This is the second part of the interview. We asked BUSHIZO readers for questions they wanted to ask the two of them, and we received a lot of questions. Due to time constraints, we were not able to answer all of the questions, but they answered sincerely.

The BUSHIZO staff also learned a lot from this, and we believe that their way of thinking will be helpful to anyone who wants to improve their kendo skills!

*The following questions are from readers.

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Ryohei Yamada

During his high school years, he won the All Japan High School Selected Kendo Tournament, the All Japan High School Athletic Meet, the Gyokuryu-ki High School Kendo Tournament, the All Kyushu Kendo Tournament, and the Kaisei-ki National High School Tournament. As a freshman at university, he was active as a representative player at the World Championships. As a sophomore, he won the 64th All Japan Student Championships. He is scheduled to represent Hokkaido in the 66th All Japan Championships next month.

Kai Senda

He is a fourth-year student at Meiji University. While attending Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School, he placed third individually in the Inter-High School Championships. He placed in the top eight individually in the All Japan Student Kendo Championships in his second and third years. He was the runner-up in the 66th Kanto Student Team Championships. Following on from last year, he has won the Miyagi Prefecture qualifying round for the All Japan Kendo Championships and will be representing Miyagi Prefecture in the 66th All Japan Championships.

How to cope with pressure?

Senda: " I think it's about enjoying the situation. Even when it's my turn to play in a stressful situation, I enjoy it, thinking, 'Am I really amazing to be entrusted with this situation?' I go into the match with the mindset that, 'If I win here, I'll be a hero.'"

What are the key points of your protective gear?

Yamada : "The men that I feel most comfortable with are the A-1 series from Kanagawa Hakkodo. I've been using them since the end of my second year of high school. For the kote, I use the Senki kote from Genbudo in Kumamoto Prefecture . I like kote that are soft from the start, rather than ones that get softer with use."

Senda: " I use Mitsuboshi's protective gear. I use the 'Ten' for training and the 'Mine' for matches."

What is your dream for the future?

Yamada : "My goal is to win the All Japan Championships, but my dream is to win multiple times like Masahiro Miyazaki and Ryoichi Uchimura."

Senda: " My goal is to win the All Japan Championships. I want to work hard not only at kendo but also at my job, striving to excel in both academics and sports."

What do you pay attention to in your daily life?

Senda: " Whenever possible, I try to have salad with my teammates. In my daily life, I am conscious of the fact that others are watching me. If I behave in a bad way, I think it will cause trouble for the team."

-By the way, do you do any weight training outside of practice?

Senda: " I try to do push-ups about three times a week. Also, whenever I have time, I try to think about kendo. I watch videos and do image training. That's how devoted I am to kendo."

Yamada: " I do run, but I don't do strength training. I'm partly influenced by Ichiro's way of thinking. He believes that even though you're born with a great physique, if you build up too much muscle, it puts strain on your body and can lead to injury."

-Do you have any original training methods that you have developed yourself?

Senda and Yamada : "We don't have our own unique training method, but we do have a quick swing technique that is unique to Meiji University. You swing with your feet slightly apart. It puts a lot of strain on your feet, so it's pretty tough. We do 100 swings in a row. It's a training method that we only use when Professor Kamei Toru comes, but it has been passed down through generations."

* Meiji University's traditional fast swing

How do you deal with things when they don't go well?

Senda: " It can be depressing, but I try to think as positively as possible. I feel like, 'I'll definitely be able to win eventually, so now is the time for testing.' I believe that there are ups and downs in kendo performance. Even when you're winning, there will come a time when you start to lose."

Yamada: "My mentor from my time at Kyushu Gakuin, Mr. Yoneda, taught me that 'only dark things come to dark places.' So when I'm doing ground training, I try to perform my techniques one after another, and when I hit them, I secretly praise myself. I think it's a way to objectively see myself and make myself happy. Also , it's best to keep bad times as short as possible, so I try to think through my weaknesses and improve them."

How can I hit the ball with a small, fast surface? (From a second-grader)

Yamada: " I'm from Kushiro, Hokkaido, and my mentor in Kushiro taught me how to strike from a distance. Hitting from a distance also builds muscle strength in the left leg. He also repeatedly taught me how to strike without connecting my feet. I think that being conscious of striking from a long distance is the quickest way to strike the men with a small, fast strike. Hitting from a close distance isn't difficult."

Thank you for your time today! We will be giving you both BUSHIZO original Kote ARMs as a gift in celebration of your participation in the All Japan Championships! We wish you all the best in the All Japan Championships!

"ARM" BUSHIZO original high-quality jersey gloves

https://bushizo.com/user_data/arm_kote.php

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