Nanseikan Kendo Club 剣道クラブ南西館

For all our semester two beginners, don't forget there is an outline on the beginners' course you're currently undertaking here: http://www.kendo.org.au/p/beginners-course-outline_22.html and as I mentioned at the end of training last Saturday, a Beginners' Handbook with all the basic commands, terminology and lots of useful diagrams that you'll refer to over the next few years of your Kendo practice. http://www.kendo.org.au/p/nanseikan-2015-beginners-manual.html 頑張って下さい！ Ganbatte kudasai!

Last weekend saw the running of the 34th (!) Victorian Kendo Championships. Over the two days there were 10 separate competitions held, a massive organisational undertaking and superbly well run by Ballarat and Apollo Bay Kendo Clubs, and their volunteers. In my mind, these guys are the most important people of all those who attend. Our club had its best ever attendance. On Saturday, Quinn and Andrew competed in the Kyu individual event, a very difficult division because it contains such a wide range of skill levels. Well done to you both. Each shiai is like months of jigeiko disstilled into a few short minutes. There's lots to reflect on afterwards, but also lots of momentum and passion that can carry through into training as well. On the Sunday it was the teams' events: kyu and open. For the first time we had a team in each. Sadly I couldn't watch the kyu team in action because I had shinpan duties on the other court (note to self below!). But a look at th...

This is the suburi pattern I use every day. It helps me to keep count and the small amount of variety keeps my brain interested throughout the boredom of the repetition! Men uchi is the most important of the movements to practice, but kote and do are also important to ingrain as well. So the majority are men, but there are kote and do as well. The pattern is renzoku or double-time style: moving forwards and backwards using okuriashi footwork in time with the cut. 20 sho-men 20 kote 20 sho-men 20 kote-men 20 men-do You can start by having a rest between each 20. But pretty soon if you practice every day you should be able to do 100 non-stop. Then after a while, try 200 non-stop. Then, try with two shinai or a heavy suburito , and so on. Try my pattern and if you like it, great! If you hate it, make your own! courtesy of benotdefeatedbytherain