The Importance of Footwork

Walking back from the gym yesterday I got to thinking about footwork - as you do. It came to mind while I was thinking about my "training program".

This is a generous description I know, since it is mostly ad hoc, and indicated by broad terms - although at this point I am working on cardio which can safely cover a range of exercises.

But I digress.

What got me thinking about footwork was a point mentioned in the article Fitness for Kendo, which I referenced yesterday.

One point I took away from the article was that Kendo is mostly lower body fitness.

I agree with this point based on my six years of Kendo experience.

Why is Footwork Important? Stability

What I have always been told and passed on is that you are essentially a cutting platform.

The upper body holds the shinai and does the cutting but the lions share of the work is done with the lower body.

If you cannot get yourself into position and provide your upper body with a stable cutting platform, you might as well be cutting thin air. And most of the time if you aren't in the right position you usually are.

Ultimately then, what it comes down to is positioning and this comes from good, solid footwork.

What makes up good footwork?

• Solid footing - ensuring the space between the left and right foot is sufficient to make you stable and at the same time flexible

• Positioning - making sure your back foot - which is main source of your forward motion - is pointing toes forward in the direction of your attack.

• 'Balance' -  when I first started training I was always told to focus on the back foot, because this is where there power comes from. Your front foot is like a brake, holding back the coiled spring of your back.

• Probe with the toes - one thing I have to work on is ensuring I lead with the toe and not the heel. Anyone who has tried to do fumikomi leading with the heel will remember the painful results of this. Leading with the toe also offers greatly stability, pushing and probing toe foots makes it easier to move from one stable position to another.

• Core strength - this is the area around your belly (the hara) - not tight but firm giving you the upper body stability and helping you keep your back straight. Again, stabilising the platform. (There is a deeper meaning to hara then the physical but I won't touch on it here.)

Like the Prow of a Ship...

One of my old teachers used to say that the cut comes from the belly. When you cut, imagine your hara is like the prow of ship cutting through the water, and like the prow of the ship cutting the water, your hara is cutting through the spirit of your opponent.

Just a few initial thoughts, I imagine I will continue to refine this as I go and work out exercises to develop this.

That said, nothing like a bit of kiri-kaeshi to work out all the kinks.