2019 Volume 51 Issue 3 Pages 161-171
The purpose of this study was to examine whether male kendo players have an efficient shinai operation when striking kote-suriage-men, like with a center-men strike, and whether female kendo players have a shinai operation the same as male kendo players.
The subjects of this study were 44 university kendo players (22 male, 22 female), who have more than 10 years’ experience in kendo and have attained the grade of 3-dan or above. Subjects in each gender were classified into two groups (regular and non-regular groups) according to their experience in a team competition. All striking movements were recorded with a digital video camera. The following 10 items were analyzed; 2 items related to the shinai; 4 items for the greatest oshidashi movement (the maximum distance the subject’s left fist is pushed in the direction of the motodachi when raising the shinai); 2 items for the greatest furiage movement (the minimum speed of the shinai tip when raising the shinai); 2 items for the moment of the strike (when the subject hits the motodachi’s men).
The results of this study reveal that, when the values between males and females and between groups are compared and the relationship between the outcomes are examined, there are differences in striking methods between males and females when the physical characteristics of each are taken into consideration. In males, it is suggested that they strike by utilizing 2 types of lever together: pushing out with the left fist (type 1 lever) and using the shoulders as a fulcrum when raising the shinai (type 3 lever), which gives them great power when striking. The results suggest that this is a specific characteristic of the regular group. On the other hand, the results suggest that although females push their left fist when swinging up the shinai in a manner similar to males, they pull their right fist at the same time, but when cutting down they pull their left fist (type 1 lever) to give them great power when striking. In contrast to the males, these characteristics are not connected between groups.
