FIFTY FIFTY's KEENA faces fear during intense Kendo training session

KEENA of FIFTY FIFTY recently documented her Kendo training on her YouTube channel, where she experienced high-intensity sparring sessions comparable to a 400-meter sprint. Despite feeling scared by the impact of strikes, she practiced maintaining eye contact with opponents and mastering head, wrist, and waist strikes.

KEENA of FIFTY FIFTY has chosen Kendo as her new challenge. A video released through the YouTube channel 'Haebol Keena' captures her step-by-step training process, starting from basic meditation to practical sparring.

"You must watch your opponent until the end"... Kendo introduction begins with meditation and breathing

The Kendo training began with a static process. During a session held with a Kendo official from Seoul, KEENA first donned her uniform and engaged in "meditation" to settle her mind. Sitting in a proper posture with her right hand placed over her left, she learned how to calm her mind by focusing on breathing—taking short inhales and long exhales.

Before learning core Kendo techniques, advice was given regarding the "courage" required to watch an opponent's attack until the end without flinching. The instructor emphasized that one must not close their eyes even when an opponent's sword comes flying toward them, as staring intently is necessary to grasp and react to the opponent's movements. While KEENA occasionally showed signs of closing her eyes or trying to avoid the bamboo sword (shinai) during swings, she engaged in the training by learning the principle of keeping her eyes wide open to track the opponent's movements.

Practicing head, wrist, and waist strikes: "So this was a linear exercise"

As full-scale striking practice began, KEENA learned head, wrist, and waist strikes in sequence. The process involved learning the posture of extending the arms forward as if lowering both elbows, as well as footwork that involves sliding the feet forward. In particular, while learning the posture for cutting the waist, she appeared to feel the charm of the sport as she experienced the characteristics of the movement.

Questions regarding foot friction and sweat arose during the training. The instructor explained that the process of overcoming sweat and reducing friction is also part of the training. Wearing protective gear (bogu), KEENA continued repeated striking practice, working to reduce her initial tension and master the movements.

Practical sparring follows wearing bogu: "It's hard even while being hit"

After mastering the basic movements, a one-minute sparring session was conducted while wearing bogu. Taking on the role of the attacker aiming for the opponent's head, KEENA experienced high-intensity training comparable to a 400-meter sprint. Although she initially expressed difficulty, saying she was "scared" by the impact of the strikes, she gradually became immersed in the training as she exchanged attacks and defenses over time.

As the sparring continued, KEENA showed improvement compared to her start. The instructor encouraged her, noting that her movements were becoming better with repeated practice. Despite sweating from the intense movement, KEENA concluded the training after discovering the charm of Kendo through this challenging process.

Source: original video (YouTube)