 The movement of the shinai
The footwork in kendo must be mastered simultaneously with the arm·movements.
They should be one action.
The first movement is a sliding motion forward with the right foot, which must be kept
along the same plane as the floor. At the same time, the arms are extended and the
shinai begins its movement up over the head.
Once the end of the swing, the shinai falls behind the body with arms bent. This
movement has a shoulder relaxing factor and it is an excellent exercise -for
conditioning the back and shoulder muscles. As the arm movement is made, the
right foot has been extended. The left foot is propelling the body forward, and it
remains slightly to the rear, with the heel raised about two inches.
The forward movement is a reversal of this sequence, with the arms coming from the
raised, locked position and brining the shinai downward with a cutting movement as
the left leg moves forward into place when the shinai reaches it's lowest point. The
body is still held straight, with the head back and the chin tucked in. It is important
to remember not to tighten the shoulders in this exercise. The arms must be relaxed.
Suburi is a good exercise for making the movement of the shinai coincide with that of
the body. It is useful also as a preparatory and supplementary exercise.
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