I think mukaezuki can be very beneficial for overcoming the fear to attack and building “toughness” in your kendo. I think it’s also important for learning when you have and have not broken your opponents center and makes it obvious when you are attacking without first creating an opportunity. Personally I’ve benefited from my sensei’s mukaezuki in these ways. However i think without a good relationship between the sensei and student, where there’s trust and a specific goal for the training in mind, mukaezuki can be a lazy way for a sensei to be dominant over students. A student who is not ready to challenge the mukaezuki physically and mentally like Kajitani san shows, will just become afraid to attack straight and with power. That’s counterproductive to their development - the complete opposite of the intended result, actually. I think it’s an advanced part of kendo training and the sensei doing it needs to be very aware of the effect it has on each student individually and use it with great care.
I've never thought that mukaezuki and munazuki are beneficial. Intentional mukaezuki and munazuki that someone just because you don't want to get hit are *very* dangerous. I'm sure they're trying to teach from above, saying, "That's not the timing to hit,'' but if you do it poorly, you can end up injuring your partner or opponent, and even if that's not the case, it can make the peers think, "I want to do that, too.'' The reason I couldn't straighten my right elbow was because I was stabbed in the chest and seriously injured. Immediately after that, I had an MRI scan (at my own expense), but the doctor said that treatment was impossible. Never use the mukaezuki and/or munazuki as the after-effects will greatly impede one's subsequent kendo performance. Once again, intentional mukaezuki and munazuki is not right to do regardless of the rank, even 7th dan or 8th dan. If you find yourself in a situation where you are about to accidentally do a chest thrust, stop your grip and loose the kamae immediately.
