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Wasn't sure whether to post in this thread or the martial arts one, but here goes: I do kendo, a Japanese fencing martial art using a bamboo sword called a "shinai". Been doing it for about 17 years (with a ~3 year stop in the middle), currently hold a 4th dan and I've competed in international competitions including the European and world championships. If anyone has anything they might be wondering about kendo, I'll be more than happy to answer. This is a nice video about fencers trying kendo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8YW4M0Csfo Seems like there quite a bit that's the same (mostly in the more general sense which also applies to martial arts or even fighting videogames, but also things regarding distance etc.), but all the while there's quite a bit that's very different. I've taught some people who came over from fencing and there's quite a few habits that are hard to break.
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May 19, 2022 13:19
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 01:48 |
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Cessna posted:Like what? Particularly the footwork and the fact that it's very important to be head-on towards your opponents in kendo, rather than standing with one side closer to the opponent. Being a bit more two-dimensional with your movement also takes some getting used to. That said, I never taught people who did sabre so that might be more similar.
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May 19, 2022 18:50
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That's interesting. None of the fencers I taught ever really lasted too long, so it didn't reach the point where things like timing or tactics really come into play. In general people (at least adults) who do other sports inevitably pick up things faster, especially compared to the usual batch of anime/sword nerds we get.
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May 20, 2022 06:03
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Generally - no. Some might take a week or two, but for the most part they get used to it quick. They hit and see us get hit hundreds of time, though I guess that's the same in fencing. There are some rare cases of this lingering further, but even in those it passes in a month or two. There is a separate issue with beginners hitting way too hard, before they know the proper way to hit. Usually you'd shrug it off because you wouldn't want to cause the situation as above, and just teach them the proper way promptly.
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May 20, 2022 16:58
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Yeah you get pretty rough skin. When I teach beginners they complain about it a lot but it's forgotten within a month. There are two major footwork "types" in kendo, the first is suriashi which is the sliding footwork, mostly used for moving around (adjusting distance, the "zanshin" movement after a strike..) and rarely for some strikes. The other is fumikomi, which is similar to the lunge you describe. The back foot pushes and you jump forward with the forward foot, though you immediately bring the back foot in front as soon as the front one lands. Whether you "break" your posture when lunging kinda depends on how you were taught, but generally yes - to varying degrees. This is how 99% of strikes are made (with the characteristic "stomping" sound) . Regarding the scoring, generally if the levels of the two competitors aren't equal you would judge by the highest one (or at least the level that the tournament is supposed to be in, but this is at the discretion of the judges - there are usually three in a match). This could be confusing for beginners as points that would count against one opponent won't count against another, but this quickly goes away once you reach the Dan levels (black belt) so it's really mostly a beginner concern. kiminewt fucked around with this message at 14:55 on Jun 3, 2022 |
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Jun 3, 2022 14:49
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ImplicitAssembler posted:Fumikomi refers to the stomping action of the front foot. Fumikiri is the pushing action with the rear foot and is a better comparable to the lunge in fencing. I'm aware, but they're usually bunched together, at least here (Europe). I don't think I've heard people refer to fumikiri as something separate except in videos and books. As for your discussion, yeah in higher levels there aren't many attacks (be they counter-, debana, whatever) that aren't (in the greater context of the fight) initiated by the attacker. But it's not a necessity. I've had a few matches where the opponent immediately did Men once hajime was called, and I instinctively did kaeshi do. The extra distance gives you sufficient response time. In those cases it was definitely not initiated by me. Heck, most of the time I had no idea what happened when I saw the flags go up, it was an automatic blur. On a personal note, I has a tournament last weekend that ended in disappointment, after having trained for it for a long time. Two loses, one draw and a win - plus my team lost in the pools. Usually these kinda loses give a lot of motivation (my coach gave me a long list of things to work on) but because I'm injured and can't work on them right away I've withdrawn to a bit of a malajse.
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Jun 4, 2022 06:28
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 01:48 |
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Regarding fumikomi, you're right. Most of the time it is bunched together though, and even if they emphasise the jump rather than the landing part they still call it "fumikomi", so I think it's just a semantic thing. I agree, the new rules makes the matches a lot more fun to watch (past three tournaments I was in were like that) and it seems like they will keep it around in some form. It also makes matches much more tiring. To those unfamiliar with kendo, the new rules basically stipulate that you cannot stay in "tsuba-zeriai", which is a position where you are in very close quarters with your opponents, for more than "one breathe". Basically you have to either act or separate. In past high-level tournaments people would stick to eachother either to allow themselves to rest or to waste time (kendo matches are timed so if you are leading 1-0 you could win just by wasting the rest of the time). This made for some unsportsman-like behaviour and also just plain boring matches, especially when the stakes are high. As for the competition - I have zero intentions of stopping to compete. For one thing, it is my favourite thing in the whole world (even if it hurts sometimes), and I feel like even though I'm quite old (29) I still have a ways to go with my competitive kendo and especially with my team. This particular competition was just a bit of a shock because I prepared fairly well for it, and had to work extra hard because of a string of debilitating injuries - only to get worse results than last time. So I'm taking a week's rest which I haven't done in a very long time, and letting my injuries fully heal. I have no delusions about being able to win the Europeans. I've practised with the current champion and I know the gulf between our abilities, and the age difference means that I am past my peak while many incredibly strong people are reaching theirs. So, like you I just want to perform at my best and see how far I can go. I do have a ways to go until the sting of a loss isn't wholly depressing, and I'm working on that - but usually it only serves to motivate me to work harder.
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Jun 4, 2022 10:39
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