Rhythm:
Practice involved moving forwards and backwards to cause the opponent to follow your rhythm.
Then at the right moment, if opponent advances in response to following your retreat, strike the opponent's men. If on the otherhand, the opponent retreats in response to your advance, strike kote or kote-men.
Size of Men Strike:
Ordinarily one is encouraged to strike small men by aiming first for the tsuki, and then in the last moment, raise the shinai as small as possible just above the opponent's men and then strike their men. This is what we have been always taught. In examining higher ranking kendoists as well as videos, it seems in practice a small men looks weak over a men with a larger swing. I was advised that since I often use a small men, I should compensate with strong fumikomi. Also I was told that when striking a larger men using one's wrists, use the right hand as the pivot, not the left hand.
In my next blog entry I will start to update my kendo algorithm again....
