Matches with partners are of great significance for two reasons: they give opportunities to try out and master techniques that are part of daily practice, and they allow you to test your skill and strength in friendly competition with another person.
Of course many things help you to put your technicals skills to best use, but perhaps psychological factors are amongst the most important.
Metsuke (fixing the gaze): Kumdo theory establishes the following priority of importance for physical and mental aspects of technical skills: icchi-gan (first-eyes), ni-soku (second-feet), san-tan (thrid-courage), shi-riki (fourth-strength).
As can be seen by the order, the eyes -hence the direction of the gaze, or metsuke -receive primary emphasis. The terms direction of the gaze includes two major parts: fixing the gaze and moving your eyes.
Maai (interval): In kendo maai means the distance between your body and the opponent, but it is not merely a matter of space since it includes the time element that arises as a result of the relation between your two bodies. The basic interval is called Issoku-itto-no-maai.
This basic maai allows you to strike the opponent by taking one step forward and to evade his attacks by taking one step back.
In addition there are toi-maai where you and the opponent are farther from each other than in issoku-itto-no-maai (this is a position of relative safety) and Chikai-maai where you and the opponent are closer than in issoku-itto-no-maai. In this maai it is impossible for you to trust or strike correctly unless he moves back.
Strikes and Cuts: Successful kendo strikes and thrusts must be a combination of the operation of the mind, the sword, and the body. None of these three operating without the assistance of the other two will result in good strikes. The kendoka who can achieve unity of mind, sword, and body in even brief techniques is an advanced kumdo expert.
The ability to do this is the ideal toward which all kendoka must strive. The goal of repeated practice and training sessions is not to make points and win matches, but to develop perfect strikes and thrusts by cultivating the ability to coordinate these three elements completely.
Zanshin: In kendo the word zanshin (or remainder) is used to mean two things. First, it indicates the determination to continue fighting without letup and without carelessness. Kendoka demonstrates this willpower to his opponents upon completing a thrust or strike. Second, it means bringing one's own thrust or strike to a definite conclusion. Obviously the concept of zanshin has great significance in kumdo education. Kumdo teaching insists that in all cases one must concentrate on one's attention.
Futhermore, kumdo helps manifest the immense capabilities of the human being in insisting that the individual always be confidant of his actions and know when to bring them to a conclusive peak. As the term zanshin indicates, the key to concentration and confidence in kumdo is preventing your spirit from dissipating and retaining it under your control. The way you do this is important.
Too much consciousness about zanshin might cause you to cut off an attack too early, no prevent yourself from fully extending your spirit. The best way is to strike without thinking of retaining your spirit, to charge your entire body with power, and to act without concerning yourself with zanshin. If you follow this procedure, your power will regenerate, you will find your mental concentration remains strong enough to prevent your making careless errors.
Kiai: It is important to charge your entire being with mental power, to avoid carelessness, and never to fall under the mental sway of the opponent. Should the opponent show signs of manifesting a powerful mental approach, you must overcome it and forstall his intended actions. Part of the meaning of the shout, or kiai, is to generate drive and power by calling out in a string, clear voice and thus make your actions easier to perform. But you must remember that the kiai is not a one sided matter.
The Japanese word suggests a coming together (ai) or spirits (ki). The kiai means that the spirit of one man is coming into combat with the spirit of his opponent. If your kiai is extremely strong, you will derive increased mental and physical power to make it easier for you to overcome the opponent and to make your own movements easier to carry out. You must also be careful not to let allow concern with the shout to deprive your body of freedom of movement.
Unity of Attack and Defense: You must always realize that kumdo defense exists for the sake of attack and that kumdo attacks are a kind of self-defense. Throughout repeated training sessions, cultivate the attitude that defense exists in attack and attack in defense. Gradually you will come to see that neither one of them exists apart from the other. In other words, you will attain a spiritual state of self-annihilation.
The Four Poisons of Kumdo: There are four deep-rooted mental or intellectual problems to be overcome in kumdo. They are: fear, doubt, surprise, and confusion. These fears are known collectively as the "Four Poisons of Kumdo". The only way to overcome the and to succeed in kumdo is to follow the teaching, "overcome others by overcoming yourself". Kumdo is a battle with these four poisons. By resolutely confronting these problems with many opponents, the student will attain a calmness of mind in which every situation is perceived with equal clarity and can look objectively at his surroundings. Only in this state of mind can one archieve the intuitive action necessary to strike an opponent effectively. Such a degree of mental training must be of benefit in all aspects of living.
Nihon Kumdo Kata: Modern kumdo developed from actual armed combat into a kumdo involving kata and ultimately into the kind of kumdo practiced today, in which the jukdo has replaced the sword. In other words, from serious duelling in which the opponents protected themselves with armour and fought with swords, kumdo developed sets of kata, which are performed without the the protection of armour but which make use of the experience gained in true combat.
These kata were the object of repeated, diligent practice. As peace came to prevail in the world and as combat techniques altered entirely from those used in the past, actual combat kumdo became impossible. Still kendoka found that they could not be satisfied with nothing more than kata in which no contact is made. Consequently, they evolved a kumdo in which actual strikes are possible because the weapon is the harmless jukdo instead of a sword. Kata kumdo and jukdo kumdo starting from the same point in the tradition of the martial arts, grew to perfection as they complemented and reinforced each other.
They have, however, come to be considered two entirely separate branches: kata kendo is called Koryu , or the older style, and jukdo kumdo is called kendo proper. Each has its own distinct characteristics. Together they interact to improve and enrich the nature of kumdo as part of a physical training culture. Even though the points of attack in modern kumdo are strictly limited, the strikes and attacks are performed with a freedom of will that inevitably leads to an element of competition.
If this spirit of competition is given fuller reign, kumdo degenerates into a contest carried out solely for the sake of winning and losing. When this happens the purity of kumdo techniques is lost. In comparison with jukdo kumdo, kata concentrate on training to develop correct movements. For this reason, in terms of technical purity it occupies a level much higher than that of jukdo kumdo. In short, kata can serve to improve and maintain technical purity in jukdo kumdo.
