Comments for What to do about a Kendo bully?

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Jan 13, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		hitting hard
by: Manuel Mota

How Imafuji sensei said. Maybe he doesn?t do it because he wants to bully you?

I was visiting a new dojo I never was before, and after practice one of the Kenshi told me: you are hitting very hard, it hurts!

I didn?t even realize how strong my strikes were. I didn?t do it on purpose. It?s just the way I hit. After that I asked my sensei, and he said: yes they are right. You strike with much force sometimes.

Of course I don?t try to hurt my partner, but on the other side, it?s martial arts after all.

One time, a jodan player didn?t get a clean point against me, and he started to hit my fingers (by the way I practice nito, that?s the reason that is possible). I asked my sensei: isn?t that a hansoku? But he said: it?s your own fault, you are to slow and don?t strike enough, if you would do, he got no chance to hit your fingers all the time.

For me in personal it?s like that:

My partner hit me, that means I did something wrong. I can feel the pain and will remember don?t do it again that way.

Kendo-Guide.Com: Thank you for sharing your experience. Many people do not mean to hit unprotected areas. Especially in jigeiko, we are not standing still so it is hard for all of us to hit the targets.

Besides, they do not want to get hit so of course they try to get the targets away from our strikes. Now As Manuel said, it is not the striker?s fault. If we do not want to get hit on unprotected areas, we have to block properly.

In kendo, we all practice under the exactly same circumstance so everyone should know about that. We also hit our partners on their unprotected areas accidentally. They do too. That is why we must bow to each other with respect and appreciation.
Jan 12, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Bullying
by: Anonymous

When I was a mudansha, about 3 yrs into kendo, I had an experience with a 4th dan at joint practices we attend monthly with dojos from other cities.

Every time I did keiko with this guy, he would Tsuki me hard, and knock me down, and use me as his experimental hitting target. I took it and even continued to line up to practice with him each month. For me, I needed to show that I was not intimidated (even though I sort of was).

At one of these practices about a year later, the sensei decided to hold a "mock" tournament to show the newer kendoka how a tournament was conducted. So, they randomly matched people up. Of course, I was matched up with this guy...

As it turns out, I happened to be "in the zone" and he was having a very bad day... He could not break my kamae or even score ippon on me once. I never stepped back, controlled the center, and held him at bay. I even got a very clean kaeshi do on him that I initiated with seme...like I mentioned, I was in the zone on this day.

Afterwards, he came to me in seiza and thanked me for teaching him...Me, just a mudansha. So I had finally earned is respect. To me this is one of my greatest Kendo achievements. I earned the respect of a much more experienced and more skilled Kendoka and yudansha.

So, I guess the moral of my story is the this is part of kendo. Stand your ground, be strong, and overcome his attacked with your mental strength. Even if you do not "earn his respect", you will earn your own and develop yourself. Overcoming fear and intimidation is part of the growing process in Kendo, at least for me.

Kendo-Guide.Com: Thank you for sharing your story. And congratulations for winning respect from your sensei and from yourself!!

Personally, I am against tsuki to beginners or whoever needs to learn to strike forwards.

Tsuki is very intimidating and dangerous. This technique can stop students' improvement if used carelessly.

But you made it! Congrats!
Jan 11, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		My opinion
by: Matt

I would echo what has been said that they are likely trying to teach you something(in their own way).

I would be much more worried if someone did not take me seriously, or attack me with full force and commitment in a practice.

Getting hit on the knuckles happens frequently and has one of two causes usually; the first the motodachi is receiving incorrectly.

Or second, the kakarite is aiming for the kote instead of cutting to the center.

Kendo-Guide.Com: Thanks for sharing your opinion!
Jan 11, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Malice vs. Ignorance
by: andy

I would echo the sentiment to be sure it is on purpose.

Many people don't realize how hard or inaccurate they are. Others complain as well? If so it just may be that that's how he hits.

Kendo-Guide.Com: Thanks for your comment and sharing your opinion!
Jan 10, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Answer to the question from Kendo-Guide.Com
by: Kendo-Guide.Com

First of all, you should not take beating. There is no point to take beating if it is not for your improvement.


In kendō, we have many methods to train ourselves including very harsh training. Possibly it seems like just “beating” but
between practitioners they know the purpose of such training.


But if it is simply a “beating” without any reasons, you should not take it.


Secondly, it is hard to tell if it is on purpose or not. I’ve been doing kendō for more than 30 years and I can tell you this.


Many people just cannot hit what they have to hit.


They constantly miss their aims. I had the same experience with a 7-dan sensei and I really thought it was on purpose. But no. It was not. It
turned out that it was how I struck men.


The same thing happens when we are just receiving. Many hit the right fist again and again. But they do not mean it. Or many times motodachi
also isn’t receiving right.


So you must be very careful with saying “he/she hurt me on purpose”. You just are asking for a trouble if you say that when he/she does not
mean to hurt you.


Thirdly, did you ask why he picks on you? Like I said in a comment to ”Beaten after asking a question”, there should be a reason. You
may not know. So you should find that out.


Especially if the person you think that is bullying on you is years older, he should have some kind of reason.


He may be trying to teach you that you should hit harder like him.


Or it is just how he hits people. Many tell me I hit hard :) . And I would like to tell them the same! There is a different between just pounding on a
target and “sharp” kendō strike but I do not talk about it here.


It is very important for many of us to ask people who are seemingly giving us a hard time the reason. We just should not guess reasons behind actions
of others.


Communication is very hard. People say and do things that they do not really mean. That is why it is important to go and ask to make things better
among us.


That means it is important for everyone of us to not worsen the situation. That means you should not say things like “hey you are trying to hurt
me on purpose” when you do not really know about it.


If you think you need someone with you when you talk to the guy, ask your sensei to be with you.


Remember, you do not have to like others all the time to be around them. We just have to learn how to be around without causing major problems.


Hope this helps.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Any Questions about Kendo.

Return to What to do about a Kendo bully?.
Show / Hide