Kendo for LIFE

Issue #067 - Winning Patterns

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I hope this finds you well.

It has become a lot cooler in Indiana, but it is still very humid. While training, it reminded me of training in Japanese summer! That was kind of good :)

In this newsletter, I am writing about "Winning Patterns". We all should have some kind of our own winning patterns. This makes kendo more fun and also make your kendo unique.

Hope you enjoy these new pages as well as the updates!

Thank you!

Hiro Imafuji

Now Enjoy the Update!

Table of Content

- Video Update-

- Kendo Q & A -

- Kendo Work Shop -

- Article of The Month -

- Comments or Questions -

Announcement

- Kendo Guide in Russian: Some articles from Kendo-Guide.Com in Russian

-

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Kendo For Life, LLC Products

- Kendo Beginners eBook: Kendo Guide for Beginners
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- How to Learn Kendo Movements More Easily and Quickly
Are you having a hard time to get the kendo movements right? Try to find out methods that make easier and quicker for you to learn the movements.

- Interview with Alex Bennett
Do you think you are too old to continue kendō? You don't know how you should improve your kendo? Listen to Alex Bennett sensei who passed his 7-dan exam at his first attempt. He talks about how he trained for his 7-dan exam and how he performed in his 7-dan exam.

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What we have in this issue is shown below.

Enjoy this Newsletter!

There are links to change your email address for the newsletter or unsubscribe at the bottom of every newsletter. Thanks!

- Video Update-

- What does “If the course of your shinai is right, you cannot strike me” mean?

- Kendo Q & A -

- Is my sensei rushing things?

- how long does it take to become 1st kyu

- Kirikaeshi history

- "Fumikumi", chudan no kamae and other terms

- Kendo Work Shop -

- right hand

- Kirikaeshi speed and distance

- Winning Patterns-

I was sitting right in front of TV in Starbucks the other day. And heard this word. "Winning is a habit". I think it is very true. Replace winning with success. I think that success is a series of actions that we take and the actions, or you can say "process", are a series of patterns towards a success.

When I was a child, I had a winning pattern in matches. And I did not feel like losing at all. Of course, I lost a lot of times. But until this winning pattern did nothing to my opponent, I did not feel like losing :) So when I lost, that meant the opponent had more winning patterns than I did.

Through hard training, we develop confidence. Confidence produces braveness. And braveness makes it possible for us to commit into our strikes. Through executing a lot of strikes, we will learn when to strike and how to strike. This creates us our own winning patterns.

A winning pattern consists of your own timing, distance and physical abilities (what you are capable of). You will know your own distance and timing through training. You can increase your physical abilities through training and working out.

When everything is put together through hard training, you can suddenly acquire your own winning patterns.

This may sound like that I'm only talking about shiai. But basically what I'm talking about is that you have to develop something that you are really good at; your specialties.

We can learn theories and techniques from our teachers and writings. In order for us to acquire theories and techniques, we have to follow the following process.

1. Practice theories and techniques you learned repeatedly

2. Repeat trial and error (adjust timing and distance)

3. Think what you need to accomplish what you are trying to learn

4. Repeat trial and error

5. If necessary, increase your physical abilities

6. Repeat two and error

7. Try what you are learning on someone who holds lower rank than you.

8. Repeat trial and error

9. Try what you are learning on someone who holds higher rank than you

10. Repeat trial and error

11. Repeat this process until you accomplish what you are trying to learn

It depends on people, how long it would take to accomplish whatever you are learning. The important thing is you shouldn't quit. Sometimes you have to walk away from what you are doing and do something else. It is because your kendo level is not high enough to learn what you are trying to learn. You might have to develop some other skills before you can learn whatever you are trying to learn.

It is true that we have a lot of bad habits that have to be fixed. And it is very important for us to be patient. It doesn't matter how long it would take us to correct these bad habits. The most important thing is that we will correct them eventually.

- Comments or Questions -

If you have a kendo related question, please go to Kendo Q&A and use a special form for that.

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