22Kendo Basics III: Tandoku Dosa Joge Buri

[@PallasAthene12]

Thank you for these playlists. I'm looking to return to kendo after doing a beginner's course many years ago. This is really helpful for me to refresh my knowledge (and confidence) before I go back to formal classes.

[@KendoGuide]

Thanks for your comment and you're welcome, PallasAthene12! 😄

[@strangerandsiege6411]

Lol i love the use of "unique" footwork. But really i do love these videos. Super helpful

[@23ofSeptember]

These videos are great! I have to teach Kendo in English to 7th graders at my school in Japan. So far so good.

[@KendoGuide]

Great! Please teach them some etiquette and manner too!

[@nanookofthemex]

thank you!!

[@KendoGuide]

You're very welcome!

[@ziomatrix223]

Hello, Makoto sensei. I've started to learn Kendo recently. But I am not good at sports, is Kendo a sport that heavily requires talent to learn well?

[@jensvanbockstal429]

I missed the video for right stance could you send me a link to that video

[@TheMexTacos]

Hi, I've recently started practicing Kendo, but I'm having a lot of trouble with my footwork. It is really hard for me to keep my left foot straight. Whenever I walk or jump (Not really jumping, but I forgot the name of what you do when you swing while moving fast forwards) my foot tends to twitch and points outside. My instructors have told me many times that footwork is really important and before they can teach me anything else, I need to be able to keep my foot straight. Is there a way to do this correctly? Or do I just need to keep practicing until I get it? Thanks for the advice. :D

[@grimrevan4660]

Practice practice practice, but not just during practice. Pay attention to how you walk normally. You will notice your toes will normally be pointed outward. Work on pushing your heel out as you walk and in time it will become more natural and you will start to walk slightly faster. Also if you go to a gym, try using the hip flexor machines and spened time working your inner thighs and tighten up those muscles. Those muscles will also help keep your legs straight with less foot deviation. Another tip is to put more power in bringing your left leg forward. Your left leg is where a lot of your power comes from in movement obviously. The fast you bring up your left leg the less it will generally deviate. If you have any slick flooring at home you can practice this. If you have non slick tiles like I do then where socks. Socks will make it easier for your feet to deviate from position. Last tip, hike on a beach. I did 10 miles on a beach one weekend in hiking boots. It really worked my hips a lot (remember the hip flexor machine). My sensei noticed a huge difference in my footwork and thought I was practicing a lot. If you have access to a beach I highly recommend this as it made the biggest difference in my footwork in the shortest amount of time. If you can do this once a month or more you will see a dramatic difference and your sensei will too. Good luck in practice.

[@TheMexTacos]

Grim Revan Thank you very much! I hope I can eventually get it right.

[@grimrevan4660]

TheMexicanTacos It is just a matter of time and effort. You will.

[@KendoGuide]

TheMexicanTacos Already Grim Revan gave you a good advice so you might not need my advice but I will share how I instruct my students with those who are reading this. What I always tell my students is to pay attention to where you want to fix. That is the first thing to do. You need to know what is going on. Focus until YOU can realise the your left foot is facing outward. And try to keep the knees straight toward your opponent. When your knees are facing out, usually your feet face outward. Look at how other people walk. It does not matter who and in and out of the dojo. When their feet are facing outward, their knees are facing outward too. Focus, aware and knees straight. Good luck!

[@TheMexTacos]

Hiro Imafuji Thanks for the advice! I'll be sure to keep it in mind.