[flnastyax]

Try looking from the bottom of the first page of this thread:
http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/sho...0&page=1&pp=15
I don't know how useful it will be at your stage, but there's a reasonable amount of info in there. I've prepared some more stuff, but I don't think I'll do anything with it until I get proper permission from the copyright holders.

[w4HPpbSW]

The feeling of doing a tenouchi is similar to squeezing the water out of a wet towel (holding the towel like a shinai).

The hand grips should be relatively relax at most of the time (except for tenouchi when executing cuts), and remember to maintain the 2 Vs of the hands in a straight line.

When swinging the shinai up, use your left hand to push it up (don't pull the shinai up with you right hand).

When swinging the shinai down, twist the hands inward to stop the shinai on the target (tenouchi).

[Stoniaanapy]

Gibbo said Actually, when Chiba sensei was in the UK 2 months ago, he said very specifically that tenouchi is not about twisting in to each cut with your wrists, that this was only for young kids. He said that tenouchi means inside of your hand (which it does!) so you should use the inside of your hands and felxible wrists to achieve a snap with each cut. This sounds VERY interesting, specially since I was told by a hachi dan about the twisting of wrists...gotta suppose we were like young kids for him kendo-wise
Unfortunately, I don´t quite understand it...how do you exactly use "the inside" of your hands to make the cut?

[broksaksaak]

yes it will, with a oval grip ... plus you will never go back to round handle shinais..

Yeah, until your oval splinters during keiko and you grab your backup--the trusty old round shinai you haven't used in weeks. I blistered my hand nicely after the change back, as it doesn't let you grip it the same.

[Les Allen]

Should I let my left hand loose a little bit when I swing upward so I can twist?

This is a common misconception. Your hands don't actually move on the tsuka. They should maintain their same position. Tenouchi involves rolling the wrists inward a little and at the same time rolling the elbows up. This tightens the grip on the shinai, it should not rotate the grip.

As others have described, when you're looking down at your grip, draw an imaginary line continuing the tsuru (the string) down the tsuka. It should bisect the Vs formed by your thumb and forefinger on both hands. Another way to think about it is that your palms exactly face each other. Another way to think about it is that your wrists are almost on top. Another way to think about it is that it's like a fairly "closed" grip in golf. Another way to think about it is that it's much like a proper tennis racquet grip.

This stuff is best demonstrated first hand. Get your sensei to show you again. Instructors are used to having to repeat this stuff. Gets taught at nearly every seminar I've attended. Grip is fundamental, if it's wrong everything else will be wrong.

[Qauunet]

Hi guys,

After 3 months, my basics got weird for some reasons and I can't seem to get my Tenouchi right. My wrist ended up facing outward which I got yelled by sensei all the time, so I twist it inward a bit but it's so akward. Can someone describes the correct way? Should I let my left hand loose a little bit when I swing upward so I can twist? I don't know where I should post this, so I hope this'll do.

Thanks in advance

[Usogwdkb]

Hi guys,

After 3 months, my basics got weird for some reasons and I can't seem to get my Tenouchi right. My wrist ended up facing outward which I got yelled by sensei all the time, so I twist it inward a bit but it's so akward. Can someone describes the correct way? Should I let my left hand loose a little bit when I swing upward so I can twist? I don't know where I should post this, so I hope this'll do.

Thanks in advance

Hello Mugu,
I guess that you're in that stage where you're struggling with just the outward appearance of your Kendo. Nothing wrong with that we all had to go through this phase. If you grab hold of your shinai without kote and look at your hands then you should see two "V's" formed by your thumb and index finger. You should apply pressure with the last three fingers while holding the shinai. Not with your index finger. If you have your shinai like that you can use the movement of your wrist to make the "snap" when you hit. This is proper tenouchi. Idealy you should have a firm grip with your left hand and rather loose with your right hand. You only squeeze your right hand at the moment of impact. By the way if you slice/cut vegetables or something in the kitchen with a knife then you can see that you use the same grip on the knife. If you hold your knife with the wrist turned outwards you can't properly slice. The same applies for the cut in Kendo.
Say hello to Kaoru, haven't heard from her for a while.
"What's up in Kalamazoo Doc?"

[sbrthrds]

This stuff is best demonstrated first hand. Get your sensei to show you again. Instructors are used to having to repeat this stuff. Gets taught at nearly every seminar I've attended. Grip is fundamental, if it's wrong everything else will be wrong.

Heh..I show it at least once a week

Jakob

[BopeDolaNeone]

Hi guys,

After 3 months, my basics got weird for some reasons and I can't seem to get my Tenouchi right. My wrist ended up facing outward which I got yelled by sensei all the time, so I twist it inward a bit but it's so akward. Can someone describes the correct way? Should I let my left hand loose a little bit when I swing upward so I can twist? I don't know where I should post this, so I hope this'll do.

Thanks in advance

Your body may be trying to compensate to relieve your wrists from the pain of holding this shinai in a non-ergonomic way.

[7UENf0w7]

Yeah, until your oval splinters during keiko and you grab your backup--the trusty old round shinai you haven't used in weeks. I blistered my hand nicely after the change back, as it doesn't let you grip it the same.

Yep ... been there and then when you switch back...MMMMM .. sooo comfy.. so much better to use.

[Opinion_counts]

After being two years in bogu, I started to think about tenouchi again. Since I forgot completely about it, then one day, a sempai got me think about it again. I realized that the way my hands inside the kote is not right. Now I am trying to hold it the right way again with kote. Frankly, it is difficult.

[CitsMoise17]

Thank you for everyone's input, thanks to Shinkenshi, he inivted me to practice at his club. John Sempai went through the basics again it seemed to help a lot. I guess my problem is I forgot the basics, more kihon practices for me, hehe thanks again! I really appreciated it

[jerzeygymwolf]

Hi Mugu-san,

I had this point where my sensei yelled at me about my shinai not being a baseballbat because of the way I was holding it and how I was swinging it but luckily that's all in the past.

If I understood Odinot sensei right the last time he went over this he was telling us you should only hold your shinai with your pink and ring finger and have the other fingers wrapped around the tsuka till tenouchi when you would slightly move more pressure unward locking your shinai from moving further.
He also mentioned you could check if your tenouchi was correct because the seam on your tsukigawa would remain straight when you would have correct tenouchi.

There are oval handle shinai too which are called koban.

Commander has one I understood she's really happy about it

[Txaizdxx]

try using a oval grip shinai, this way your hands should stay in proper kamae, it would feel weird if you hold any other way ..

my $0.01

Will a bokken or suburito help?

[sestomosi]

Hi guys,

After 3 months, my basics got weird for some reasons and I can't seem to get my Tenouchi right. My wrist ended up facing outward which I got yelled by sensei all the time, so I twist it inward a bit but it's so akward. Can someone describes the correct way? Should I let my left hand loose a little bit when I swing upward so I can twist? I don't know where I should post this, so I hope this'll do.

Thanks in advance

try using a oval grip shinai, this way your hands should stay in proper kamae, it would feel weird if you hold any other way ..

my $0.01

[Dildos]

Will a bokken or suburito help?

yes it will, with a oval grip , you dont have to worry about wringing water, just squeeze with last 3 fingers of each hand, your grip will never change, plus you will never go back to round handle shinais..

[Fainnamoony]

Thanks for all the great inputs guys, I really appreciated it. The problem I kind of still have is when I twist it a little in the end, it stops but it bounces a bit, I don't know if I hold it too hard at the moment I cut or what. It just didn't stop right.

It's kind of weird all of a sudden my Tenouchi got out of shape coz I didn't get yell before or maybe sensei didn't see my bad habits to correct me in the beginning. Thanks again guys.

Say hello to Kaoru, haven't heard from her for a while.

I'll say hi for you Kaoru's computer is still down, I talked to her last night and she's starting up a study group. I think she should be back in a week or so.

[Gypejeva]

The feeling of doing a tenouchi is similar to squeezing the water out of a wet towel (holding the towel like a shinai).

The hand grips should be relatively relax at most of the time (except for tenouchi when executing cuts), and remember to maintain the 2 Vs of the hands in a straight line.

When swinging the shinai up, use your left hand to push it up (don't pull the shinai up with you right hand).

When swinging the shinai down, twist the hands inward to stop the shinai on the target (tenouchi).

Actually, when Chiba sensei was in the UK 2 months ago, he said very specifically that tenouchi is not about twisting in to each cut with your wrists, that this was only for young kids. He said that tenouchi means inside of your hand (which it does!) so you should use the inside of your hands and felxible wrists to achieve a snap with each cut.

Mugu, for me personally (flame time I'm sure...) when I hit and feel like it was a good hit then the shinai does bounce up as a result of the snap. If I hit someone and leave the shinai on their head or hand without any bounce or nspa, then this is usually greeted with a grimace of pain from my partner.

For what its worth.

Gibbo