Practice

Information | Practice | Equipment | Etiquette | Vocabulary

WARM UP

It is important to go through a full warm up prior to practice in order to avoid injury to muscles and long term injury to joints. Each participant must do these according to their own abilities and flexibility. Do not bounce while stretching as this can cause sever muscle damage. Stretch slowing and gradually allow the muscles to lengthen and become warmed up.

Major areas that need to be warmed up are the neck, torso, arm swings, wrist stretching, shoulder stretching, waist, lower back, groin, knees, Achilles tendon, ankles, etc.

FOOT WORK

After warming up it is necessary to practice footwork. The three major types of footwork are:

Tsugi-ashi - half step/slide forward with the right foot, used to close the distance or maai prior to striking.
Suri-ashi - stepping/sliding the right foot forward and pulling the left foot up to the level of the right heel.
Ayumi-ashi - full steps with the right and then left foot.

SUBURI

Suburi is shinai swinging practice, and consists of striking the targets of an imaginary opponent of your size in front of you. This practice is designed to develop speed, accuracy, integration and correct form in the kendo attacking techniques.

Osuburi - big swing for stretching out
Shomen suburi - swing to the center of the men
Sayumen suburi - swing to the sides of the men
Zenomen - regular big swing hitting men
Hayasuburi - quick swing with footwork
Katate suburi - one handed swing

KEIKO (practice)

Kirikaeshi - basic warming up exercise
Kihonuchi - basic hitting
Uchikomi geiko - hitting kihon and turning quickly to hit again without stopping between each hit
Kakari geiko - attacking continuously without stopping
Taiatari geiko - bumping and hitting practice
Ji geiko - sparring practice

WAZA

Shikake waza (Offensive techniques)

Ippon uchi (single hit technique)
men, do, kote, tsuki

Nidan waza, sandan waza (two and three-step techniques)
      Kote-men
      Kote-do
      Men-do

Harai waza (warding off technique)
Harai-men
Harai-kote

Debana waza (attach-at-the-start technique)
Debana men
Debana kote

Hiki waza (stepping back and hitting technique)
      Hiki men
      Hiki kote
      Hiki do

Katsugi waza (shouldering-the-sword technique)

Maki waza (rolling-the-shinai- technique)

Katate waza (single-hand technique)

Oji Waza (Receiving Techniques)

Suriage uchi (sliding upward technique)
      Men-suriage men
      Kote-suriage kote
      Kote-suriage men

Kaeshi waza (block-counter technique)
      Men-kaeshi do
      Men-kaeshi men
      Kote-kaeshi kote

Uchitoshi waza (striking-down technique)
Do-uchiotoshi men

Nuki waza (avoiding techniques)
      Kote-nuki men
      Men-nuki do
      Men-nuki men