My wife got me a fitbit charge HR for Valentine’s Day in the hope I would pay a little bit more attention to my health.

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#nohomo

One of the pre-examination gifts to myself was a new pair of kote.

Previously I was using the gobanzashi kote from ebogu but because I got a bunch of holes in the palm I decided to splurge and buy the kenshu model.

Extremely light with deer leather in the palms and lots of padding in knuckles makes this my best pair so far.

You can order a pair here.

This weekend was our organization’s semiannual promotion exam and I took the ni-dan test.

Part of the exam was to discuss the four kendo sicknesses. I’ve posted my essay below:

The four kendo sicknesses

One of the ultimate goals of kendo is to obtain a state of mushin or “empty” mind. This occurs when one is able to instinctively respond to your opponent without any conscious thought. Without having to consciously think one is able to instinctively respond quickly and without hesitation. Continue reading →

http://youtu.be/FBbfMIYPu2I

http://youtu.be/6uVMEYAJs8s

http://youtu.be/3PVrq4i4iSc

http://youtu.be/lasHCohVskA