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**casinobonusnolimit** · 02-07-2010, 07:52 PM

Silly or not, it's correct. Some people, as in, more than just one or two, will think it's vain and show-off-y for newbies to buy fancy armor. Definitely at my dojo, where most of the guys are blue collar guys, if a new person walked in and bought $2000 bogu, people would have been askance. I got ribbed a little bit for wanting a custom set, which wasn't even over $600, initially (I ended up getting a different set on good sale for under $500 and felt better about it).

Relately, I think it's weird when a beginner tennis player buys a $200 pro-balanced racquet, or a beginner golfer buys $2000 forged Pings. The reason is because it is indeed wasteful for those people, whose skills can't possibly take advantage of that equipment, to buy it. It makes them look like they are just throwing money at the sport to show off and not building in proper amounts of experience. I don't know that the analogy perfectly fits Kendo -- after all, your armor is protective and fit is important and while $2000 forged Pings are likely to be harder to use as a beginner than some cheap flexible cavity-backed $300 irons, that's not true for Kendo -- but I'm just trying to make an illustration of why even if you have the money to buy very fancy bogu you might not want to on your first set.

Well, you said it yourself, the analogy doesn't work...Bogu is protective gear and, chances are, you'll still be getting the best out of it whether you're experienced or not.

People who look at what other's have and feel envious or spiteful simply because they weren't as lucky when they started out, have no business in any form of martial arts. It isn't vanity and condemning it as such is just an excuse to be immature. It's not the equipment that determines the better fighter, so why make a big deal out of it?

02-07-2010, 07:52 PM	#24
casinobonusnolimit Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 439 Senior Member	Silly or not, it's correct. Some people, as in, more than just one or two, will think it's vain and show-off-y for newbies to buy fancy armor. Definitely at my dojo, where most of the guys are blue collar guys, if a new person walked in and bought $2000 bogu, people would have been askance. I got ribbed a little bit for wanting a custom set, which wasn't even over $600, initially (I ended up getting a different set on good sale for under $500 and felt better about it). Relately, I think it's weird when a beginner tennis player buys a $200 pro-balanced racquet, or a beginner golfer buys $2000 forged Pings. The reason is because it is indeed wasteful for those people, whose skills can't possibly take advantage of that equipment, to buy it. It makes them look like they are just throwing money at the sport to show off and not building in proper amounts of experience. I don't know that the analogy perfectly fits Kendo -- after all, your armor is protective and fit is important and while $2000 forged Pings are likely to be harder to use as a beginner than some cheap flexible cavity-backed $300 irons, that's not true for Kendo -- but I'm just trying to make an illustration of why even if you have the money to buy very fancy bogu you might not want to on your first set. Well, you said it yourself, the analogy doesn't work...Bogu is protective gear and, chances are, you'll still be getting the best out of it whether you're experienced or not. People who look at what other's have and feel envious or spiteful simply because they weren't as lucky when they started out, have no business in any form of martial arts. It isn't vanity and condemning it as such is just an excuse to be immature. It's not the equipment that determines the better fighter, so why make a big deal out of it?
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