Men strike motion in kendo eighth dan practitioners: a time series analysis of joint and shinai angle commonalities and variability

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Details: Category: 2025, Volume 21; 23 December 2025; Hits: 119

Naoki Murase¹, Yuki Suzuki², Hirotaka Nakashima³, Shinji Sakurai¹

¹ School of Health and Sports Sciences, Chukyo University, Toyota, Aichi, Japan; 1; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
² Kawai Junior High School, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
³ Japan Institute of Sports Sciences, Tokyo, Japan; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Author for correspondence: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Naoki Murase: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3726-5416
Yuki Suzuki: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1584-8912
Hirotaka Nakashima: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3631-6720
Shinji Sakurai: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7823-6510

Abstract

Background and Study Aim: The highest rank in kendo ‒ eighth dan ‒ represents technical mastery and maturity, yet quantitative descripxions of striking motions at this level are scarce. Men-strike is one of the fundamental techniques in kendo and is the most frequently used effective strike in actual matches. We aimed to descripxive model men strike motions in eighth dan practitioners based on by analysing time series patterns of joint and shinai angles to identify commonalities and individual differences.

Material and Methods: Ten eighth dan practitioners (1.73 ±0.04 m; 77.8 ±7.1 kg; 50.5 ±4.9 years of practice) performed men strike while wearing 41 reflective markers. Three dimensional motion was capxured at 250 Hz (VICON), projected to the sagittal plane, and time normalised (0–100%). Variability at each time point was evaluated using Z scores against the whole body joint angle variability.

Results: Mean men‑strike motion time was 0.759 ± 0.073 s. Low variability (Z < −1) appeared in the trunk, both elbows, left knee, and right ankle, whereas the right shoulder and left wrist exceeded +1 at specific phases, indicating individualized adjustments. The leader (result: 0.652 seconds) was the oldest of the surveyed kendo masters (68 years) and the longest practitioner (60 years). However, there is a low negative correlation between the motion time result and both years of training experience (r = −0.265) and the age of kendo masters (r = −0.206).

Conclusions: Eighth dan kendo practitioners share stable technical features in men strike with selective scope for individual adapxation. These data provide benchmarks for instruction and a foundation for future comparative studies across skill levels.

Keywords: kendo: centre of mass, long-term training, skill level, tachiai

AMA
Murase N, Suzuki Y, Nakashima H, Sakurai S. Men-strike motion in kendo eighth-dan practitioners: a time-series analysis of joint and shinai angle commonalities and variability. Arch Budo J Innov Agon. 2025;21.
APA
Murase, N., Suzuki, Y., Nakashima, H., & Sakurai, S. (2025). Men-strike motion in kendo eighth-dan practitioners: A time-series analysis of joint and shinai angle commonalities and variability. Arch Budo Journal of Innovation Agonology, 21.
Chicago
Murase, Naoki, Yuki Suzuki, Hirotaka Nakashima, and Shinji Sakurai. 2025. “Men-Strike Motion in Kendo Eighth-Dan Practitioners: A Time-Series Analysis of Joint and Shinai Angle Commonalities and Variability.” Arch Budo Journal of Innovation Agonology 21.
Harvard
Murase, N., Suzuki, Y., Nakashima, H. & Sakurai, S. (2025). Men-strike motion in kendo eighth-dan practitioners: a time-series analysis of joint and shinai angle commonalities and variability. Arch Budo Journal of Innovation Agonology, 21.
MLA
Murase, Naoki, et al. “Men-Strike Motion in Kendo Eighth-Dan Practitioners: A Time-Series Analysis of Joint and Shinai Angle Commonalities and Variability.” Arch Budo Journal of Innovation Agonology, vol. 21, 2025.
Vancouver
Murase N, Suzuki Y, Nakashima H, Sakurai S. Men-strike motion in kendo eighth-dan practitioners: a time-series analysis of joint and shinai angle commonalities and variability. Arch Budo J Innov Agon. 2025;21.

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Mission of ARCHBUDO

The specific mission of the Archives of Budo 2023 is to strive for a breakthrough in public perception of a broad class of combat sports and martial arts as specific means of innovative agonology.