Much to dads despair, and after nagging him for months and months, and on the understanding i use my pocket money to pay for the lessons, i have started Kenjutsu. .
Sam

Sam has a Bokken already from Kobudo lessons, that they use for partner drills and practising the cuts, also i have to make up a foam filled sword made from a plastic pipe covered in foam and wrapped in duct tape for when they fight.
We have to purchase a Wakizashi, sensei sells them for £60 Sam is going to use his savings to buy one.Then he was looking on e bay and he noticed you could bid for them a lot cheaper, does anyone know anything about Wakizashi that may help us, i think we should get one from sensei, but sam looks after his money ok he is tight.There is one he really likes, but the time we have paid shipping and insurance the saving is paltry.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...6543310800&rd=1

Nigel

Reading their feedback seems 2 months is average time for delivery, sometimes broken. Seems they make money by overcharging for shipping too.

Looks sweet!!

So how many martial arts will you guys be doing now?

How do you fit it all in?

Thank you Mat dad pointed that out as well

Well dad has renamed me Jack! with a surname of Alltrades.
Lets see GKR but we havnt been for two weeks.
Tang soo do and freestyle
ju jitsu and Kobudo
Kenjutso but its only me, it doesnt intrest Vicki.

Timewise lessons are fine, practising at home is getting a little harder, the more we learn, but then i dont get much homework and if i do, i do it at lunchtime, so it leaves my evenings free to do the stuff that is important
Samuria Sam

The Wakizashi is the shorter of the 2 swords worn by Samurai, the longer being the Katana.

Some texts will refer to the longer blade as Daito and the shorter as Shoto (nothing to do with Shotokan). A knife is often referred to as Tanto.

Probably best to buy one locally, if not from your instructor then from a MA shop.


Mick

This is wicked, just to let you know i ordered a Wakizashi off sensei in the end.
I have a wakizashi, the shorter sword, because if i had a katanna, i wouldnt be able to draw the sword because of the lenght.
It seems that the samurai had Wakizashi as well as Katanna because when they were fighting in the houses? the katanna would sometimes because of the lenght get stuck in the roof or hit the walls, so a Wakizashi would be used instead .Makes sense to me.
Samurai Sam

awwww I WANT ONE it looks hel siik wow thats alot of MA you must really know how to handle yourself

Dunno bout that, i just love it all.
Samurai Sam

The length of your katana is most important. You should have someone who is trained in a sword-drawing art in particular give you advice on what length to buy. 2.45 shaku is common as a starting point, but taller people will need ot increase the length. Having a katana that is too short will develop poor technique.

A katana and a wakizashi share the same principles in combat, though the usefulness of each is varied by a situation. You do not use a spear in close combat....for example and if you get my drift.

Ultimately, what you should begin to learn with is a bokken. This will teach you how to hold a sword and develop your capacity to cut correctly. Otherwise, consider purchasing an iaito for practice. If you practice with a shinken (live blade) I suggest you get yourself appropriate medical insurance as you will no doubt cut yourself.

JC

I've been learning kenjutsu for a couple of months as an add-on to karate. Never picked up a live blade yet - we practice with bokken. Makes is a little less deadly when you get hit with the pointy end....

Sams had four lessons now and is luving it, SUPRISE SUPRISE. We bought a Wakizashi from sensei(a blunt one) still could do some damage with the tip though, have you found any decent websites that cover Kenjutsu? From what Sam has done so far, they only use the sword to practice kata, everything is done with the Bokken.
Nigel

I graded to my 8th kyu in ken- jutsu today
Sam

Congrats sam!!!
:excited:

Way To Go Sam...

to you!

Congratulations

Got to keep this thread going like we do on the ju jitsu one, i graded to 7th kyu today, i have so many different belts now even im getting confused where i am
off to bed now as we have a seminar with Iain Abernethy and Gavin mulholland tomor.
Sam

Hi Sam,
Congratulations on grading!
Enjoy the seminar - I've heard alot of buzz about it on the grapevine, let us know what it's like.

Congrats Sam...

You think you're confused....

wouldn't mind a list of styles and grades to go by somewhere so we can have a go at trying to work out what it is you're up to...

I honestly don't know how you do it...

Keep it up as long as possible...

Congrat's Sam, what about Vicki, did she go as well ??

Warren

Awesome stuff Sam...
Congratulations!

Well done, Sam!

Susan

SAM STYLES

GKR=1st kyu= train 2 times a week min


Tang soo Do and freestyle=2nd gup=2 times a week min



Ju jitsu=7th kyu and kobudo=2 times a week


Kenjutsu=7th kyu=1 times a week

Wado Ryu, one a week, been going about 3 months, being assessed for grade

Gymnasium, being taught flips, acrobatics etc= once a fortnight.

I know thats a lot lol, but we do have a plan, lol to make dad bankrupt


VICTORIA,S STYLES

all the same except she doesnt do, kenjutsu or wado

Sam

and you go to school too???


wow... and i thought i was doing a lot...

where can i get the energy of a child?

keep it up guys...

My congratulations & comiserations go to you Mr & Mrs Nigel, for all the effort and suppor you give to your two talented and dedicated children.

Warren

Hello, just to let anyone know who is interested, i have just got back from my kenjutsu lesson, where i was asked by sensei to attempt my 6th kyu grading.

6TH KYU - GREEN BELT


KATA : 1ST STANDING

2ND STANDING

4 WINDS KNEELING



IAI : 2 TO FRONT

2 TO REAR

2 TO EACH SIDE



DUELLING (*BOKKEN)
3 DEFENCES AGAINST BASIC CUTS


FIGHTING, 3X 3MIN ROUNDS WITH A RUBBER SWORD



EXERCISES : 35 PRESS UPS IN 1 MINUTE

35 SIT UPS IN 1 MINUTE

35 SQUAT THRUSTS IN A MINUTE

3 THIGH WALKS

Verbal thesis, on names of cuts history etc.

At the end i was presented with my 6TH KYU GREEN BELT

Sam

What does everyone think of having to do the exercises with a time limit?
__________________

I think it is a great idea.

I think...
I think...
I think I'll just sit over here in the corner. Don't mind the whimpering. It'll pass... Also, I still think you must be made of rubber.

Is this timing of horrid things something you do in regular classes as well? There would be advantages in pushing students to be faster, and once they get over the initial horror I guess it would be a training bonus.

Oh, and congratulations too!

Wow Sam

Congrats.... AGAIN!!!!!

It seems you are grading in something every week lately.

How do you keep up? Do you ever wear the wrong coloured belt to a class? Ive seriously lost track of which grades you have in each discipline you are studying...

Always great to hear about your progression and successes...

Just to let you all know, im not superhuman, i failed my first ever grading today. below is what i had to do.

5TH KYU-BLUE BELT


KATA : 1ST STANDING

2ND STANDING

4 WINDS KNEELING

RICE BOWL

REVERSE GRIP

4 WINDS STANDING



IAI : 4 TO FRONT

2 TO REAR

2 TO EACH SIDE



DUELLING (*BOKKEN) : 4 DEFENCES AGAINST BASIC CUTS



DISENGAGEMENTS : 1 DEFENCE AGAINST ANY GRAB



UNARMED : 1 DEFENCE AGAINST HEAD CUT



EXERCISES : 40 PRESS UPS IN 1 MINUTE

40 SIT UPS IN 1 MINUTE

50 SQUAT THRUSTS IN 1 MINUTE

5 THIGH WALKS

Questions on Ken jutsu

I Failed on not managing to do 40 situps in a minute, i was quite a bit short on 26, im annoyed cos i know i can do it, and have done before, i passed all the rest of the grading.
See im not superhuman
Sam

Sorry to hear about you not passing your grading. And on something that seems rather tivial. Unfortunately standards are set and that's what we need to achieve to pass onto the next level.

Now.... As nooms was told. Did you learn anything from that experience?

Best of luck for the next time you attempt your grading.

Oh you get so many bonus points from me anyway Sam. Those kneeling drills are a killer. I am sorry you didn't make it, but take credit for the rest of the stuff you did do well.

Can`t win them all.... 40 press-ups in a minute would be a killer after all the other stuff!

When are you allowed to retry the grading? Would you have to give it a few months first?

merry x mas everybody

I am very very very disapointed, cos i have been practising like crazy and know i can do all the exercises and have done them with quite a few to spare as dad calls it.

I dont know what went wrong

I completed everything else and passed it all, with sensei actually complimenting me on my sword work, .

The exercises are an important part of the grading though, i will get my dad to tell you why.Also the pressups and other exercises have to be done properly, otherwise they dont count, so no snake pressups that apparently most kids do.My dad says he doesnt know many kids that have the dedication to work at the exercises, he says he wouldnt when he was a kid, i think thats a compliment

I have done my situps today and managed 47 in a minute, but then i didnt have to do all the other stuff first.

Sensei said i can do the grading again as soon as i think i am ready, as i was so close.I suppose at least i didnt fail on my swordwork .

I want to do my grading again now! but im going to leave it a couple of weeks so i can do around 10 more each of the exercises than i need, im going to do them twice a day instead of once a day.Dads going to run through the whole grading with me everyday im off on hols so when it comes to the exercises i should be as tired as i was yesterday.
Sam and dad

I admire your dedication Sam. I do however wonder why they consider it appropriate to not pass a student due to something as silly as a pushup when you have proven yourself technically proficient in the more relevant elements of the teachings. Have they given you any comments about this?

Sent you an e mail Matt

Did the grading again today, and passed
Sam

Yay!! Well done!

Well done Sam!

Excellent work sam

we all knew you cold do it...

congratulations Sam.
We here are very proud of you

Thank you, all im pretty chuffed too
Sam