DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - What does it take to graduate to bogu -- instructor's POV

**cargo_brad** · 03-27-2011, 08:51 AM

Sheets, your idea presupposes that either people buy their bogu very early or that clubs have loads of rental bogu kicking around for use. Neither is realistic. Around 50% of people quit before ever getting to wear bogu, and 50% quit within a month or so of getting their bogu. Of those that make it to the end of the year, maybe half again show up the next fall. So we see about a 90% overall attrition over one year. This topic has been discussed before, and our clubs numbers are pretty typical. Kendo is simply not everyone's cup of tea, and getting beginners to play dress-up in bogu earlier is unlikely to have any effect.

To me the thing that has the biggest effect is the beginner's sense of belonging within the club, which is also a social institution. We try to include them as much as possible but many people are intimidated by the senior members and instructors even though we're a pretty friendly and casual club. So their chances of success increase greatly if they start with some friends, or if they start with a large group and make some friends within that group. The lowest chance of success is when they start in ones and twos. This is one reason why we limit our club intakes to twice a year, the other being simply our limited resources both in instructors and practice space/time.

03-27-2011, 08:51 AM	#20
cargo_brad Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 412 Senior Member	Sheets, your idea presupposes that either people buy their bogu very early or that clubs have loads of rental bogu kicking around for use. Neither is realistic. Around 50% of people quit before ever getting to wear bogu, and 50% quit within a month or so of getting their bogu. Of those that make it to the end of the year, maybe half again show up the next fall. So we see about a 90% overall attrition over one year. This topic has been discussed before, and our clubs numbers are pretty typical. Kendo is simply not everyone's cup of tea, and getting beginners to play dress-up in bogu earlier is unlikely to have any effect. To me the thing that has the biggest effect is the beginner's sense of belonging within the club, which is also a social institution. We try to include them as much as possible but many people are intimidated by the senior members and instructors even though we're a pretty friendly and casual club. So their chances of success increase greatly if they start with some friends, or if they start with a large group and make some friends within that group. The lowest chance of success is when they start in ones and twos. This is one reason why we limit our club intakes to twice a year, the other being simply our limited resources both in instructors and practice space/time.
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