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Oikomi is a training method in order to increase your speed, balance and strength. Motodachi runs back fast so that kakarite can keep striking.

However, it is an advanced method so it is not recommended for beginners. That is because it is easy for you to lose a coordination of the whole movements especially fumikomi and strike coordination.

Some points that I want you to pay attention to when exercising this method.

Watch out. Make sure that nothing is behind motodachi so he/she does not crush into an object
Motodachi must run fast in order for his/her partner strike a lot and fast. Motodachi literally runs back. Hence, not only motodachi but also kakarite must be careful.
Kakarite must strike properly. As always said, a valid strike means you have ki-ken-tai-icchi and also strike a datotsu-bui with monouchi of shinai.

So please make sure that every single strike should be valid. If you have a long dojo such as a basketball court, you may want to give it a try.

Again, make sure that there are no obstacles behind motodachi.

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Tenouchi: Grip of an 8-dan

August 14, 2015March 14, 2011 by Hiro Imafuji

The reason why I am sharing this with you is that I believe that you care about kendo enough to subscribe to Kendo-Guide.Com Newsletter. Not a lot even do not make a bit of effort to subscribe to our Newsletter. So please

keep this between you and Kendo-Guide.Com. I think this kind of knowledge should be passed onto the next generation.

If I find something suspicious activities, this video will be removed for good. So please do not tell this URL anyone who is not a subscriber. Murayama sensei is one of my senseis. He won an 8th Dan Championship.

I distinctively remember my first jigeiko with him, when I was about 14 years old.

He was not very tall. Way shorter than I was. However, the pressure I felt from the kensaki of his shinai was unbelievable. The kensaki of his shinai looked so huge that I could not even move forwards. It looked like a huge shield.

I will talk about my memories with him more in the future, so let me tell you something about tenouchi that I did not mention in an article.

In the video, Murayama sensei is using a tenugui to show his tenouchi. When I was a kid, I learned to have tenouchi as drying a chakin, cloth used in the tea ceremony. chakin is made out of linen or cotton according to my friend who is a master of Urasenke (a school of tea ceremony). It is very soft and you do not need to squeeze it much to dry it. Grab a chakin with both hands and twist the wrists a little bit very lightly, you can dry it. That is how we should have our tenouchi.

Tenugui is soft enough to practice tenouchi so if have a tenugui, go and practice your tenouchi in your bathroom. If you do not have a tenugui, get a sock. Not the one made of 100% cotton. Well, it is ok but it is sometimes

hard to dry. Wet a sock and feel your tenouchi as Murayama sensei demonstrates in the video. I think you will notice that you do not need to squeeze hard to dry a sock. That is tenouchi. Hope this helps your kendo.

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