by Chidokan » 11 Nov 2012 00:50
Although I no longer do kendo due to a bike crash, I still continue the iaido and partner work involved in it. Over the years though I have been lucky enough to fence against several 8 dan kendoka, and my iaido sensei was an 8 dan hanshi for longer than I had been alive when I first met him.
A couple of interesting points in regard to sparring... the old guys have done it so long they have seen it all, and see it coming a mile away.. The ones you hit LET you hit them to encourage you when you do something right. It was one of the most frustrating matches I ever had, when after 12 years of hard kendo training this tiny old guy took me apart, telling me which cut he was doing next before he did it. I have been taught as an instructor to fence one level above my opponent, so that they always felt they had a chance of hitting me, and to encourage a good strike and not foul it up 'just because I can'.
For the partner work in my iai ryu, there is a similar approach of teaching encouragement as a mentor, so the technique is harmonious not 'crash and bash'. Note this work should not really be started until 5 dan(ten years or so) as a high level of control, understanding of distance, and ability to watch your partner is required.
As a further observation, it was pointed out to me that after 5 dan you just tweak techniques, rather than make major leaps in technical skill, so the emphasis then drifts more to the other aspects of spirit and etiquette, which should be in equal proportion. Long term we aim to have the technical side done as a natural/instinctive reaction to what is in the mind, however note this would be technically perfect with no errors... with the ultimate goal of being a person no one would wish to attack, and if they did they could not win. There is more to JSA than just the technical side, and I have always been encouraged to read, watch and do as much as I can in order to advance the three aspects above.