From Issoku Itto no Maai

After reading what has been written by the two of you... I am officially speechless. Not because that I don't understand the contents but more like... I have nothing to add So, what I am going to say now will be "Thanks" and keep everything that is written in my head. Then I shall hope that I will remember it for the rest of my life XD

Most of the kendo action begins within the range of Issoku Itto no maai and chikama. A good kenshi is suppose to be able to fight in any maai. That would be ideal. But in terms of practicality there are reasons why maai are divided to three, toma (long distance), chuukan or issoku itto no maai ( middle distance), and finally chikama. For a person to get an ippon , a cut must be hit with intention, conviction and feelings (japanese call it omoikiri), at the same time while being in relax motion.

To achieve that, takes preperation. You see toma is a safe distance since hardly anyone attacks from toma. To attack from toma you don't only need to have the lower strength and speed, since the distance is farther it is open more to countering techniques. It is in kendo by far the safest distance.That is even for beginners and seniors, we always start from toma. We prepare mentally and physically, before moving into chuukan. Because once you are in chuukan the shinai starts crossing, it already is a physical fight. It is from here most of us would attack and pressure our opponent. since this is mentally taxing as it is, that is why mental prep is needed from toma, and control breathing. It is this mental prep that actually helps you when you execute your attack since everything is focus on the tanden. You are suppose to let it all out as you cut. If you can do that hardly any countering technique needs to be afraid off, unless you fell your opponent tricks, even so, a cut that is full of spirit usually triumph.

While in chakama, there are lesser technique to be used, so from there on, it is more tactical and also more harder to take zanshin, since smaller distance. When it is said a fight normally happen within chuukan and chikama is because , the physical seme needs you to take a small step forward (almost chikama but not yet chikama) forcing your opponent to think you are attacking, and he'll start to move in response to your movement. That's where you have an opening. It is by practice, that you could increase the speed of mental prep before going into chuukan, then slowly you'll learn to even prepare in chuukan.

So going back to basic that is why it is always good to start from toma and go inwards to issoku itto no maai. The seme that is needed to be train all lies in this distance, from there on, it is easier to fight on closer distance.

Issoku-itto-noh-maai is the "proper"/"safe" (for lack of a better description) distance for Japanese kendo. However, I had also had the privilege to spar with some Korean senseis when they came to visit Malaysia a couple of years back and they fought from chikama. Now, who's to say that you must fight from issoku-itto-noh-maai?

My dua sens (and I seem to have quite a few today) is that kenshi should learn to fight from whatever distance the situation presents. For example, you're facing a kenshi in jodan kamae, are you going to fight in issoku-itto-noh-maai? Or are you going to fight in chikama?

I can't help you here simply because the distance and the way you fight reflects your personality.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't fight from issoku-itto-noh-maai. Sensei teaches us that the optimal distance to strike is from issoku-itto-noh-maai. However, as kenshi, we should give thought to our actions and to act as befits the situation.

Well, actually not much different from my experience. If it's just kihon practice where you only need to seme and move into issoku itto no maai and the opponent will open for you to hit, then most of the time it's because the lower muscle lack the strength it needs.

But then again there is also a kihon practice actually i wouldn't call it kihon practice more of waza practice, where the opponent don't necessarily open for you for free. You have to actually go with flow and pressure him , seme-ing him until you find an opening to hit then you go in for the kill. Usually in this practice, even i sometimes find it very hard to hit from issoku itto no maai since, because it really close to jigeiko in feeling, and just like i said before, that's why it is really hard to reach. But if you have problem for this, it's just matter of getting use to the feeling of being overwhelm and pressured. once you get used to it then it rarely becomes a problem for you. This also have connection with the way you breath, and seme.

With proper breathing and seme and even kiai, it would reduce those mental block.

max22 wrote:Well, what yama said is also true when you are in a jigeiko or shiai. Sometimes the pressure by the opponent, facing with a living shinai, and unreadable opponent, all this clouds the mind and sometimes create doubts and induce fear. When such thing exist, it is hard to step forward even from issoku itto no maai, that's where seme and breathing and kiai comes to allow you to overcome such things.

Oh bout the research point, it's something i picked up from the sensei that is currently teaching me.
He always teach me new technique or practice method, but he always reminds me that practice is like research, you always have to look at certain practice with a fresh eye and break it into pieces then find the weak part and then correct it and then put it back together.
My sensei once told me the story that he failed his dan examination in one part of his life 13 times, that's why he learns to do that.

Really thankful to have that kind of sensei. But you should try the prac, and then try to include men cuts. surely it will help you when trying to move in from issoku itto no maai.

In jigeiko/shiai... so if I am feeling that way during kihon practices? That's different? And about the 'research' part, I've never thought of it that way ^^ Perhaps I can try doing that for future practices as well.

speechless with abul's definition of research.

Well, what yama said is also true when you are in a jigeiko or shiai. Sometimes the pressure by the opponent, facing with a living shinai, and unreadable opponent, all this clouds the mind and sometimes create doubts and induce fear. When such thing exist, it is hard to step forward even from issoku itto no maai, that's where seme and breathing and kiai comes to allow you to overcome such things.

Oh bout the research point, it's something i picked up from the sensei that is currently teaching me.
He always teach me new technique or practice method, but he always reminds me that practice is like research, you always have to look at certain practice with a fresh eye and break it into pieces then find the weak part and then correct it and then put it back together.
My sensei once told me the story that he failed his dan examination in one part of his life 13 times, that's why he learns to do that.

Really thankful to have that kind of sensei. But you should try the prac, and then try to include men cuts. surely it will help you when trying to move in from issoku itto no maai.

yama2 wrote:You're getting distracted by the opponent's kensen. This can be caused by fear.

So true... >.< But I wonder how or why am I being distracted by the kensen though... I am not too sure myself.

max22 wrote:There is a simple practice taught to me by my kendomates that turns out
to be very effective for people who wish to stomp further or they have
problem to move in from issoku itto no maai. I've been training using
this practice and i find very effective it has reduce the problem that
i usually face of not being able to reach my opponent even within
issoku itto no maai

1) Stand up straight like in normal posture with back straight and relax. Important to relax.
2)
Lift up a bit of your right leg, as if you are balancing on one leg.
The height of the right foot from ground is around 0.5 to 1 cm.
3) From there, slide forward (i.e your foot not suppose to touch the floor) as far as possible as if ur doing a fumikomi. Important point to remember: don't lift up your right foot any higher than the initial height
4) Leave behind you back foot until you reach the full distance (i.e your right leg can't slide forward anymore if u force yourself, the back leg knee will start to touch the ground)
5)
As your bout to reach full distance you can choose to fumikomi or not
to fumikomi. Depends largely what is the main purpose of training. If u
wish to fumikomi, Points to remember:
as i said before don't lift your leg any higher, just use your body
weight and posture plus the your right leg stomping down at 90 degree
angle.
6) Pull your back leg as fast as possible.

P.T.R(Points
to remember): Try to do the whole thing slow first, and make sure your
upper body is straight and doestn't lean forward. And also try to get
the feeling of moving forward from the waist. And finally is something
you guys have to do a bit of research, how to move from the initial
standing to sliding faster. Is it to use your leg first? or move
together with waist? well there are tonnes that you could do research
by doing this practice.

have fun trying. I know i did

Awesome explanation~! I'll try most definitely! Waa~ you even added research questions haha Now I feel like I am being assigned homework Anyhow, ^.^ +rep for you!

There is a simple practice taught to me by my kendomates that turns out to be very effective for people who wish to stomp further or they have problem to move in from issoku itto no maai. I've been training using this practice and i find very effective it has reduce the problem that i usually face of not being able to reach my opponent even within issoku itto no maai

1) Stand up straight like in normal posture with back straight and relax. Important to relax.
2) Lift up a bit of your right leg, as if you are balancing on one leg. The height of the right foot from ground is around 0.5 to 1 cm.
3) From there, slide forward (i.e your foot not suppose to touch the floor) as far as possible as if ur doing a fumikomi. Important point to remember: don't lift up your right foot any higher than the initial height
4) Leave behind you back foot until you reach the full distance (i.e your right leg can't slide forward anymore if u force yourself, the back leg knee will start to touch the ground)
5) As your bout to reach full distance you can choose to fumikomi or not to fumikomi. Depends largely what is the main purpose of training. If u wish to fumikomi, Points to remember: as i said before don't lift your leg any higher, just use your body weight and posture plus the your right leg stomping down at 90 degree angle.
6) Pull your back leg as fast as possible.

P.T.R(Points to remember): Try to do the whole thing slow first, and make sure your upper body is straight and doestn't lean forward. And also try to get the feeling of moving forward from the waist. And finally is something you guys have to do a bit of research, how to move from the initial standing to sliding faster. Is it to use your leg first? or move together with waist? well there are tonnes that you could do research by doing this practice.

have fun trying. I know i did

You're getting distracted by the opponent's kensen. This can be caused by fear.

izzaz wrote:I have this problem too sometimes. I sometimes "cheat" by moving the left leg fto close the gap between the left and right foot then only I leap in. This shouldn't be done actually.

Have u tried pushing off with your left leg as forcefully as u can like a runner from a starting block? Are you extending your arms as you're supposed to?

Yes I have done both. It usually results in over stretching >.< my posture is gone.

I have this problem too sometimes. I sometimes "cheat" by moving the left leg fto close the gap between the left and right foot then only I leap in. This shouldn't be done actually.

Have u tried pushing off with your left leg as forcefully as u can like a runner from a starting block? Are you extending your arms as you're supposed to?

So I have been having this problem for a very long time now... it's
still about fumikomi ^^ I just thought maybe I can get some views on
this.

Cuts are supposed to be done within issoku itto no maai, yes? Alright,
so this is where the problem is... somehow when I am in this distance,
it seem so impossible for me to reach my opponent's men from where I am
(from my point of view). One of the sensei said that I am not jumping
enough. I've been trying, but it doesn't seem like I am correcting
anything. Sensei says that I 'cheat' by moving my left foot first in
order to cover the distance.

What can I doooo to correct this?