Well Lauren and I did not make Nidan, however we did pick up some excellent points for the next promotion. After the keiko part of the exam the judges pulled everyone over (everyone testing on that court, shodan and up) and explained what they felt they saw and what they felt they didn’t see.
Starting “kind of” at nidan and going up from there, the judges said they want to see more then just men strikes. They want to see strikes with technique, this means strikes with such waza as harai waza, suriage waza, and nuki waza. They also want to see a lot of aggression. Furthermore, if they feel they see complete misses (that is the shinai makes absolutely no contact with the opponent) they mark down for that.
All in all I think the Annapolis Kendo and Iaido Club is in good shape, as we have a somewhat clear idea on what we need to do in-between now and the next test. Everyone is back in Maryland now and ready to work hard for the next promotion.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Saturday, October 6, 2007
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.
- 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.
The 18th Annual SEUSKF Championship
The Annapolis Kendo and Iaido Club is here in Georgia attending the SEUSKF Championship. Let me just jump into it by saying I’ve never seen a tournament of this size run so effectively; the Georgia Kendo Alliance has set a new standard for tournaments. Up to 200 competitors and the entire tournament managed to run on time and without confusion. It’s good to see this SEUSKF championship run so well as the Georgia Kendo Alliance is also celebrating it’s 30th anniversary. It was apparent the way things were going to work at this tournament at the entrance to Berkmar high School gym:
The gym was big enough to have 5 courts going at once, there was also a ring around the top of the gym for jogging but also access to a lobby area that one could go through and reach the first floor without interrupting the action going on in the courts:
There’s a club we are all familiar with:
The handout is very sharp and not overly stuffed with information. It is very easy to find information about each division and club and rank about each person competing:
Being a member of the Annapolis Kendo and Iaido club, I had a clear shot of the dojo line up from the furthest side of it:
Ohta sensei, who lead the shodan to sandan training at the AUSKF summer camp, graced the SEUSKF tournament with his presence (he’s sitting at the table):
Scanlon sensei was up right at the start with shimpan duty:
The matches were single elimination, quite understandable with 200 competitors. Lauren in her first match of the day (she also competed in women's bracket and the team competition):
Myself in my first match ever in the shodan/nidan bracket, I didn’t do so well and got two points scored on me, it was a good match though especially considering the person who defeated me did well in the shodan/nidan bracket whining the court A bracket:
Lauren advanced a bracket in the women’s division, she was knocked out by 5 dan so her match was great as well:
After lunch, Ohta sensei and six of the highest ranking sensei who attended demonstrated keiko, each sensei competeing against Ohta in a one on one match. I can’t recall all the names but I know Maeda was the last to compete against Ohta:
Scanlon sensei put up a fierce fight in his match:
Maeda sensei went up against Phuong sensei, it was an intense match:
The Annapolis Kendo and Iaido Club teamed up with the New Orleans Kendo Club. The order was Neil Bascos of the New Orleans Kendo Club (1-kyu), Lauren, myself, Frank Anselmo of the New Orleans Kendo Club (3-dan). Our opponent was the University of Kentucky Kendo team. Bowing in to our match was an experience:
A few minutes before that picture I was thinking “hey Maeda sensei is here today, I wonder what he’s doing here.” The grin across my face in the picture is the sudden realization that I was going to have the good fortune of fighting Maeda sensei. Here are some pics of our team’s matches:
Tomorrow are the important matches though, as Lauren and myself attempt to pass the Nidan exam. Thanks to Phil and Ronnie for helping with the pictures and thanks to Neil and Frank for competing along side us in the team matches.
The gym was big enough to have 5 courts going at once, there was also a ring around the top of the gym for jogging but also access to a lobby area that one could go through and reach the first floor without interrupting the action going on in the courts:
There’s a club we are all familiar with:
The handout is very sharp and not overly stuffed with information. It is very easy to find information about each division and club and rank about each person competing:
Being a member of the Annapolis Kendo and Iaido club, I had a clear shot of the dojo line up from the furthest side of it:
Ohta sensei, who lead the shodan to sandan training at the AUSKF summer camp, graced the SEUSKF tournament with his presence (he’s sitting at the table):
Scanlon sensei was up right at the start with shimpan duty:
The matches were single elimination, quite understandable with 200 competitors. Lauren in her first match of the day (she also competed in women's bracket and the team competition):
Myself in my first match ever in the shodan/nidan bracket, I didn’t do so well and got two points scored on me, it was a good match though especially considering the person who defeated me did well in the shodan/nidan bracket whining the court A bracket:
Lauren advanced a bracket in the women’s division, she was knocked out by 5 dan so her match was great as well:
After lunch, Ohta sensei and six of the highest ranking sensei who attended demonstrated keiko, each sensei competeing against Ohta in a one on one match. I can’t recall all the names but I know Maeda was the last to compete against Ohta:
Scanlon sensei put up a fierce fight in his match:
Maeda sensei went up against Phuong sensei, it was an intense match:
The Annapolis Kendo and Iaido Club teamed up with the New Orleans Kendo Club. The order was Neil Bascos of the New Orleans Kendo Club (1-kyu), Lauren, myself, Frank Anselmo of the New Orleans Kendo Club (3-dan). Our opponent was the University of Kentucky Kendo team. Bowing in to our match was an experience:
A few minutes before that picture I was thinking “hey Maeda sensei is here today, I wonder what he’s doing here.” The grin across my face in the picture is the sudden realization that I was going to have the good fortune of fighting Maeda sensei. Here are some pics of our team’s matches:
Tomorrow are the important matches though, as Lauren and myself attempt to pass the Nidan exam. Thanks to Phil and Ronnie for helping with the pictures and thanks to Neil and Frank for competing along side us in the team matches.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
A reminder about the upcoming SEUSKF Promotional
Remember, if you are testing for Ikkyu or higher, have your test questions answered before you arrive on the day of the test!
As the Annapolis Kendo and Iaido Club has discovered in the past, a lot of work is being done by the promotional coordinators the day of the test and when a person taking the test shows up unprepared with their test answers it makes things all that more difficult for the promotional coordinators.
Do not put more work on others just because you were too lazy or couldn’t remember to answer the questions before hand.
As the Annapolis Kendo and Iaido Club has discovered in the past, a lot of work is being done by the promotional coordinators the day of the test and when a person taking the test shows up unprepared with their test answers it makes things all that more difficult for the promotional coordinators.
Do not put more work on others just because you were too lazy or couldn’t remember to answer the questions before hand.
News about the SEUSKF Championship and Promotional
Recieved this just now:
I know that the Annapolis Kendo and Iaido Club has been looking forward to this weekend and this notice makes it all the better.
Dear fellow Kendo-ka and sensei,
Georgia Kendo Alliance and SEUSKF have invited Mr. Yoshiyuki Ota, Kendo Kyoshi 8th-Dan to be our guest sensei during the 2007 SEUSKF Championship and Promotional Testing.
After the Promotional Testing is completed, on Sunday, October 7th, there will be a godo keiko session with our guest sensei, until about 5:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to participate.
Regards,
Fisher Londono
GKA - 2007 SEUSKF Championship Committee -Chairman
I know that the Annapolis Kendo and Iaido Club has been looking forward to this weekend and this notice makes it all the better.
Good will Keiko with the George Washington Kendo Club
This was forwarded to me from the George Washington Kendo Club:
Sounds like an opportunity to practice with a variety of people.
Greetings fellow Kendoka!
The Kendo Club of the George Washington University would like to cordially invite you to Godo Keiko at GW on Saturday, October 20th. Unfortunately this year we could not get Kato Sensei to come to GW for our Annual Kendo Tournament this fall due to his very busy schedule. Due to this and other complications this year we have decided to postpone our tournament until Spring and hold a Godo Keiko instead.
Godo Keiko, or Good will Keiko will give everyone an opportunity to do keiko with kendoka from other dojos and clubs. We encourage you to attend and meet & keiko with people from the surrounding area. It will be a fun and great experience for everybody who attends. We hope that many kendoka can attend. Afterwards, we are planning to have a get-together at a nearby pub (everybody can come!) to socialize.
We will be sending out a detailed schedule (It will most likely be from the afternoon) and registration form in the next few days. We ask that you register so we know how many people will be attending. For now, please mark your calendars!
Please feel free to contact me at kendo@gwu.edu or (207)522-9955. We understand that some of you may be unable to travel far for a godo keiko, so for anyone who might not be able to attend we look forward to seeing you in the spring at our official tournament!
Sincerely,
Mana Yamada
Former President, Kendo Club at George Washington, Godo Keiko Organizer
ps If I missed any other clubs or dojos, please pass this along to whoever may be interested!
Sounds like an opportunity to practice with a variety of people.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
