Tenouchi not being consistent
by MaTsi
(Greece)
I have been training in Kendo for 3 months. My teachers are very good and helpful and they have explained to me the meaning of tenouchi and usually I get it correct (better than the average beginners) using their tips.
But I have noticed that my tenouchi is affected by various elements; mostly my shoulder tension at the end of the day, when I am tired and I don't straight my left arm correctly and recently I found that different shinai may affect it too.
I understand that there are shinai with different balance, is this my idea or it affects the tenouchi? I was using one specific shinai and recently bought a new one and it seems heavier on the tsuba area than the kisaki. Any tips to get my tenouchi to be consistent? Thank you.
Answer: Thanks for your question. And very good question!
Yes, these affect your tenouchi. Different types of shinai have different weight. Even shinai with the same weight are different because the centre of gravity is different. So you must adjust your tenouchi too.
Also the tsuka length affects as well. It is very sensitive. But it is also important to train with various shinai as well so you can learn many things from those. For now, get a shinai that fits you. And prepare the same kinds of shinai. Start trying different types of shinai when you get 1-dan. It is challenging but fun.
Hope this helps.