2024.1　KENDOJIDAI Translation: Pepijn Boomgaard The father of modern Kendo, Takano Sasaburo, said that “as long as you do Suburi and running, your Kendo won’t deteriorate.” Suburi is a way of training by yourself. We will introduce the Suburi of a first-class Kendoka. Kurita Waichiro (Hanshi 8th Dan) Suburi is an indispensable training method for acquiring kendo techniques. In the “Kendo Teaching Guidelines” (published by the All Japanese Kendo Federation), the purpose of Suburi is stated to be “to learn Shinai control and correct Hasuji, to learn the Tenouchi necessary for striking, and to learn the basics of striking using Ashisabaki.”   During my time at the Metropolitan Police Kendo Tokuren, we did about 1000 Suburi during the winter. We would do 200 or 100 of several different types, such as Shomen, forward and backward Men, Sayu Men, and so on. During Suburi, it is important that all the strikes from start to finish meet the criteria for a valid strike. This is not an easy task, but something you constantly pay attention to. As Suburi is a repetition of simple movements done by one’s self, it is easy to be lenient on yourself. If you do it in a group, you … Continue reading The Suburi of a First-class Kenshi