Annapolis Kendo and Iaido Club

Next Time

2007-10-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

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.

A Few Observations at the SEUSKF Tournament

2007-10-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

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.

The 18th Annual SEUSKF Championship

2007-10-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

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.

A reminder about the upcoming SEUSKF Promotional

2007-10-03T06:39:00.000-07:00

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.

News about the SEUSKF Championship and Promotional

2007-10-03T06:36:00.000-07:00

Recieved this just now:

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

2007-10-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

This was forwarded to me from the George Washington Kendo Club:

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.

What a week for the Annapolis Kendo and Iaido Club and Kendo in general in the Maryland area.

2007-09-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

The Washington Kendo Club in Columbia, Maryland had a visitor from Japan this week. Okeda sensei, a 7th dan is an old friend of Dvorine Sensei and traveled all the way to Maryland specifically to Kendo with Washington Kendo club. The other clubs in the area, including the Annapolis Kendo and Iaido club, were allowed to participate in the practices and I assure they were amazing practices.

Though I did attend both Thursday and Saturday practices, I only had my camera out for a brief period on Saturday. Towards the end, Dvorine Sensei got in a round of Nito against Okeda Sensei:

Okeda Sensei, Dvorine Sensei, Seto Sensei, and Scanlon Sensei:

A group shot of everyone who attended the practice:

Scanlon Sensei and Senpei Flanigan:

Whoops lets try that again, Scanlon Sensei and Senpei Flanigan:

Lauren sent me this pic of her and Okeda sensei:

Both practices were well worth attending, Okeda sensei provided further feedback on what we have been practicing with a new angle on all of it. On top of that, Saturday’s practice with members from at least 3 different dojos attending was an excellent opportunity to see different Kendo styles.

I am sure I speak for the entire Annapolis Kendo and Iaido Club when I throw out a thanks to the Washington Kendo Club for allowing us to participate in their practices this week.

Promotional Exam at the Koryo Dojo in Richmond, Va.

2007-08-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, the Annapolis Kendo Iaido Club attended the promotional exam being held by our friends at the Koryo Dojo in Richmond Virginia. None of our members needed to test.

We actually arrived late because of traffic; fortunately we weren’t the only ones who were late so the promotional exam did not start until 1:53 PM. We arrived at about 1:45 PM, so I had time to look around. I am impressed with the space the Koryo dojo has to practice on. The wooden floor has a lot of character and felt good to practice Kendo on.

The exam went up to Shodan, so no one from our club was there to test. Those testing for ranks below Ikkyo had to do kiri-kaeshi and keiko, those testing for Ikkyo and Shodan had to do keiko and kata.

During the test, being able to properly exit and enter the court was emphasized and explained. When those testing for Shodan started doing their keiko it was stopped towards the beginning as the judges explained that those testing should treat it as a real match in that if they score a point they win if they get a point scored on them they lose – don’t just give away points. Something else was emphasized during the test, however I do not know as it was emphasized in another language.

At the end of the test, the judging panel emphasized proper kendo etiquette and explained that they want you to pass. The judges are looking for those testing to prove that they deserve the rank they are testing for – the judges are looking for reasons to pass you. When you test, give them that reason to pass you. Furthermore, ki-ken-taichi was emphasized. It is important to deliver a good kendo manner. This includes good spirit and good kiai.

As the judges tallied the test scores, a general keiko was held. As I was participating in the practice I didn’t have any chance to take any pictures. I get a little confused at these but I still had the good fortune of practicing with Wayne Scanlon, Kim Sensei, and Phuong Sensei and walked away with quite a few very specific pointers.

Afterwards, about 12 or so of us went out to dinner and had a good time. All in all, it was a good experience for the Annapolis Kendo Iaido Club to attend, even if we had no one testing. The Koryo club has very good-natured and talented people and I hope I can make it to one of their practices sometime in the future.

More info on why the Annapolis Kendo Iaido Club tournament was cancelled.

2007-08-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

Annapolis Kendo Iaido Tournament Canceled

2007-08-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

From sensei Scanlon,

Unfortunately, due to insurance problems at AACC, we will have to cancel the Annapolis Kendo Iaido Club Tournament. Please notify others who may have planned to come and are not on this list. We will try to reschedule this event at another facility as soon as possible. Regretfully

- Larry Scanlon - President - Annapolis Kendo Iaido Club

Expect more news on this soon.

Congratulations to Sensei Scanlon

2007-07-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

Today Sensei Scanlon made Sandan in Iaido. Congratulations, sensei, on this accomplishment.

Urgent update regarding the Annapolis Kendo and Iaido Club Tournament

2007-07-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

Please be advised, a minor and unexpected issue has come up with our tournament. If you have already registered for the tournament, you may be receiving calls that it has been canceled. It has NOT been canceled. However, we unfortunately have to change how payment is handled; you have one of two options:

1) Send a $40 check written out to Larry Scanlon to:

Larry Scanlon, PO Box 125, Linthicum, MD, 21090

2) Pay $40 at the door on the first day of the event.

In either case, we need the information below from anyone who plans to attend PRIOR to August 4:

First name:

Last name:

Club/Dojo Name:

Rank:

Lunch selection: (chicken, beef, or vegetable – please include additional selections if you are ordering additional lunches)

Send this information to lfs_mekugi@att.net, or just send it to me and I’ll forward it on to Larry Scanlon.

As a result of this inconvenience we will be extending the registration date to Wednesday, August 1. If you are choosing to pay at the door we still need the above information (Name, club name, rank, lunch selection) prior to August 4. If you have any questions feel free to send them to myself or lfs_mekugi@att.net. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to see you at the tournament.

The Sixth Annual Kendo Invitational notifications have been sent.

2007-07-05T05:25:00.000-07:00

Please see the initial emails. If you did not receive a notification please contact us.

August 4th will include a demonstration, a seminar, and a tournament. The seminar will have Kendo training for Mudansha and Shimpan training for all Dan ranks. The tournament will consist of divisions for Mudansha, Shodan/Nidan, Women, Sandan and up. Participation with the seminar is mandatory if you wish to compete in the tournament.

August 5th will include a kata and Kihon kata seminar. There will be no promotion this year due to scheduling issues with enough potential judges.

AUSKF Kendo Summer Camp, July 1

2007-07-01T18:01:00.000-07:00

But first, more things I recalled from the June 30th seminar…

From the lecture:

- Set goals, whether it is attaining a certain rank or further perfecting a particular attack, setting goals will help your kendo improve. Its when you have no goals that your kendo becomes stagnant because you are merely showing up to practice to maintain what you already know but not striving to improve on it.

- The Hakima and Keiko-gi are not Nike gear, know how to put it on properly and understand how to wear it with integrity.

From the kendo seminar:

- A technique suggested to help work with do strikes is kirikaeshi with do strikes in place of the 4 men strikes forward and the 5 men strikes back.

July 1st of the Kendo Seminar - Kata

Once again, the 1-dan to 3-dan range were divided from the others and instructed separately. For our group the stances were given a careful look. Due to the impending test, time was limited but there was enough time to carefully look at the various stances taken during kata. Perhaps I misunderstood or just overwhelmed from yesterday’s information, but many of the comments made seemed similar to what is already being taught in Maryland. However one major point did jump out at me:

Left jodan – Left hand should be just above the head with the right hand off to the right a little. The key point here is that the left wrist should not break while you are in this position.

Despite not finding quite as much as I did yesterday it was still worth attending today. I picked up at least one pointer, I got to practice kata with a number of people, and I had the opportunity to observe the range of kata I can expect to encounter when I test for nidan.

If there are any questions regarding the summer camp then feel free to drop me an email, or if you are familiar with the places I usually practice at then feel free to ask me in person.

Many thanks to the AUSKF for holding this summer camp as well as to Sensei Kobayashi and Sensei Ohta for traveling all the way from Japan to instruct us, it was more then worth the 9 hour drive.

(Thanks again to Brenda Desjardins for taking the pictures while I practiced)

Summary from the 2007 AUSKF Kendo Summer Camp, June 30

2007-06-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the camp one of the 8th dan sensei from Japan covered a number of philosophical topics regarding Kendo. Unfortunately I did not have my notepad so I was only able to recall 3 things emphasized at the end of his lecture:

1) “In a word or small phrase, what is kendo to you?” – He said everyone who practices kendo should have an answer to this question even if they are never asked it.

2) Fun – If you are at kendo practice because you feel you are forced to be there and not because you want to be there and enjoy kendo then ultimately you never advance far in Kendo.

3) Accepting defeat – It is important to accept defeat when you lose in a tournament or fail an exam. If you feel the point scored on you was bad then you need to ask yourself what you could have done to prevent the strike from being made in the first place. The people who figure out how to prevent that strike will improve, the people who just complain about the poor quality of the strike will not.

After this lecture, we were assigned a court (the courts were divided by a very thin divider) based on rank groups. 4 dan and up were in court A, 1 dan to 3 dan were in court B, and Kyu ranks were in court C.

Since I am shodan I am unaware of what was taught in courts A and C, however in court B, basic Men, Kote, and Do strikes were being heavily dissected. The points made were too numerous for me to keep track of everything but here is a run down of the things I did manage to walk away with:

- We’ve all gone over keeping your right arm extended and at shoulder height, and that was mentioned as well at the seminar. However, extending your left arm as the strike is made was also emphasized. This helps your attacks extend further.

- Those studying Iaido might have already heard this; movements and attacks made should be made as if there was a string attached to the top of your head. This means you aren’t changing heights as you move or strike due to your head bobbing up and down.

- An emphasis was placed on being able to stop on the kote strike at exactly the moment the strike is made. The point here is that if you can’t stop at that point and you go stumbling forward then how can you hope to follow that attack up with a men strike?

- Make sure your shoulders do not over extend, if you do this you will begin to have your attacks made with your right arm much further out and you will be off that center striking line.

Towards the end a 30 minute Q&A session was held, courts A and C were still doing their things so it was kind of difficult to hear the questions but I did catch a few, the answers provided are not exact quotes:

Q: What should you be thinking about when you are in a match?

A: Nothing. If you are thinking about “winning” or “losing” you will get into thinking about wanting to hit the opponent but not wanting to be hit by the opponent. The problem with that line of thinking is that you will start to do deflections that may be legal but all in all make your Kendo look really bad.

Q: Watching some of the 7th and 8th dans on many of the tournament tapes coming out of Japan, you see them moving back sometimes, however when you keiko with the 8th dan sensei at these camps they never move back. What are your thoughts on moving back?

A: Don’t move back, your stance looks weak when you do that.

All in all, it has been a very informative seminar. I think dividing the 120+ people into 3 groups is a very good idea, each rank range got a seminar that was more tailored to what that group needs in terms of Kendo at the moment. My only compliant is that it was often difficult to hear what was being said. Aside from competing with the air conditioner (which was extremely effective), sensei and his interpreter often had to compete with yelling that was taking place in the other courts. That’s a very minor complaint though, as I still walked away with a lot of stuff to work on.

More to come tomorrow.

(Thanks to Brenda for taking the pictures.)

A visit from Sensei Lab

2007-06-12T05:31:00.000-07:00

Richard Lab, original founder of the Annapolis Kendo Club is visiting Maryland and was nice enough to visit during class.

Many thanks to Sensei Lab for taking the time to come by during practice to say “hi” (and for letting me take a billion pictures as I figured out my new camera). We hope you have the opportunity to drop in again next time you are in the area.

Annapolis Kendo and Iaido Club 2007 Seminar

2007-06-10T12:52:00.000-07:00

We are happy to announce that we will be hosting our seminar and tournament on August 4th with testing on August 5th. Expect an email regarding this announcement soon with further information to come later. In the mean time, if there is any other questions regarding the seminar, the tournament, or the testing then feel free to drop us an email.

Edit: Certain circumstances regarding testing and the number of judges required to hold a test have since changed and a promotion may not be possible - in place of a test there may be a seminar.

Notes to the seminar hosted by NOVA Budokai

2007-05-13T06:02:00.000-07:00

The seminar was broken down into the following:

1) Shimpan training video
2) Shimpan training
3) Question and answer session regarding Shimpan training
4) Iaido demonstration (performed by our own Sensei, Larry Scanlon)
5) Lunch break
6) Kendo warm-up as a group
7) Kendo waza practices as a group
8) Kendo keiko
9) Question and answer session regarding Kendo in general

At that point I had to leave so I do not know what else was covered. Every dojo that attended received a Shimpan training DVD and instruction booklet.

The key points that I walked away with:

The Shimpan training was for nidan and up, but any shodan and below with bogu were used as competitors for the Shimpan training. Being ranked shodan, I still managed to walk away with a few pointers regarding tournaments, the most important of which being that if your foot completely leaves the court that should be the Hansoku foul, not if your foot is on the line.

I also got a moment to clear up a few questions I had regarding score keeping, especially a clarification of what colors the players will be. As I thought the players should almost always be a certain color. Well it goes as follows; player “A” will be red, player “B” will be white, player “C” will be red, player “D” will be white. If there are more competitors then the pattern continues.

In regards to kendo technique, when you make a strike you want to end it with a quick wrist snap. Also, keeping your back straight was emphasized along with working to keep your shoulders back – especially as you make a strike. Once again, when you make a Men strike you want your left arm to be bent with your right straight for the most part.

The May 12 seminar has been relocated

2007-05-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

I just received an email stating the seminar intended for W&M has been relocated:

To all DC-area kendoists-

NoVA Budokai will be hosting a seminar on Saturday, May 12 at our new dojo at 25 S. Quaker Ln, Alexandria, VA. All are welcome to attend. Please see the message from Tina Canada, below, for details. Note that there will be a goodwill keiko after the seminar. Please refer to our website for directions: http://www.geocities.com/nvbudokai/dojo.htm

Also, feel free to contact me with any questions.

Thanks,

Brian Sherry
NoVA Budokai

Hey,

I'm sure most of you have been hearing the good news already. But if you haven't, we have official confirmation of the kendo seminar being hosted by Northern Virginia Budokai on Saturday, May 12th. The seminar will cover kendo and shimpan skills with instruction from Shinobu Maeda (7Dan) and Phillip Hyun (5Dan). This will be a one day seminar and there will be no promotional. Doors will open at 8:00 a.m. and the seminar will begin at 9:00 a.m.

The cost of the seminar is $10 per participant to be paid at the door. Brian Sherry will also be taking orders for a BBQ lunch at around 1:00 p.m. at the door for $10 per person. I have attached a document with directions to the gym, contact information and more info about the catered lunch.

I look forward to seeing everyone there and greatly appreciate the help of Northern Virginia Budokai for hosting this event. Please feel free to forward this information to any interested kendoist.

Sincerely,

Tina L. Canada

- Josh

William and Mary seminar canceled.

2007-05-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

The May 12-13 seminar has been canceled:

Dear SEUSKF member dojo,

We have been suddenly informed by the W&M personnel that we won't be able to use their Adair gym due to a unclear reason. Although W&M dojo members did their best to find a new place, it was very hard to find a right place for the seminar. Thus, by discussing with the President of SEUSKF, Ken Strawn sensei and Maeda sensei (VP of Promotion), we decided to cancel the seminar this time. Please be aware of it and cancel your hotel reservation as soon as possible.

We are truly sorry for your inconvenience and disappointment.We may reschedule for the seminar later time. Nonetheless, we appreciate W&M Kendo dojo members', especially Tina's, hard work for organizing this seminar. Hope we could get together soon.

Sincerely,

-Phillip Hyun
VP of Education, SEUSKF

- Josh

Upcoming Dead Line for Cleveland Tournament.

2007-03-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

If you are planning to compete in the 19th Annual Cleveland Tournament on April 14th then be sure to send your registration information in by March 26th at the latest. No exceptions will be made for late registration forms.

The registration dead line for the exam on April 15th is April 4th.