Interview with Alex Bennett - 7th Dan

This is an interview with 7th Dan, Alex Bennett. In it he talks about the mindset for keiko and ultimately for all your Kendo. As what you do in your keiko feeds into your gi-geiko.

This is a wonderful interview for me because Alex has a knack for easily communicating the fundamentals of Kendo. In particular his discussion of seme and of the winning/overcoming first with the spirit then with the cut.

The Cut is the Exclamation Point for a Sentence Started with Seme

My read is that the cut is almost like an exclamation point at the end of the notional sentence: "I have overcome you and myself". A sentence that starts and owes its substance to seme.

This is the first part of an interview with Bennett Sensei. The whole interview is for sale in Kendo-Guide.com. I haven't really thought about getting it at this stage but if the rest of it is like this interview and you are interested in lifting your Kendo game this would be gold.

UPDATE: Okay, in the ten minutes since publishing this post I have bought the digital download of the entire video. (Yeah, I am a hopeless Kendo geek!)

Ganbatte!

A Bit on Training but Mostly More Kendo Reading...Lowry and Twigger

This post started as a discussion about training and digressed into a discussion about books.

What I will cover today is what I am going to look for when I start reviewing videos of my suburi and then I am going to go off course and talk about two books that helped me with my Kendo - both provided me with an insight into mindset from two different directions.

The Discussion about Training: Suburi - What I am Looking Out For

Well I am through most of the cardio-training now and despite a mild addiction to spinning (a good thing), I am none the worse for wear.

I have been looking in two directions at the moment in terms of training.

One direction was in terms of suburi or Kendo specific training I've been making good friends with my suburi-to and working on men cuts including men cutting while in the horse stance.

I believe the cutting is getting better judging by what I can see in the reflection on our sliding door and by the shadows. The next phase is to film myself. I have a tripod and just bought a $1.99 bracket so that I can mount my iPhone on it.

Suburi - Good Habits to Gain, Bad Habits to Repair

What will I be looking at or for:

• opening swing - in particular how far back my kissaki (sword tip) and my tsukagashira (hilt butt) go
• shoulders - as I mentioned before I have a tendency to lift these (think of a shrugging action) which is a habit that needs to be fixed (it is a tell, also it is just tiring and slows me down)
• tenouchi (am I snapping my wrists and is there an obvious stop at the end of the cut)

I want to get a little more into bokken training so late last month I put an order in for Dave Lowry's Bokken: Art of the Japanese Sword a bit of a punt. (I just checked my order status and it should be here next week!)

The Bit About Books and Reading

Dave Lowry: Autumn Lightning

I have read Lowry's work before and have a lot of respect for him and his treatment of the martial arts.

When I was getting into Kendo I ordered and read Autumn Lightning which is an account of his study of Kenjutsu - unfortunately my copy is packed away somewhere but thanks to the miracle of Amazon I can reveal that I enjoyed it- I even wrote a review!

I am afraid at the moment my lasting memory of the book is how his Sensei taught him to sit on the toilet - suffice to say the posture is unconventional but functional, more to the point it means you are ready to leap into action if necessary.

There is much more to the book than this and this recollection does not do it justice.


Twigger: Bad Ass Aikido

While I am on the topic of good reads, try Robert Twigger's: Angry White Pyjamas: A Scrawny Oxford Poet Takes Lessons From The Tokyo Riot Police. I seen some reviews of this book and picked it up on a whim to read on a flight to Australia.

Twigger learns Aikido with the Tokyo Riot Police so on the face of it it does not seem very Kendo related but three words make it so: Tokyo Riot Police.

When I first started training, the Japanese Riot Police were a source of huge admiration to us for two reasons:

• they were paid to train in Kendo
• they were hard-arses Kendo wise - gi-geiko, kakari-geiko so tough you lost control of everything (I mean everything)

About the only thing that was madder (in a positive Kendo sense) than a Japanese Riot Police Kendoka was a Japanese Imperial Guard Kendoka (and by this I mean the police unit tasked to guard the Emperor of Japan).

So I bought Twigger's book to get an insight into the Tokyo Riot Police mindset. The discovery - these guys are bad-ass too.

And yes, I wrote an Amazon Review of that too! (It is probably one of the ways I remember what I have read.)

Note: I am no Aikido expert - I don't do it (although I do admire it) so I cannot comment on the accuracy of the Aikido in the book or its value for an Aikidoka.

Oh yeah, what was the second direction my training was taking?

I started this post talking about training and got into books. I said at the start I was looking at my training in two directions, and covered one - suburi and bokken training - here.

I will cover the other one - fitness and gym training - in my next post.

Recommendations for a Good Read?

If you have any good reading recommendations - Kendo, martial art, or mindset related, please feel free to share them in the comments section.

Until then.

Ganbatte.

Habit Building 101 - Don't Look Now! You Could Already Be a Success!

Someone (I think it was Earl Nightingale) once defined success as the progressive realisation of a worthy goal.


Or put a little more directly - success is about getting what you want

. Hopefully what you want is worthy but really you are the best judge of that.

The key for me with this quote is that success is not just the getting of the goal but also the actual steps you take to get that goal.

That is, if you are pursuing your goals you are already succeeding.

The process of self realisation is already a success and therefore something to be positive about.

I find this a comforting thought.

It's About Action

You will notice that this definition of success does not talk about how big the progress has to be - it just has to be progress.

This was brought home to me by a quote from Confucius I saw recently:

It doesn't matter how slowly you go as long as you don't stop.

Okay, this is not directly relevant but I think still on topic.

It's not about the speed, it's about the consistency of action.

Success in Kendo - Comes in Small Steps

One of the great joys for me with Kendo is that you can see the rewards of practice and persistance. 

You see it most obviously in a better cut or more generally a better gi-geiko or shiai result.

This result is the product of many factors - well actually three:

• Ki - spirit
• Ken - sword
• Tai - body

Coalescing into one whole. (Yeah, you probably knew that was coming.)

Arguably this is a state of perfection that is will rarely be achieved.

But for me this really doesn't matter - I know I will never really achieve this state at least not consistently- what matters for me is the pursuit of this state.

To achieve this state I need to focus on a number of factors including:

• my footwork
• my core strength (posture)
• my cutting: hand position, stroke/swing, timing, shinai position
• my awareness of my opponent; and 
• my awareness of myself: what am I thinking, am I thinking
• my breathing (am I breathing?)
• my projected spirit (kiai, kensen)

(And I don't think this list is exhaustive)

This will only come with consistent practice, focus, awareness AND patience.

It is probably the last bit or absence of this that screws me up the most.

It's About Patience

How do you practice patience?

• Try to learn something - really - just try and learn something. 
• Set yourself goals - not as sticks to beat yourself with but yardsticks so you know when you have made progress
• Keep track of your performance ("yardsticks"as noted above)

Examples:

My attendance at the gym.

I go regularly, I check into Foursquare each time so I (and any poor sod on Facebook who friends me) can see my attendance.

I weigh myself - not because I am a masochist - but because getting my weight down is a goal, also I need to know my weight so I can get a more accurate calorie consumption estimate.

I make a note of my calories that I consume. Right now I am using machines which calculate this so it is easy. (I also wear a heart-rate monitor and strap which helps). Yeah the machines give me estimates but as long as they are consistently accurate or inaccurate I can still see my progress.

How does this relate to patience - simple:

Training is frequently painful ("the burn")

But I progress and while I am training I tell myself I am progressing, making a difference

And it is the self talk, the messages that help me develop patience.

They also help build the mental toughness and reference points for later training at the dojo AND when I am doing other work: 

Basically because I know I can do it at the gym, I know I can do it at my desk AND at the dojo!

Here's to your success and mine.

Have a great day.

Ganbatte!

Habit Building 101 for Kendo: "Just Fricking Do It"

Today, a short post.

Now that my cardio training is developing, or more specifically my cardio training routine is locking into place, I have started work on suburi - yes the actually cutting practice.

I put off suburi for a couple of reasons:

• not sure where to start
• a little embarrassed about training outside

When I did start my suburi I did it without those thoughts in mind. Basically I had not plan in mind and I didn't really think about the social aspects of training outside.

I just got down and did it.

I am glad I did.

It is all too easy for me (and I suspect maybe for others) to over think stuff:

• "I need this to do that"
• "This is not right and I really need it to be in place first"

But when it comes down to these are just excuses or fancy window dressing for the procrastination store. So to get round all that:

Just Fricking Do It

The first time will probably be ugly and messy, but it will get you into action.

Also, once you have done it once you have a better idea of what you want change or modify - basically you now have a baseline.

What Next?

You guessed it, do it again.

A little smarter.

In my case, I am now only using the suburi-to - because I want to work on improving my arm strength and have started counting or tracking my repetitions.

Focus on Form First

As I said with in my post of leg exercises - I am doing things a little slower than I would like because I want to keep an eye on my form.

Fortunately with a suburi-to it is heavy enough to discourage excessive swinging - although I am mindful that I need to focus on form and control and not rely on the bokuto weight - otherwise when I start using a shinai or a bokuto things will go to crap fast.

Keep Track


I will also be keeping a record of what I do - this will ensure my suburi practice has a consistent structure and also that I can keep track of my progress, for me a good incentive.

Rinse and Repeat


The next step is to repeat my suburi training until it becomes a habit or a routine. As I said in an earlier post this can take around 30 days.

How I can help myself with this is keeping track of what I do (as I said earlier) and also trying to do it at around the same time each day. Again, constructing a routine.

Progression


One other thing I will work on is progression - that is adding a few more cuts or repetitions to my training - building up strength and stamina.

My basic rule is that each day I do the same as the day before or more. You can do this quickly - that is take big steps - or gradually - take smaller steps but either way make sure you are progressing or adding.

Variation


I know I will probably get a little bored with the same routine everyday so I will also be mixing things up a bit - there are several suburi I can use so I will have a few mixes to keep things interesting.

The other benefit of variation is that it means I can work on a greater range of muscles.


Hopefully you gain a few ideas from this post. If you have suggestions I would be happy to hear them. I am not a guru in any shape or form.

Until then, just fricking do it.

Ganbatte.

Leg Exercises for Kendo Outside the Gym

Yesterday, I did not go to the gym but did some more suburi and in particular dusted off some suburi that were aimed at improving leg stength and endurance.  I am going to talk about two that I use:

• lunge with men-suburi
• horse stance with men-suburi

Why Leg Exercises for Kendo are Important

As I have said before, in Kendo the legs are important - if you can't move your legs into a cutting position you won't be able to cut.

This means that I wanted to focus on two things - leg strength (including endurance) and flexibility (agility).

To date I have been working on the strength - I have yet to give much thought to agility exercises beyond stretching. I have thought about Yoga as one option and will explore this further.

Leg Strength Exercises Outside the Gym

These exercises have focus on the quadriceps - these are the primary muscles using in running and jumping.

I try to combine these with some cutting practice (so I can work a bit of upper body at the same time).

I have a couple of drills:

• lunge with men-suburi
• horse stance with men-suburi

Lunge with Men Suburi

Is modeled on your basic lunge:

There is an animated image of a person doing a dumbell lunge here (the leg movement is the same).

1. start from chudan no kamae (you can use a shinai or bokuto - I used a suburi-bokuto)
2. without moving your left foot, push your right front forward. Allow your left knee to bend.
3. (at the time) raise your hands to begin a men cut (remember you want a BIG movement)
4. Drop your body downwards and bend the right knee to about 90 degrees, your right knee should be directly over your foot. (If your right knee extends past your toes than you are going too far.)
5. As you drop, cut men (kiai or exhale).
6. Push back from the right leg and come back to chudan no kamae
7. Now swap, pushing out your left leg and repeat the exercise with your left leg forward.

Tips:

• start slowly, if you have not done a lunge before or just beginning, focus on getting the lunge right (leave the men cut for now)
• keep a straight back and focus on dropping your body downwards (if you find you are leaning forward slow down and correct yourself)
• when cutting, make sure the tip of your bokuto or shinai stays above the head during the back swing (the tips regarding jogeburi from Kendo World are relevant here)

Horse stance with men-suburi

The horse stance was a favourite of one of my teachers. I remember being quite sore and now, having read a few sources I see why.

The Horse Stance works most of your leg muscles, your abs and your back. It is a great way to improve your leg strength and work on core strength.

How to assume the Horse Stance

1. spread your feet until they are two shoulder widths apart
2. keep your feet flat on the ground and your toes facing forward (they might point outward)
3. drop down - bending your knees
4. tuck your tail and keep your back straight (your spine is perpendicular to the ground)
5. hold this position
6. add a men-suburi cut - starting from chudan no kamae, cut men and return to chudan no kamae

Tips:

• Variation: as you cut men, briefly drop into a deeper stance, as you come back to chudan move back up to the original horsestance.
• Variation: to work the calves, try standing on the balls of you rather than flat footed. This is a slightly more advanced position - you need to have good balance.

I hope to get some illustrations put together (stick figures or maybe photos - shock horror) to help explain these exercises better.

They are certainly worthwhile in my opinion.

As with all new things, start slowly and focus on form first rather than speed. It is better to do it correctly slowly, that do it wrong quickly.

Until then, Ganbatte.

Muscles Used in Kendo

Today I want to look at the muscles you use in Kendo. I am doing this mainly to help me work out what my gym training regime can look like.

What Got Me Thinking about Kendo Muscles?

I saw a question in Quora today that asked: What muscles are used most in Kendo?

The suggestion was the shoulders and the arms - which is true but I think incomplete (yes I left an answer after writing this post!)

So it got me wondering: what muscles are used in Kendo?

Now, the cheeky Kendoka would say, all of them (especially after a hard training) but I reckon if asked to think about it a little more (and maybe after good drink of water) he or she might provide a more specific response.

Here is what I think, based on a mix of what I have been told, read and also what hurt most at the end of training - in the last case I need to put in a caveat that just because it hurts doesn't mean it was right!

Why does it help to know what muscles are used most in Kendo?

Knowing the answer to this question may help direct my gym training.

In addition, if you know those muscles are going to be used, you can focus your warm ups and warm downs.

Note this discussion is about what I can do, outside of Kendo specific training (such as suburi and kiri-kaeshi - both of which are important and effective training routines).

What muscles get used in Kendo?

"strike with the koshi (hips), strike with the legs and feet."

Noma Hiroshi (The Kendo Reader)

The Heart - Cardio

Good cardio fitness is essential for Kendo. I have always likened shiai and gi-geiko to sprinting (even wind sprinting) in terms of the cardio load it puts on the body.

Cardio training that looks at building endurance/stamina and strength (especially with interval training) is definitely something to include in your training programme.

Legs - Calves, Quads, Hamstrings.

I have said before that Kendo footwork is critical. Good footwork gives you a better chance of being in a cutting position.

By this I mean being in the right place to cut and also being able to cut cleanly and with the appropriate zanshin. 

So agility and hence footwork, is critical.

This suggest that legs in particular the calves (the "springs") are important. That said, training the calves alone makes little sense, and in fact, exercises focussing on the whole leg (calves, quads, hamstrings) is more appropriate.

The Core - the abdominals, gluteals and the lower back muscles

In past lives I have taken Pilate's classes and am grateful for the experience. Pilates is a rich set of exercises and philosophy and I cannot do it justice here, all I can say is that if you have an opportunity to try it - try it!

Many Pilates exercises focus on training the core:

• the abdominals
• the lower back muscles
• the gluteals

For Pilates practitioners this is the 'powerhouse' because these muscles form the centre of strength and control for the body.

These "core" muscles also play a critical part in Kendo, as they keep the Kendoka's body upright and in a cutting posture - to quote Miyamoto Musashi in the The Book of Five Rings - part of the posture for combat requires you:

"tighten the abdomen so the hips do not bend"

Abdominal strength or more broadly core strength not only ensures you can maintain a strong cutting position for longer, but also ties in with the concept of "hara" - as the "hara" is physically in the abdomen or belly.

A strong core helps your project your spiritual strength - which is a critical element of Kendo.

The Wrists

"strikes and cuts are not made with force of strength; even when striking a drum, the correct sound is produced by using a sharp wrist action"

Itto-ryu Kikigaki (quoted by Noma Hiroshi)

In terms of muscle areas to work on I would say it is the wrists, because you use these to create the snap: tenuchi.

There is a tendency to focus on the shoulders when cutting - certainly this is my crime - because it seems that upper body and in particular shoulder strength, will work to your advantage - strength is equated to speed.

This is incorrect, in my experience, upper body strength tends to ruin the cut, either:

• the shoulders tense up before you cut, which slows you down (since you need to release the tension to cut) or 
• they tense up just as your cut, which gives away that you are about to cut

Does this mean you should neglect your shoulders?

Certainly not, since you will use these in cutting! 

However, arguably you should work on endurance and flexibility of the shoulders rather than strength.

The Muscle in Your Head

One of the last muscles you need to work on is the one between your ears. 

Your success at Kendo will depend on your ability to control yourself in the thick of gi-geiko or shiai and remain composed, open to possibilities and alert.

The whole topic of attitude and your mindset in Kendo is too broad to cover here (and frankly an area I am still learning and thinking about).

Exercise of your Muscles Used in Kendo - coming soon

These are just a few of my thoughts on muscles used in Kendo. Over the next few days I will try to find some resource and tips on specific exercises you can do (or more specifically I will be doing!) in addition to Kendo training.

Until then, Ganbatte!

Bokken Training - Warm Up and the Left Hand

Today, owing to a busy schedule this morning I was not able to get to the gym so instead spent a little time doing some suburi with my bokken (or bokuto). So today I am going to talk about what I did and also share a video I found on how to train your left hand (stop smirking) and also a link on joge-buri tips.

My Bokuto

I actually have two - the standard tachi size and a suburito the heavier bokken - apparently made famous by Miyamoto Musashi.

Today's Training Goals - Warm Up

My aim in the morning was to warm up physically and mentally so I do some men suburi and some men suburi in horse stance (great for the quads - especially if you pulse - push up on the upswing and go down on the cut).

I also practiced some katate suburi or one handed (left-handed) cutting, with the aim of strengthening my cutting hand. In the past my right hand has always dominated which as a consequence has detrimentally affected my cutting: tending to pull it off centre.

Solo Training in Kendo - What to Watch Out For

When training by myself I like to keep an eye on a few things:

• wrist position - I want to make sure that my hand and wrist do not flatten out. That is if I drew a line from the top of my wrist along the back of my thumb it should describe an angle of around 30 deg. 

• tenuchi - I want to ensure that at the point of cutting I am squeezing the tsuka, wringing it like it was a towel (a good way to learn tenuchi by the way). Tenuchi will also assist with ensuring you have the right wrist position.

• swing - unless I am practising joge-buri - I try to keep my kensaki (the tip of my blade) above my head. My rule of thumb is that pommel of your sword (the tsukagawa on a shinai) should NOT be visible and the kissaki should point in the direction of the sky.

I found a good link in the Kendo-Guide.com on jogeburi - this has illustrations and tips and pointers. Well worth the refresher.

Training your Left Hand

By the way if you are looking for a way to strengthen your left hand (stop smiling guys! you know what I mean :)) check out this video from Hiro Imafuji - all you need is a bottle:

Until next time, Ganbatte! 

First Kendo Strokes

Did my first warm up with a bokken yesterday.

Bokken is Best (To Start)

My shinais are out of condition and to be honest I prefer to start training with a bokken for a couple of reasons:

• strength - a bokken is slightly heavier than a shinai (from memory) so training with it will help build up endurance
• form - as the bokken has an oval grip it should help train my hands to sit in the right positions, also because it has an obvious edge, it is easier to check your cutting angles.

We always used to do some bokken training at my old clubs (and of course you use them for Kata) so it is not unfamiliar.

I like how the bokken is shaped like a katana - in particular it has a recognisable edge - so it adds a touch of realism to the cutting.

Bokken Books

I did a quick look online for a book and found Dave Lowry and Mike Lee's Bokken - it seems to have good reviews. I haven't read it so can't comment.

(If anyone can tell me if they have used this specifically in relation to Kendo I'd be obliged.)

Been trying to track it down in the library but not easy to find in Sydney. May need to try Abebooks!

Dave Lowry trained in Kenjutsu so has some experience with the bokken. Check out his book Autumn Lightning which is all about his training in Japan - this was a super book - I especially remember his Sensei's advice about how to sit on the toilet (yeah, really. Read it.)

Kendo Reading List - A Starter

I was just thumbing through a copy of Noma Hiroshi's The Kendo Reader and wondering where I could find another copy of this PDF (if you are looking for it the link is below by the way).

This got me to thinking about my first Kendo books (remember when I first started training we had limited internet and basic word of mouth).

As you might imagine in New Zealand in the mid 1990's these books were few and far between and the internet had yet to grow into the beast and resource it is today.

Here are some of my first Kendo references:

This is Kendo

The first Kendo books I ever read (ordered and read actually) was This is Kendo: The Art of Japanese Fencing by Junzo Susamori and Gordon Warner.

This was a small book and I found some of the recommendations were a little out of date, but I lapped it up because it was a useful introduction to the story of Kendo and the spirit of Kendo. It was also one of the few books I could find in English.

I still reckon it is a good primer to Kendo - maybe because it is not a technical tome so you don't get distracted by long detailed discussion about waza, but you get enough information to understand the principle of the waza - which is of great value.

The Kendo Reader

The second book I got was a PDF called the Kendo Reader by Noma Hiroshi. This is another short text - 55 pages. The good thing about this text is that it includes a description of each of the main waza.

No illustrations just narrative. I was just thumbing through it a few minutes ago.

If you want this PDF you can click this link to download your free copy of the Kendo Reader - hosted by JudoInfo.com

Kendo: The Definitive Guide

Talking about waza - if you want more information with illustrations, then Hiroshi Ozawa's Kendo: The Definitive Guide is a good place to start.

It has been a while since I read this book so my memories may be a bit rough.

All Japan Kendo Federation Manuals

Probably one of the better books I found was through the All Japan Kendo Federation site. This was when I lived in Nelson and trained with the Nelson Kendo Club. Great club by the way!

It was a three (two?) book series that described all the waza and included photos of Japanese Kendoka executing each waza, step by step.

I am not sure if I was more excited by the step by step guides or the pictures of real Kendoka training.

I am not sure if the manuals are still available, I checked out the All Japan Kendo Federation and see there is now an English language Kendo teaching guide. I have not read it so, can't say if it is the same thing.


Of course, none of this beats practice!

Ganbatte!

Kendo and Me - Part 1

Instead of talking about exercise, I thought I would explain a little of my Kendo history. It will be a short piece so you don't need to start running...yet.

I'll frame it as a question and answer - much easier style to manage and it gives me (a little) license to wander (especially since I am asking the questions as well).

What got me into Kendo?

I got into Kendo by accident.

My friend, Martin, and I were returning from a squash game at Victoria University (Wellington, New Zealand). For the record he soundly beat me. We spotted an small advertisement on a noticeboard about upcoming introductory Kendo classes with the Victoria University Rembuden Kendo Club.

Intrigued, we signed up. I had a vague recollection of Kendo as being something to do with swords but not much more. I am not even sure if I knew about the armour - but if I did it would have made me even more eager to join up.

I still enjoy the "unworldliness" of Kendo bougu and the hakama and gi, and likened the difference of this martial art from other more mainstream ones.

What Do I Love About Kendo?

Ki-Ken-Tai-Ichi

The perfect cut in Kendo requires that the mind, the body and the sword are one, unified, moving in the same direction.

I am drawn to this goal, the achievement of unity of every fibre of my body, my mind - of my existence.

I am drawn to Kendo because it challenges Kendoka to achieve this unity consistently - and as such means we need to learn how to focus our minds and our bodies consistently -  to trust in ourselves and to overcome distractions: doubt, fear and laziness.

The pursuit of this unity is what sucks me into Kendo - because I hope, I believe that in pursuing this goal I become a better Kendoka and a better person.

Kiai

I also liked the chance to Kiai (although this took a bit of practice). For a quiet kid from Palmerston North this was a real eye (throat) opener!

Camaraderie

I met and made many Kendo friends during my training. I suppose practicing a relatively obscure martial art brings the practitioners together - particularly if they all share the Kendo bug.

I have lost touch with most of them (Facebook has been a little help) but hope this will be something I can remedy in the not to distant future.

I would have to travel a long way to find another bunch of zany, passionate, open and caring people - and I hope that little journey will be sooner and shorter.

That's it for now

Okay, you can breath, I am done for now.

I hope to write in a little more eloquence and detail in the not to distant future. If you have any questions or thoughts, please feel free to use the comments.

Until then - Ganbatte!

Record, Learn, Repeat for 30 days - Lessons from Week 1

My first week of pre-training preparation is over.

This week, aiming at a slow build up I focused on mainly cardio work - no weights (free or using machines).

Weight Loss Goal is No Coincidence

This is the same approach I adopted when my main focus was weight loss. This is more than a coincidence as getting my weight down is part of my return plan.

The weight goal (get back between 65-68 kg - there I said it) has three benefits:

1. I will fit into my gear - no need to buy new hakama, gi or armour.
2. Less weight (well fat) means less strain on my knees and on my body
3. I will feel better about myself - physically and emotionally - the process of getting the weight down will improve my temperament and self-confidence.

The knee strain is particularly important as one of the reasons I stopped Kendo was because I ripped my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL - yes, the injury is common enough to warrant a three letter acronym).

After this injury, incurred during a game of indoor soccer where I lost a fight with a wall, I couldn't kneel (making seiza impossible or extremely uncomfortable) and of course there was a period of several months where I couldn't put weight on the leg at all.

Learnings for the Week 1

My goal for week 1 was to get back to the gym and start working up my cardio fitness.

• Lesson 1: keeping records helps my motivation

I like to see I am doing something. More to the point keeping a record of my weight ensures that I don't lose sight of one of my key goals.

Fortunately my iPhone, FourSquare and Momento made this easier.

In addition, I use a Polar Heart Rate monitor which keeps track of my daily and weekly activities. So I get an idea of calories and time spent in specific heart rate zones. Which leads to...

• Lesson 2: try to work smart

I knew a little about heart rate zones but not enough - so I took a hour and did some research on heart rate zone training.

This research told me about the differences between temperate and aerobic zone training and how to use my heart rate to help me target my training better.

• Lesson 3: building a habit requires repetition

Reviewing my activities - I went to the gym six days out of seven - pretty good in terms of building up the habit. I know this because I kept a record - including my weight (not pleasant but necessary) - refer to Lesson 1.

Have I developed a habit yet? No, not yet, but I am moving in the right direction.

The rule of thumb is that it will take at least 30 days to build or change a habit - and by this it means 30 days of repetition, as opposed to doing it once and then giving the memory of the behaviour 30 days to gestate and appear whole and formed!

I was reminded of this while listening to a presentation by Matt Cutts on TED where he exhorted his audience to try something different for 30 days.

 

Next Week's Training

Still plenty of cardio and time to work out some strength training and also work on flexibility - maybe time for some yoga!

Training with Heart (Zone)

More cardio today. Finally got my heart rate monitor working. Battery had run down.

Great to be able to track my heart rate and see what zone I was in. I was left wondering what it all meant though. I mean I knew once but now I am not so sure especially as I get into my later years and the maximum heart rate has perversely got lower - just when I really want to push myself!

So I thought I would do a quick refresher and this time write it somewhere I can find it easily!

How to Calculate Your Maximum Heart Rate

First things first - if you are the gym you type in your age and hey presto out comes the number.

Okay, but lets say you are running outside the gym (yes, it's possible).

Your maximum heart rate is calculated by deducting your age from 220. This is your 100% maximum heart rate.

For example, say I was a spritely 40 (sigh).

Then my maximum heart rate is 220 - 40 = 180 beats per minute

This is a rough and ready calculator or you could say, a rule of thumb. There are a few other factors that affect your true maximum such as your level of fitness but this measure is used as a rough indicator.

There are quite a few other methods - if you want to know more about methods for calculating your maximum heart rate have a look at this article from MedicineNet.com on Heart Rate Training Zones or this one from Running World (which includes steps on how to measure your maximum heart rate) or check out the Polar.com site for their method of calculating your target heart rate zone.

I thought I should add Polar since they make my heart rate monitor watch (brand loyalty can take many forms).

What I want to focus on is what to do with this number.

Training in the Heart Zones

If you look at the information online there are essentially five zones of increasing intensity (higher heart rate) with corresponding changes in what gets burnt (fat, carbohydrates or protein) and varying health benefits.

In addition to using your heart rate as a gauge for working out which zone you are in, most of them use your ability to carry out a conversation as a measure. This might explain why runners mutter so much.

The Heart Rate Training Zones

• Healthy Heart Zone Training( 50-60% of Maximum Heart Rate (Max HR)

You can talk normally. You get healthier but otherwise do not gain much in terms of endurance or strength. 

You are normally this zone during warm up or cool down.

• Temperate or Fitness Zone (60-70% Max HR)

Sometimes referred to as the Fat Burning zone because most of the energy you will use comes from burning fat (about 85% from fat, 5% protein and 10% carbohydrates).

You are breathing heavily but use short sentences.

MedicineNet.com points out that while you may burn a higher proportion of fat in this zone, you may not burn as much total energy- so the actual amount of fat you consume may be less than if you go to the next phase:

• Aerobic Zone (70-80% Max HR)

Now you are panting and speaking in short bursts. 

This zone builds up endurance, and helps increase your lung capacity and strengthen your heart.

The ratio is 50% fat and 50% carbohydrates being burnt off in this zone. However because you may be consuming more energy per minute in this zone, the total amount of fat you consume may actually be higher.

Go harder and you reach the:

• Anaerobic Zone (80-90% Max HR)

This is going hard. You will be tested. You may be able to gasp words: "Please...stop...running...so...fast".

This burns up mostly carbohydrates (85%), a little fat (15%) and little or no protein (1%).

Great for building up the amount of oxygen you can consume (your VO2 max).

In this zone you build up lactic acid - a by-product of all carbohydrates you are now burning up.

• Red Line Zone (90%-100% Max HR)

You thought anaerobic was hard, try this but only in short bursts. You are probably not talking at all.

Good for building up speed. Only sustainable for very short periods of time (a few minutes).

Where to go for more information

That is, where did I go!

For more information on the Zones check out About.com. You can also find some good information about heart training zones and training trees here and see this post by Brian Mac on Heart Rate Training Zones (this one has links to other related topics too.

How does Heart Rate Zone Training relate to Kendo

This knowledge helps me target my recovery training.

I know that I will certainly need endurance to sustain myself during gi-geiko and ensure I can keep good form and pay attention.

So I will ensure I do quite a bit of training in the aerobic zone.

That said, for shiai which can be explosive (I always liken it to wind sprints in terms of the bursts of energy.) I will need to consider interval training to let me build up strength and speed - so will spend time in the anaerobic zone.

Right now my focus is also on weight-loss so I imagine I will spend a good deal of time in aerobic fitness.

Fortunately spinning lets me do both - endurance and interval - even if it can be a little ball breaking.

Until we meet again, have a great day.

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.

Habit Building

I have started my research on Kendo fitness and a useful post from Kendo-Guide.com. Reading it reminded me of not only of it important Kendo point but also about the skill of habit building.

Fitness for Kendo - this is a short post from Kendo-Guide.com but provided me with a good reminder - focus on lower body, especially if you are a man.

The Male Bias for the Upper Body

The writer reminds us that men tend to use the upper body when cutting, this is a natural inclination because (compared to women) men have greater upper body strength (on average) and therefore tend to use it for the cut.

In my observations of Kendoka I generally find that women beginners have better starting technique than men. I think men focus on strength, women tend to focus on technique - the combination of action.

Upper body is an obvious go-to for men since you are cutting with the arms - so of course you want to use your shoulders to add force and power to the cut.

However, once you realise that the cut comes from the wrists (ten-uchi) the importance (or lesser importance to be precise) is more easy to understand.

Understanding of course is one thing, doing (or undoing) is a little harder.

The 'trick' is to appreciate that cutting with the shoulders is a habit and like any habit can be changed - but like any habit takes will power and persistence.

Habit Building - How to Replace a "Bad" Habit with a "Good" Habit

A habit is an behaviour or action we have learned overtime through conscious or unconscious practice and which we adopt (usually) unconsciously and apply in a given situation.

I think it is wrong to talk about breaking a habit and that it makes more sense to talk about replacing a habit. Ideally with one that is in line with your goals.

What do I need to do?

• consciously practice the new behaviour
• consistently practice the new behaviour
• persistently practice the new behaviour

Consistency and persistence are the keys to changing a habit.

Measure or Monitor

Depending on your inclination - measuring or keeping track of your practice can be a great help for a couple of reasons:

• You can see how you are going
• You can tie it in with a goal or a reward

There is an old saying:

That which gets measured gets done.

This certainly works for me - everytime I go to the gym I stand on the scales. At the moment this is a little depressing! But it is useful because I can see how I am going with my goal of becoming lighter.

(I appreciate this is only one measure and that as I become leaner my weight may go up to as I replace fat with dense muscle - I can live with that!)

Accept your Mistakes and Move On

One other thing I learned while working on my weight last time is that measuring is a great thing but be careful not to use it as a stick to beat yourself with.

When I first measured my weight and tried to fix up my diet (I was logging my calorie intake after every meal), I was probably a real pain in the ass to be with. The reason: I was fixated on the measure and on sticking to the measure. I was annoyed when I veered off course.

I quickly learned this was counterproductive - I was beating myself up and also beating other people up with a tool that was meant to help me.


Acknowledge, Forgive, Fix

I learned to accept that sometimes I would make mistakes or stray. To forgive myself. And to move on and fix things.

For example when I went out for dinner, instead of spending time trying to work out calories of food I was ordering (how exactly do your calculate the calories of a vegetarian lasagna - really) I just ate smaller portions.

If I felt I had eaten a little too much I would run a little longer the next day. 

It is more productive to forgive - then the energy I would have spent beating myself up is spent on fixing myself up.

Stage 1 Cardio for Kendo

Third day at gym. Focusing on fixing up cardio fitness still.

This is the same routine I used the last time I was working on weight-loss earlier this year:

Cardio followed by Strength.

That said it is also important to work on flexibility so Yoga or Pilates is in the cards I think.


Kendo Specific Gym Work?

At the moment my training is based on what I think I need - at the start this is probably safe as I am focusing on improving my general fitness but ultimately I will need to work on Kendo specific training.

Some of this will come as I practice cutting (assuming I do it correctly) but in the absence of gi-geiko I need to work on some solo exercises at the gym.

So the question is - is there some guidelines on Kendo specific fitness. There must be some so I will do some research this week.


Building a Proper Program

This will help me build a proper training program - as opposed to guessing what needs to be done.

I reckon it won't be perfect but it will be better than feeling around in the dark. It will also give me a roadmap and hence milestones so I can measure my progress.

As they say, what gets measured gets done - so way not put this to my advantage.

Why this blog exists. It's personal.

I have decided to start putting together this blog to help motivate me get back into Kendo. It came to me while I was at the gym panting on a elliptic trainer (one of my favourite cardio machines).

I went to the gym to work off my winter weight - okay it was also my autumn weight and there was probably a bit of summer there too. However while getting down my weight is a good source of motivation, I also wanted to get back into shape for Kendo.

I have been away for over five years so I have a bit of fitness training to catch up as well as technical work to do.

I reckon my grading qualification is gone now (I was a 2nd Dan) but to be honest that doesn't matter to me as much as just getting back.

What Areas to Work On

So I have thinking about what I need to do to get back - as far as I see it there are three areas:

• physical
• skills or technical
• re-service my bougu and shinai - fitting into my gi is covered under physical (I have a nice hakama and I want to get back into it rather than buy another one).

What About the Mental

There is a mental aspect to Kendo as well and I aim to work on this as part of my physical and skills training.

So over the next few months I will use this blog to record my return.

Deadline

As they say, a goal without a deadline is a dream so let's make this dream a goal. So my aim is to be back training in five months - 10 February 2012 (or the nearest training day).


Until then, ja mata ne!