Hand guard fight

Kodeungi ssaum (코등이싸움) is a Korean sports word. In kumdo it refers to the moment when a downward strike crosses the opponent's sword and the hand guards (kodeungi, 코등이) lock, so that the two practitioners push against each other in that position. The sources gloss kodeungi as the sword's guard.

In jukdo (죽도, bamboo sword) fighting, it is the state in which the two kodeungi contest each other. The posture starts from the middle guard (jungdan, 중단) and keeps the guards in contact while the two press and push.

How it is trained, according to a Korean practice log:

• It is not a resting moment. It calls for a pressing posture (gongse, 공세) from which one can attack, counterattack and defend at any time.
• The jukdo is tilted slightly to the right, the grip is lowered, and force is placed in the lower abdomen to hold the body's centre.
• The rebound of the pressure can be used for strikes while backing away: to the head (toegyeok meori, 퇴격머리), wrist (toegyeok sonmok, 퇴격손목) or waist (toegyeok heori, 퇴격허리).

Mistakes noted in the same source: holding the jukdo horizontally below the waist, resting it on the opponent's shoulder, pushing with brute strength only, or separating late without returning to jungdan. Each of these lets the opponent strike.

The Japanese kendo federation's refereeing handbook describes the same situation as the closest and tensest point between two opponents. It says that when it lasts about one breath (roughly 3 seconds or more), the referee judges whether the contact is correct, whether there is intent to strike and whether there is will to separate. The English name "hand guard fight" follows a kendo teaching site's gloss of the Japanese term.