DTP: What & How

WHAT:

Deliberate Targeted Practice: picking a specific skill and working it into your regular practice by mentally focusing on this skill until it is acquired.

HOW:

Below are example skills to focus on, but are not limited to the following:

  1.    sae/tenouchi – the last 20% of your swing when making a strike
  2.    fumikomi – the final action of the process in kendo footwork
  3.    swing – ensuring you have a switch point, achieving maximum velocity and acceleration 
  4.    seme/shibori – thrusting the shinai into the center and taking control
  5.    seme/footwork – using ashi seme to create an opening
  6.    seme/rhythm – using enzan no metsuke and recognizing when the opponent is open to take the center
  7.    choyaku suburi footwork – developing the correct footwork for doing choyaku suburi
  8.    sayumen suburi – ensuring your left hand stays centered and the shinai is striking at the correct angle of attack
  9.    uchima – determining your personal attacking/striking distance
  10.    kakari keiko – performing both as attacker and motodachi the correct way to enhance your jigeiko
  11.    kote uchi – refining to optimum efficiency how you strike the kote.
  12.    doh uchi  – refining your doh attack to where it is yukodatotsu
  13.    tsuki waza – refining to where you can do 1 or 2 handed tsuki and actually hit the target