Commentary by Simon Larsen. I was going to get Ewa drunk and just record her rantings but she insisted I write the commentary. The opening point is a good example of why maintaining your kamae is so important in shiai. Just that small amount of lifting the tip of the tanken while running in made... Continue Reading →
Training basics: Nodo Tsuki
Commentary by Simon Larsen With Nodo tsuki your shimei (locked final position of the strike) is even more important than for normal tsuki. If you are not locked and end up pushing against the receiver in normal tsuki it is annoying for them and encourages bad habits. In nodo tsuki the same action can cause... Continue Reading →
Match 70: Final: Mens Individual: 17th All Japan Tankendo Championships
Commentary by Simon Larsen Kikuchi opens with his off centre tactic like we saw in his last match however Takizawa obviously has trained against this and uses some pretty great footwork to start the final step first. Halfway through what looks like a normal step it turns into a full strike. You can see he keeps... Continue Reading →
Match 42: Mens Individual: 17th All Japan Tankendo Championships
Commentary by Simon Larsen Alex's second match. Due to his injury he has started attempting fewer men strikes which I think is a good idea, he has a fast do strike and that scores a lot more often. On top of my personal feelings regarding men vs do there is the risk factor of having... Continue Reading →
Match 69: Semi Final 2: Mens Individual: 17th All Japan Tankendo Championships
Commentary by Simon Larsen I don't know enough about the grading rules for tankendo but surely an 8th dan has to be reasonably old. Usually when you see the matches with a decent rank discrepancy the higher rank person uses less energy and relies on technique and experience. Not Kikuchi! He can bounce around like... Continue Reading →
Match 12: Mens Individual: 17th All Japan Tankendo Championships
Commentary by Simon Larsen Alex had injured himself the day before the match and was wearing a brace on his striking arm. Fortunately his opponent is wearing one of the older style do futon which is very bulky and provides great protection in training but I find they are very restricting. So I guess that... Continue Reading →