Men, Kote, Do, and Tsuki

The first session, as I previously stated, was excellent. Several things made the experience positive such as, learning new skills, ability to recall the mental and physical components of performance as I was learning, being in the arena, conditioning, and executing aspects of what I wanted to be tested in all led to a great session. The cultural component also added to the training, which brought back many memories and raised my awareness of things I had forgotten or did not consider.

Men (head), Kote (wrists), Do (body), and Tsuki (throat) are areas where a Kendo practitioner strikes. My first session dealt with repeated practice of strikes corresponding with the movement of the feet to cover the distance. I enjoyed the warm-up, which involved these strikes with elements of cardio and squats. I really enjoyed working these strikes against an opponent, helping me to gauge distance, accuracy, and balance.

Practicing against an opponent also revealed areas I will have to work on in the coming weeks. Gaps in the mental and physical components of my personal performance came to the surface. Those that know me well understand I don’t like to lose. My mind immediately went to a win-lose scenario versus a growth mindset. I was told many times not to hit so hard when I was striking my opponent. In other venues, hitting hard would be the goal or expectation. While I got a charge the first couple times I heard the sensei comment on my striking hard, I quickly understood why that was not the goal.

My balance was off when I struck hard, and I lacked finesse in the strikes. I was also compromising speed for power. While watching the other students do the same drill, the saying, “slow is smooth, smooth is fast,” came to mind. I also recognized I was trying to impress people rather than learn. These were critical points for me to realize as I continue my training. Watching the senior students, I recognized their finesse, accuracy, and strike power involved other body components, unlike the large muscle groups I was relying upon.

I thought about some fundamentals in other activities such as swinging a baseball bat or shooting a pistol. Too much grip in the shooting hand or muscling the bat through the swing has a negative impact on the desired outcome. Some things the sensei pointed out made immediate sense to me, such as my grip on the shinai (bamboo sword). I was gripping much harder than what was needed. Again, I referenced back to holding a baseball bat while also relaxing the fingers. Often, you can see batters wiggle their fingers while at bat and so I tried to do the same. In due time, I will find my sweet spot with the shinai.

I also enjoyed the formal aspect of putting the Bogu (Kendo armor) on and taking it off after the training. The sensei spoke of respecting and caring for your gear, and I appreciated that as it played an essential role in my previous profession and I could easily relate.

The major element of the training I struggled with was being in the seiza (kneeling) position while we donned and removed the Bogu. We also received a talk from the head sensei while kneeling in this position at the conclusion of the training. I know it was very brief, but it felt like an eternity as my toes went numb. On the command to stand up, I wasn’t 100% certain my body was going to cooperate. It did and I could hear the sounds similar to the cracking of fireworks going off as my knees and ankles came back to life.

Positives from Session #1

• Introduction and application of Kendo strikes
• Mental focus
• Attitude
• Fitness conditioning/ energy management
• Importance of motor skill development
• Application of tactical breathing and explosive energy

Areas needing improvement

• Don’t work to impress
• Remain present-not everything is a competition (it’s hard to even type that)
• Shinai awareness -grip, strike placement, shinai angle prior to an attack
• proper fitting and routine of donning/removing gear
• Incorporate self-talk throughout training
• Embrace the suck when in seiza position

Pat