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Thread: Kiza's killing me!

  1. #1
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    Default Kiza's killing me!

    Anyone have any advice on how to get good at kiza in a hurry?

    If I rest my butt on my heel in hiza, I can't put my knee down. If I put my knee down and keep resting on my butt I'm quite certain the tendons/muscles in my foot will snap, I can feel extreme strain / pain where the toes meet the foot.

    I need to get good at it in a hurry as I just started training with a new dojo and kiza is a major part of things.
    Cory Burke
    ゴゴゴ!

  2. #2
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    Sorry, but there are no shortcuts. If you try to rush it, you may injure yourself and end up further behind.

    Just tell your sensei that you're having difficulty, and let him or her guide you.

    Also, remember to warm up well before training, and stretch gently after training. (Too many people try to stretch cold muscles. Don't do it.)
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

  3. #3
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    This reply may be too late, but what I advise my own students to do is to practice sitting in kiza at home while watching TV or what not. I recommend setting yourself toes up while leaning forward, scooting your knees back until your toes are fully bent backwards to their limit (obviously without causing too much pain),then slowly sitting your butt dowwards towards your heels until you reach your stretching limit. You can usually only do this for short periods of time, so release the stretch often and switch to seiza for a while until your toes feel better. I've found this method to be the single best way of stretching out the toes.

    Also, Yoshinkan Aikido develops strength in the toes by pushing their knees forward while in kiza, using their toes only, to enter into the seiza position. Not an easy technique (make sure your toe nails are trimmed!), but it will make for strong toes quickly.

    If you combine these two methods (though maybe not together in close succession), your kiza methods should improve quickly - in my experience.

    However, if you have a teacher, it is best to run stuff that you pick up from outside sources like this by him first to avoid creating a problem or "losing your way".

    Regards,
    Nathan Scott
    Nichigetsukai

    "Put strength into your practice, and avoid conceit. It is easy enough to understand a strategy and guard against it after the matter has already been settled, but the reason an opponent becomes defeated is because they didn't learn of it ahead of time. This is the nature of secret matters. That which is kept hidden is what we call the Flower."

    - Zeami Motokiyo, 1418 (Fūshikaden)

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