Begginers Equipment

8/13/2019 Begginers Equipment

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The Shinai & Shinai Maintenance

Disassembly of the shinai is simple. First untie the tsuru at the handle and then all the piecesshould slip off. I say here that they should slip off. A properly tied nakayui will be tightagainst the take and difficult to slip over the node. You will have to work it over the node. Itwill probably loosen up and necessitate retying it anyway. Removing the handle can be achore as well. Some shinai handles are put on using a machine which grasps the handleand pulls!pushes it on. If the handle is undersi"e then it takes a lot of work to get it off. Youhave to work it down from the opening a little at a time until it will slide off. #ush downwardon it to make a wrinkle and then work the wrinkle down towards the end and so on.

As a rule once the handle is removed the bamboo will not fall apart on a new shinai. Somehave the staves glued together at the handle and you will have to peel them apart carefullyso the staves will not be damaged. Also the chigiri the little metal s$uare in the handle helpsto hold the take together. %e sure to not lose the chigiri. It keeps the handle aligned andprevents it from collapsing. &nce apart lay the staves out in order and number them if theyare not numbered already so they can be put back together in the right order.

'he edge of new shinai staves come to a point from the being planed and fitted together.You want to round this over so it will reduce the chance of the bamboo fraying andsplintering during use. &n the inside of the node it comes to a point also. You may prefer toround this slightly as well to allow the bamboo to move. If you round the nodes down

completely then you remove a bearing surface for the bamboo staves to move against eachother and distribute the force of the strike.


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'here are several tools available for working on the shinai. Different grades of sandpaperwill generally do the (ob (ust as well and you do not have to worry about accidentally cuttingor gouging the stave.

&nce sanding is complete the staves must be lubricated in some way. )se a light oil or wa*.'his is a personal preference. %oth will allow the bamboo staves to move against each

other. 'he oil will give the bamboo greater longevity. You can purchase a spray can of oilfrom many kendo stores for this purpose or use a light mineral or vegetable oil. Spray the oildirectly onto the back of the stave or on a cloth and rub it into the back and sides. 'hestaves can also be soaked in a tube made from plastic pipe. +inseed oil works well but willadd weight and may change the balance of the shinai. 'he spray can is easiest. &ne opinionis to let it the oil soak in for , days before using the shinai. I-m too la"y to do this.

After oiling reassemble the shinai and you-re ready for your first strike.

Assembling the Shinai

ere are two of several methods for tying the knot for the sakigawa. 'he first is a slip knot soit is important to tighten it well and make sure the tsuru is tied to the correct tension on theshinai.

Tying the Sakigawa


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Tying the Sakigawa - Method 2

Insert the Sakigomu

Select the right si"e sakigomu for the shinai you are using. 'he sakigawa should fit tightly onthe end and not twist during use. It must also be of minimum length as per the shinairegulations to prevent it from coming off during practice.

Tying the Nakayui


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Tying the Tsuru

Tsuru Tension

/hen you tie the tsuru how tight is tight enough. 'he shinai fle*es a lot during a strike. 'ooloose and the sakigawa can pop off creating a danger. An over tightened tsuru can causethe shinai to start to curve. /hen you lift the tsuru away from the shinai between the handleand the nakayui there should be no more than two fingers width of space. &ne to one and ahalf fingers width is best.

Maintaining Your Shinai

It is important to continually check your shinai for any problems that might occur. 'he shinaishould be checked every practice for cracks fraying or splinters. 'he tension of the tsurushould also be checked. A tsuru that is loose can allow the sakigawa to come off duringpractice. If a sakigawa comes off it can allow the staves to enter through the men ganecausing in(ury. 'he sakigawa should be checked for wear on the bottom and the lacing onthe end for signs of opening up. 'he shinai must be repaired before being used again. 0ewshinai should be checked after first use to ensure that nothing has stretched and loosenedup such as the tsuru.

Relacing a !roken Sta"e

'here are a variety of opinions about replacing staves and rotating them. Ask three peopleand get four opinions. I change out my staves and rotate them as well and have found nodifference in the how long the shinai lasts. 'hey run from breaking the first time you use

them to lasting up to two years. Some bamboo is (ust better than other.

'o replace the stave line it up with the ends of the shinai and press it against the chigiri1metal s$uare2 to make a mark. 3ut in the new groove. %e sure and select a replacementstave that matches as closely as possible to the shinai you are repairing. It should match forsi"e and width.

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Shinai Size

GenderJr. High

SchoolHigh School University Adult

LengthMale &

Female

less than 114

cm

less than 117 cm less than 120 cm

Weight Malemore than440g(Size 37)

more than 480g(Size 38 forMen)

more than 10g(Size 3! for Men)

Femalemore than400g(Size 37)

more than 420g(Size 38 for"omen)

more than 440g(Size 3! for WomenorSize 38 for Women)

#iameter at the ti$ $f theshinai

Malemore than 2mm

more than 2% mm more than 2% mm

Femalemore than 24mm

more than 2 mm more than 2 mm

Smaller ages

ges Size

4'% ears ol Size 32

7'! ears ol Size 34

10'12 ears ol Size 3%

13'1 ears ol Size 37


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Uniform and Equipment List

Keikoginavy blue color(gi to$) ma*e s+re to get one esigne for *eno an not iaio,3',%0

Hakamanavy blue color($leate $ants) -etron ha*ama a generall not as nice loo*ing .+t re/+ire

less maintenance so -etron is recommene for .eginners,%0',100(beginner sets including hakama and keikogi range from $60-$120, some include shinai)

Shinai,2',3

Bokuto/Bokken (size 101cm),2',3

ighl recommene og+ .ag an Shinai .agShinai .ag ,10',30og+.ag ,20',%0

an .e $+rchase at"""maz*ia+sacom"""mar+ama*enos+$$lcom"""tozanocom"""e'm+ocom"""e'.og+com""".+o'aoicom
http://www.mazkiyausa.com/http://www.maruyamakendosupply.com/http://www.tozando.com/http://www.e-mudo.com/http://www.e-bogu.com/http://www.budo-aoi.com/http://www.mazkiyausa.com/http://www.maruyamakendosupply.com/http://www.tozando.com/http://www.e-mudo.com/http://www.e-bogu.com/http://www.budo-aoi.com/

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Begginers Equipment