A Few Observations at the SEUSKF Tournament

Remember, these events are to display your kendo skill - this includes good etiquette in addition to good techniques. Starting off with etiquette, I am happy to report that most everyone displayed good etiquette, but I did observe a few instances of bad etiquette:

- Do not use the shinai as a cane! You use that to compete against opponents, not to hold your weight up.

- Do not horseplay around the tournament area. You risk interrupting a match or worse, hurting yourself or others.

In terms of technique, I saw a lot of really good technique but a few glaring issues caught my eye. For starters, I saw a lot of really bad do strikes. That’s a lot of wasted energy in terms of competition, which only makes it easier for the opponent to strike you. I also saw too much stepping out of the court. Being aware of your surroundings is important in Kendo; good court sense is one of the keys to winning in a match.

As Scanlon sensei was a shimpan, I asked him what caught his eye in the Mudansha bracket:

- No follow through

- Bad footwork

- Over stepping

These are very basic concepts that can sometimes be very challenging to achieve, keep them in mind during practice.