Bokken training

[Ryan gry]

When you train with your bokken, What do you think are the best exercises to increase your speed, strength and all round skill?

[battousai16]

simple downward cuts. i was doing those a long * time before i ever got to do anything different. do them in all sorts of stances, with proper technique. sword is one of those things that really require precision, so if you don't do it right, you'd might as well not be doing it at all.

[Ryan gry]

what sort of stances?

[battousai16]

well, there's a stance specific to sword that guards your major arteries. that and horse riding stance. and cutting while advancing. those are the biggies.

[WapCaplet]

The most common bokken drill we do is a simple over-head downward strike. We concentrate on maintaining control of the bokken and gradually increasing speed and power. As with any martial art technique, weapon or no, you need to be able to perform the action accurately before you can do it with speed and power. Speed and power don't mean much if you're not accurate.

 

Our association has a cool bokken kata that we also use. Which brings up a good point. Do other clubs/associations have weapon katas specific to your club? Is there a common bokken kata out there that most dojos use?

 

Wap

[yamesu]

Niho-giri, (4-cut kata)

 

Shiho-giri, (2-cut kata)

 

both these emphasize the presision and angle of the blade when performing Naname-giri or Shomen-Uchi, and both are fundamental in the adaption of more advanced sword katas.

 

I practice these two kata with various cuts and stepping techniques, as the same moves bore me after a while though.

you need to be able to perform the action accurately before you can do it with speed and power. Speed and power don't mean much if you're not accurate.

in my opinion, completely true especially with the Katana, an ill angled blade will bend on impact with a hard target.

 

Also, i think the basic stance used in (bokken)saburi-training is called SANKAKUDAI(sp?). But i have seen people do Kiba-dachi in their forms, ive always seen it as pointless, as fast footwork is the key for succes in dueling, (read book'o'5'rings,) and low-horse stance does not permit fast movement.

 

Osu.

[battousai16]

^true, but when you're just working your overhead strikes, it's an excuse to work your horse stance^

[aefibird]

^Sheesh, no one give my instructor ideas about doing bokken lessons with us, then!

 

He finds enough reasons to keep us all in horse riding stance for what feels like hours, without giving him any more excuses to do so...^

[Shorin Ryuu]

What styles do you all do? I just started doing Musou Shinden Ryu. Its interesting, as a lot of the dynamics seem quite different from all of my Okinawan weapons training.