�@Men Kirikaeshi -using big swings-

From kamae, use a big swing to strike the men, then tai atari with the motodachi. The motodachi receives the tai atari, then backs up. The shidachi (attacker) takes one step using suriashi and strikes the opponent’s left men (shidachi’s right), then takes another step using suriashi while making a large strike to the right men (shidachi’s left). This movement is repeated forwards 4 times, backwards 5 times (in actuality, one strike is done in place, so it is more accurately: 4 strikes forward, 1 strike in place, 4 strikes backwards) for a total of 9 strikes (left men→ right men→ left→ right→ left→ right→ left→ right→ left). When the final strike is finished, one should return to the starting position. These steps are repeated once more, then a final strike to the centre of the men is done to complete the men kirikaeshi.

*It is okay to go slowly, as long as each strike is done with a big movements. By using big movements you can strengthen the shoulders and back muscles, and if you are able to strike using big movements it will become easier later on to use small movements. If movements are too small, you cannot strengthen the shoulder and back muscles, and you run the risk of developing bad habits as the left hand becomes off-centered.

When doing kirikaeshi, strikes to the left and right men should be done at the same angle. Make sure the shinai follows the same path when striking down and swinging up. By ensuring that both movements (raising and striking down) are done at the same angle, the left hand will remain centered and the right hand will control the shinai’s left-right movement.

The 3 men uchi at the beginning, middle, and end should be struck without moving the left foot. By making it a habit to strike without moving the left foot, you will become able to consistently strike from the kamae position. If, instead, it becomes a habit to move the left foot when striking, you may become unable to strike without first taking a step in, which makes it easy for the opponent to tell when you are about to strike. The left foot should feel like it is grabbing the floor, then kicking off as you hit. By doing this, you avoid moving the left foot too soon, and it becomes easier for your body to move forward. Your hands should lightly squeeze (wring) in at the moment of striking, then loosen with the strike to make a clean hit. If you do not wring your hands as you hit and you miss your target, the weight of the shinai and the force of the swing will make the shinai drop quite low. However, if you make the squeezing (wringing) motion with your hands as you strike, the shinai will stop at the men level (even if you miss the actual target), making it easier to do the next move.

During the tai atari following the men uchi, your wrists, elbows, and shoulders should be relaxed and the movement should come from the waist. By hitting from the waist, you will maintain your posture and be able to quickly move into position for the next hit.

* After receiving the sayu men (left & right men), the motodachi should move to adjust the maai (distance between attacker and motodachi) in case it is too far. By having the motodachi adjust the distance, the shidachi (attacker) can strike the next men from the position he finished his last strike, making it easier to practice the men uchi without moving the left foot. If the distance is too far, the shidachi must move in before doing his next strike, and he may develop the bad habit of striking from too far.

When doing the tai atari, the motodachi puts his right foot forward half a step in order to solidly receive the tai atari from his waist. By receiving the tai atari from the waist, it becomes easier to move to the next strike because proper posture is maintained.

�A　Do kirikaeshi -using big swings-

From kamae, use a big swing to strike the men, then tai atari with the motodachi. The motodachi receives the tai atari, then backs up. The shidachi (attacker) takes one step using suriashi and makes a big swing to strike the opponent’s left do (shidachi’s right), then takes another step using suriashi while making a large strike to the right do (shidachi’s left). This movement is repeated forwards 4 times, backwards 5 times (in actuality, one strike is done in place, so it is more accurately: 4 strikes forward, 1 strike in place, 4 strikes backwards) for a total of 9 strikes (left do→ right do→ left→ right→ left→ right→ left→ right→ left). When the final strike is finished, one should return to the starting position. These steps are repeated once more, then a final strike to the centre of the men is done to complete the do  kirikaeshi.

*As in the men kirikaeshi, it is okay to go slowly, as long as each strike is done with a big movements. When doing the do kirikaeshi, the strikes should be at an angle, as if cutting the opponents elbows. By using big movements you can strengthen the shoulders and back muscles, and if you are able to strike using big movements it will become easier later on to use small movements. If movements are too small, you cannot strengthen the shoulder and back muscles, and you run the risk of developing bad habits as the left hand becomes off-centered.

When doing kirikaeshi, strikes to both the left and right side should be done at the same angle. Make sure the shinai follows the same path when striking down and swinging up. By ensuring that both movements (raising and striking down) are done at the same angle, the left hand will remain centered and the right hand will control the shinai’s left-right movement. When doing do kirikaeshi, it is common to develop the bad habit of lowering the eyes and head while looking at the do. One must be careful to maintain proper posture and look straight ahead (not down) when doing do kirikaeshi.

* After receiving the sayu do (left & right do), the motodachi should move to adjust the maai (distance between attacker and motodachi) in case it is too far. By having the motodachi adjust the distance, the shidachi (attacker) can strike the next men from the position he finished his last strike, making it easier to practice the men uchi without moving the left foot. If the distance is too far, the shidachi must move in before doing his next strike, and he may develop the bad habit of striking from too far.

When doing the tai atari, the motodachi puts his right foot forward half a step in order to solidly receive the tai atari from his waist. By receiving the tai atari from the waist, it becomes easier to move to the next strike because proper posture is maintained.

�B Men uchi -using a big swing-

*Do not take a step in with the left foot before lunging. To avoid taking a step in with the left foot before lunging, the maai (distance between shidachi and uchidachi) may be somewhat close. By making it a habit to strike without moving the left foot (taking a step in before the hit), you will become able to consistently strike from the kamae position. For example, in ai men the person who does not take a step in with the left foot can hit faster than an opponent that does take the step, and will therefore win the point in the ai men. If moving the left foot before striking becomes a habit, you will not be able to hit without taking a step in, making it easy for the opponent to tell when you are coming in for a strike, and making you slower at hits such as ai men.

The swing should be as big as possible, being conscious of using your whole back when swinging. By using a big movement, the shoulder and back muscles are strengthened. Small hits are merely big hits made smaller, therefore if you can do a big hit, it will become easier to do a small hit later on. If you only practice small hits, the shoulder and back muscles needed to do a proper small hit will not develop enough, and ironically, you will never be able to do a small hit properly.

Your hands should lightly squeeze (wring) in at the moment of striking, then loosen with the strike to make a clean hit. If you do not wring your hands as you hit and you miss your target, the weight of the shinai and the force of the swing will make the shinai drop quite low. However, if you make the squeezing (wringing) motion with your hands as you strike, the shinai will stop at the men level (even if you miss the actual target), making it easier to do the next move.

The feeling is as though you are putting your weight on the shinai. Instead of using your strength to swing the shinai, use the weight of the shinai to swing it down. When using too much strength to swing, the wrist, elbow, and shoulder become tense, making the hit look stiff. With such a hit, the opponent merely gets hit hard, and it will not count as a point.

Because the hit looks light, you must be careful not to raise your hands too much after striking. After striking, it should feel as though the right fist, then the left fist hits the opponent’s men as you move straight forward. By doing so, you avoid raising your hands and making the hit look too light. After striking, move straight forward. If the motodachi does not move out of the way, your shinai, then your fists should hit the opponent to push him away as you move forward. If you do not move straight forward after striking, the hit itself may become invalid or may appear too light.

It is okay to go slowly, as long as each hit is precise and accurately done. No matter how many times you practice, if each strike is not done properly, you will only develop bad habits. Practice should always focus on developing proper habits.

*The motodachi should stand in kamae, then lower his shinai to the right as the shidachi comes in to strike men. Be careful not to lower the shinai (open up) too soon just to make it easier for the shidachi to strike. Although it is a practice, we should simulate a “real” (shiai) situation as much as possible. Therefore, only open up just as the shidachi is striking. After lowering the shinai to the right to open up for men, the motodachi moves back towards the right so the attacker can easily move straight forward.

The motodachi should always be conscious of how to benefit the shidachi’s hit. By thinking of how to make the practice effective for the shidachi, you will inevitably learn how to do those hits effectively yourself when it is your turn to strike. Motodachi is not a time to rest; rather it is a valuable time to think about how you will strike as you receive the opponent’s.

�C　Debana men uchi -using a big swing-

*From issoku-itto maai (a little further than the maai for men uchi. The tips of the opponents’ shinai should cross), the motodachi takes one step forward opening up by dropping his shinai slightly to the right. The shidachi then strikes a big men uchi. This exercise focuses on striking from kamae position as the opponent tries to strike, and is a more realistic than the previous men uchi practice. The point is not to strike after the opponent has completed his move forward, for if he were actually going for the point, you would have been hit first. Rather, the feeling is to complete your hit as the opponent begins to move.

As in men uchi described above, you should never step in with the left foot before lunging, use big movements, and go straight forward after the strike. If you take a step with the left foot before lunging, your strike will be late and it will be difficult to strike when your opponent is advancing. Because using a big swing takes more time than a small movement, it is difficult to strike the advancing opponent with a big swing. Therefore, it becomes harder to strike without being conscious of lunging without moving the left foot. That is why this becomes good practice for striking without stepping in with the left foot. In this exercise, your fumikomi (lunge forward) does not need to be as big because the motodachi is stepping forward as well.

As in men uchi, after striking you should move straight forward, as if your right, then left fist hit the opponent’s men. Although this is a more realistic exercise, it is still important to make each hit precise and accurate.

*The motodachi watches to see that the attacker is ready, then steps straight forward one step, lowering his shinai to the right to open for the hit. After receiving the hit, back up towards the right, allowing the attacker to move straight forward. From time to time, change the timing of when you step forward to make sure the shidachi is always ready to strike.

�D　Debana men uchi -using a small swing-

Similar to when using a big swing, start in the issoku-itto maai (the tips of the opponents’ shinai should cross). The motodachi takes one step forward, dropping his shinai to the right to open up. The uchidachi strikes men with as small a movement as possible. This exercise focuses on striking a small, fast men from kamae as the opponent tries to make a move, and is a very realistic scenario to practice. From kamae, you must practice striking men before the opponent can complete his move. Be careful not to make the kensen (tip of your shinai) too high because you are trying to hit quickly. Because the motodachi is taking a half step forward, your fumikomi (lunge forward) should also be small and quick.

When striking, never step in with the left foot before lunging, make your movement as small as possible, and go straight forward after you strike. If you take a step with the left foot before lunging, your strike will be late and it will be difficult to strike when your opponent is advancing. In reality, there are small foot movements before going into the uchima, but after getting into uchima, if you move your left foot (take a step in) between deciding to go for the strike and actually lunging forward, your strike will be late.

Debana men using small movement focuses on striking the men as the opponent advances, and is a practical exercise. Be careful not to make the swing too big, and to be precise in the strike. Pretend it is a shiai and go for the point when making the hit.

It should feel as though from kamae, you thrust straight into the opponent’s middle (as if lightly pushing the opponent’s shinai down from above), and at the last minute, use your wrists to strike the men. In other words, it is important to not raise your hands for as long as possible. This is because in a real situation, the opponent may go for a dekote as you attempt to strike men. If you raise your hands while still at a far distance, the opponent will see an opening and easily hit your kote (or in some cases, your do). To avoid this, do not raise your hands until the very last minute and make the striking movement as small as possible.

�EKote men uchi using a big swing

*Just as in men uchi, make sure you do not take a step in with the left foot before striking kote.  To avoid taking the extra step, you may start by practicing from a relatively close maai. Use big swings for both kote and men. After hitting the kote, bring the left foot forward, then from that stance (without taking another step), hit a big men.

There are 2 ways of doing kote men: (1) to go by the motodachi’s left side and turn to the right, (2) to go by the motodachi’s right side and turn to the left. When doing the former (going by motodachi’s left), it is easy to develop the bad habit of going diagonally to the left, so here we will practice the latter (going by motodachi’s right).

*For method (2), the motodachi starts in kamae position, moves his shinai to the left to open for kote, then takes one step straight back, holding his shinai in ‘right gedan’ position to receive the men. After the hit, motodachi moves back towards the right to allow shidachi to go straight through. Small kote men is simply the two steps of the big kote men done with small movements.

�F Kote do uchi -using big swings-

*As in men uchi, when hitting kote, DO NOT take a step in with the left foot before striking. To avoid taking the extra step, you may start by practicing from a relatively close maai. Use big swings for both kote and do. After hitting the kote, bring the left foot forward, then from that stance (without taking another step), hit a big do. For do, slide the left hand close to the right hand as you strike. By doing so, it becomes easier to pass through the opponent’s right side. When doing do uchi, do not hit sideways, but from a 45 degree angle, being conscious to push forward from you waist to move forward slightly to the right. Because do uchi is a diagonal movement, it is easy to make the mistake of hitting kote from an angle as well, but we must be careful to hit kote straight. After striking do, slightly loosen your grip (let the power go), and move forwards as if pushing from the waist. The moment that you strike do, your face may not be facing the opponent’s, but be sure that you can see the do as you hit it. If you are striking without seeing the do, you will have less of a chance of hitting accurately.

* To allow the opponent to strike kote, the motodachi opens up by moving his shinai to the left. After the strike, the motodachi then moves back one step, raising his shinai up to jodan to receive the strike to do. In principle, the opponent should go by on the motodachi’s left so motodachi should not have to move away. However, if the attacker hits straight, motodachi may move slightly to the right to allow the opponent to go by.

�GUchi of your choice

*Rather than simply the basic strikes, you may choose to practice hiki waza or get the opponent to come hit men or kote as you do a counterattack. Even as you practice the same strike, by being conscious of the maai, timing, and the muscles you are using, you can gradually figure out the best position for you to strike.

�H　※

�IJigeiko

�H　※　Advanced Version

(１)　Ai men

*From the issoku-itto kamae, look for an opportunity and hit a big men to each other. When doing so, both opponents try to get the point by starting in kamae, not taking a step in with the left foot, and striking a big, straight men as if breaking through the opponent’s center. Because both are hitting straight men, after striking the opponents will hit each other straight on, and stop as tsuba and tsuba come in contact. If one opponent tries to go through to the side, the other should push him out of the way and go straight through.

This exercise focuses on ‘breaking’ the opponent’s centeredness and gaining the center; that is, it practices swinging your shinai as big and as fast as possible. If the path that your shinai is swung up and down is not straight, there is no way you will be able to win against the opponent that is hitting straight. If you do not move straight forward, you will be pushed aside by the opponent who is coming straight. Therefore, you must remember to advance straight forward, moving from the waist. Taking a step in with the left foot from kamae position will make your hit always be late, so you must be careful not to take that extra step.

(２)　Men ni taisuru debana waza (Debana waza when opponent comes to hit men)

*From the issoku-itto distance, hit debana men, debana kote, or nuki do as the opponent comes to hit men. This waza targets the opponent’s debana (hitting as he comes for a strike). The feeling is not to wait until the opponent comes for a strike, but to put pressure on him until he feels he must move, and to target that moment. Do not hit when he has come forward, but rather, strike as he is trying to come forward. As in basic practice, when doing debana men and debana kote, make sure you do not take a step in with the left foot.

*The motodachi should hit men uchi with as small a movement as possible, as if going for the point. Be careful not to take a step in with the left foot when hitting.

(３)　Men ni taisuru oji waza (Oji waza when opponent comes to hit men)

*From the issoku-itto distance, as the opponent comes to hit men, go for a counter attack: from omote (from the left side of your shinai): suriage men, harai men, kaeshi kote or from ura (from the right side of your shinai): suriage kote, harai kote, men kaeshi do. No matter which waza you do, try to receive the opponent’s shinai from as far a distance as possible. Do not wait for the opponent to strike, rather, like in debana waza, put pressure on the opponent until he feels he must move, and counterattack when he does so. If you wait for the opponent to move, your move will be after the opponent has already moved in close, and you may not be able to do a counterattack. Therefore, you must always think in the offensive. Depending on the waza the distance between you and the opponent may become too close, so it may be necessary to hit as you move backwards. In either case, the opponent is coming forward, so you will not need to move your body forward very much.

*The motodachi should hit men with as small a movement as possible, as if going for the point. Be careful not to take a step in with the left foot when hitting.

(４)　Kote ni taisuru oji waza (Oji waza when opponent comes to hit kote)

*From a distance slightly closer than issoku-itto, as the opponent comes to hit kote, you can strike kote nuki men, kote uchi otoshi men, omote suriage men (from the left side of your shinai), ura suriage men (from the right side of your shinai), receive kote from omote then strike kaeshi kote, suriage kote from ura. Depending on the waza the distance between you and the opponent may become too close, so it may be necessary to hit as you move backwards. For kote uchi otoshi men, you must strike kote at the same time as the opponent, then hit men. In any case, you must think about the distance between you and the opponent as you do your waza.

*The motodachi should do kote uchi as small as possible, as if going for the point. Even in a match, it is not likely that one would hit kote from a very far distance, so in this exercise, motodachi should hit kote from a distance slightly closer than issoku-itto. Be careful not to take a step in with the left foot when hitting.