How to Strike Small (Chiisai) Kote in Kendo

Do you have a problem with striking a small kote? Do you hit a tsuba (hand-guard) or shinai of your opponent instead of his/her kote?

What if I say you can strike even when your opponent keeps his/her shinai in the center?

Yes, you do not have to move your opponent's shinai a bit.

You do not have to move your shinai in a funny way so that you can strike your opponent's kote.

No more told-offs from your sensei because you strike a kote sideways i.e. your sword is not straight but diagonal to strike a kote.

Ok as you can see in the video, all you have to do is to take a step forwards onto the right foot as if you are stepping on your opponent's right foot.

That is it! You do not have to swing your shinai down in a funny angle. Bring your shinai straight up and drop it straight down. You do not believe how easy it is to strike a kote.

Since your opponent's kote is on your left side of the body, we think that we should strike our opponent's kote by giving a shinai a bit of an angle.

However, most of the time if you strike a kote like that, you end up with hitting your opponent's shinai or tsuba.

This is a trick to strike a kote straight.

Hope it is helpful to you.

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