Faults of Gekken
Gekken is a practice of freeplay that is practiced by us. Not all schools practice and I can definitely understand why. As much as I promote the practice of Gekken, there are faults that can lie with the practice as well. From what I see in class and even more so when there's a match within a competitive context, I've been noticing more faults from practicing Gekken.
1) Practicing Gekken in a way to just win a point - Of course victory is key. But the amount of risk that people are willing to take to score a "point" is detrimental to the practice of Gekken. I notice that people will swing the sword in a way where it is outside of what they were taught as a proper way to swing a sword. I notice one handed swings that wouldn't cut even the sword would make contact (although probably would still hurt). I notice wild swings that leave you so open that it would be a walk in the park to take advantage of. These are things that go outside of the form that was taught. What is the point of practicing a form, if you can't utilize it while under pressure. It is no different if you have beautiful form, but then have to change your form to make a cut work.
2) One Shot Gekken - I notice that when people want to win that point, they'll put their all into the cut. Sometimes that is needed, but because they think that all they have to do is just score a point, as soon as they land the point, the zanshin is no longer there. "Ah I scored a point, so there is no more threat". That is when people are very open for an after blow. Of course the idea of zanshin in kata is contextual, but in Gekken or free form, never assume that your opponent has given up until he does or can no longer fight. Even if you land a cut, keeping within form can help you get ready for something else if the opponent continues to fight.
3) Gekken Without Respect for the Weapon - We recently did an exercise in class where we had gekken matches. I let the students use the gekken sword, but I used a habiki (blunt steel sword). First thing you notice is that all of a sudden, people don't rush in as carelessly anymore. People will start becoming more cautious and guarded. Not as many wild swings or bad posture. This goes to show that sometimes, that people forget what the consequence of what being "hit" by a gekken sword means. Usually if I fight people and notice that they are absent minded of this, I'll make the effort to hit with a bit more umph but using a blunt sword, I don't need to do this to remind them. Even if practicing with the gekken swords, you should always treat it as if a real sword. Otherwise it is just play.
I've talked enough about how beneficial Gekken is to practice, however just like cutting or kata, if taken to an extreme and with the incorrect mindset, it loses it's relation to what we're really trying to achieve and practice. We can try to recreate the experience of what a sword fight would be, but in reality we never really will in a safe manner. However we should always try to keep the proper mindset to keep the spirit alive through any form of practice. Unfortunately, I think Gekken is one of those that can easily lose that spirit which is why we all need a reminder sometimes.
1) Practicing Gekken in a way to just win a point - Of course victory is key. But the amount of risk that people are willing to take to score a "point" is detrimental to the practice of Gekken. I notice that people will swing the sword in a way where it is outside of what they were taught as a proper way to swing a sword. I notice one handed swings that wouldn't cut even the sword would make contact (although probably would still hurt). I notice wild swings that leave you so open that it would be a walk in the park to take advantage of. These are things that go outside of the form that was taught. What is the point of practicing a form, if you can't utilize it while under pressure. It is no different if you have beautiful form, but then have to change your form to make a cut work.
2) One Shot Gekken - I notice that when people want to win that point, they'll put their all into the cut. Sometimes that is needed, but because they think that all they have to do is just score a point, as soon as they land the point, the zanshin is no longer there. "Ah I scored a point, so there is no more threat". That is when people are very open for an after blow. Of course the idea of zanshin in kata is contextual, but in Gekken or free form, never assume that your opponent has given up until he does or can no longer fight. Even if you land a cut, keeping within form can help you get ready for something else if the opponent continues to fight.
3) Gekken Without Respect for the Weapon - We recently did an exercise in class where we had gekken matches. I let the students use the gekken sword, but I used a habiki (blunt steel sword). First thing you notice is that all of a sudden, people don't rush in as carelessly anymore. People will start becoming more cautious and guarded. Not as many wild swings or bad posture. This goes to show that sometimes, that people forget what the consequence of what being "hit" by a gekken sword means. Usually if I fight people and notice that they are absent minded of this, I'll make the effort to hit with a bit more umph but using a blunt sword, I don't need to do this to remind them. Even if practicing with the gekken swords, you should always treat it as if a real sword. Otherwise it is just play.
I've talked enough about how beneficial Gekken is to practice, however just like cutting or kata, if taken to an extreme and with the incorrect mindset, it loses it's relation to what we're really trying to achieve and practice. We can try to recreate the experience of what a sword fight would be, but in reality we never really will in a safe manner. However we should always try to keep the proper mindset to keep the spirit alive through any form of practice. Unfortunately, I think Gekken is one of those that can easily lose that spirit which is why we all need a reminder sometimes.
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