How do you know when kamae is broken?

by Rafael
(Chicago)

Hi Sensei, thank you for your page.
How do I know when I have broken opponent's kamae?

Answer: Good question! This is very very difficult. Usually when your opponent’s left hand moves, your opponent's kamae is broken there. That is the easiest way.

Probably you feel tension in your hands, arms and shoulders. That is a part or start of your kamae being broken. You cannot do much if your body is tense.

Sometimes you get hit before your body feels anything or can do anything because you are in the state of kyo or typically we call it “itsuki”. We can only guess if our opponents are in these states so when you think they are you should execute your strike. To create the states of mind, you need to distract your opponent by create shikai.

Look for the movements of your opponent’s left hand and tension in their body, and create the shikai.

Hope this helps!

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