Takahashi Kentaro Style: Building a Body for Kendo

Following on from last time, this time too we will be asking Mr. Kentaro Takahashi, the training coach for the Japanese national kendo team, to tell us what kind of training is necessary for kendo. This is the 10th time, and this time we will be talking about exercises using bamboo swords.

Hold the shinai with both hands and swing it by simply rotating your wrist.

Takahashi : Well, first of all, practical Suburi, or something you can do by yourself, is Suburi using your wrist. You're in Kamae and you turn with your wrist. Like that, Men. Men. That's it.

──Does this have to move?

Takahashi : "You don't have to move, or you can move, but I think it depends on the location. It doesn't have to be an actual bamboo sword, something a little shorter would be fine, so basically you can think of it as a way to train how to use your hand and wrist."

Takahashi : Well, let's actually try it with a bamboo sword. Spin it around. Okay. Something like this. Now, put your feet on it and try it. Just like normal. Front and back are fine. Okay.

Takahashi : "One thing to note is that when you turn the shinai, make sure that the little finger of your left hand is tightly gripped so that it doesn't come loose. I think it's fine to have the little finger of your left hand grip the shinai in what is commonly known as a shinai grip. Let's do it again. Okay."

Takahashi : "Next, you'll apply balanced force to both sides while being very conscious of the blade's angle. If you use too much force, the tip of the sword will wobble when you bring it down after raising it. You need to bring it down slowly and smoothly so that the tip doesn't wobble. This is training to improve your body balance and muscle strength."

Takahashi : "So, raise your arm up. Slowly raise your arm up, and then slowly lower it. Slowly. Still, go even lower."

Takahashi : "Yes, one more time. Raise it. Slowly. Yes. Let's do it again. Now, swing it up, from the bottom. Raise it high, then lower it high. Then slowly. Yes, raise it. Yes, lower it. Let's do it again. Okay, the last one. Don't move your wrist too much. Keep your wrist as it is."

──Do I not have to shake it?

Takahashi : Yes. You don't have to swing it. It's all about balance, so if you put too much force into your right or left hand, the tip of the shinai will inevitably shake. Preventing that shaking is about balancing the muscles on both sides.

Takahashi : "This is a kind of training, or rather a practice of the hand. It can be the tip of your opponent's sword or anything else, but you aim at a target and spin it around it as quickly as possible without touching it. Many top athletes often do this as part of their training."

Takahashi : "Ten times is fine, just spin it as fast as you can without touching it. Here we go. One, two... ten. Okay."

Takahashi : "Now, turn in the opposite direction. One, two, ten. Oh, you touched it. Yes. Don't touch it at all, and do it as quickly as possible. Right now, I think you're looking at the tip of the sword, but once you get the hang of it, don't look at the tip of the sword. Look into your opponent's eyes, like Toyama's gaze, and turn while looking at your whole body. One, two... ten. Yes, OK."

Takahashi : "Just now I was looking at the tip of my sword, so don't look at the tip of your sword, look into your opponent's eyes. Here we go. 1, 2... 10. 1, 2... 10."

Takahashi : Yes. It's not that you can't hit them at all, but it's training in how to use your wrist, or in other words, how to manipulate the bamboo sword in a precise manner. This can gradually be applied, and you can do it while moving. For example, you can move in response to your opponent's movement, or you can use it against something that is moving.

Takahashi : "For example, crawl forward and backward, forward and backward, while moving forward and backward. Start crawling. 1, 2... 10. This also trains you to achieve good balance through the coordinated movements of your feet and hands, upper and lower body."

Takahashi : "You should turn it with your right hand. The basic rule is to keep your left hand in the center. However, sometimes it will turn, so I think it's best to imagine that you should turn it with your right hand, keeping your left hand in the center and turning it with your right. I think it's best not to use your right hand as the fulcrum, but to always turn it with your left hand as the center."

This time, we were given an explanation about exercises using bamboo swords.

When you think of exercises using a shinai, you probably imagine things like forward and backward swings and jumping swings, but there are other types like the ones we learned today. We tend to think that we have to be quick when using a shinai, but I found it very helpful to learn that doing it slowly so that the shinai doesn't shake can also be a form of training. It seems like it would be good to practice it on a daily basis, such as while watching TV at home.