Bounce Bounce Bounce

[bokkenbreaker83]

Hello again. It seems I am having trouble on some of my footwork. This post is gonna be very confusing because I dont know all the terminology for the techniques, so your sorta gonna have to guess at what it is. Anyways, when I am doing the footwork for when you attack men(kote, do, or tsuki) and go through really fast(please enlighten me on what this is called) I seem to be bouncing around a lot. One of the kendoka who helped me at my practice saw the same problem. He suggested to keep sturdy hips, but I'm not really sure how to do that. Do I lock my hips up? Or should I lock my legs up so I don't bounce? Please Help!!!!

[Twobitmage]

hmm does your footwork resemble a gallop? or do you mean that although your footwork is sliding your body kind of bobs up and down?

[Optomitrist]

You mean your head is bobbing in attack mode? That sounds to me like you are jumping to the target too early. You should slide your right foot out as far as you can go and then jump. This will keep you from leaning and from bobbing. THe reason you do thise is so you can hide your movement. I hope that helps.

[bokkenbreaker83]

Yeh it is like a gallop. You hit men(or w/e target) and go right past them. Then, you turn around and go again.

[bokkenbreaker83]

*don't mean to get off topic* I also have one very small question about the regular footwork( suri-ashi I guess {the footwork where ur left foot is an inch or so off the ground and you take small steps}) When you slide ur right foot forward do you pick it up off the ground a little bit, and if so how much?

[Twobitmage]

not really, its a slide. when you do fumikomi (stomping footwork) then you lift your foot off the ground a little bit.

[joekc6nlx]

*don't mean to get off topic* I also have one very small question about the regular footwork( suri-ashi I guess {the footwork where ur left foot is an inch or so off the ground and you take small steps}) When you slide ur right foot forward do you pick it up off the ground a little bit, and if so how much?

My sensei showed me that you slide your right foot on the ball of the foot as you're moving forward, then as you strike, you lift it a little and set it down hard. I find that I use a kind of "rocking" motion, where the weight is on the ball until just before I strike, when I set my heel down, lift the ball of the foot, then snap it down hard for fumikomi.

The other question you had about keeping your hips strong, I interpret as keeping them perpendicular to the direction you're moving. Square, strong, perpendicular, whatever....try this: just before you start your attack, squeeze your glutes together (your buns...) and hold them that way until after your attack. It will force you into the hips square position, and it will also help you keep your back straighter.

[Ares]

dont bend your left knee so much...thats what makes you bounce like that...
start your movement with your hips not with your left leg pushing