Post by Jonathan Anderson on Dec 19, 2010 18:09:04 GMT -4
Here is what Parker Sensei sent us about our most recent set of mock test videos:
J.Anderson:
Opening reiho: don’t stroke the sageo, just straighten it along the saya, one movement.
[glow=green,5,300]I'm taking this to mean that rather than draping the sageo over your thigh, then smoothing it as a separate movement, we should just smooth the sageo straight from the tsuba.[/glow]
When you are inserting the sword into the obi, as soon as you can, place your left hand on your left hip, over the saya-and-himo bundle.
#9: when you tsuki , keep your right hand touching your body; at zanshin, right fist should be zekken/nipple height, not shoulder height
#10: when you tsuki across the body, the left hand comes to the navel, with palm down
#11: make your diagonal cuts stop (not bounce) with your left hand in the center. The fourth cut should be below your obi, not at solar plexus level
#12: draw the sword up, not forward
Closing reiho: push the sword with your left hand only till the tsuba is over your right hand, keeping your hands close to your body
[glow=green,5,300]This too is something different - rather than pushing the sword over the right knee, we need to start pushing the sword over the right hand. This actually makes more sense if you think about it, as once the sword is out of the obi, we set the kojiri down outside the right knee, so done this way, it's angling in a more correct direction.[/glow]
You might find it helpful to get hold of the All Japan Kendo Federation Iaido DVD. You can buy it on the All Japan Kendo Federation website.
Alli:
Her sleeves are too long. At least one fist-width of the forearm above the wrist needs to be exposed.
It looks to me that she is wearing her hakama in the Aikido style, with the front band tucked into the obi. This method of wearing the hakama makes it difficult to get any saya-biki.
When standing up and/or walking with the sword on the left hip, the tsukagashira should be on the center line. Hers is in front of her left hip.
There is no standing bow with the sword in the left hand.
For sitting bow, the hands make a triangle on the floor, with thumbtips and index fingertips touching. Hers appear to be laid one on top off the other.
When the right hand is sliding the sword into the obi (after the kojiri is inserted), the left hand must be placed on the left hip, over the place when the saya and himo cross.
#1: draw the sword with the tsukagashira on the center line, toward opponent. Hers is pointing off to her right. The cutting action is supposed to be from left to right across her center line. Hers is off to her right.
O-chiburui should have the right arm extended fully, parallel to the ground at shoulder level, then fold the arm to bring the blade close to the head, and finally bring the blade over and forward on a diagonal, the fist coming forward and down, finishing at the same height as the left hand with is resting on the saya-at-the-hip.
#3: at zanshin, the blade needs to rest on the thigh. Many koryu do not let the blade touch, but in seitei, it must touch.
#4: when sitting in tatehiza, the hands should be held in soft fists.
The first target is at solar plexus height; for yoko chiburui the sword moves horizontally only. At the end of the kata, face straight forward
#5: footwork is wrong. She needs to step forward to cut; after noto, the left foot comes forward.
#6: foot work is wrong, step off on the right foot, every technique is executed with the right foot forward. same yoko chiburui correction as in #4
I recommend that you work with her doing only the footwork, without using her sword, until she gets better with the footwork in all the seitei kata.
Juan:
#1: nukitsuke doesn’t cut, he only places the blade
#2: no sayabiki
#6: face straight to opponents for each technique
in general, for seitei, the sword is worn with the inner edge of the tsuba on the center line
Cory:
#1; nukitsuke finishes too wide. When you look at it, the tip should be lined up with his armpit. In Seitei, we are cutting the opponent’s eyes, or neck, not their shoulders.
When standing, the feet should have a space between them, of about one and one-half fists. Cory’s are too far apart.
Same correction about where to wear the sword as for Juan
#6, the overhead cuts need to be straight over the center of the head
closing reiho: stand up where you are, don't step back
Bob:
At the beginning, his sword is in sageto. We never use this posture in iai (only in kendo and jodo).
Opening reiho: lay the sword down with the right hand underneath the saya, and the left hand on top of it. Withdraw the right hand, then the left hand, after any fix of the sageo position. Fingertips should touch when executing seated bow. When the right hand is sliding the sword into the obi (after the kojiri is inserted), the left hand must be placed on the left hip, over the place when the saya and himo cross.
#1, #2, needs sayabiki on the drawing cuts; O-chiburui, the sword movement should finish when the standing up finishes. O-chiburui should have the right arm extended fully, parallel to the ground at shoulder level, then fold the arm to bring the blade close to the head, and finally bring the blade over and forward on a diagonal, the fist coming forward and down, finishing at the same height as the left hand with is resting on the saya-at-the-hip.
#3: the block is executed while standing, not while still half-kneeling. : at zanshin, the blade needs to rest on the thigh. Many koryu do not let the blade touch, but in seitei, it must touch.
#6: finish the cuts with the sword parallel to the ground
closing reiho: use the right hand index finger on the tsuba
stand with feet at correct width, Bob’s are too close together
Hopefully everyone finds this helpful.
J.Anderson:
Opening reiho: don’t stroke the sageo, just straighten it along the saya, one movement.
[glow=green,5,300]I'm taking this to mean that rather than draping the sageo over your thigh, then smoothing it as a separate movement, we should just smooth the sageo straight from the tsuba.[/glow]
When you are inserting the sword into the obi, as soon as you can, place your left hand on your left hip, over the saya-and-himo bundle.
#9: when you tsuki , keep your right hand touching your body; at zanshin, right fist should be zekken/nipple height, not shoulder height
#10: when you tsuki across the body, the left hand comes to the navel, with palm down
#11: make your diagonal cuts stop (not bounce) with your left hand in the center. The fourth cut should be below your obi, not at solar plexus level
#12: draw the sword up, not forward
Closing reiho: push the sword with your left hand only till the tsuba is over your right hand, keeping your hands close to your body
[glow=green,5,300]This too is something different - rather than pushing the sword over the right knee, we need to start pushing the sword over the right hand. This actually makes more sense if you think about it, as once the sword is out of the obi, we set the kojiri down outside the right knee, so done this way, it's angling in a more correct direction.[/glow]
You might find it helpful to get hold of the All Japan Kendo Federation Iaido DVD. You can buy it on the All Japan Kendo Federation website.
Alli:
Her sleeves are too long. At least one fist-width of the forearm above the wrist needs to be exposed.
It looks to me that she is wearing her hakama in the Aikido style, with the front band tucked into the obi. This method of wearing the hakama makes it difficult to get any saya-biki.
When standing up and/or walking with the sword on the left hip, the tsukagashira should be on the center line. Hers is in front of her left hip.
There is no standing bow with the sword in the left hand.
For sitting bow, the hands make a triangle on the floor, with thumbtips and index fingertips touching. Hers appear to be laid one on top off the other.
When the right hand is sliding the sword into the obi (after the kojiri is inserted), the left hand must be placed on the left hip, over the place when the saya and himo cross.
#1: draw the sword with the tsukagashira on the center line, toward opponent. Hers is pointing off to her right. The cutting action is supposed to be from left to right across her center line. Hers is off to her right.
O-chiburui should have the right arm extended fully, parallel to the ground at shoulder level, then fold the arm to bring the blade close to the head, and finally bring the blade over and forward on a diagonal, the fist coming forward and down, finishing at the same height as the left hand with is resting on the saya-at-the-hip.
#3: at zanshin, the blade needs to rest on the thigh. Many koryu do not let the blade touch, but in seitei, it must touch.
#4: when sitting in tatehiza, the hands should be held in soft fists.
The first target is at solar plexus height; for yoko chiburui the sword moves horizontally only. At the end of the kata, face straight forward
#5: footwork is wrong. She needs to step forward to cut; after noto, the left foot comes forward.
#6: foot work is wrong, step off on the right foot, every technique is executed with the right foot forward. same yoko chiburui correction as in #4
I recommend that you work with her doing only the footwork, without using her sword, until she gets better with the footwork in all the seitei kata.
Juan:
#1: nukitsuke doesn’t cut, he only places the blade
#2: no sayabiki
#6: face straight to opponents for each technique
in general, for seitei, the sword is worn with the inner edge of the tsuba on the center line
Cory:
#1; nukitsuke finishes too wide. When you look at it, the tip should be lined up with his armpit. In Seitei, we are cutting the opponent’s eyes, or neck, not their shoulders.
When standing, the feet should have a space between them, of about one and one-half fists. Cory’s are too far apart.
Same correction about where to wear the sword as for Juan
#6, the overhead cuts need to be straight over the center of the head
closing reiho: stand up where you are, don't step back
Bob:
At the beginning, his sword is in sageto. We never use this posture in iai (only in kendo and jodo).
Opening reiho: lay the sword down with the right hand underneath the saya, and the left hand on top of it. Withdraw the right hand, then the left hand, after any fix of the sageo position. Fingertips should touch when executing seated bow. When the right hand is sliding the sword into the obi (after the kojiri is inserted), the left hand must be placed on the left hip, over the place when the saya and himo cross.
#1, #2, needs sayabiki on the drawing cuts; O-chiburui, the sword movement should finish when the standing up finishes. O-chiburui should have the right arm extended fully, parallel to the ground at shoulder level, then fold the arm to bring the blade close to the head, and finally bring the blade over and forward on a diagonal, the fist coming forward and down, finishing at the same height as the left hand with is resting on the saya-at-the-hip.
#3: the block is executed while standing, not while still half-kneeling. : at zanshin, the blade needs to rest on the thigh. Many koryu do not let the blade touch, but in seitei, it must touch.
#6: finish the cuts with the sword parallel to the ground
closing reiho: use the right hand index finger on the tsuba
stand with feet at correct width, Bob’s are too close together
Hopefully everyone finds this helpful.
