[b7RKli4l]

Since the footwork in kendo is completely different from any other martial art, having experience in another martial art will generally only cause problems. As a ballet student you will already poses may of the attributes that make a good kendoka:



1)strong legs and a lightweight upper body.

2)The physical and mental discipline to perform the hard work required.

3)The understanding that things won’t come quickly and that you need patience.



That said; start slow because Kendo places very different kinds of demands on your body than Ballet does.

[PemiaGefe]

welcome to kendo. I'm sure you'll not ejoy it, but do very well with those dancer's legs. Be sure to let us know how your search for something more goes.

[Raj_Copi_Jin]

Elizabeth...
I'm sure you'll get a lot of replies, but allow me to kick off!

Here's a page to help find a dojo.

You'll be best wearing a loose track suit and tee shirt, maybe a sports bra if you need one. Most dojo's will have shinai you can use for the first few lessons, until you decide if you like it.

Here in London, there are lots of women who practice, maybe 20-25%. Having a small build doesn't seem to be much of a disadvantage, as strength is not a huge asset here, it's skill and agility that count more.

[SallyIsNice5]

Hai_hai, Wes Nazo, TA-San...

Is this a stupid question?

..and what about this?

...and this?

I did a search on the forum and on Google for 'Answers to stupid questions', but couldn't find any...

Cheers

Ask your sensei.

[Prosocorneliay]

Hai_hai, Wes Nazo, TA-San...

Is this a stupid question?

..and what about this?

...and this?

I did a search on the forum and on Google for 'Answers to stupid questions', but couldn't find any...

Cheers

You know... you're playing with fire.
I'll leave it like that.

Cheerio.

[FYIbiatches]

Firsly, welcome to the boards.

Now...... Nope, previous martial arts experience is not required, in fact I found that my previous experience was a hinderance as the footwork conflicted with the light, linear footwork of kendo.

Depending on your club you may need to get your own shinai after a couple of sessions, but practice shinai can be picked up cheaply, and your Sensei will advise you.

Your small frame is of little consequence, Kendo is much more technique and endurance rather than size and strength. As far as gender mix is concerned I can only speak for my own club, and we are about 80% male, but the girls can more than hold their own.

As for finding a dojo, I'm sure someone from your side of the water will be able to advise you, see also the dojo section on the forum.

Loose fitting clothing is usually worn.

HTH.

[johnuioyer]

Hi Arecibo...

Welcome to KWF and hopefully welcome to Kendo...!

Most of your questions have probably been answered to some degree... I just wanted to re-assure you ref the size / gender thing...

I am 47 years old, 6'3" and weigh in at a considerable poundage (which I will not share in a public forum !!!)... I have been doing Martial Arts for around 25 years (Kendo since last November).

I recently visited a Dojo in Sao Paulo (Brazil) and had a really ferocious encounter with a female Kendoka... 22 yrs old... 5'0" ... light as a feather... and she is a gym / dance teacher. I have never seen such spirit...! She was awesome...!

It really is about assertion, effort and self-confidence... all of which are qualities you will have developed as a dancer. Additionally you will be told (endlessly) that in Kendo, the power and speed comes from the legs... concentrate on footwork (again this will be familiar to you...).

Lastly, there are a number of regular posters in this forum who live in Texas (e.g. Drizzt)... so I'm sure that they will soon pile in with some local advice.

You might want to do a Forum search using 'Texas' as the query and see what comes up.

Keep us posted and don't feel intimidated about asking inappropriate questions... the only stupid question is the one you forget to ask !

Cheers

[CurtisTH]

Welcome Lizzy

When i started training i wore some loose clothing. I never had a shinai, somone from my club let me borrow one.

I have been training for about over a year now. Im 5 months in armour

I am the only girl at my dojo and im managing fine. Although it would be nice to have some more females to have some "girl talk"

Good luck with your kendo training

[JetePlentuara]

Hai_hai, Wes Nazo, TA-San...

Is this a stupid question?

..and what about this?

...and this?

I did a search on the forum and on Google for 'Answers to stupid questions', but couldn't find any...

Cheers

[exchpaypalgold]

hehe..well, being a dancer...i bet he found out while she was either snuggling or she was kicking his bum! Heh, lord knows thats how jon found out i have strong legs. Nothing kinky about it. Hehe....

Its called the death grip, and its frightening

Fear the girl who does ballet and knows kendo (..or is going to learn it atleast)

[codespokerbonus]

You know... you're playing with fire.
I'll leave it like that.

Cheerio.

Lol....Bwahahahaha!

[Julik19]

-Im a very small framed girl, will this be a problem at all?

Some of my students at Rudra Bejart Dance school were 1,50 meter and under 50 kilos. They learned kendo wery well and sometimes beat me.
Usually the problem with dancers is that they want to do everything well.
Kendo is a little bit more 'savage' you cannot control everything, only do your best.
I'm sure you will enjoy kendo, height and weight do not matter, spirit and techique count. As a dancer, no doubt, you have the spirit. Just catch the technique and enjoy.

[SeftyJokipl]

-Where should/could i look up a place to train in, say, the yellow book? Under martial arts? If i can not find a place, would calling a reptuable martial arts center help?

Just as an addendum to this question (since others have already provided resources where to find dojos...): it sometimes pays to check into all your available options. After all, in joining a dojo or club, you are putting your faith in the instructors that they will teach you properly. Be cautious about joining a dojo/club where they do X martial art and "ohhh, we also do Kendo too." I'm not saying these are all bad news, but you might be better served going to a dojo/club where they do just Kendo as opposed to Karate/Kung-Fu/etc... with Kendo as an after-thought.

-When first starting, what kind of clothing is usually worn to class? Things that are loose or tight fitted to where they can see your placement and form?

As people have already stated, you'll want loose-fitting gym clothes to start. Once you get the feeling that you're ready to make a serious commitment (and your sensei gives the ok), then you'll need the gi & hakama. Later, when your sensei says, you'll also need to get bogu, although some dojos have spare sets that you may be able to use.

That all being said, it would pay to think about the equipment costs early on, and stash away some money each week into a "Kendo equipment" fund for that time when you need to get new equipment. Generally, with Kendo equipment, you tend to get what you pay for, so if you can put away some money for those costs, it will be easier to deal with when the time comes. (Unless you're independently wealthy or a Lotto winner, in which case, feel free to set aside a little bit of money each week for the rest of us... )

Anyways, welcome to Kendo and the Kendo World Forums!

[evennyNiz]

Wrathful incursions......sounds like fun to me, lol

[GooogleGuy]

Actually, there are stupid questions. And, posting them may incur my wrath.

Especially ones that could have been answered with less than two minutes of not over-taxing thought or some quick googling. Just asking them revealed a deep lack of thought. Those are the stupid questions.

The saying "there are no stupid questions, only stupid people" is trite, but apt, and also wrong in one fundamental detail.

"There are stupid people, and they ask stupid questions" might be more appropriate.

[nushentelve]

It wasn't sarcasm at all. I'm not sure what I said could be taken wrong. I sincerly meant to welcome her. I used to date a dancer, and her legs were far stronger than mine, and I am genuinely interested in how things go for her. I'm curious, what did you think I meant? If you've read my other posts, you would see that I'd never discourage anyone.

[Stappipsy]

Pleaaaaaaase, tell me EXACTLY how you found out her legs were stronger than yours...

SCNR

meow

No you don't need to know those kind of details at your age.

[Amoniustauns]

Oh crap, im sorry for posting this guys. I seem to be out of my mind recently. I completely missed the faq board. Dont know how i missed that, its right there. In bold. Ugh. I really need to get more sleep...

Thanks those who replied. But no need to reply to this anymore.

Since, i did post this in the wrong forum. Think a mod could move it to the faq board? Is there a way i can notify a mod to have it moved? Thanks so much.

[vipluka]

You know, I just reread my origianl post. I had alot of typing errors in there. That will teach me to post late at night. Ejoy, should have been Enjoy. And I meant that her dancers legs will give her an advantage over those who aren't in as good of shape. There was no disrespect intended. I hope this clears things up.

[ChuttyAmult]

I used to date a dancer, and her legs were far stronger than mine, and I am genuinely interested in how things go for her.

Pleaaaaaaase, tell me EXACTLY how you found out her legs were stronger than yours...

SCNR

meow