Body movement when striking kote

by Olga
(Ukraine)

When we strike kote we have an impulse like we do while performing other strikes, so our body moves forward. As a result it may appear that our shinai crashes into do dai/mune or into tsuki dare.

So what should we do not to bump into do dai/mune or into tsuki dare with shinai?


Should we move our shinai immediately aside when hitting kote bu to avoid bump?

If we move shinai aside here, isn't it quite hard not to smear the strike?

And where should we go if we perform kote strike and immediately move shinai aside?

And how to show zanshin in the case when our shinai is not in the center but moved somewhere aside? (Some people move shinai aside and then go very close to opponent by their body side pushing the opponent back. Is that zanshin?)

When we do kote-men (big kote and big men), we stop our body after striking kote and point with the kensaki at motodachi's tsuki dare. Then we strike men. Isn't it unnatural to reduce our body impulse to stop and then perform men?

Answer:  About kote strike. If you are performing the basic kote strike, you pass through after striking kote, right?

Now if you have a good tenouchi, your shinai should bounce up.

You see people going forwards and getting close to their opponent after striking a kote.  Yes, that is right. We do that.  And probably you see such actions in shiai, because they do not want to get a counterattack.

If you watch kōdansha (people with high grade), they do not really run into their opponent after striking a kote.

See. They are in the different phases of kendō. When you are young and participate in many tournaments, you must move fast and quickly. These people are in the physical side of kendō.

Once we get to the certain level (most of the time we are getting old by that level), we start to work on our mental side of kendō.

When this happens, we do not run into our opponent after executing a kote strike.

Zanshin includes physical kamae and mental kamae.  When you are close to your opponent and cannot take chūdan, we show zanshin with our mental kamae, i.e. you are mentally ready so you can strike or counterattack when necessary.

About kote oyobi men strike. It is unnatural to stop after kote. Have asked why you do that at your club? Some sensei might have told someone in your club to practice that for some reasons.