[rassedgesse]

Salute from Germany,

I have been told it's time to get some Bogu. I had hoped that my club would have spares to rent, they do but only for the kids. I'm about to put out a lot of money for a 3mm set. I'm a little weary of buying without knowing what its like to be hit on the head. I have had someone elses Kote on and been wacked in the wrist (with protector) and that was fine. I have heard of Men-shock and know of at least one case were someone got hit on the head and we never saw him again. Is it realy that bad/painful recieving a Men hit ? I mean I have been watching just how hard some of the newer members sort of try to cut people in half.

[esdfsdflast]

I would suggest maybe borrowing someone’s before you buy. It’s fine if you have correct fitting bogu but if it's too big or too small you might have some problems, but wearing bogu is a threshold for some people. I would also ask some of your dojo mates what bogu they have and what they think of it, and as always ask your sensei. Other than that to answer your question more bluntly, no in general it doesn’t hurt to receive men strikes. Also 3mm might be a little ridged you might want to think about something with a wider stitch, there are lots of threads about stitching width is you do a search.

[bensabath]

Salute from Germany,

I have been told it's time to get some Bogu. I had hoped that my club would have spares to rent, they do but only for the kids. I'm about to put out a lot of money for a 3mm set. I'm a little weary of buying without knowing what its like to be hit on the head. I have had someone elses Kote on and been wacked in the wrist (with protector) and that was fine. I have heard of Men-shock and know of at least one case were someone got hit on the head and we never saw him again. Is it realy that bad/painful recieving a Men hit ? I mean I have been watching just how hard some of the newer members sort of try to cut people in half.

First of all, congratulations on getting the go ahead to get bogu.

The only time it'll be painful to receive a men strike is when you're paired with someone who uses too much right hand and tries to bludgeon you instead of using proper techinique. I use a 5 mm machine stitched set (roughly 4 years old) and I've never really had any very painful experiences. The only bad moments have been from bad/off target strikes. If you're worried, ask your sensei about it but as a person who's brand new to bogu, your sempai probably won't hit you full force until you're used to it.

Personally, I say just go for it. A well fitting men will greatly reduce any discomfort so make sure your sensei or sempai measure you correctly. If you have the money, ask the shop you buy from if you can upgrade the men quality, but that shouldn't be a problem if you're buying a 3 mm set.

[LeviBrawn]

You wore kote and got struck? Don't worry then. Kote is the only thing that really hurts for me. Men are very protective, and the only thing I can see having a problem is just having it be uncomfortable for a few weeks until you break it in.

Usually the complaint is that peoples' ears start to hurt a little bit from rubbing against the inside of the men (but it usually goes away after a week or two).

That said, don't quit or decide not to get bogu just because of some minuscule, transitory discomfort. Stick in it and reap the long-term rewards!

[JessiPollo]

ok, danke. Sounds good to me

[LillyPlay]

i got into bogu a few months ago. First a loaner from the club with a well worn in men and 2 months ago i got my own.

as said before, only to much right from your opponent might hurt. Misses hurt way more by the way

A short dojomate got in to bogu the same time as i did. he is about 5 foot tall and had some trouble with a men that did not fit properly, that hurts. He now has a proper men and has no problems anymore.

Get a proper fitting bogu and you should be fine! Have fun and enjoy Kendo from behind the mengane!

[RonPeeredob]

That said, don't quit or decide not to get bogu just because of some minuscule, transitory discomfort.

Or Blood.

[casinobonbiner]

Well we did lose some people to this "men shock" as well, but it's not the "pain" cause there isn't really any, it's more the way kendo changes once you're in bogu.
Bogu costs a LOT of money and I wouldn't really recommend buying your own set without ever having worn men & being hit. Maybe you could ask one of your sempai if you could possibly try out their men and let them hit you with some oki men after class so you get the feeling for it and know what you're in for.

It would be a terrible shame if you get yourself a pricey bogu and then you quit kendo afterall.

That said, strikes to the men shouldn't hurt, it's the missplaced kote's that you need to worry about .
Get yourself a men-pad (http://www.kendo24.com/kendo/zubehoe...n-polster.html) and you won't feel a thing

[adarmaSen]

Stunde der Wahrheit
Dont buy a men, the first fights will show you if you give Kendo a go or not, it will be very exiting or it will be only a pain and every time fearfull.
like i said
Stunde der Wahrheit

[wgX44EEn]

And I thought slavery is over.

A Good Men is described as good quality and good fit. If you get a Men that doesn't fit, it hurts too.

As for good quality Men, as your Sensei, don't ask any women since there is no such thing as a good men if you ask them.

[juyrett]

Salute,

So I finally get my Bogu. Well...getting hit wasn't that bad....but man is it loud!!! I didn't expect that at all

[Amoniustauns]

Salute,

So I finally get my Bogu. Well...getting hit wasn't that bad....but man is it loud!!! I didn't expect that at all

And you're coming back for more! Glad to hear your fears of too much shock to the head are being put to rest.

[WhiliaStelt]

Receiving men doesn't hurt unless you duck! Make sure you keep your posture upright and look straight at you partner so that the strike hits the men gane. Other than that you should be fine.

[Z1IRo4Ap]

Salute,

So I finally get my Bogu. Well...getting hit wasn't that bad....but man is it loud!!! I didn't expect that at all

You need to let air out the men...that's why it's loud.

After you tie your men, and set the himo to the right height, grab the men from the edges just above where you've tied your himo and give a light to medium outward pull. If you need to, readjust the himo to tighten.

The sound is because you're trapping air between your ears and the men...if you don't correct this, you could possible injure your hearing...it's like standing next to loud sounds too often.

[amberamuletuk]

Well we did lose some people to this "men shock" as well, but it's not the "pain" cause there isn't really any, it's more the way kendo changes once you're in bogu.
Bogu costs a LOT of money and I wouldn't really recommend buying your own set without ever having worn men & being hit. Maybe you could ask one of your sempai if you could possibly try out their men and let them hit you with some oki men after class so you get the feeling for it and know what you're in for.

It would be a terrible shame if you get yourself a pricey bogu and then you quit kendo afterall.

That said, strikes to the men shouldn't hurt, it's the missplaced kote's that you need to worry about .
Get yourself a men-pad (http://www.kendo24.com/kendo/zubehoe...n-polster.html) and you won't feel a thing

Yeah Kendo does rather change a lot once you get into bogu. But for me, it was a good change. I remember before bogu, I was a bit worried because I wasn't really sweating (or breathing hard) which was part of what I was looking for. It wasn't very physically challenging out of bogu (though mentally it was). But once I got into bogu I loved it. After the initial euphoria wore off (it lasted a while) it felt more challenging still. I still find it very satisfying though.

Actually, getting hit on the kote is probably the most uncomfortable.It's even more uncomfortable when someone misses. I've gotten many bruises that way. Maybe you can ask your sensei if you can try that first, before shelling out the money? But sometimes, it can hurt when you get hit on the men too...for me, only one or two people at my dojo hurt when they hit men. (out of like, 50). So usually it's not a problem, but when I fight them I just have to grit my teeth and bear it. But that being said, if you can't take a little pain, kendo might not be for you.