is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

word for practice swings used in sports such as

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

, and in martial arts. Outside Japan, the word is used exclusively for repetitive individual cutting exercises used in

Japanese martial arts Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage ...

such as

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in around 1 ...

iaidō , abbreviated , is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks.Christensen, Karen and Allen Guttmann et.al (2001) ''International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports ...

, and

kenjutsu is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of ...

. Often a

shinai A is a Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in ''kendo''. ''Shinai'' are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from ''kendo shinai'', and represented with different characters. T ...

(for kendo),

bokken A ''bokken'' (, , "wood", and ''ken'', "sword") (or a ''bokutō'' ) is a Japanese wooden sword used for training in kenjutsu. It is usually the size and shape of a ''katana'', but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the ''wakizashi'' ...

, suburitō, or even

tanren bō A is a bat used in aikido for strength and suburi is a Japanese word for practice swings used in sports such as baseball, tennis, golf, and in martial arts. Outside Japan, the word is used exclusively for repetitive individual cutting exercises ...

are used. An

iaitō The is a modern metal practice sword, without a cutting edge, used primarily for practicing iaido, a form of Japanese swordsmanship. Other Japanese swords A real (sharp) katana is called a . In contrast to shinken, iaitō have no cutting edge ...

shinken is a Japanese sword that has a forged and sharpened blade. The term ''shinken'' is often used in contrast with ''bokken'' (wooden sword), '' shinai'' (bamboo sword), and iaitō (unsharpened metal sword). Shinken are often used in battōdō, ...

can also be used, albeit rarely. Some common types (these can vary between styles): ; : holding the weapon with only the left hand (which is supposed to be used as the power hand) ; : rapid suburi where you cut on the forward motion and assume jodan on the return motion, feet should glide on the floor. Sometimes called choyaku-men ; : incorporating a coordinated jumping like movement with the strike ; : strikes with back swings that almost touch ones lower back and forward swings which almost touch the floor ; : alternating diagonal strikes, cutting across the opponent's torso, starting with a cut to the left ; : strikes to an opponent's forehead ; : strikes to an opponent's forehead, starting with forward, then backward. ; : alternating strikes to an opponent's forehead, starting with your right-hand side. Suburi is used as a warm up before actual practice begins, usually done in sets of ten, though sometimes sets of 100 are used (especially with ''naname-suburi'' and ''shomen suburi''). Suburi serves to loosen the wrists (naname suburi) and elevate heart rate (haya suburi).

Notes

{{Reflist Japanese martial arts terminology

See also

Notes