Commentary by Simon Larsen A lot of people think jukendo is the dangerous one of the two arts but tankendo seems to have more injuries once you have achieved a basic skill level. Certainly I get hurt and hurt myself a lot more often in tankendo. I think the much shorter distances are the... Continue Reading →
Mens Individual: Match 51 Senior Division
Commentary by Simon Larsen This is from the next age group up. Tankendo shiai for the All Japans is not separated into Civilian / Air Force & Navy / Army groups like the Individuals for Jukendo. It is separated into age groups: 0-35, 36-50, 50+ usually. Hisatsune loves shou ippon do. I know; he... Continue Reading →
Match 1 : Ladies Individual : 17th All Japan Tankendo Championships
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 →
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 →
Match 68: Semi Final 1: Mens Individual: 17th All Japan Tankendo Championships
Commentary by Simon Larsen Attacking from Geidan straight to nodo. Exciting start by Takizawa! Geidan is risky and so is nodo but Matsura was slow off the starting line and it almost worked. None of the judges even twitched their flags though and I think that jukendo / tankendo judges love to award shou ippon... Continue Reading →
Match 67: Quarter Final 4: Mens Individual: 17th All Japan Tankendo Championships
Commentary by Simon Larsen I like matches where the competitors are both happy to get a little physical, especially when they are larger fellows. Unfortunately I think many larger people don't get to train being physical much as the damage you can do to smaller people is something you have to keep in mind, especially... Continue Reading →
Match 66: Quarter Final 3: Mens Individual: 17th All Japan Tankendo Championships
Commentary by Simon Larsen When shodan goes up against 6th dan you often get an interesting match. Shodan are often younger and super fast but 6th dan often have better senses of oportunity. Kikuchi tests the reaction of his opponent with a fake for kote. I have seen a few people use this and stolen... Continue Reading →