[loikrso]

www.artsofthesamurai.net/ kendoclass.html

[fedordzen]

Kendo McDojo

[alecaf]

Indeed... we have a guy outside work who hands out leaflets... his dojo is his front room with a tatami-coloured blanket put down on the floor - and apparently he teaches "every form of bushido known, including Aikido-te (Wtf???)"

[finnmontserrat]

heh heh! Only in America (not to insult Americans, but it just wouldn't happen in the UK!)

have you seen the pic of the cute little blonde girl breaking a board with her elbow... nuts!

[nerrttrw]

Wow, Sensei Trussel is studying for a black belt in kendo!

[scoundtrack]

I've always wanted to go to a place like that just to see how they teach. There is such a place near my house so I can just go there and see what's up.

One thing I've always wondered is what their reaction would be if someone that practices the real martial art comes along.

[Jon Woodgate]

heh heh! Only in America (not to insult Americans, but it just wouldn't happen in the UK!)

You're kidding, right? Just have a peruse through the baffling budo section at e-budo to discover how many UK martial arts frauds there are.

[Virosponna]

I have to tell my sensei that he's teaching the wrong kendo. He makes us wear bogu, use shinais, and we can't stand still to let our opponents hit us without opposition.

He also doesn't let us use live blades, even when we reach yondan.

My kendo is so deprived............

[CializCialiscsqw]

Just what is that. They have a sensei who got his firts dan last year ...

[illiniastibly]

Wow, Sensei Trussel is studying for a black belt in kendo!

That's quite impressive for a mere stag.

http://www.artsofthesamurai.net/senseimcsorley.html

Why does she looks like she came out of a bad anime? Is there even such a thing as the US National Martial Arts Hall of Fame?

[GinaGomesz]

Is it just me or is the guy in the kendo picture holding the bokken the wrong way? Also, I can understand children screwing up, but the woman with her back towards the camera should have her belt tied better so it doesn't look like it does now.

[Niiinioa]

Hahaha.... what I cant get over is the photos of the senseis. You've got a rambo, a chinese wannabe (supposed to be teaching japanese arts), and another guy who wants to be in a samurai movie.

Sorry, cant stop rolling around on the ground....

[Pasy]

Is there even such a thing as the US National Martial Arts Hall of Fame?

Probably. You'll find that there are many organisations with names like that, or "World Sokeship Council" or whatever. They are sometimes run as money-making scams (pay me X dollars and I'll award you a big title), and sometimes are collaborations by the members to make themselves look good. You'll often find such an organisation will nominate many legitimate well-known instructors along with themselves, to give themselves the appearance of standing alongside the people who are the real deal. Whenever I see someone who claims recognition or membership in an organisation with such a title, I'm instantly suspicious. If they belong to multiple such organisations, I dismiss them out of hand.

[Donadoni1809]

Ok, that website is just downright depressing its so bad.

[Jesslovers]

http://www.artsofthesamurai.net/senseiben.html I love it he started in 2002 and is now teaching LOL

[Hoijdxvh]

OK. I have seen tons of these threads where everybody does their nyuck, nyuck, nyuck, look at these silly people, they are so bad.
I'm going to be a bit of devils advocate and ask, what exactly does it matter that these people or others like them do what ever it is that they do? How is it any skin off your teeth? I'm not saying that they are "legit" but who cares? Are your arts so pure and true and so efficient in killing that the mere existence of these people is an insult?
At least they are not ninjers.

[Cheeniandab]

Just nyuck nyucks...though I'd say that in this case, for me anyway, it's a matter of them claiming to be teaching kendo (with belts, bokuto, etc...).

If someone is teaching actual kendo, and just posting cheesy pictures posing in the gear, then it's just for laughs.

[illiderob]

I'm not saying that they are "legit" but who cares? Hey John,
Had a discussion with their instructor on-line a couple years ago. At the time he said that they had no real experience with Japanese swords, and no one out there to teach them. But, with all of the Kill Bill and Last Samurai excitement, they had most of their students clamoring to start learning the sword. So, he made some stuff up and was having them do it. Now, at the time I wasn't bothered by it. The instructor I was talking with had quite a number of years of karate instruction, and he assured me they were only practicing with bokken. I urged him to import an instructor for periodic seminars so they could actually learn something, but that was apparently ignored.

Now, as I just looked at their web site, I see that April 15 was "tater cuttin class". And all yellow belts and up, their first cut has to be from the draw. Now I'm hoping like hell that they are cutting potatoes because they are using iaito. Otherwise, that is a horrible accident just waiting to happen. If they really are using sharp swords, and one of their kids manages to drop their left hand on the ground because they don't know how to draw and cut properly, or loses their sword and it impales one of the audience because they don't know where the danger zones are, then we all stand to lose. The media would have a field day about "unsafe Japanese sword schools" even though they have no interaction with any instructor. This is what makes me nervous about these places. If they are actually using iaito, there's still a chance of someone getting impaled. However, the odds of tragedy are lower.

So, I really don't approve of anyone teaching sword without having proper instruction. It has the potential to have a very negative backlash on me. Gotta say that I've never cared for a lot of the "piling on" that tends to go with these sort of posts though.

[aliceingoogs]

I'm going to be a bit of devils advocate and ask, what exactly does it matter that these people or others like them do what ever it is that they do?

It's not the specifics of what they do that bugs me. It's the misrepresentation of what they do as something else. If they called their class "Japanese-style swordsmanship" and described it as "learning to use wooden swords in a curriculum designed by our karate instructor", I would be completely fine with it. But nooooo, they always have to imply that they are teaching something they are not. Which reflects badly on all of us.

[incimisiche]

I understand the feeling and admit that it kind of bugs me too. Paul makes a very good point, it is dangerous. So is there anything we, as allegedly responsible people, can do outside of making fun of them?