HKC Drills
Curious as to what kinda of exercises or drills that the HKC practices? Well, hopefully this ought to help satisfy your curiousity. These are a few movies of some of the drills practiced during the HKC classes. I'm hoping that this page will continually grow as we get more and more videos of this sort.
- Men-Uke-Do (Men ooh-keh doe). This drill is used to teach coordination between the shinai and the body, while also helping to develop speed. One person continually attacks men, while the other recieves/blocks the incoming attack (Uke) and counter attacks with alternating Do strikes. As one becomes more skilled, the drill speed is increased accordingly.
Click here to see a movie of Sean and Ryan performing Men-Uke-Do.
- Keiko (Kay-Ko). This term translates to "practice", but in the context of Kendo it usually refers to simple "sparring practice". There are many types of Keiko, but the most simple version is to just try and make clean hits on your opponent with lots of spirit. You must focus on form and your strikes, not blocking or getting points, or "who is beating who". Successful Keiko is accomplished if you can land even just one good clean hit on your opponent.
Click here to see a movie of Sean doing Geiko with Steve.
- Kakari Geiko (Kah-Kah-Ree Gay-Ko). One of the more dreaded drills in any Dojo, Kakari Geiko is a sure fire way to build endurance and to help build up the required fearless spirit needed in Kendo. The Kendoka must attack as quickly and as constantly as possible (while still trying to maintain proper form) and with as much spirit as they can muster against an opponent, who in this case, opens up various targets. Kakari Geiko usually lasts about 30 seconds.
Click here to see a movie of Sean doing Kakari Geiko with Steve.
- Kiri Kaeshi (Key-Ree K-Eye-She). This is quite possibly the most important drill in existence other than basic Men strikes. It teaches one distance, proper cutting angles, footwork, Kiai, Posture, the list goes on. This movie was taken when Christina from the UoT Kendo Club visited the HKC and instructed one of our classes. Kiri Kaeshi is normally done at a faster pace (depending on individual ability), but this one is done slowly as a "teaching demo".
Click here to view the movie of Kiri Kaeshi performed by Christina Grava of UoT while visiting HKC.
Or here for another performed by Steve with Ohmi Sensei.
- Joge Suburi (Joh-Geh Sue-Boo-ree). This Suburi, or "swinging practice" is the most basic of all and forms the foundation for performing proper strikes. Its focus is on teaching the student to do large, smooth swings as well as on keeping the swing in the center of the body. Our Joge Suburi models in this video are: (Front Row) Zack, Olivia (Back Row) Jason, Barbara.
Click here to view the movie of Joge Suburi.
- SanDan Suburi (Sah-n Dah-n). This suburi demonstrates the basic strike to the head or Men as it is called in Kendo. There are three distinct steps involved in this one. Step 1: Raise the shinai (shin-eye, bamboo sword) over your head. Step 2: Step forward and strike Men. The strike should come in contact with the "target" at the moment your step finishes, while at the saem time you must call out the name of the target. Sounds easy right? Step 3: Step back and lower your shinai back to the starting position. The models for this video are (Front Row) Zack, Olivia (Back Row) Jason, Barbara.
Click here to view the movie of Sandan Suburi.
- Nidan Suburi (Knee Dah-n). This is a slight more complex version of SanDan Suburi. There are two distinct steps in this one hoever. Steps one and two of the Sandan Suburi are combined into one single step: raise up, step forward and strike. The last step is to step back and lower the shinai back to the starting position. This suburi most closely resembles a "real" strike in Kendo, and hence is a very important drill. The models for this video are (Front Row) Zack, Olivia (Back Row) Jason, Barbara.
Click here to view the movie of Nidan Suburi.
- Kiai practice (Key-eye). For a number of reasons, (too many to go into here!) yelling and screaming is an integral part of Kendo. In short, you must physically manifest your intent and display your "fighting spirit" through your voice. In order to do this effectively, you need to learn to yell from your diaphram/abdomen instead of just from your throat. This drill is where HKC members literally get to practice yelling. The goal is to cross the dojo floor (via proper Kendo footwork) yelling continuosly on ONE BREATH...harder than it looks. (Especially when a certain somebody makes you do it 4-5 times in a row...*grin*).The models for this video are (Left to Right) Sangmin, Olivia, and Jason.
Click here to view the movie of Kiai practice.
- Frog Hop Suburi . Ahhh...everybody's favorite drill! This drill is one of the many strength training drills in Kendo. The Kendoka must assume Sonkyo ( Sawn-key-o, the formal crouching position) and then hop from one end of the gym to the other. Each hop corresponds to swinging the shinai up over head or striking Men. The focus of this drill is on learning proper posture (ie back straight), balance, swing with the shoulders, kiai, and obviously strengthening the legs. The key is to go at your own pace and to do it properly. The models for this video are
Steve, Jason, and Zack.
Click here to view the movie of Frog Hop Suburi.
- Men, Kote-Men Haya Suburi . This is a more advanced suburi, as it involves multiple strikes done quickly. Haya Suburi or "jumping Suburi" as its usually called is one of the staples for Kendo, bith as a warmup, endurance and cardiovascular training, as well as teaching proper striking techniques. There are essentially infinitely many different kinds of Haya Suburi, nad this one seems to be unique to the HKC. There are four steps involved, but five are listed as i include the initial starting position as Step 1. Step 1: Raise the shinai over your head. Step 2: Jump forward, and strike Men. Step 3: Jump back, and strike a "small Kote". Step 4: Immediately after striking the small kote, jump forward and strike a "small Men", completeing the "Kote-Men". Step 5: Jump back, and raise your shinai overhead to the starting postition. The focus of the drill is to strike the Kote-Men quickly, while maintaining proper footwork, posture, kiai, etc.. The model for this video is Steve.
Click here to view the movie of Men, Kote-Men Haya Suburi.
- Kendo no Kata . Kata is one of the most important aspects of Kendo. Kata teach correct posture, proper usage of the weapon, proper striking distance, and kiai to name but a few of their benefits. Studying Kata is essential if one wishes to improve the quality of their Kendo. Here is a movie of one of our members learning the first Kendo no Kata. On the left is Steve, on the right is Paul.
Click here to view the movie of the first Kata.
- First Time in Bogu . Wearing Bogu is a stage that many Kendoka are excited to reach. However, it does take some time before one is ready to wear it. From time to time, we put non-Bogu students in Bogu to give them a chance to see what its like before they are "officially" ready for it. They all unanimously agree that its a lot of fun, but that its also a lot harder than they expected. Here are a number of movies of various students trying out Bogu for the first time.
Click here to see a movie of Nick doing Kakari Geiko with Steve (2nd Time in Bogu).
Click here to view the movie K.C. trying Geiko for the first time with Steve.
Click here to view the movie of K.C. trying Shiai Geiko for the first time with Steve.
Click here to view the movie of Colin doing Geiko with Steve. (This is his second time in Bogu)
Click here to view the movie of Justin trying Geiko for the first time with Steve.
Click here to view the movie of Zack trying Geiko for the first time with Steve.
Click here to view the movie of Zack's Geiko continued.
Click here to view the movie of Barbara trying Geiko for the first time with Sung.
- New Kendoka . Its always exciting when new Kendoka receive their new Kendo gear: Gi, Hakama, and Shinai. It almost has the effect of energizing anybody into practicing even harder than normal. Here is a movie of two of our newest Kendoka, Sean and Ryan, along with a couple of our older members, Jason and Neil, performing Kote, Men, Do Uchi Gomi.
Click here to view the movie of Ryan and Sean (Age 7 and 9, our youngest members yet!) trying Men, Kote, Do Uchi Gomi while wearing their new Hakama, Gi and using their new shinai (32"!!) for the first time.
More Movies Coming Soon!!!
If you have any questions please contact: hfxkendo@hotmail.com