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Nicki Gerstner
10th March 2001, 07:02
Hello all,

I wonder where the heel up stance in modern kendo comes from, which seems to have infected some Iai stiles and the stance of the sword armed uchidachi in Jodo (I wonder if the heel is still up when the do the older SMR forms). Does anyone know if this came from a particular koryu?
Any information will be greatly appreciated.

thanks and greetings to all,

hyaku
10th March 2001, 11:29
Simple really and I will keep it simple. Although I daresay as usual someone will have to give you a long winded answer.

Up onto to toes with heel(s) raised about one finger (no higher). Any more and you won't get on my team! Now you will find you can smoothly slide forwards/backwards or sideways? (don't do that either or else). Now try and do the same with the heel(s) down and slide back. You won't be able to do it without your body-line bobbing up and down as you stagger about.

Not so much the raised heel but the weight distribution over the legs is even more important , so that as the right leg does fumikomi the left leg come forward to drop both hips on the cut. An infection just about sums it up. Koryu stances are much wider

All totally modern stuff as the accent is now on a smooth dojo floor against one opponent

If you watch an old movie converted to video such as the Tenran Taikai with demonstrations byb the last living tenth dans, you will see the back leg static with back foot spinning to place the it at ninety degrees

Hyakutake Colin

David A. Hall
13th March 2001, 04:02
It supposedly came into kendo from Itto Ryu. However, most of the Itto Ryu people I've met don't make as exaggerated a stance as many of the kendo people do.

In Shindo Muso Ryu jodo in Tokyo the raised heel apparently began infiltrating the police dojo due to the cops practice of kendo. I don't recall Shimizu sensei ever raising his heel (and none of the photos of him I've seen do that). However, many of his police students (Hiroi, Yoneno, etc.) insisted on it while others did not.

Consequently, if you see it in jodo, blame it on the Japanese police who practiced kendo.