Office workers fight kendo to stay strong

3gzylon 2012-08-16

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Office workers fight kendo to stay strong

A female kendo fighter adjusts her helmet during the training in a gym in Fuzhou city, East China's Fujian province. Kendo, a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan, has attracted increasing numbers of office workers in China in recent years who practice during their spare time to reduce stress, train the mind and body and cultivate character.

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0086girl

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Kendo training is quite noisy in comparison to some other martial arts or sports. This is because kendōka use a shout, or kiai (気合い), to express their fighting spirit when striking. Additionally, kendōka execute fumikomi-ashi (踏み込み足?), an action similar to a stamp of the front foot, when making a strike.

Like some other martial arts, kendōka train and fight barefoot. Kendo is ideally practiced in a purpose-built dōjō, though standard sports halls and other venues are often used. An appropriate venue has a clean and well-sprung wooden floor, suitable for fumikomi-ashi.

Modern kendo techniques comprise both strikes and thrusts. Strikes are only made towards specified target areas (打突-部位, datotsu-bui?) on the wrists, head, or body, all of which are protected by armor. The targets are men, sayu-men or yoko-men (upper left or right side of the men), the right kote at any time, the left kote when it is in a raised position, and the left or right side of the dō. Thrusts (突き, tsuki?) are only allowed to the throat. However, since an incorrectly performed thrust could cause serious injury to the opponent's neck, thrusting techniques in free practice and competition are often restricted to senior dan graded kendōka.

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0086girl

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Equipment
The shinai is meant to represent a Japanese sword (katana) and is made up of four bamboo slats, which are held together by leather fittings. A modern variation of a shinai with carbon fiber reinforced resin slats is also used.

Kendōka also use hard wooden swords (木刀, bokutō) to practice kata.

Kendo employs strikes involving both one edge and the tip of the shinai or bokutō.

Protective armor is worn to protect specified target areas on the head, arms and body. The head is protected by a stylized helmet, called men (面), with a metal grille (面金, men-gane) to protect the face, a series of hard leather and fabric flaps (突垂れ, tsuki-dare) to protect the throat, and padded fabric flaps (面垂れ, men-dare) to protect the side of the neck and shoulders. The forearms, wrists, and hands are protected by long, thickly padded fabric gloves called kote (小手). The torso is protected by a breastplate (胴, dō), while the waist and groin area is protected by the tare (垂れ), consisting of three thick vertical fabric flaps or faulds.

Clothing
The clothing worn under the bōgu comprise a jacket (kendogi or keikogi) and hakama, a garment separated in the middle to form two wide trouser legs.

A cotton towel (手拭い, tenugui) is wrapped around the head, under the men, to absorb perspiration and provide a base for the men to fit comfortably.

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0086girl

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Techniques
Techniques are divided into shikake-waza (to initiate a strike) and ōji-waza (a response to an attempted strike).Kendoka who wish to use such techniques during practice or competitions, often practice each technique with a motodachi. This is a process that requires patience. First practising slowly and then as familiarity and confidence builds, the kendoka and motodachi increase the speed to match and competition level.

Shikake-waza
These attack techniques are used to create suki in an opponent by initiating a attack, or strike boldly when your opponent has created a suki. Such techniques include:

Tobikomi-waza
This is a technique used when one's opponent has weak kisei(spirit,vigour) or when they yield a suki under pressure. Always hold kisei and strike quickly.

Hikibana-waza
Body and shinai will lose balance as you strike or when being attacked. This technique takes advantage of this to help execute a strike. A good example is Hikibana-kote, when a strike is made to an opponent's kote as they feel threatened and raise their kensen as you push forward.

Katsugi-waza
This provides a surprise attack, by lifting the shinai over your shoulder before striking. Here a skilful use of the kensen and spirited attack is crucial for effective katsugi-waza or luring your opponent into breaking his/her posture.

Nidan-waza
There are two types. The first is for moving to the next waza after a failed first strike, and the second holds your opponent's attention and posture to create the suki for a second strike. The former requires a continuous rhythm of correct strikes. The latter requires continuous execution of waza, to take advantage of your opponent's suki.

Harai-waza
This can be used if one's opponent's kamae has no suki when your opponent tries to attack. Your opponent's shinai is either knocked down from above or swept up from below with a resulting strike just when his/her kamae is broken.

Debana-waza
This technique involves striking your opponent as you realize he/she is about to strike. This is because their concentration will be on striking and their posture will have no flexibility to respond. Thus debana-waza is ideal. This can be to any part of your opponent's body, with valid strikes being: debana-men, debana-kote, and debana-tsuki.

Oji-waza
These counter-attack techniques are performed by executing a strike after responding or avoiding an attempted strike by your opponent. This can also be achieved by inducing the opponent to attack, then employing one of the oji-waza.

Nuki-waza
Avoiding an attack from another, then instantly responding. Here, timing has to be correct. A response that is too slow or fast will may not be effective. Therefore close attention to an opponent's every move is required.

Suriage-waza
If struck by an opponent's shinai, this technique sweeps up their shinai in a rising-slide motion, with the right(ura) or left(omote) side of the shinai. Then strike in the direction of their shinai, or at the suki resulting from their composure's collapse. This technique needs to be smooth. That is, don't separate the rising-slide motion and the upward-sweeping motion or it will not be successful. Valid strikes include: men-suriage-men, kote-suriage-men, kote-suriage-kote,and tsuki-suriage-men.

Uchiotoshi-waza
This waza knocks an opponent's shinai to the right or left. This neutralises a potential strike and gives the ideal chance to strike as an opponent is off-balance. For success, an opponent's maai has to be correctly perceived and then one knocks down their shinai before their arm fully extends. Valid examples are: do-uchiotoshi-men and tsuki-uchiotoshi-men.

Kaeshi-waza
This technique is a response. As an opponent strikes, you parry their shinai with yours. Then flip over (turn over your hands) and strike their opposite side. Valid strikes include:men-kaeshi-men, men-kaeshi-kote, men-kaeshi-do, kote-kaeshi-men, kote-kaeshi-kote, and do-kaeshi-men.

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