Takahashi Kentaro Style: Building a Body for Kendo

In this series (10 episodes in total), Takahashi Kentaro, the training coach for the Japanese national kendo team, will teach us what kind of training is necessary for kendo.

In this first installment, we asked why strength training is necessary in kendo and what kind of training is recommended. We sometimes hear people say, "As long as you practice, you don't need to do any special muscle training, right?" What are your thoughts on this, Mr. Takahashi Kentaro, the coach of the Japanese national team?

Is strength training necessary for kendo?

Why is strength training necessary?

--What is your opinion on whether the muscles that can be built by practicing kendo are sufficient?

Takahashi : Well, in my opinion, if there is a lot of practice, and I think age is a factor to some extent, there are cases where you don't need to do it. However, it's definitely better to do it, and there's no harm in doing it.

Takahashi : "Strength training isn't something you do to get stronger at kendo. I often ask middle and high school students, 'Why do you train?' They answer things like, 'I want to be able to swing my bamboo sword faster when I do kendo,' but I think it's better to think about building a body that doesn't get injured."

Building a body that doesn't get injured

Takahashi : "So, basically, what does it mean to avoid injury? For example, when a strong external force is applied, the severity of the injury will change depending on whether or not you have the muscle strength to withstand that force. Also, if you do get injured, you will have to take time off from training to heal, and you will not be able to participate in matches. Naturally, this will ultimately result in a decline in your performance."

Takahashi : "So, in order to avoid injury, just like with a house, I think it's very important to build a strong foundation, to have a certain level of basic physical strength, and to train the areas where you are lacking."

Takahashi : "Kendo is said to have few injuries, but there is still contact and falls, and the possibility of injury is not small. I think it's important to have the physical strength and muscle power to avoid such injuries as much as possible."

Injuries of Kendo practitioners

--What are the most common kendo injuries that you have seen?

Takahashi : "The most common injuries are when you collide, which means you fall and sprain your ankle. Also, because you're doing a lot of jumping movements, these are more like sports injuries than injuries, and I think they become chronic injuries that occur over time as you continue to practice kendo, and I think there are a lot of injuries like sore Achilles tendons or heel pain. The lower body is inevitably more susceptible to injuries than the upper body. Plus, if you've been doing kendo for a long time, you're inevitably going to be doing a lot of body contact, so I think a lot of people have experienced back pain."

──Like back pain?

Takahashi : Yes. Back pain and also around the shoulders.

Flexibility = injury prevention

Takahashi : "So I think training is important. It's not just about muscle strength. When we think of training, we tend to think of muscle training, like weight training, but I think that improving flexibility, including stretching, is also an important part of training."

Training required of players

──This may be repeating myself, but what kind of training do you want your players to do?

Takahashi : "The training we require from athletes is the ability to withstand a certain level of strain, or what is commonly known as 'physical strength.'"

Physical strength = the ability to endure

Takahashi : "When we think of 'physical strength,' we tend to think of endurance, and of course that includes endurance, but I think that for athletes, it's all about whole-body endurance, muscular endurance, strength, flexibility, agility, and so on. Of course, you can build that up through regular training, but when you think about whole-body endurance, for example, if you have an hour of training, you might be able to last 50 minutes, but you're completely exhausted by the last 10 minutes. So what do you do in those 10 minutes? You let it go, right? That's something you can't do at the top of your game. But if you have the stamina to keep going at top gear for the entire hour, that hour can be extremely effective."

── Something with rich content...

Takahashi : Yes. And those 10 minutes may only be 10 minutes, or even 5 minutes, but over the course of a year, that's a huge loss of time. So, if you're always getting tired at that point, then I think that whole-body endurance isn't just something you have to train, but also something extra, in the case of athletes, to build up whole-body endurance somewhere.

Total body and muscular endurance

What is endurance?

──I've been hearing a lot about muscular endurance lately, but what exactly is it?

Takahashi : Whole-body endurance refers to cardiopulmonary function. Muscle endurance can be thought of as whether or not your muscles can perform the same movements repeatedly.

When you do the same thing over and over, like practicing your batting swing, you naturally get tired, right? That's because your muscles get tired, right? You may still be fine physically, but your muscles may get tired.

──Is this what they call a buildup of lactic acid?

Takahashi : "Yes, it's easy to understand if you say that lactic acid builds up, but it's a state where your muscles gradually stop working."

--You're no longer able to perform the same movements at the same level...

Takahashi : That's right.

--So, it would be great if the length of time that can be done were extended...

Takahashi : Yes, that's right.

All Japan Championships: 10 minutes per match

Takahashi : "For example, if you want to win the All Japan Championships, the average length of one match is about 10 minutes. So, to win, you have to fight six times. So, to win, you essentially play 60-minute matches, but when you think about whether you can play at top speed for the entire 60 minutes, or whether you might get a little tired and not be able to give 100%, it makes sense that it's advantageous to fight in the final without being tired at all. I think it's best to make it to the final without being tired, rather than being tired."

──So that's the minimum level to aim for to be number one in Japan.

Takahashi : That's right, yes.

The physical strength of the Japanese national team swordsmen

--How strong is the physical strength of the Japanese national team fencers?

Takahashi : "It's very high. Before the world championships, everyone goes to the National Science and Sports Center for physical and medical checkups, but in Teramoto's case, for example, the standard is higher than that of athletes who are active in the J-League."

Next time: What is the physical strength of Japanese national team players?

This time, we asked him to explain why strength training is necessary in Kendo.

Click here for the explanatory video → Japan National Team Coach Talks About the Training Necessary for Kendo [Kentaro Takahashi] #01

It seems that the Japanese national kendo team members have more physical strength than J-League players. It was a very interesting experience, and the first session came to an end.

Next time, we will continue to ask Professor Takahashi Kentaro about just how amazing the physical strength of Japan's national team athletes is.

Stay tuned!

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"The Japanese Kendo National Team Coach Teaches You What Kind of Training (Muscle Training) is Necessary for Kendo" [Kentaro Takahashi] #2