Maai: distance and the moment

From chudan, the tips cross or nearly cross, and one fumikomi reaches the target. Your sensei may check it with you standing still. Do not copy a number of centimetres from a webpage. Height and shinai length change it.

You close it (toi-maai to striking distance). You keep it so their cut is short. Or you let them enter and answer as they commit. Debana, nuki, and hiki all depend on which of these you chose. San-sen is the timing name for that choice.

Small halls make people stand too close. If your tip is past their tsuba before you decide to cut, you are already in tsubazeriai. Reset to one-step distance at the start of each uchikomi. In kata, the sensei will correct the first step more often than the last cut.

Maai is not “always stay far”. A far distance with no threat is just standing. It is also not charging from across the court. The useful distance is the one your sensei can still correct.