In Nepal kendo, practice begins with 10-15 minutes of warm-up exercises. It is important to stretch and limber your muscles and joints before any kind of strenuous activities paying specific attention to your wrists, shoulders, legs and ankles. An all too common kendo injury occurs to the Achilles’ tendon when not enough time is spent stretching this part of the body.
Activities in Keiko
Ashisabaki (footwork exercises): Practicing various stepping patterns and movements to develop agility, balance, and speed on the feet.
Kirikaeshi (continuous striking): Engaging in repetitive strikes to the head and body of a training partner to develop endurance, focus, and fluidity of movement.
Kihon (basic techniques): Drilling fundamental techniques such as men (head strike), kote (wrist strike), and do (side strike) with a partner to improve accuracy, speed, and control.
Uchikomi geiko (receiving practice): Taking turns as both attacker and receiver in controlled sparring sessions to practice applying techniques in a dynamic setting while receiving feedback from partners.
Jigeiko (free sparring): Engaging in open-ended sparring matches with various partners to apply learned techniques in a more realistic and unpredictable context, emphasizing timing, distance, and strategy.