Five Things to Take the Initiative in the Game

 

Every Kendo match proceeds one on one.

The probability of winning goes up considerably if you hold the initiative mentally in a match because the winner is decided in a short time without a break or such. 

Then, you need to train your mentality strongly and respond, just like the tree is rooting  

It’s very difficult for people to recover once they are shaken. Especially in the case of Kendo, the coach or colleagues can’t give you advice next to you.

It seems strict, but you have to fight on your own until the end once the match starts.

Therefore, you need to have a strong mentality that doesn’t shake because of the tension or the opponent’s provocation.

There are many methods in getting the mentality that doesn’t shake, but it’s important to “familiarize yourself to the place” first of all.

Let’s participate zealously in a practice match or such and encounter many nervous situations and get the mentality of overcoming those situations.

 

 

A lethal move doesn’t mean it’s a skill that you can definitely win if you just swing.

It refers to a skill that you can easily do through your physique, foot movements, and habit by repeatedly training every day.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s the face, torso, wrist, and foot movements. If you have a skill that you feel confident in, you won’t be shaken in any case.

You can reduce cases where you wander or get scared in the middle of the game if you don’t get shaken.

There is a Kendo maxim called ‘Eyes first, feet second, mentality third and strength fourth.’

It lists the necessary elements required for Kendo in the order of importance, and the mentality third means boldness and bravery. 

It means you can’t win if you lose against the opponent in mind.

 

 

We will introduce a strategy to surprise the opponent next.

You need to be cautious that the method introduced here works the best when you get to know it for the first time.

It will be less effective as people will know if you repeat it a few times, so only use it at the right timing.

Hitting the head quickly as soon as the start signal goes off.

People wait for the start signal while sitting down in the Kendo match.

And it’s normal for people to stand up as soon as the start signal goes off and search for the opponent’s weakness while crossing shinais and thinking what would be a nice way to attack.   

It’s not unusual to have players who are slow when they stand up from the sitting down position because most Kendo players think like that. 

So, you stand up quickly and hit the opponent in the head as soon as they stand up when you meet such a player.

Basically, after the match's start signal goes off and the opponent stands up, scoring becomes valid.

It is a big success if you hit the head, but it’s still valid that you had made a surprise attack even if you fail. 

The opponent would feel confused as they had been hit without being ready.

It could be called a strategy to get the upper hand of the match. But it’s a foul to hit the head while the opponent is standing up, so you must hit the head after the opponent has stood up.

Surprise the opponent of what they are anticipating.

For example, when you are playing against a tall player, you would think this player would run from a distance and hit your head. On the other hand, when you are playing against a small player, you would think this player would strike the wrist by digging into you.  

But every player will surprise if you target such thoughts. People anticipate how you are going to move by looking at your physique and behavior like this.

 

Therefore, it’s very effective to target those thoughts.

There might be people who think they are not that peculiar among them. 

However, there are methods to surprise the opponent if you are that kind of person.

For example, if you use the strategy mentioned above where you attack quickly as soon as the start signal goes off, the opponent would think you are a fast player.

If you act relaxedly against their anticipation at this time, the opponent will panic as their anticipation was wrong and easily show their weaknesses. 

Aside from the strategies mentioned above, there are many methods to surprise the opponent, including concentrating on the torso and hitting the head, etc.  

However, at the same time, it is highly probable that the opponent is also planning a strategy to surprise you. 

Be careful and approach flexibly without thinking of the stereotype that the opponent would do such a thing as they are big or small.

Behave boldly.

Suppose your capacity is similar to the opponent when the surprise attack's effectiveness weakens as the match gets to the middle of the game. In that case, it gets to a situation where each player can’t do the finishing blow.  

If you act decisively at this time, you can get the upper hand in the match.

Decisive actions are skills that you usually don’t see in the competition, such as hitting the torso while turning or hitting the head while escaping, hitting the neck while holding the shinai with both hands, etc.

It might not be counted towards your point, but you make the opponent realize that they had been hit so that you can get the upper hand mentally. 

 

 

It’s very rare to have a match that goes as you had thought. If you feel anxious or nervous at this time, you will lose your cool to judge and be in a worse crisis. 

On the other hand, if you become careless by conceiting when you were in a favorable position, the opponent can get you because your weaknesses show. 

If you maintain your composure without shaking in any situation, you can awaken your potentials in the game.

 

You can also maintain the upper hand by having a calm attitude that doesn’t shake at any time because it can pressure the opponent.

 

Sun Tzu said, ‘It’s not dangerous to fight even if you fight one hundred times when you know yourself and him.’

It means you will not lose even if you fight one hundred times when you know about the enemy.

This phrase applies to Kendo as well. Knowing or not knowing what skills your opponent is good at and not good at, on the other hand, can make you feel different when you have a match.

Also, if you know what you are good at and not good at, you can be cautious when you are practicing ordinarily.

Ask your friend who is practicing together with you or your coach as it is difficult to see yourself objectively.

It’s helpful when you reflect later if you write it somewhere at this time, even if it’s a scratch paper. 

Kendo is a martial art of winning the opponent by training your mind yourself. 

 

 

・Get a mentality that can overcome nervousness by experiencing lots of games.

・Get your own skill (specialty) that you can say ’I have this one.’ 

・Make your opponent panic by utilizing the sudden attack which surprises them. 

・Keep in mind to calm by controlling the emotion, so you don’t feel anxious or conceit. 

・Ask your friend or teacher to find out what you are good at or bad at.

 

It’s very important to have the upper hand mentally against the opponent as you have to fight alone until the end once the match starts.

 

The probability of winning the match will improve a lot if you apply the special skill and strategies that have been introduced here to your regular training.