To elaborate on the method of gripping the shinai I talked about in my last blog entry, I extract some figures from the manuscript from Toshio Matsumoto (9th Dan Hanshi), the same document which I quoted for describing the Natural Stance Kamae.
The position of the end of hand grip should rest in the left hand as shown here:
The two muscles circled in the upper figure should be used to squeeze the end of shinai. (Aki Suzuki Sensei form Tokyo once told me the same.) Likewise, the same muscles of the right hand have also the same function.
The feeling is like supporting an egg with these two muscles without breaking it, as shown above.
The right hand should grip the shinai in a way that is hard outside but soft/flexible inside. To explain, he use the analogy of a "bull crap under the sun (hi na ta gu so)", which is hard outside but soft inside (rather interesting don't you think ;)?).
The position and angle of the thumb should be straight and relaxed, directed roughly parallel to the floor, as shown below:
This is connected to what I described with the right hand grip in my last entry.
Hope the above information helps!
6 comments:
hi ~glad see you. I want to have kendo friend. I practice almost everyday. I ask you to visit my blog. I upload everyday kendo trainig diary. It is written in Korean, but someday I would like to write it in English.
I hope to be your kendo friend.
Take care~Thank you
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http://blog.naver.com/yangpy
Hi thanks for visiting my blog. you didn't leave your name! Your blog seems good, and I look forward to seeing it in english!
There are many interesting here. Hope to see some more in future
Is anybody think same about it? Can we disscuse this?
Hey, I am checking this blog using the phone and this appears to be kind of odd. Thought you'd wish to know. This is a great write-up nevertheless, did not mess that up.
- David
I have a question that you may be able to answer: Where does kendo start from the bottom of your left heal or the little finger on your left hand?
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