Also to add to Andy's comments about taking Jodan early into one's journey is that you also have to think about things like maai (as your distance in Jodan is much greater unlike chudan), seme and then on top of that being able to satisify the yuko-datotsu criteria. In such an early stage of Kendo, (and speaking with experience as someone who's taking Jodan currently due to ongoing injuries and actually passed my Shodan exam taking Jodan), one doesn't typically have developed the understanding of a lot of these things still --As Andy said, there are exceptions! A lot of my sempai and some sensei have said that I've taken to Jodan quite well but this has come down to the fact that I've had to work twice as hard in Jodan (learning left-foot forward, still trying to work out my maai, how to develop more seme and also taking the sen more than my opponent) than others taking Chudan. Meaning that you have to be really proactive in self studying this kamae whether it's through attending seminars, or lots of mitori-geiko. Ideally one could even say that you absolutely need to have someone guide you and watch your Kendo constantly as to not to pick up bad habits; especially if they have experience in Jodan. You'd need to consider things like how you want to be executing katate-waza as there are a few ways you can do this, if you are to take hanme or following regular conventions and not taking hanme, what times would you use morote-waza vs. katate-waza. Jodan in that respect becomes quite open-ended and whilst you figure out the machinations of this kamae, every Jodan player that I've ever seen has developed their own receipe/style of Jodan. Practice in the dojo also becomes very tricky where in Kihon, for example, if we're instructed to do men-debana-men, then it's really your job to know that as motodachi that you need to instruct them ahead of time to say hit your left-kote or what they should be doing. Especially if no one really knows Jodan or what to do, it becomes your responsibility to let others know what to be doing so you're not disrupting their practice. Sensei that I am with and some that I've come across already know what to do and normally give me options however it's still worth mentioning! Learning Jodan also becomes a teaching opportunity for others especially if your dojo/demographic is quite scarce for Jodan-practioners. It's a hard road with all things considered, and I'm pretty sure other viewers of the Kendo Show who take Jodan can agree to some extent with this however it goes back to the old adage: Ask and seek permission from your sensei. Good luck if you're given the green light to delve into it.

Haha I was referencing Q&A so I meant A'd as in "Answered", but thank you for your response, I will work more on my kirikaeshi

Hello Andy, about holding the shinai near tsuba in nito: there is a seminar on youtube by a famous Hanshi who explained that holding the shinai near tsuba and using the tsuka to completely block off the kote target area is unfair, and should result in hansoku. I think the person who asked the question could be referring to this. I understand this isn't in the rule book as probably no one is doing this in Japan. Unfortunately, the amount of people doing what they like to call "nito" instead of kendo is increasing in Europe.

As someone that did Jodan for closer to 10 years, i can honestly say. Chudan is a part of Jodan. You can pretty much do any two handed waza from Jodan. In fact i one won in the finals with a Two handed debana kote. I switched from Chudan to Jodan after i passed Shodan. I was able to build a solid Jodan fundamental and work out Maai difficulties. So by the time i made Ni-dan i was Keiko with many experienced players. I was also winning almost every tournament i entered, with a few 2nd & 3rd place. However, i had amazing Sensei to mentor my Jodan, including a previous member from the US Natinal team. In the peak of my Jodan, i was doing 1500 katate waza daily with 2x heavy shinai. Yes, my hands were bloody.

As usual , another great Kendo video . These insights are of value to all levels of Kendoka from beginners to high grade .

Just started Kendo a few months ago and your channel has been a wonderful source of information... please keep making these excellent videos! BTW do you have any tips for improving ashi sabaki to prevent blisters? My left foot keeps pointing outward hence the blisters. LOL someone already asked it in the video😂

Awesome video on kendo!

Wow what a great kendo video!

Thanks Andy. I will consider what to do next about jodan no kamae. Right now im trying to collect as much expereince and info as i could. Cheers.

What a fantastic kendo Video!

Nice videos. Nice intro music too

Tnx for the answer Andy😊 I did send my local club an email after waiting this.. waiting for replay And you know what great store i do my Kendo shopping if its my cup of tea after giving it a go.😉 Thanks for the inspiration ❤