Nemesis, a name that screams business.
The Nemesis gear is (better said was) the 100% shiai dedicated bogu line from AJB.
When there is bogu with added padding and so on for intense Keiko to minimize shinai impact,
then you have the complete opposite with the nemesis bogu.
The idea is to remove everything unneeded and preserve only the bare necessities.
So, you´ll end up with a high performance, ultralight weight and flexible shiai beast of a bogu.
Now the kote:
-full, genuine orizashi reinforced cotton construction
-5mm cross-pitch-stitching
-AllJapan Shin leather (artificial) micro punch palms
-proudly made in Japan
They are advertised as "premium jissen-gata kote" or "high end shiai kote"
And boy, they are.....
As said, the concept behind these is to remove everything unnecessary and every bit of weight that´s not needed, yet retain an acceptable level of protection.
I might say, that these are the lightest kote available on the market.
I mean, they are not just a bit lighter, they are significant lighter.
Standard kote are about 550g to 600g
Nemesis kote weight about 380g, wow.
This is about a third (!!!) of weight you save.
Amazing.
Having that much material removed, the kote naturally become more flexible, I´d say most flexible.
Describing them with the therm "squashy" sounds appropriate.
Look at this:
The softness and the light weight, makes these kote seem non-existing during keiko.
Manipulating the shinai feels almost bare handed, there is only a really small gap between kote-on and kote-off.
They also fit great into the tiniest free spot of your completely overfilled bogu bag.
Saving that much weight, you´ll have to make a sacrifice somewhere.
Thickness. Thickness is almost non-existing.
Well, they are thin, boy they are really thin.
Have a look:
Thin...
At first glance they look way to thin for using them in Keiko.
But, fear not and behold the magic of AJB`s bogu-skills.
AJB uses some nifty and clever ways to make these babies obtain an at least "decent" level of protection.
First, the stitching:
Using the famous AllJapanPitch stitching in a crossed way, AJB creates a clever framework within the futon.
It´s soft, spongy and springy. Thats a good thing!
The impact from the shinai will be reduced due to this construction.
Imagine the little squares work as tiny pillows. Rather smart, no?
Second, the flexibility:
As you can see here, the futon absorbs the energy from the shinai by its own flexibility:
Don´t expect to feel nothing when you receive kote uchi, that´s simply not what these buddies are made for.
But the amount of force eaten up by the above mentioned "tricks" is enough to use them without bigger problems.
Don´t get me wrong, I HIGHLY advice against using the Nemesis kote for extended (kote)kihon practice, facing beginners/hard hitters or for dedicated kote training.
Don´t do it, Just don´t.
Pain.Bruises.Ouch.....
BUT,
for ji-geiko or a regular round of "standart" keiko, they work well.
Maybe you should use a kote protection pad in addition.
And of course, they absolutely shine in shiai.
That´s what they are made for.
The advantage in weight and feeling of being nearly bare handed is astonishing.
Also, during shiai adrenalin rushes trough our bodies, making us less prone to pain.
So you´ll feel any too hard executed kote hits only the day after ;)
Overall, the benefits overweight the drawbacks, at least to me.
(but please promise not to use them for kote kihon, I did it once. NO.GOOD.IDEA.)
The palms:
The palms are made from so called "shin-leather", which is artificial and feels different to clarino.
I kind of like it, but deer skin is still "it" to me.
They have those tiny holes all over them (called "micro punched"), so they really are cooler then normal kote palm, your hands wont be as wet as they are used to be.
Have a look:
As you see in the picture, the shinai contact spots start to ripple somewhat.
I don´t think they will break here any time soon, but it looks wired.
Let´s see how they perform over time.
Regarding the holes I was kinda concerned and afraid of them to stretch out, but nothing so happened.
So, thumbs up for micro punched palms.
The only thing I didn´t liked about them was the smell.
No deer skin smokey smell here.
Cheese, yes friggin cheese smell.
Like really strong old cheese.
Luckily the smell faded, so they don´t have any odor now (what luck...)
Breaking in time was exactly one keiko session.
The palms needed to stretch a little according to my hands, and that was it.
Everything else is so soft, no further breaking in is needed. Non.Zero.Nada.
Please note:
you won't find the Nemesis bogu anymore on AJB´s webside.
They are not discontinued, Nemesis has been replaced.
Nemesis is now Assassin.
It`s basically the same set having tiny little enhancements (tiny leather reinforcements here, little bells and whistles there….)
The basic features have stayed the same!
Conclusion:
Nemesis is the stock car or muscle car of kendo equipment.
No comfort, but brute power.
They are great.
They are paradox to me.
They are NOT fore everyone.
But I love them!
As they are proudly made in japan, please expect a"slightly" higher rice tag (about 230€).
I think they are worth it.
Feel free to comment and ask me questions about them :)
Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment