Limp Wrist (!)

[Mark123]

Just started kirikaeshi.

The more experienced guys go men/men/men/men with about 3 strikes per second.

I go men.......(ho-hum)........men.............men............(zzzzz) .....men because I just can't whip the shinai back and forth (returning above my head) fast enough.

Is there some knack to this, or am I just a limp-wristed wuss who needs to toughen up a bit?

[Kingofmyrrh]

People who use just their wrists to do kirikaeshi are being lazy. No need to be jealous of them! You should aim to lift your fists above your head with every strike, ideally using your shoulder joint to its maximum range. Definitely best to go slowly and correctly for the first few years.

[Neil Gendzwill]

If you've just started kirikaeshi, speed is the absolute last thing you should be concerned about. Make sure your form is correct and that your swing is really big (left hand over the top of the head). You can easily pass a shodan exam hitting only about once per second, so long as your form is correct. Some of those guys hitting three times that fast are doing it with their hands in front of their face, I'll wager. All wristy, as kingofmyrrh wrote while I was originally composing this. I have to continually tell the beginners to slow down and do it correct. Everyone wants to go too fast.

When you can hit 3 times per second with your left hand overtop of your head on each backswing, call the British squad coach, he might be interested in you.

[Mark123]

Thanks chaps, I will continue to look s l o w but oh so stylish.

Oh, and I don't think I will be troubling the national squad coach anytime soon Neil....

[Nameless]

I've been doing kirikaeshi for about two weeks now and my sensei always emphasizes that it's better to strike slowly with proper form than fast and sloppy.