From kurai you will either perform a kogeki (attack) or uke (parry or block). It is important to be able to apply them with both body and weapon at the right angle for the techniques to have the intended effect. To train them so that they become unconscious movements there is shiai-seihō, a combination of attacks and parries that are performed in a realistic way with speed and impact, with limited risk of injury. These drills were not in the original material but we believe they are of great importance in making the art of fencing practically useful.
Gasshi-uchi
From seiraitō no kurai, you take a step forward with either your right or left foot and strike with such timing that you always strike down on the uchidachi's sword! If you strike too early when the opponent attacks, your sword cannot come up and you will lose. However, if you strike after he has started his attack, you will "cleave" his sword from above and win. Gasshi-uchi is the technique that best illustrates the principle of katsujinken. You can also perform this strike starting from junsha no kurai, with the sword held horizontally to the hip and with the sword tip pointing back. Here we have a significantly longer journey for the sword to travel before it reaches the uchidachi's weapon and the timing is therefore significantly more difficult. The technique can "cut away" attacks from more angles and is the technique that, so to speak, separates the wheat from the chaff. From junsha no kurai, you rotate your hip sharply to the left and lift the sword with both hands above your head to seiraitō no kurai and strike straight down. Remember not to aim to knock away your opponent's sword (it's not a golf swing) but to split his path of attack. One should start their attack drills with gasshi-uchi because it is the most difficult technique to learn. In shiai-seihō it is number one and two among the drills; the first exercise is gasshi-uchi with the right leg first and number two is with the left.
Kiri-sage
Any strike launched from above and whose trajectory is vertical or diagonal is called kiri-sage. The most common name that comes to mind is kesa-giri but it also includes men-uchi. Gasshi-uchi is also a kiri-sage but its principle is so special that we prefer to train it as a separate technique. Kiri-sage is best practiced through a technique sequence called mawashi-uchi. Starting from mukei no kurai, step diagonally to the right with your right leg and raise your hands above your head so that the sword covers the left side of your body (uke-nagashi). Rotate your hip to the left and let your left leg follow you into a stable stance (migi-hanmi) and strike kiri-sage. Now step diagonally to the left with your left leg and raise your hands so that the sword covers the right side of your body (uke-nagashi). Rotate your hip to the right and let your right leg follow you into a stable stance (hidari-hanmi) and strike kiri-sage. Continue in a continuous flow with these technique sequences and be mindful of taking a stable stance with your feet on the ground when the cut is made. No jumping or crossed legs, but a solid foundation to build the cut from.
Kiri-age
Conversely, we call any strike that starts low and has an upward trajectory kiri-age. Age comes from the Japanese verb ageru and indicates a lifting motion. Sage, as in kiri-sage, comes from the verb sageru and indicates that something has a descending motion. A common strike is gyaku-kesa-giri. Kiri-age is best practiced through a technique sequence called shita-kara-kiri-age. Start from tombo no kurai with the sword vertically over the right shoulder and your feet in hidari-hanmi. Lower the sword to junsha no kurai and step forward with your right leg as you slash diagonally from below and up to head height. Be careful to have a stable stance (migi-hanmi). Land the sword in gyaku-tombo no kurai in migi-hanmi, lower it to gyakusha no kurai and step forward with your left leg as you slash diagonally from below and up to head height. Be careful to have a stable stance (hidari-hanmi). Let the sword land in tombo no kurai again, and repeat the sequence in an uninterrupted flow.
Tsuki
There are different forms of tsuki (thrusts). They are effective finishes but are dangerous to practice freely because even moderately powerful hits can cause severe injuries. Therefore, we only mark tsuki under shiai-seihō. When standing in seigan no kurai or massugu no kurai, we first lower the kensaki (sword tip) slightly and step forward with the left leg to the right and thrust at the opponent's throat. Thrusts are effective in close combat when you are inside the maai. Avoid long thrusts as this will make you vulnerable to counterattacks. Naga-tsuki (long thrusts) look effective in demonstrations but are easy to avoid for a trained swordsman, and then you are completely open to a counterattack. When the opponent attacks the body from the side, you parry with kuraizume, which can be done on the left side in migi-hanmi or on the right side with crossed arms in hidari-hanmi. Kuraizume controls the opponent's sword and sword arms and is an excellent base from which to launch a thrust. In the Sangaku form, you reach kuraizume after the kobo-uchi strike, but instead of launching a final thrust, you let the uchidachi step back and catch a second thrust (nikiri) with torii no kurai. This is just one example of a course of action to take if you fail your kuraizume. After kobo-uchi and kuraizume, a tsuki should actually come. However, as mentioned earlier, a thrust from that position during training can end badly and therefore we avoid it. If our opponent attacks the head and we block with hane-uchi, we advance forward with the sword at the same angle and thrust towards the neck. We can also support the sword by moving our left hand to the back of the sword, torii-kuzushi no kurai, and control the opponent's weapon with kuraizume and thrust towards the solar plexus.
Yoko-giri
Yoko-giri are horizontal cuts to the torso. We don't usually make these cuts because our sword techniques are primarily for fighting with long swords and horizontal cuts are difficult to apply with long, heavy weapons. However, we must be prepared for our opponent to make a yoko-giri cut against us, and we must therefore be able to both avoid being hit and be able to make horizontal cuts ourselves with both a two-handed and one-handed grip on the sword hilt. To make a migi-yoko-giri cut, we step forward with our left leg and cut at waist height with our arms crossed. This is a short movement that can be combined with a tsuki. To attack with hidari-yoko-giri (also called dō-giri), we step powerfully to the left with our left leg and make a large cut.
Kobo-uchi
As the name suggests, kobo-uchi is more of a punch than a cutting blow. It occurs in Sangaku when we hold the sword in high positions (tombo, yoko-raitō or shitekisei) and cut (hit) straight down at the opponent's arms, hands or sword. Kobo-uchi is a blow that provides the opportunity to control the uchidachi rather than being a definitive finish. The blow should not be applied with great muscular force; the correct technique is like the sword falling like a tree or flagpole. Then the contact with the opponent's arms, hands or sword can be controlled (shimesu) and become compliant so that one can respond to all conceivable maneuvers from the uchidachi.