Two Roles in One: The Chopstick Method

One of the things I aim for, both in Nippon Kendo Kata and in shinai kendo, is “to feel the opponent.”

The person standing in front of me is not me, and yet I aim to reach a state where it feels as if I’ve entered into the opponent’s body. Of course, this is not easy at all.

Especially in shinai kendo, where movements often become intense, it feels like the world of “Mission Impossible”.

But with Kendo Kata:

🌸 The sequence is already determined (I know what will happen next)

🌸 My role is fixed

🌸 The movements are large and generally slower than “shinai kendo”

Because kata is scripted, I feel that if I approach practice thoughtfully, it’s possible to practice in a way that helps me “feel the opponent.”

I think I may have written this in a previous blog, but I still feel that Kendo Kata holds a position similar to fundamental practice in shinai kendo. I can’t remember which post I mentioned it in, though… hehe.

If I can’t practice while feeling the opponent in kata, then doing so in shinai kendo would probably be impossible…

By practicing kata while sensing what is happening between myself and my partner—the relationship that unfolds between us—maybe, little by little, I’ll begin to feel something.

Thinking that, I found myself staring intently at the wooden chopsticks I was holding.

It might sound ironic coming from someone as self-centered as me… but whether in shinai kendo or kata, I don’t think I can win a match or perform correct kendo kata if I only follow my own desires.

I feel that I need to become able to sense what is happening between myself and my opponent. And while thinking about how to train for that, I suddenly remembered a practice method my Sensei recommended when I first started learning kata.

That method is—drumroll—the “Chopstick Method”!

It’s a way of practicing Kendo Kata alone by taking on two roles using chopsticks.

In other words, I hold one chopstick in each hand and assign them as Uchidachi and Shidachi.

From there, I perform the kata as both roles by myself.

By the way, I go one step further and add a third role—the live commentator—making it a one-person, three-role performance.

Something like this…

🌸Live Commentator🌸

“Here we go—Uchidachi is fully fired up, and Shidachi is raising their spirit to match!”

“They close in with three steps together—tension skyrockets to its peak!”

“Ohhh! At this moment, Uchidachi unleashes a men strike with tremendous spirit, as if to cut through Shidachi, hilt and all!”

Well… if I do this alone in a ramen shop, I might get kicked out…

But the point is, instead of practicing only the movements of Uchidachi or Shidachi depending on my role, I try to understand the logic of the fight—“because Uchidachi does this, Shidachi responds like that”—and see things from both perspectives simultaneously.

I can’t say for certain that this is the ultimate practice method for achieving my goal of “feeling the opponent,” but for now, I want to use this approach to deepen my understanding of kata by imagining what both Uchidachi and Shidachi are feeling in the same moment.

Wow… it’s actually quite difficult when I try it, but I’ve also made new discoveries I hadn’t noticed before.

For example, beyond simply understanding the theory behind how to fight, I am playing two roles at the same time, and on top of that, I can observe it objectively from the outside.

It made me think things like,

“Ah, this is the timing where the shidachi is responding to the uchidachi,” and

“I see—if I don’t move at this kind of angle here, the maai starts to fall apart.”

So, not just the logic of the fight, but I felt like my understanding of the relationship between Uchidachi and Shidachi deepened in ways I had never really thought about before.

And surprisingly, it feels like a good brain exercise too—almost like I’m doing some training for preventing cognitive decline rather than just practicing kendo…

Well, it doesn’t have to be chopsticks—I suppose I could use things like Pocky or Jagarico—but if it’s snacks, I’d probably just eat them and never get to practice.

So something inedible might be better. And if I have nothing at all, I can even use my index fingers.

Anyway, someday, I hope to naturally feel as if I’ve entered into my opponent’s body without even thinking.

Using chopsticks, doing mitori keiko, even watching cats carefully (?), I’ll keep working toward that distant goal—even if it’s just one millimeter at a time.

And with that, I’ll be off to practice again tomorrow♪