Contrast

I had the opportunity to participate in a Gogo Geiko (open practice) with another Dojo. There were a lot of people from various states and various dojos. Fighting people you have never met really puts a new spin on your Kendo. Brian has said many times that you learn alot about your Kendo from other people...and you learn the most from those you have never met. The more I practice Kendo the more I can see this is true.

We fight the same people over and over in the same dojo; with that we find ourselves knowing each others moves, speed and we can predict what they are going to do next. When you fight someone you have never met-- it truly is a test of your Kendo.

You both start from zero, not knowing anything about their Kendo, their speed and what they have planned. In the Godo Geiko yesterday I noticed that the school that was hosting had a bad habit, they stepped in but did not launch once they were in striking range this has left them open to a lot of attacks, if they don't strike, they have to stop their body movement. Once it stops they have lost their ability to move quickly as their center of gravity has changed.

I had the opportunity to fight 3 matches and won two of three. The third match as squeezed in before we had to leave, so it wasn't the best match I had. But my opponent surely won--two men strikes. Fun match. The practice and matches showed me that our school has a raised passion, a lot of spirit. We fight with quicker moves relying on our kamae more, keep our center and strike.

Seeing the contrast of styles, the methods and behaviors they display in their Kendo compared to our dojo, I really get a sense that I am learning higher level techniques at a much faster rate than people within the same bracket. Not to brag...but our Sensei Rocks. He has trained a two-time world champion. In moments like the Godo Geiko, I often see how fortunate I am to have such a wonderful teacher and instruction.