5 Kendo tips for striking better kote

[@Kendotips]

What do you struggle with when doing kote?

[@misutaSasaki]

Forget kote, I want one of those little shinai! 😍

[@Kendotips]

Those were a gift but I know California Budogu has them. If you spend $200 or more use the code KENDOTIPS10 for 10% off!

[@nathphil1968]

Good tip regarding the angle of the foot. Going to try these in training tomorrow!!!

[@Kendotips]

Awesome let me know what you discover while keeping this in mind please!

[@geewilikers9780]

I love your little bear in the background,

[@Kendotips]

Im sure the bear will be happy to know he’s becoming famous. You are welcome to pass by our discord server if you want to meet more Kendo people and find out more discord.gg/zB4YuHcfam. If not stay tuned for new videos and streams !!

[@KendoSwordsman]

Great advice. Nice video.

[@Kendotips]

Thank you, I'm glad you found it useful!

[@ianbrass9251]

Great introduction to kihon kote uchi! I think all beginners of kendo should watch this!

[@Kendotips]

Thank you very much for the support, I am glad it was helpful. Suggestions for the future are always Welcome!!!

[@nathphil1968]

Like the tips for #motodashi .

[@harryyoshida1334]

Nice video for Kendo players to learn Basic important things of KENDO practice.

[@Kendotips]

I appreciate your support. Thank you very much.

[@louislamonte334]

Thank you so much for this! I hope you are well, Sensei!

[@Kendotips]

Thank you for your support I’m glad you enjoyed it.

[@melange28]

good video.... and, hey hey... nice tenugui, too! :)

[@Kendotips]

Thank you! And I guess now I have to go watch the video again to remind me which tenugui I was wearing then but I think I have an idea hahaha

[@Kendotips]

Oh maybe you mean the one from the thumbnail? You know it’s funny because it fits for the thumbnail but I didn’t plan it!

[@melange28]

@@Kendotips I can tell it's a Memphis Kendo Association tenugui.. :)

[@westernredemptiongdr5851]

Best 6 minutes spent in my Life 👍

[@Kendotips]

I am very glad you enjoyed. If I can help with anything let me know!!!

[@majinuriel]

so this is one vid of yours i feel i have to comment. i think the understanding of kote and learning it overall is completle focused on your first point: the motodachi. imo its crucial wrong to learn beginners by presenting them the kote completly open without feeling the centre. i learned it that way myself and it took me 10 years to realize this is the wrong way. i had the chance to teach a compleate beginners class for two years and did an different aproach from the beginning getting them successful to beginners tournaments. its all about moto leting them feel what technique may work in the current moment. for whatever kihon or waza the did the push the tip of the shinai slightly (with their left hand not their right shoulder!); relaxed center > go men; relaxed center > go harai men; pressured center > go kote; pressured center > harai kote. the most beneficial of this was, that the people become really good motodachis of their own for each other without being 3rd dan and by improving this it was easy to set up oji waza on top: giving high preassure on the center to lure the opponent into kote > nuki men and so on. so long words on that just to tell you i absolutely sign your first point with 150%!!! :) btw thank you for your efford and good video content. i watch it quite often and profit from some really nice gem ideas you bring in! cheers, Bastian

[@Kendotips]

Thank you really for taking the time to write this comment. I need to make a video on motodachi and is something that I know I have to be careful because I don't want it to be misunderstood since Motodachi is so important to the development of Kendo (I guess that's why is a job mainly of the higher rank 😂 ) But this comment does give me some ideas of where to guide the video towards and another important point. On how beginners confuse communication with shinai with pushing with their shinai and getting off center. I think it's funny how I started this channel hoping to kendo to grow but I am finding my self growing with the comments and research I am making. Again thank you for commenting and support!!! your thoughts are always welcome!

[@majinuriel]

@@Kendotips oh thank you for that answer! youre very welcome! if you are interested - i have a lot of nice useful beginners training methods i gathered over the years. for example; i struggled for years understanding the the left hand/shoulder is doing nearly everything with the shinai. simply because no one told me! so i started really early teaching the beginners doing maki. not in purpose to use it in a shinai or whatever but giving them the feeling how powerful the left hand is. and this worked out quite fast in resulting them doing the harai with left and not right shoulder, staying in center even when the opponent pushs you out and lot of other things. i tried to explain every new technique we learned like a construction letter for a Lego piece build with single bricks the already know... sorry - stupid late night thoughts :D

[@Keltsalk]

My problem in kote is do not make a diagonal hit, because mentally I think that if I put down (with non-moving right) the tsuka-gashira with left hand for kote I will be faster. However, such thoughts bring me to shifting the left-hand from the center somehow (and put a wrong angle of shinai vertically) and I make the hit in tsuba of the opponent. The rising the shinai by both hands for kote quick - is a real problem for me. Thanks a lot for such a detailed video!

[@Kendotips]

I don't know if I am getting the right image, when you say the shinai vertically you mean to get over the opponents shinai I assume. but when you say that you don't make a diagonal cut are you trying to avoid the opponent's tsuba by throwing the tip sideways? If you would like to talk more about it or if you want to send me a video feel free to join the Kendo Tips Discord server and message me there: discord.gg/gUA3Z3dxdE

[@alchemistjeff]

Doing Kote against a longsword in a HEMA match is hard

[@Kendotips]

I never tried but I would imagine it is unless you do something like harai before no? interesting idea for a practice. i would love to try kendo vs hema

[@alchemistjeff]

@@Kendotips there are just so many ways for them to counter your kote even after doing a good harai. I always end up getting hit in my knee or calf. and the crossguard keeps getting in the way

[@echopapacharlie]

3:33 I just realized that's what I've been doing... no wonder the timing has been so off...

[@Kendotips]

Which part? Stoping and going or closing the distance too much?

[@echopapacharlie]

@@Kendotips I sometimes did this -> "stepping in for seme, stop, lift and go." I sometimes also "engaged while approaching." Stopping and then going for kote never worked when the opponent was any good. "Engaging while approaching" was the only way I could hit a kote ippon on a good opponent. Before your video I didn't realize I was hitting kote in both ways, and I couldn't understand why my kote strike sometimes worked, and sometimes didn't. Your video made me see what I was doing wrong when I kept missing kote.