When I trained last month in Osaka Shudokan, Hayashi Kozo sensei introduced us to a method of practising kiri-kaeshi slowly with suriashi footwork. He explained that the objective of the exercise to learn to use our shoulders in a relaxed way whilst concentrating on correct tenouchi and hasuji. Since returning to the UK I have copied this in a number of our sessions. We start with 3 or 4 repetitions at this speed then build up to normal speed kirikaeshi before going on to other kihon drills.
Watching people go through this routine, it is fairly obvious that most of us can make big cuts correctly in slow motion, but when we make the action smaller or faster, shoulders tend to stiffen and we make too much use of the strength of our right arm. This is particularly true of kote, where many people keep their left hand static and use just right hand power to deliver the strike. I have even seen examples where the downward force of the strike is exaggerated by also pushing the left hand down.
Preventing such bad habits is the reason for constantly coming back to basics. We need to train so that we can strike with relaxed shoulders, elbows and wrists and add snap with tenouchi. Whether we are cutting kote, men or dou, large or small, fast or slow, we need to do so with the timing of one; lifting and striking in the same movement. This works in exactly the same way for shikake and oji waza.
To strike men all you need do is push your left hand up and let gravity do the rest. For kote the shortest route to the target is best, but don’t lose sight of the fact that the cut is made with a forward movement from the left hand, not a downward movement from the right. If your shoulders and arms are relaxed you will feel the impact of a successful hit not in your hands but in your abdomen as you move forward.
Kirikaeshi is not the only way to achieve this, but we need to practice cutting in a fluid relaxed way. If not through kirikaeshi then through suburi or repeated strikes against a partners shinai. We should start big and then if we can hit in a relaxed way then we can make the movement smaller. As an afterthought, small does not necessarily mean quick. I have seen accomplished kendoka make a big men strike in less time than a less experience kenshi needs to make a small kote.
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Hi Geoff Sensei, thanks for this entry. Is there a way for you to share a video of the slow kiri-kaeshi? Thanks & Best regards, Ricardo.
Hi Ricardo
I don’t think that I will have a chance to put a video together, but slow kirikaeshi is as simple as it sounds. Step into your own distance and hit men without fumikomi or going through after hitting. Motodachi then steps back and receives four yoko men strikes without blocking. He then steps forward to receive five strikes without blocking, then opens for a final shomen cut. Kakarigeiko moves with sliding suriashi footwork and makes each cut slowly and correctly, stopping in front of Motodachi at the first and final men.
In our dojo, beginners have to take two exams before the federation exams. After a number of trainings, day have to take an exam to be allowed to wear the hakama, then later they have to take an exam to be allowed to wear bogu. At the begining, before the hakama exam, they learn the basic kihon only with big movement suburi, and slow, big movement kirikaeshi. On the hakama exam, they have to show theese as learned, to wear hakama. Below is a video about a hakama exam in our dojo, which contains an example of slow, big movement kirikaeshi from 3:10.