Toru KAMEI Sensei’s Kendo Lecture

There are many ways to execute and learn how to tsuki.

However, like I mentioned before, if you attempt to execute a technique from issoku-itto-no-maai or to-ma, then there is a possibility that your body posture will break. Therefore, in the same way that we practiced men before, I recommend that you start to practice from chika-ma.

From chika-ma, step in and thrust without stretching your arms out. Simply move forward in your kamae and put your shinai tip in your partner’s throat. First, master tsuki like this.

Next, step back from chika-ma by about 20 cm and practice the same thrusting action.

Once you have mastered tsuki from this distance, step back to issoku-itto-no-maai.

From there the execution is as before: from your kamae, step in and put your shinai tip into the partner’s throat. Practice from this distance until your accuracy rate reaches 100%.

Once you have mastered this, the next step is to do the same action from issoku-itto-no-maai except at the very instant your shinai tip lands on the opponent’s throat push your hands out.

At the very instant the thrust lands, push your hands out like this. Practice like this over and over until you can reliably land your shinai tip on the opponent’s tsuki-dare. This is the main point.

To do this thrust from your kamae without doing any exaggerated or unneeded movements or extension of the hands and arms.

If you practice with this in mind, I believe that you will naturally come to master tsuki.

However, before executing this technique in a real situation (i.e. jigeiko or shiai), it’s important to use the movement of your shinai tip to somehow force your opponent to step back before thrusting at them.

If your opponent is pressuring you strongly and you react to this in desperation by attempting to thrust, they will simply strike your men. In the dojo, the shiai-jo, etc., you must push your opponent back and back and then thrust at them.

This is the correct process for executing a thrust. Please don’t make a mistake.

Point: When learning to master tsuki, start from chika-ma and step in and thrust.

Don’t’ break your kamae or posture and ensure that your shinai tip lands on the opponent’s tsuki-dare.

Slowly increase the distance and practice. From issoku-itto-no-maai work on thrusting accurately.

At the instant your shinai lands in the opponent’s tsuki-dare slightly push your hands out. This helps complete the technique.

There are a large variety of methods when it comes to the execution of morote-tsuki.

What I want to describe now is the different directions of thrusting.

I have about 4 patterns of executing tsuki.

The first is the orthodox method, from the omote side I step in and thrust straight.

Next, I move my shinai tip down and pressure the opponent from below. The opponent becomes confused as to which direction I will come or what technique I will execute, then at that moment I thrust from the omote side. This is my second pattern.

The third pattern is the same as the last except I tsuki from the ura side.

In the last pattern, I look at the opponent’s movement, for example if they often lift their shinai up high. Like before, if you pressure from below, the opponent will lift their hands up. It’s not a thrust from down to up, it’s almost straight.

Basically, I look at what technique they are about to execute and adapt to that. These are the four patterns I use when executing tsuki. Please give them a try.

Point: Pressuring the center line, thrust.

Pressure the opponent from below and thrust from the omote side.

Pressure the opponent from below and thrust from the ura side.

Pressure the opponent from below and thrust the moment they raise their hands.

The fundamental tsuki technique is morote-tsuki (two-handed thrust), but I’d like to also explain katate-tsuki (one-handed thrust) today.

Of course, when it comes to katate-tsuki, I believe the most important thing is your left hand grip.

You should grip as you would in your kamae (i.e., you don’t need to modify it for thrusting). This is very important.

Like morote-tsuki that I explained before: the opponent’s tsuki-dare is simply at the extension of your shinai tip, so you don’t need to over emphasize thrusting at your opponent heavily.

From issoku-itto-no-maai, step out and thrust from your kamae. Try to keep your right hand on the shinai handle for as long as you can, releasing it only at the very instant of the thrust and, at the same time, squeezing with the left grip.

Actually, if your left hand grip is correct then you don’t need to think about squeezing at all.

First, ensure that your left hand grip is good.

Second, like I said before, thrust without compromising your kamae in the process. This is what I think makes a basic katate-tsuki.

One method in which you can master this katate-tsuki is to practice thrusting from the ura side. By moving your kensen to the opposite side, your left hand will come slightly out of position and move or shake a little bit.

If you practice in this unfavorable situation, when you fist and perhaps your kensen are shaking, and are able to tsuki successfully from it, then thrusting from the normal omote side will become considerably easier. Move your kensen to the ura and thrust. Please try this.

Of course, don’t divert your gaze from the opponent, pay attention to your posture and backbone.

While doing this, moving to the ura side, remember and keep your right hand on the shinai for as long time as possible before thrusting. Releasing off the right hand should only be done at the very instant of thrusting.

Point: For katate-tsuki, pay attention to the left hand grip.

Don’t over exaggerate or over emphasize the thrusting motion.

Move into the correct distance keeping your kamae and, on the instant of thrusting, release the right hand and squeeze with the left.

By practicing thrusting from the ura side, you will find that thrusting from the omote side becomes easier.

As with other techniques, pay attention to keeping your gaze on your opponent, and on keeping a good posture.

 

Toru KAMEI Sensei’s Kendo Lecture

The text of this note is an excerpt of DVD> Toru Kamei's Kendo Improvement Course () Book – 2017/6/1 Toru Kamei (Author) and Toru Kamei's Kendo Improvement Course () Book – 2017/6/1

Registration information

    Release date: 2017/6/1

    ISBN-10: 4884584074

    ISBN-13: 978-4884584078

    Publisher: Physical Education and Sports Publisher (2017/6/1)