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**isopsmypovA** · 09-07-2007, 11:10 PM

why do you say that?

i mean i do like kendo, but i'm not too familiar with the rules and scoring of it. maybe you could clarify them for me a bit. it's just that from what i've seen on videos, pretty much all the striking motions are top down. like you go in and quickly tap the other guy on his head.

do people strike from all sides in kendo?

by the way i just checked out chambara..... this looks like a sport for 2 year olds.... they just wildly swing around a foam bat with no techniques and with absolutely no grace whatsoever.

Welcome. You might've opened Pandora's Box on this one, but hopefully you'll be able to take some things in stride.

First, what do you mean "closer to real sword fighting"? Have you seen a sword fight? Have you held a sword, and tried to throw it around like a lightsaber. Granted, if all of us tried to run out and do shinken-shobu (ie: tried to cut each other up with a real sword), it might look fast and amazing. But in general, like a regular fight, people trying to kill each other with swords is, unless they're both trained in the same style, pretty much a bunch of guys brutishly trying to break their opponent's kamae to get in for the kill. It's not exactly the stuff you see in the movies, and it certainly looks slower probably. This is something to keep in mind.

Kendo IS about studying how to use a sword. Iaido also is about how to use a sword. Koryu like kenjutsu and the modern Toyama-Ryu schools are also about how to use a sword. Frankly, though, none of us really learn this stuff to run out and kill people with a sword. Probably 99% of the people you talk to here will say they do this for character improvement (or just personal improvement). Very few people sanely attempt to learn this for "real sword fighting" purposes. It's kind of a bad idea, and inapplicable in an age where the average weapon outpaces a man by about 900 feet in a single second.

You talk about how people would slice the belly and the like. Actually, with a daito (katana), you'd probably be going for kesagiri (a horizontal cut across the torso) a lot more than simply trying to cut the "belly". Ichimonji, the name for that particular attack, isn't exactly like an everyday thing. Again, these are things that you could learn from every one of these arts if you study them and their background properly.

Kendo people hit each others' "head" for a lot of reasons, but the rules of their "sparring" (which, by the way, only comprise of a small percentage of kendo - there's a ton of kata that you have to go through once you reach the upper levels of kendo that utilize a sword) require you to have the proper intent and means to have been able to "kill" the other person via a combination of footwork, spirit, timing, and proper form. This isn't exactly SCA or some runabout group of crazy guys. Kendo is the cultural child of the koryu bugei (older schools), and shows it quite well.

You should go to a kendo dojo (find one through the dojo listings on the site) and take a look for yourself. Talk to one of the sensei, and explain what you would like. Certainly, if you're looking to better yourself, and you think that studying the sword will do it, kendo is definitely a great place for you.

PS: Actually, during these sparring matches, a ton of kendoka go after the wrists almost as much as the head. Debana kote for the win.

PPS: Sweet mother of God, did someone just recommend Chanbara? I don't mean to instigate a flame war, but ALL of the chanbara schools around here are in ill repute with the rest of the budo community for their "home sensei learning" video series that allows you to become a teacher. One guy, who teaches at a school in Santa Cruz for "Iaido and Chanbara" claims to falsely have been a student of one of my sensei for several years in "sword arts" such as "tamashigri (sic)" and coach for my school's fencing team (which doesn't exist, and hasn't since the 19th century). From what I hear, Dana whatshisname has run into the same problems with Goshindo's legitimacy as well. I can't believe anyone could let this happen.

I'm not a fan of it, in other words. But if you're having fun, hell, go wild.

09-07-2007, 11:10 PM	#7
isopsmypovA Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 493 Senior Member	why do you say that? i mean i do like kendo, but i'm not too familiar with the rules and scoring of it. maybe you could clarify them for me a bit. it's just that from what i've seen on videos, pretty much all the striking motions are top down. like you go in and quickly tap the other guy on his head. do people strike from all sides in kendo? by the way i just checked out chambara..... this looks like a sport for 2 year olds.... they just wildly swing around a foam bat with no techniques and with absolutely no grace whatsoever. Welcome. You might've opened Pandora's Box on this one, but hopefully you'll be able to take some things in stride. First, what do you mean "closer to real sword fighting"? Have you seen a sword fight? Have you held a sword, and tried to throw it around like a lightsaber. Granted, if all of us tried to run out and do shinken-shobu (ie: tried to cut each other up with a real sword), it might look fast and amazing. But in general, like a regular fight, people trying to kill each other with swords is, unless they're both trained in the same style, pretty much a bunch of guys brutishly trying to break their opponent's kamae to get in for the kill. It's not exactly the stuff you see in the movies, and it certainly looks slower probably. This is something to keep in mind. Kendo IS about studying how to use a sword. Iaido also is about how to use a sword. Koryu like kenjutsu and the modern Toyama-Ryu schools are also about how to use a sword. Frankly, though, none of us really learn this stuff to run out and kill people with a sword. Probably 99% of the people you talk to here will say they do this for character improvement (or just personal improvement). Very few people sanely attempt to learn this for "real sword fighting" purposes. It's kind of a bad idea, and inapplicable in an age where the average weapon outpaces a man by about 900 feet in a single second. You talk about how people would slice the belly and the like. Actually, with a daito (katana), you'd probably be going for kesagiri (a horizontal cut across the torso) a lot more than simply trying to cut the "belly". Ichimonji, the name for that particular attack, isn't exactly like an everyday thing. Again, these are things that you could learn from every one of these arts if you study them and their background properly. Kendo people hit each others' "head" for a lot of reasons, but the rules of their "sparring" (which, by the way, only comprise of a small percentage of kendo - there's a ton of kata that you have to go through once you reach the upper levels of kendo that utilize a sword) require you to have the proper intent and means to have been able to "kill" the other person via a combination of footwork, spirit, timing, and proper form. This isn't exactly SCA or some runabout group of crazy guys. Kendo is the cultural child of the koryu bugei (older schools), and shows it quite well. You should go to a kendo dojo (find one through the dojo listings on the site) and take a look for yourself. Talk to one of the sensei, and explain what you would like. Certainly, if you're looking to better yourself, and you think that studying the sword will do it, kendo is definitely a great place for you. PS: Actually, during these sparring matches, a ton of kendoka go after the wrists almost as much as the head. Debana kote for the win. PPS: Sweet mother of God, did someone just recommend Chanbara? I don't mean to instigate a flame war, but ALL of the chanbara schools around here are in ill repute with the rest of the budo community for their "home sensei learning" video series that allows you to become a teacher. One guy, who teaches at a school in Santa Cruz for "Iaido and Chanbara" claims to falsely have been a student of one of my sensei for several years in "sword arts" such as "tamashigri (sic)" and coach for my school's fencing team (which doesn't exist, and hasn't since the 19th century). From what I hear, Dana whatshisname has run into the same problems with Goshindo's legitimacy as well. I can't believe anyone could let this happen. I'm not a fan of it, in other words. But if you're having fun, hell, go wild.
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