Jodan at Detroit

This post is a reflection on my competition in Detroit. I had a great time and did well in the team matches with Jodan. Unfortunately I lost to Nomiyami-sensei in the individual section by a kote-suriage-men. This has been my downfall at the last couple of tournaments in my division. Either kote-nuki-men or the suriage gets me. I have determined that my kote either needs to improve or part of my seme needs to control that more. As Sugawara-sensei has told me many times, jodan is about having control. I tell students that everyone should strive to do beautiful kendo and right now I beleive that I need a great deal of work at this aspect of my jodan. The team matches were great fun and I was glad to be able to help the team to advance. The biggest thing for me was to make sure we represented Eastern kendo well, and I believe we did. The journey on the Jodan path continues and the difficulties keep arriving but the challenge and the extreme fun are there as well. See you all at practice. Cheers!