kendou ha menippon! third chapter (3）

sword man who desire to master neat and orthodox kendo

This book explain the way of thinking that acquire orthodox kendo which fits the sword.

• Sword man acquire how to use integrated sinai movement and body movement.
• Sword man acquire correct blade muscle that lead effective hit.
• Sword man acquire how to handle sinai with his palm when he strike opponent.
• Sword man acquire fundamental technique to strike opponent along with foot movement.

• Sword man hold sinai above his head while he put forward his right leg.
• Sword man swing downward sinai while he draw his left leg to behind right leg.
• Sword man hold sinai above his head while he withdraw his left leg backward and then he swing downward sinai while he draw his right leg to left leg.

• Sword man should not break his posture.
• Sword man should do foot movement by slide foot movement.
• Sword man should not change grip of sinai when he hold sinai above his head. he should not bias his power to each of both side.
• Sword man should make his both fists go through center line.
• Sword man should match movement of foots and sinai.
• Sword man should draw his left leg to behind right leg sufficiently.
• Sword man should fix his left grip to lower abdomen while he squeeze up sinai to inner part lightly.

In learning process of strike opponent sword man should progress how to use integrated foot movement and sinai movement to develop quality of strike movement while he check and improve contents of whole strike movement process.

In expansion of strike movement technique, sword man do stance and fight with each other and capture the chance and lead to effective strike and flow to zansin after that.

Main aim of strike movement is to strike opponent by correct blade muscle. The premise of that is rightness of the movement of halfway and smoothness of set up strike movement in
pre-stage.

In set up strike movement, sword man begin to move center of gravity at first and put forward right leg and at same time grip of left hand begin to move. The important thing in this aspect is the set up movement of right leg and left hand grip is pushed out by support shift which consist of set up movement of left waist and left leg that sustain left waist.
To move left waist to sword tip direction and center of gravity begin to move forward and to do that right leg begin to move smoothly. After left waist move to sword tip direction
and right leg move to forward, at same time grip of left hand begin to move to sword tip direction. After center of gravity begin to move, right leg put forward and at same time left hand grip begin to move.

From set up strike movement sword man use joint of shoulder and elbow and wrist softly and advance to next stage while he fix same blade muscle. To use joint of shoulder and elbow and wrist softly, smoothness of swinging up and down appear. To stick out left fist to sword tip direction, sword man’s body and sinai direct to opponent who is in front of him.
It is important to strike effective hit site by point to swing up and down sinai. While sword man gaining smoothness and momentum to sinai, he step on greatly and strike opponent to determine tighting his hand while he do not break his posture sustaining his left leg firmly.

Sword man should relax upper body after he strike opponent.

• To strike opponent by correct blade muscle, it is necessary to determine tighting his hand directly.
• It is absolute requirement that sword man’s waist which is preparedness of upper body and bottom parts of upper body is stable dynamically.
• And then firmly support of left leg is foundation of stability of waist dynamically.

• Sword man should shout and sigh like that ”mennnnnn” when he strike opponent’s men. The timing of “n” in “men” is the aspect to determine all process from drawing left leg to behind right leg and drawing waist and rebuild upper body and rebuild posture while he make strike point supporting point. After he determined last process, he can complete one strike movement.
• After sword man determined strike opponent, he restore ki and sword and body to ordinally status which is demanded to do a series of movement to adjust breath.
• It is important to strike opponent to tight little finger and ring finger and middle finger to use lower muscle.