The three elements of success - Ki-ken-tai.

I want to discuss Kendo. At this point the regular reader is thinking "Uh-oh, here he goes again getting all Eastern on us" but bear with me. I have recently been reading another book by Dave Lowry in which he discusses the three elements of success. (Thoselong term readers will know of my admiration for Mr Lowry's work). In order for a point to awarded in a Kendo tournament the referee looks for three essential components of the hit before he will award the point.

Ki - the referee looks for the spirit or intention behind the strike; was it planned, was it a deception, was it luck? Was it a conscious decision and a fully committed one?

Ken - the element of the sword itself. Was it held and wielded correctly?

Tai - the element of the body. Is the posture correct? Was the lunge made correctly with the arm extended and the back heel on the floor? Was balance maintained through the attack and footwork correctly followed?

If any of these elements are not present the hit is not awarded. Imagine how this would change a modern fencing competition and the potential uproar it would cause! Now, consider your own fencing. Are you demonstrating Ki-ken-tai? If not, it may actually be preventing you scoring points without you knowing it!