Naginata

[RaiNnyX4]

In honor of having my first official competition yesterday, I'm making this thread.

I've been training since August and my girlfriend started back in April. We managed to do fairly well for our first competition.

I took 15th and she took 20th out of 32.

There were only two clubs representing all of the participants (there are four total in all of Sapporo I believe). Mine is the sole adult recreational club. Our club is mainly comprised of elderly women so we only had six members participating; 4 men including me and 2 women including my girlfriend. The rest of the competitors came from a single High School and were all women save for one gangly European exchange student.

The format was a little strange and probably too difficult to type up here. But it was basically a kind of a marathon round robin with three matches going at all times. You cycled through as many matches as you could in the time limit (about 2 1/2 hours). To keep track of your results, you would have stickers placed on your bogu for each match, points scored, and victory. At the end you added up all your stickers and the person with the highest score won. I ended up with around 50 points and actually somehow won the majority of my matches. The top three spots were taken by the other three guys in my club and their bogu looked like light-brights. I think the highest score was around 140. The girls from the High School actually weren't too far off from that. Here's what mine looked like:



My girlfriend and I both got pretty banged up (my hands and feet are all kinds of purple right now and her shoulder has a pretty ugly bruise on it) but we had a great time and are eagerly looking forward to our next competition.

I'll be trying to add more related information to this thread in the near future.

[Rock Ape]

Awesome mate. Glad you like the system, it's not exactly run of the mill.

[W. Rabbit]

I'll be trying to add more related information to this thread in the near future.

Please school me...this is basically Kendo but with a naginata instead of a shinai?

[futabachan]

@Rabbit: Yes, essentially. We even do isshu jiai against kendo people from time to time. It's its own art that is mechanically different from kendo, but the equipment is compatible.

@OP: I'm jealous; we only had 14 shiai competitors at our nationals last month. Congratulations on doing well on your first time out!

[DerAuslander]

I saw a kendo vs. naginata isshu jiai once.

Granny beat the **** out of those dudes.

[futabachan]

Naginata: the art where the 90-year-old great grandmother with white hair will wipe the floor with you.

[RaiNnyX4]

Please school me...this is basically Kendo but with a naginata instead of a shinai?

Yes, it is essentially the same "game" but with a naginata instead of a shinai.

From what I've been told, the men (face guard) and kote (wrist guard) are manufactured slightly differently in naginata however.

The major difference between naginata and kendo is the inclusion of shin strikes in naginata that are absent in kendo.

...

And yes, the old ladies in my club absolutely maul me during randori. My sensei was actually all Japan champion twice about 30 years ago. She is a demon.

[Eddie Hardon]

In honor of having my first official competition yesterday, I'm making this thread.

I've been training since August and my girlfriend started back in April. We managed to do fairly well for our first competition.

I took 15th and she took 20th out of 32.

There were only two clubs representing all of the participants (there are four total in all of Sapporo I believe). Mine is the sole adult recreational club. Our club is mainly comprised of elderly women so we only had six members participating; 4 men including me and 2 women including my girlfriend. The rest of the competitors came from a single High School and were all women save for one gangly European exchange student.

The format was a little strange and probably too difficult to type up here. But it was basically a kind of a marathon round robin with three matches going at all times. You cycled through as many matches as you could in the time limit (about 2 1/2 hours). To keep track of your results, you would have stickers placed on your bogu for each match, points scored, and victory. At the end you added up all your stickers and the person with the highest score won. I ended up with around 50 points and actually somehow won the majority of my matches. The top three spots were taken by the other three guys in my club and their bogu looked like light-brights. I think the highest score was around 140. The girls from the High School actually weren't too far off from that. Here's what mine looked like:



My girlfriend and I both got pretty banged up (my hands and feet are all kinds of purple right now and her shoulder has a pretty ugly bruise on it) but we had a great time and are eagerly looking forward to our next competition.

I'll be trying to add more related information to this thread in the near future.

Well done you.

For info, www.naginata.org.uk - just in case you're in Old London Town sometime. I'm only an occasional student as I have trouble trying to keep on top of my own JJ training. Rachel would welcome you anytime. She's highly skilled in Kendo, Iai, Jo and of course Nag.

Keep training and keep going. Well done again. :eusa_ange

[futabachan]

From what I've been told, the men (face guard) and kote (wrist guard) are manufactured slightly differently in naginata however.

The kote are completely different, with a separate index finger; the difference in the men is very subtle, and a kendo men will work just fine. A naginata men is essentially a kendo men with naname zashi (diagonal stitching) and a slightly shorter menbuton (side flaps), both of which are available as options from most custom bogu suppliers.

[judoist]

Naginata: the art where the 90-year-old great grandmother with white hair will wipe the floor with you.

This is true, my friend.

To the OP, congrats. That's a pretty rare system anywhere exept Japan
(only 200 or so practicioners on the US west coast from what I've heard), so it's nice to know that there are still tournaments outside of the land of the rising sun.

BTW, were there men's or women's divisions, or was there any cross over (any guys matched up with girls)? Or divisions of any kind (age, weight, height)?