My Kendo Routine

Hi there people! How have you been? Good, I hope :)

Today, I decided to tell you a little about the kendo exercises I usually practice at home. I know we can’t “do kendo” at home, but we can, and we should, try to improve our techniques by training them repeatedly. Besides, my husband also practices kendo and, sometimes, we do, the ... jigeiko thing ;) Oh well, but, let’s get to the point. Below, you can have a resume of the exercises I practice more frequently at home. Enjoy!

Ashi-sabaki

Yes, I do this at home, especially now that it is too hot. My floor is very fresh and I like to walk barefoot along the corridor. At the same time, I try to do all the kendo footwork I already know. Believe me, it’s never too much. I feel that this kind of exercise increases leg strength and, because of that, all movements become gradually more light and flexible. This exercise is not scheduled. I do it many times when I have to walk in the corridor.

Suburi

My shinai is always ready in the corner of the room and I grab it to do suburi many times. I prefer to do suburi at a moderate speed because, this way, I can improve my precision and learn the movement mechanics properly. Thus, I use to do 80 suburi at a lower speed and, then, increase the speed till I complete 150. Once a day, I do 200 katate suburi alternating between left and right hands.

The basic techniques: Men - Kote - Do

When my husband practices at home with me, we do Men, Kote and Do exercises - These are done slowly and focused on the correct technique. We do it for about 30 minutes.

Kirikaeshi

Image from: http://kendoinfo.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/winning-the-world-kendo-championships-with-kirikaeshi/

We also practice kirikaeshi and kirikaeshi-do about 50 times. I particularly like  this exercise and it really helps me improve my, coordination, precision distance, and breath control. I believe it’s a very good exercise involving the basics of kendo technique.

Kata

Kendo Kata: Ropponme

Even when my husband doesn’t practice with me, I do kata exercises. I have to admit: at the beginning, I didn't like kata. But now, I love them! I do kata every week, more than once. Kata are a good way of understanding more profoundly the art of kendo and they certainly help me to relax. My favourit kata are the sanbonme and nanahonme. 

And that’s all! I don’t have the time to do more, but is better than nothing, right?

What’s your kendo practice routine?

* Images taken from the internet.