New tsubazeriai rules in Japan - the way of the future?
As mentioned tonight at training there have been developments in Japan regarding tsubazeriai. It is anticipated, although this is not confirmed yet, that tsubazeriai will remain tightly controlled from now on. This is building on the adjustments people have made to becoming accustomed to the 'provisional' Covid-safe restrictions around tsubazeriai. The reason for these longer term changes is to limit the ability of shiaisha to use tsubazeriai as a resting or defensive position. This has previously been a major issue in Japan at high school and university level. And as a result, through the spread of Youtube, these 'trends' get taken up around the world. The worst use of tsubazeriai before now has been for the purpose of time-wasting: where a shiasha 'runs down the clock' once they have established an ippon lead in a match. This is from a post on George McCall's excellent kenshi247 blog. McCall sensei teaches Kendo at a high school in Osaka and is well-ve