Lower limb mechanics in kendo <i>men</i> and <i>kote</i> strikes: a within-subject comparison of joint-torque and ground-reaction-force temporal coordination and timing strategies

Kendo striking depends on temporal coordination across joints from the ground to the upper limbs, and task demands differ between <i>men</i> and <i>kote</i>. We aimed to compare, within subjects, lowerlimb joint torques and groundreaction forces-and their temporal coordination-between kendo <i>men</i> and <i>kote</i> strikes. Nineteen trained collegiate kendo athletes performed both strikes. Three-dimensional kinematics (250 Hz) and GRF (1000 Hz) were synchronised from movement onset-defined as centre-of-mass speed ≥0.15 m·s^-1 -to the instant before impact. Torques (hip, knee, ankle) and GRF (Fy, Fz, Fyz) were normalised to body mass; paired t-tests were used for discrete variables, and point-wise paired t-tests with Benjamini-Hochberg false-discovery-rate control (q < .05) for waveforms. Strike time was shorter in <i>kote</i> than <i>men</i> (0.745 ± 0.101 s vs. 0.818 ± 0.085 s). These findings suggest that <i>men</i> strikes rely more on a late, large impulse, whereas <i>kote</i> strikes rely on earlier, proximally initiated torques; therefore, both the magnitude and timing of lower‑limb mechanics should be considered when coaching and monitoring kendo performance.