard on beginners? Also, since I've been playing with lots of beginners, I couldn't give my best when playing against non agressive experimented kendoka that I've never faced before as if this over-protecting feeling was controlling me.
Have any of you had to deal with this problem? I'd like to know from those of you that are more experimented what attitude do you think I should adopt in those situations.

[taganahan]

i used to be agressive. i would always attack no matter what the other guy is doing. but i found out that being agressive is not everything. sometimes you need to wait for that perfect timing, sometimes you need to retreat to get control.

as for the other problem, i agree that you should give your best kendo no matter who they are. you don't want someone to give the impression that kendo is child's play, don't you? also this will distinguish who will stay and who will not stay.

~taganahan

[Wout]

.
All the books I've read say that one should give the best no matter who he's playing against. Yet, isn't it too hard on beginners? Also, since I've been playing with lots of beginners, I couldn't give my best when playing against non agressive experimented kendoka that I've never faced before as if this over-protecting feeling was controlling me.

Well it's true that you always should give your best, but that doesn't mean when you face a beginner you should try to make as much points as possible with constantly doin small men after small men in keiko. try to make points with with a big men, or try different shikake and oji waza's. When I I do keiko agains who is just in bogu I just try to get the first point as fast as possible, after that I just kinda try what works and what needs working on with on occasion just going for a point (it goes without saying that the second category is considerably larger than the first, actually there is nothing that does work, as in flawless every time).
If you are considered about discouraging ppl, do not just block every strike they make, it's not going to help you and it is very discouraging. Well I get discouraged anyways.

[hyuna]

"Aggressive" isn't just hitting a lot. When you watch a match between 8-dan sensei, they don't hit a lot but they each aggressively try to control center and control each other.

You should always do your best kendo. The question is if your best kendo is something that people should find scary. Even when I was a beginner, I never found practicing with sensei to be discouraging or frightening.

[richard haly]

My understanding is that one should adopt a rank of one degree/kyu higher than the person one is fencing when fencing juniors, i.e. a rokudan fencing a shodan should fence as though he/she is nidan. This stretches the lower rank enough without dominating or defeating their spirits.

Richard

[Neil Gendzwill]

It's very difficult to play just a little bit better than the person you're facing, especially with only 6 months experience. OTOH it is very discouraging for a new person, especially one with confidence problems, to get beaten into the ground - avoid that. When playing people who are much worse than you, view it as an opportunity to work on your kihon. I suggest you take fewer points, but when you choose to take a point, do it to the best of your ability. Give your opponent a chance to take points too, don't shut them down completely.

[kanyil]

it's all about your intent. as long as you are not being nasty about it I think that's fine. a fairly small sempai at my dojo was (in)famous for, while fencing kohais, liking to get close and make a series (anywhere between 6 to 10ish) of strikes which are both painful (he hits hard, but for some reason misses the bogu quite often at that range, think your elbows when he tries for kote, and you know where when he tries for doh, if he's feeling particularly feisty he might even tsuki you anywhere above your tare) and ineffective (too close, hitting with the middle of the shinai etc).

He's actually a good kendoka overall, we don't know why he does these close combos but it felt quite...uncalled for? I guess it must be his secret-technique-in-progress or something.

after a while all the kohais caught on to him, and decides to tai-atari him strongly whenever he tries to get close as he is a fairly small guy. the other sempais just shrug when we do that, I think they find it rather amusing.

[DCPan]

liking to get close and make a series (anywhere between 6 to 10ish) of strikes which are both painful...

He's actually a good kendoka overall, we don't know why he does these close combos but it felt quite...uncalled for?

That happens to me when I "give up" during keiko. Of course, each sensei is different. Some sensei like you to go all out, when you can't do anymore, just bow out. Other sensei like you to keep going until they dismiss you. If you stop "working", it's open season with you as the uchikomi dai.

The Taoyuan folks have something similar called the "sixty". Basically, they train in kakari-keiko in 1 min rotations where you are expected to make sixty strokes within that period of time.

During the team matches, if they are down and time-limit is close, their teammate/coach will "cheer/encourage" their teammate in a very specific way, and that person will proceed to "kakari-keiko" his opponent until he can squeeze in a shot.

FWIW.

[taganahan]

a fish that was placed inside the aquarium died after a few minutes. the same kind of fish was placed/released under the sea and the fish didn't not die.

moral is, some people react well with pressure and some don't.

~taganahan

[berghaan]

A sensei once told me "Use aggression, not violence"
Since that day my fighting has really changed.

[KoXinelle]

Thanks for all your replies.

As expected, I got lots of different answers.. I see that the agression was reminded a lot as being a "thought" process and not the instinctive agression.
Well, today during my training with beginners (I won't say lower ranked not being ranked myself), I kept all of my agression almost without making strikes. Mostly, what I did was to show a lot of intent, with really deep Kiai and I made them use a lot of ashi sabaki by moving all over the place. I noticed that it activated some deeper desire of being reactive in most of them than when I was confused about how I should play. Also, I only striked when they really lost their center or when they were too confused to react to an opening I gave them.

I guess that's a way for me too to never switch off my attention.. And it gets easier to know what to do after having already went against them two or three times. Some things work with some of them, some others should be put to the side.

[Hai_hai]

Hi all
I've been playing Kendo for 6 months now... Have any of you had to deal with this problem? I'd like to know from those of you that are more experimented what attitude do you think I should adopt in those situations.

Don't bother holding back.

[KingCanute]

hai hai can be a bit thoughtless. just let them get a few good shots in to encourage them and then really show them how its done. Use them to practice don't aim to bring them to their knees. However, since you are not their sensei, they are less likely to be encouraged or put off kendo by your actions. Alternatively, if no-one else in the dojo is tough on them maybe you should. It will show them that female kendoka's are not to be messed with and build character.

[Hai_hai]

There's a saying, if you don't use it, you lose it. You, at six months, don't have anything to lose yet.

[Anime12478]

I don't think you should hold back whenever you have a match with a beginner. When I start doing shiai myself, I want to know how to improve my Kendo. Besides, it is better to get dissappointed now then it is to get overconfident in the beginning and thrown off the horse later. I wouldn't expect my seniors to hold back on me and I wouldn't want them to either.