Its not surprise that the mens team mainly consists of police, and not a few of the ladies team either. What is slightly different from before is the more experienced age of the ladies team, however.

Mens manager: Kato (Tokyo)
Mens coach: Furukawa (Hokkaido)
Mens team:
1. Uchimura, 29, 5dan, Tokyo, Police (Keishicho)
2. Kiwada, 30, 6dan, Osaka, Police
3. Shodai, 28, 5dan, Kanagawa, Police
4. Takanabe, 32, renshi 6dan, Kanagawa, Police
5. Teramoto, 34, renshi 6dan, Osaka, Police
6. Nakano, 29, 5dan, Kyoto, Police
7. Furusawa, 31, renshi 6dan, Kumamoto, Police
8. Hojo, 33, renshi 6dan, Kanagawa, Police
9. Matsuwaki, 30, 6dan, Tokyo, Police (Keishicho)
10. Wako, 32, renshi 6dan, Hokkaido

Ladies manager: Kanzaki (Osaka)
Ladies coach: Ishida (Osaka) [renshi 7dan]
Ladies team:
1. Otsuji, 26, 5dan, Osaka, Police
2. Kondo, 30, 6dan, Osaka, Police
3. Sakuma, 23, 4dan, Yamagata, Teacher (high school)
4. Shimokawa, 28, 5dan, Kagoshima, Teacher (university)
5. Shojima, 32, renshi 6dan, Tokyo, Police (Keishicho)
6. Shinzato, 27, 5dan, Nigata, Sports Association worker
7. Takami, 23, 4dan, Chiba, Teacher (private)
8. Tsubota, 28, 5dan, Okayama, Police
9. Murayama, 34, renshi 6dan, Saitama, Police
10. Yamamoto, 20, 4dan, Osaka, Police

On a rather chilly, but otherwise sunny Sunday morning, the quiet morning sky over Steveston, BC, Canada, was pierced by the fierce kiai of a group of very serious ladies. Team Canada and Team USA had taken the opportunity of the Steveston Taikai the day before to arrange a series of friendly matches between the two ladies teams. This would give both coaches an opportunity to test out new talent (or ‘old’ talent in new roles) and give the players a chance of testing their skills against some of their strongest rivals.

The quality of the kendo was astounding, with many of the players covering all the bases in physical, technical and mental ability and a fierceness that most would struggle to match.
You would struggle to find a higher level of (female) kendo outside Japan and Korea and I think even those two countries should be wary of both USA and Canada.

The format was 4 full team matches, with Team USA ‘winning’ 3-1 and I think both coaches and players took a lot of positives (along with material to improve) with them home.

Look here in the near future for an in-depth interview with Dean Ara, the coach of Team Canada Ladies.

Before even attempting to try out for your team, you have to decide whether or not you can cope with what will happen if you are selected. Believe it or not, it is not simply a case of showing up to a few taikai around the globe and having some enjoyable shiai. These shiai are very enjoyable, don’t get me wrong, but being a national representative means that it is no longer ‘a bit of fun’. How will you cope with the pressure of the kendo population of your country’s reputation resting on the result of your shiai? What are you going to do when you lose that match your really really wanted to win? for that matter, are you capable of really really wanting to win? Can you give the commitment to kendo, both emotionally and financially, that is required to be a team member?
 
You need to make every possible effort to improve at kendo, and in turn be noticed by the relevant people who will make the selection. If you make the decision to try out, doing kendo just-for-fun ends there and then. At the WKC there are professional players, i.e. those who play everyday, for hours on end, and do nothing else with their working lives. Although that is impossible for most of us, we must do our best to compete on their level. This means, get to every practice you can – if it means a 2 hour hour drive to attend practice, if you want it enough you’ll make the drive. Also ‘I don’t feel like it’ is a thought which should no longer exist, whether you feel like it or not, practicing as often as possible is of great importance. If your National Team has regular meets or training sessions, you must attend them. Not only are these opportunities to impress those who make selections, but also it builds team spirit, an element of international shiai that is crucially important.

When you do practice don’t just run though the motions, always push yourself to the limit and beyond, not just when you think your coach or sensei is looking – there are often more eyes watching you than you think. Be prepared to spend money, obviously this is not easy, and believe me, I am not sat here typing this out on a diamond encrusted keyboard. When I was first selected for the GB team I was a student, yes I leant on my family, I worked a lot and I racked up some debt, but it has paid dividends as I have achieved many of my goals so far.

The commitment places a lot of strain on your family and social life, especially if you are married and/or have kids. There is no solution for this unfortunately (as far as I’m aware), you are either able to cope with this strain or you are not. Though if there is a solution to this then someone please let me in on the secret! I can assure you it is not cured by taking a kendo-bride…

One thing that many hopeful’s forget, is that being at National Team member means that you are a representative of your Country, Association and it’s members. Although this seems obvious this means that you should wear your hakama and dougi correctly at all times, and your bougu neatly. Correct behaviour on the shiai-jo is incredibly important. That means no tantrums when you lose, or making inappropriate gestures towards the shinpan when you are scored against. Obviously you mustn’t celebrate victory on the shiai-jo. Less obvious is that the kendo that you do also holds great importance. Of course, if you do kendo that looks beautiful, but are unable to spot a chance to make ippon during shiai, you are unlikely to be chosen. Conversely, if you are great at hitting ippon, but your kendo looks awful you will probably still not be considered. We must strive to do effective kendo that is aesthetically pleasing, this is difficult, but not impossible, it is not the so called ‘shiai-kendo’ that truly finds success in shiai, but simply good kendo…

As stated at the start of this article, this is simply my advice, based on my experience and the strategy I use when trying out for selection for the National Team in my country. It has been successful so far, and hopefully, if National Team membership is your ambition it will be of some use.

There’s a lot of talk in the media at the moment about gold medals. Olympic gold medals to be precise. The word ‘Olympic’ is something of a swear word in many kendo circles around the globe, and the concept of Kendo being involved in the Olympics is a much argued and rather controversial subject.  Either way, at present, Kendo is not an Olympic sport and is probably unlikely to become one in the near future. However, we do have a contest more important to us than the Olympic Games – you guessed it! The World Kendo Championships!

In just 1 year’s time, the most important Kendo tournament will be held again in Sao Paulo. As a National Team member the very words ‘World Kendo Championships’ send a little tingle down my spine.

I first witnessed the WKC when the 12^th tournament came to Glasgow in 2003. I was new to Kendo then, and was simply in awe of the sight that was before me! The members of Team GB were like minor kendo celebrities to me, and it was at that championship that I decided to make becoming a member of that team my goal.

Fast forward 3 years and I was landing in Taipei, as one of the fresh, inexperienced members of the team. The experience of witnessing that taikai became something I will never forget. For the 12 previous tournaments, spanning 36 years, team Japan had won every single gold medal. But this year in an unexpected turnaround the Japanese men’s team was defeated in the semi finals by the Americans. And eventually Korea, Japans biggest rival throughout the years, became the first ever non-Japanese tournament champions.

However, although this made the news, it was probably not the most important thing that arose from these championships, instead as always, The World Kendo Championships played a monumental role in the international development of Kendo. Because Kendo, really is about interacting with others, a kind of universal language with which we can converse and form strong friendships. And for me, the WKC gave a chance to challenge my own ambition, and in my own way I have won my ‘gold medal’ albeit metaphorically. How will you win yours?