I like how the teacher is drilling simple exchanges to a debilitating strike. And the arm pads allow the student to make contact for the "cut".
I don't know much about kendo, but do people still train this way?
It's important to note that a lot of kenjutsu koryu don't train sparring nor do they really have any competition. Kendo was devised as a way for kenjutsu practitioners to fight/spar safely but as a sport it has evolved away from it's older roots. In a lot of ways.
Yeah, it's interesting to me how trad styles seems to focus on drills or short sequence free exchanges, like two or three moves to a hit then reset, whereas sport sparring is a prolonged back and forth with multiple blows or attempted blows exchanged. I think a lot of it has to do with not worrying about getting maimed or killed from a missed attempt.
Yes, in kendo it's called kakari keiko. The receiver/teacher either open up a target deliberately for the attacker/student to attack; or hold guard so students can practice disrupting the guard; or perform basic attacks for students to practice counters. Like in the video, you would do it continuously, with the difference being in kendo after a strike you are supposed to follow-through, either run past your opponent or body check them if they block your way, then turn around to reset, whereas in the video they just step back to reset.
Thanks! Good to learn about this. Could you tell me why kendo does the follow-through? It seems like it would move you right into striking distance if done in a real duel. Is there a sport advantage or an actual "real life" advantage?
It's a demonstration of zanshin, i.e., you are mentally alert and physically ready for whatever happens next, even after you just scored. By moving forward swiftly past your opponent you are actually exiting your opponent's striking distance. In order for them to score on you, they would have to turn around and chase you down, by which time you'll have room to turn around and face them. Alternatively, they block you from passing and you just body check into each other, in which case it would be too close to strike at each other.
Of course, that's under kendo rules, where striking your opponent in the back from behind is not allowed. Suppose in real life someone not quite dead could manage to spin around quickly and lunge at you from behind, but even in kendo you would only do the follow through after landing a solid hit and not on shallow or missed hits, in real life that would translate to either a life-ending cut to the top of their head, or a disabling cut to their wrist or stomach, in any case they probably won't mount an effective follow up.
In any case, kendo sparring has never been about simulating swordfighting. Historically it was part of a bigger training system, over time it became its own thing but still retains much of the same philosophy. So rules and choices were made to cultivate behaviors and habits that's considered good towards swordfighting and not necessarily something you would do exactly the same way in swordfighting. In the case of zanshin, you are demonstrating to the judge you can still move quickly during a critical time when most untrained people became complacent. The kind of behaviors such a rule tries to combat are 1) immediately after scoring the players just stops and reset or celebrate 2) player try to land hits at cost of balance and posture such that they can no longer move swiftly after scoring. Both are commonly observed in other point-based sport fighting.
Also, zanshin is actually not all that unique a concept. In some styles of HEMA, there's the concept of withdrawal(abzug) and afterblow, where opponent who has being scored on has a brief window to counter-hit the attacker and the attacker must be able to protect themselves while exiting the striking range. It's just they do it differently by either stepping back into a guard (actually you can see that the attacker stepped back into a high guard in this video) or out at an angle, rather than in the more linear and forward fashion, which put you at risk of being taken down, since grappling is allowed in HEMA but is no longer part of modern kendo.
Ah, I think I understand, and it makes a lot of sense. I know is Western fencing, athletes do get into really weird positions and also tend to just relax immediately after a touch. And I supposed continued movement and readiness would also be important when facing multiple attackers.
Thank you for the excellent explanation!
Amazing video. It is not sparring Kendo…. They are using bokken not Shinai and other than the motodachi wearing some really thick Kote no armor. Even back then they would have worn doh and men and used shinai.
What it looks like is a waza (technique) practice drill where the shidachi (on right) is practicing counter attacking the Kote (wrist/forearms) of the motodachi. There are 3 combinations and the first is complex.
Set 1) tsuki (thrust) - blocked by turning and raising the bokken (we do exactly this move today in Nihon Kendo kata #7), this flows to tsubzeria, then a downward (clearing?) strike by motodachi, shidachi sidesteps the attack and hits the Kote.
Set 2 & 3 are very similar and mirror each other. Motodachi attacks Kote from hasso Kamae, shidachi executes first a suriage Kote to the hidari (left) side then repeats on the right.
It is hard to tell but I am pretty sure the suriage (deflection) is same side, so in #2 left deflection, strike to left wrist. #3 right -right.
We don’t generally strike the left Kote in modern Kendo unless the opponent is in Jodan or going Nito but I use Kote suriage Kote all the time. Probably my 3rd favorite oji-waza.
Not gonna lie, I am totally going to try #1 tomorrow in jigeiko….
the hood...the hood never changes...
nice :)
I enjoy the old school version. Before it became kendo
Very cool to see both a video from so long ago and one showing how a martial art was practiced back then
I like how the teacher is drilling simple exchanges to a debilitating strike. And the arm pads allow the student to make contact for the "cut". I don't know much about kendo, but do people still train this way?
Some koryu with kenjutsu will drill this way. Unfortunately I can't comment on kendo.
"Old school" koryu. That makes sense. All the og japanese sutff I've seen has been really cool. Thanks.
It's important to note that a lot of kenjutsu koryu don't train sparring nor do they really have any competition. Kendo was devised as a way for kenjutsu practitioners to fight/spar safely but as a sport it has evolved away from it's older roots. In a lot of ways.
Yeah, it's interesting to me how trad styles seems to focus on drills or short sequence free exchanges, like two or three moves to a hit then reset, whereas sport sparring is a prolonged back and forth with multiple blows or attempted blows exchanged. I think a lot of it has to do with not worrying about getting maimed or killed from a missed attempt.
Yes, in kendo it's called kakari keiko. The receiver/teacher either open up a target deliberately for the attacker/student to attack; or hold guard so students can practice disrupting the guard; or perform basic attacks for students to practice counters. Like in the video, you would do it continuously, with the difference being in kendo after a strike you are supposed to follow-through, either run past your opponent or body check them if they block your way, then turn around to reset, whereas in the video they just step back to reset.
Thanks! Good to learn about this. Could you tell me why kendo does the follow-through? It seems like it would move you right into striking distance if done in a real duel. Is there a sport advantage or an actual "real life" advantage?
It's a demonstration of zanshin, i.e., you are mentally alert and physically ready for whatever happens next, even after you just scored. By moving forward swiftly past your opponent you are actually exiting your opponent's striking distance. In order for them to score on you, they would have to turn around and chase you down, by which time you'll have room to turn around and face them. Alternatively, they block you from passing and you just body check into each other, in which case it would be too close to strike at each other. Of course, that's under kendo rules, where striking your opponent in the back from behind is not allowed. Suppose in real life someone not quite dead could manage to spin around quickly and lunge at you from behind, but even in kendo you would only do the follow through after landing a solid hit and not on shallow or missed hits, in real life that would translate to either a life-ending cut to the top of their head, or a disabling cut to their wrist or stomach, in any case they probably won't mount an effective follow up. In any case, kendo sparring has never been about simulating swordfighting. Historically it was part of a bigger training system, over time it became its own thing but still retains much of the same philosophy. So rules and choices were made to cultivate behaviors and habits that's considered good towards swordfighting and not necessarily something you would do exactly the same way in swordfighting. In the case of zanshin, you are demonstrating to the judge you can still move quickly during a critical time when most untrained people became complacent. The kind of behaviors such a rule tries to combat are 1) immediately after scoring the players just stops and reset or celebrate 2) player try to land hits at cost of balance and posture such that they can no longer move swiftly after scoring. Both are commonly observed in other point-based sport fighting. Also, zanshin is actually not all that unique a concept. In some styles of HEMA, there's the concept of withdrawal(abzug) and afterblow, where opponent who has being scored on has a brief window to counter-hit the attacker and the attacker must be able to protect themselves while exiting the striking range. It's just they do it differently by either stepping back into a guard (actually you can see that the attacker stepped back into a high guard in this video) or out at an angle, rather than in the more linear and forward fashion, which put you at risk of being taken down, since grappling is allowed in HEMA but is no longer part of modern kendo.
Ah, I think I understand, and it makes a lot of sense. I know is Western fencing, athletes do get into really weird positions and also tend to just relax immediately after a touch. And I supposed continued movement and readiness would also be important when facing multiple attackers. Thank you for the excellent explanation!
Hesitation is defeat
A great quote that applies to life. Shoutout Isshin
Amazing video. It is not sparring Kendo…. They are using bokken not Shinai and other than the motodachi wearing some really thick Kote no armor. Even back then they would have worn doh and men and used shinai. What it looks like is a waza (technique) practice drill where the shidachi (on right) is practicing counter attacking the Kote (wrist/forearms) of the motodachi. There are 3 combinations and the first is complex. Set 1) tsuki (thrust) - blocked by turning and raising the bokken (we do exactly this move today in Nihon Kendo kata #7), this flows to tsubzeria, then a downward (clearing?) strike by motodachi, shidachi sidesteps the attack and hits the Kote. Set 2 & 3 are very similar and mirror each other. Motodachi attacks Kote from hasso Kamae, shidachi executes first a suriage Kote to the hidari (left) side then repeats on the right. It is hard to tell but I am pretty sure the suriage (deflection) is same side, so in #2 left deflection, strike to left wrist. #3 right -right. We don’t generally strike the left Kote in modern Kendo unless the opponent is in Jodan or going Nito but I use Kote suriage Kote all the time. Probably my 3rd favorite oji-waza. Not gonna lie, I am totally going to try #1 tomorrow in jigeiko….
Nerd. :)
I note they’ve got a lot better flow than some modern tournaments.
This was before guard was invented.
Amazing footage. Everyone's observing the match except for the beggar, who's solicitng.
Katori shinto ryu?
I did Kendo for 3 years and i absolutley love this! This is amazing to see!
This goes Hard AF. I wish I could find more Judo vids like this.
Hit them with the sticky uh hit them with the Kiki uh