Shodan in Malmö
This weekend there was the coolest iaido and kendo camp ever in Swedish history. Or so I think, anyway. There were...14 (?) Japanese sensei gathered in Malmö and over 100 people (I don't know the numbers), mostly from Sweden, but also from Denmark, Norway, Germany, Belgium, France and whatnot. The camp consisted of alternating sessions of kendo and iaido in a very newbie-friendly and happy spirit. This is what budo should always be like, I guess.
Sadly, I decided not to participate in the kendo sessions because I was going to grade today (Sunday) and didn't want to put my bad knee through too much before that. Therefore, I decided that it was better having my heart ache when seeing all the others having so much fun with kendo, than have my knee ache. I am sad that I had to choose, though.
Sunday was shiai, ippon shobu, and gradings. People weren't really prepared for the speed of ippon shobu, and that was embarrassing, or at least I thought so. The Japanese sensei in general, and Hirakawa-sensei in particular, should not have had to work so hard on getting people to put on their men and go to the shiaijo. On the other hand, it was really hard to follow the results because of the speed, so I have some sympathy for the competitors.
I was the only person grading in iaido, and I was slightly uncomfortable when I realized that I was going to grade all by myself in front of all these people. However, the grading went fine, with not too many mistakes, and people I had hardly seen before congratulated me everywhere I went for the rest of the day. That was nice. ^^
I was also REALLY honored to have Soejima-sensei, hachidan hanshi, telling me personally about what I need to work with and what he thought of the grading. Just having his name in kanji on the "diploma" is an honor, really.
I could rant about this forever, but here are some things which Soejima and some of the other sensei pointed out:
Make a nukitsuki that uses more space.
Make sure the strike in tsukaate is really towards the suigetsu, I was aiming more for the stomach, kind of thing.
Make sure that the blade is slightly diagonal after kesagiri kirioroshi (as in not vertical).
Make sure to actually sit in seiza before beginning torei (meaning hands on thighs!).
Tie the sageo above the sword instead of below it. This is something I find to be a lot more diffult, and Soejima didn't comment on it, but another sensei did, so I will work on it. I want to at least be equally comfortable with both ways.
Soejima-sensei was also trying to comment on timing and speed, but the interpreter had some trouble translating what he said because she was kendoka, and not iaidoka. I think he was trying to say that I should slow down, relax and make the differences in speed more apparent.
Sadly, I decided not to participate in the kendo sessions because I was going to grade today (Sunday) and didn't want to put my bad knee through too much before that. Therefore, I decided that it was better having my heart ache when seeing all the others having so much fun with kendo, than have my knee ache. I am sad that I had to choose, though.
Sunday was shiai, ippon shobu, and gradings. People weren't really prepared for the speed of ippon shobu, and that was embarrassing, or at least I thought so. The Japanese sensei in general, and Hirakawa-sensei in particular, should not have had to work so hard on getting people to put on their men and go to the shiaijo. On the other hand, it was really hard to follow the results because of the speed, so I have some sympathy for the competitors.
I was the only person grading in iaido, and I was slightly uncomfortable when I realized that I was going to grade all by myself in front of all these people. However, the grading went fine, with not too many mistakes, and people I had hardly seen before congratulated me everywhere I went for the rest of the day. That was nice. ^^
I was also REALLY honored to have Soejima-sensei, hachidan hanshi, telling me personally about what I need to work with and what he thought of the grading. Just having his name in kanji on the "diploma" is an honor, really.
I could rant about this forever, but here are some things which Soejima and some of the other sensei pointed out:
Make a nukitsuki that uses more space.
Make sure the strike in tsukaate is really towards the suigetsu, I was aiming more for the stomach, kind of thing.
Make sure that the blade is slightly diagonal after kesagiri kirioroshi (as in not vertical).
Make sure to actually sit in seiza before beginning torei (meaning hands on thighs!).
Tie the sageo above the sword instead of below it. This is something I find to be a lot more diffult, and Soejima didn't comment on it, but another sensei did, so I will work on it. I want to at least be equally comfortable with both ways.
Soejima-sensei was also trying to comment on timing and speed, but the interpreter had some trouble translating what he said because she was kendoka, and not iaidoka. I think he was trying to say that I should slow down, relax and make the differences in speed more apparent.
posted by Caroline at 21:04
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