Practice Session

Once a kendōka begins practice in armour, a practice session may include any or all of the following types of practice.

Kiri-kaeshi (切り返し) Striking the left and right men target points in succession, practicing centering, distance, and correct technique, while building spirit and stamina.

Waza-geiko (技稽古) Waza or technique practice in which the student learns and refines that techniques of Kendo with a receiving partner.

Kakari-geiko (掛稽古) Short, intense, attack practice which teaches continuous alertness and readiness to attack, as well as building spirit and stamina.

Ji-geiko (地稽古) Undirected practice where the kendōka tries all that has been learned during practice against an opponent.

Gokaku-geiko (互角稽古) Practice between two kendōka of similar skill level.

Hikitate-geiko (引立稽古) Practice where a senior kendōka guides a junior through practice.

Shiai-geiko (試合稽古) Competition practice which may also be judged.

• Outline
  

  SPORTS WORLD

  Kendo

  Is a modern Japanese martial art, which descended from swordsmanship (kenjutsu) and uses bamboo swords (shinai) and protective armour (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and many other nations across the world. Kendo is an activity that combines martial arts practices and values with strenuous sport-like physical activity.

  History: Swordsmen in Japan established schools of kenjutsu (the ancestor of kendo), which continued for centuries and which form the basis of kendo practice today. The formal kendo exercises known as kata were developed several centuries ago as kenjutsu practice for warriors.

  Concept and Purpose: Kendo is a way to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the katana.

  Equipment and Clothing: Kendo is practiced wearing a traditional Japanese style of clothing, protective armour (防具 bōgu) and using one or, less commonly, two shinai (竹刀 shinai).

  Practice Session: Kiri-kaeshi (切り返し) Striking the left and right men target points in succession, practicing centering, distance, and correct technique, while building spirit and stamina.

  Techniques: First practicing slowly and then as familiarity and confidence builds, the kendoka and motodachi increase the speed to match competition level.

  Rules: A scorable point (有効打突 yūkō-datotsu) in a kendo competition (tai-kai) is defined as an accurate strike or thrust made onto a datotsu-bui of the opponent's kendo-gu with the shinai making contact at its datotsu-bu, the competitor displaying high spirits, correct posture and followed by zanshin.

  Advancement: Technical achievement in kendo is measured by advancement in grade, rank or level. The kyū (級) and dan (段) grading system, created in 1883, is used to indicate one's proficiency in kendo.

  Kata: Kata, are fixed patterns that teach kendoka the basic elements of swordsmanship. The kata include fundamental techniques of attacking and counter-attacking, and have useful practical application in general kendo.

RESOURCES
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kendo", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.