Timing and breathing – a short postscript

Over the past couple of months at training I have noticed that there is a kiai during suburi that runs a number of the counts into one phrase. What I mean by that, whoever it happens to be (and I think I have worked out who but I am not sure) phrases his counts according to his breathing. Rather than breathing in and out on each stroke of the suburi, the kendoka concerned groups the strikes and exhales during the course of the grouping.

Whether or not this was a deliberate action, I could not tell you but it made sense to me so I decided to try this and found that I had more to give by the end of the suburi set because I did not have a build up of carbon dioxide in my lungs. “Phrasing” the strikes, as a musician makes phrases out of sets of bars, seems to be a good way forward. I only mention it as timing and breathing is something so very important in kendo.

~ by timothyscott on 2 February, 2009.