How do you deal with someone who has a strong center and tight Kamae?

by Jasper Steenhuis
(Groningen, The Netherlands)

Hi Sensei,

I'm doing kendo for more than 9 years now and at Sandan level. Sometimes I come across someone who has a very strong center and a very tense or tight Kamae and I'm having trouble with taking the center and performing shikake Waza with these kind of people because my own kamae is a bit more flexible and more relaxed. I often resort to Oji Waza like Debana Kote or Kaeshi Do with people with a strong center. Is there something I can do to be able to do shikake Waza on people like this or is it better to keep focussing on Oji Waza? or is there something else I can focus on?

Thank you in advance.

Kendo-Guide.Com:
Hi there, 😊

That’s a great question, and something I’ve struggled with too, especially in my earlier years of Sandan and Yondan. When you face someone with a strong centre and tight kamae, it often feels like there’s no opening at all, right?

You mentioned that your kamae is more relaxed and flexible. That’s not a weakness, it’s actually a strength, especially for reading the opponent. But against someone with a tight, immovable centre, it helps to adapt just a little to apply some pressure back.

Here are a few things that might help:

• Don’t try to win the centre, disrupt it. Instead of pushing directly against their centre, try using subtle seme that makes them react. One way is to quickly shift your shinai
  slightly down and to the left or right — not too much, just enough to test if they’ll follow. If they adjust or twitch, that moment of change is your opening.
• Work the timing. People with tight kamae often hold their position until you move. So instead of a big seme, try small movements that create hesitation, then go in with a sharp, committed shikake waza.
• Break rhythm. This is key. Try techniques like:
  • Harai waza (harai-men or harai-kote)
  • Osae waza (pressing their shinai down or to the side and immediately striking)
  • A strong tap on their shinai to upset their rhythm, not overly aggressive, just enough to shift their focus or disturb their flow
  • Maki waza to dislodge a stuck centre
• Train your presence. A strong kamae isn’t just physical, it’s also mental. Sharpen your metsuke, breathing, and zanshin. Sometimes just standing your ground with confidence and clarity shifts the dynamic before any cut happens.

That said, relying on oji waza like debana kote and kaeshi dō is absolutely fine. If it works, it works, but it’s good to keep testing shikake waza too, even if it doesn’t succeed at first. That’s how we grow. 😊

So I’d say, keep sharpening your oji waza, and add some disruption tools to test and learn from their centre. Over time, you’ll get better at recognising when someone’s kamae is truly strong, and when it’s just stiff.

Keep going, your awareness and curiosity already show that your kendo is evolving.

Hope this helps!

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