[DOWNLOADnowADOBEphotoSHOP]

Good luck to you!

I would say that there is nothing wrong with sitting and watching for maybe 3 or 4 weeks before participating. Learning kendo is a long slow process, and there is no particular need to jump straight in.

I joined the class after watching one week, because i was so impatient to get going, but think it maybe would have been better for me if i had watched for a little longer.

But i hope very much that you enjoy it and we see you again in this forum.

[bashansasasasa]

midori keiko?

It's good, in tournaments you can learn quite a lot by just watching matches.

[www.forumsovetov.ru]

thank you for the correction :P

midori keiko would be green keiko?

my japanese is not very good lol

[Nafheense]

Don't worry about the equipment yet. You shouldnt need it for awhile.
Get started, then buy you own shinai (cheap one will do).
After a few months, you might want to get a hakama (the pleated split skirt) and the keiko-gi (the top).
As for armor, when you get to that, you can usually start out borrowing dojo armor and then start to look into getting your own. You're probably, at that stage, looking at at least $400 for a cheap korean made one., but I wouldnt worry about that yet.

Cheers,

Jakob

[WebDocMan]

You will only need the shinai when you start, the gi and hakama can come later.

Your sensei may not want you to wear hakama anyway, until he is satisfied that you have the correct foot and leg positioning for kendo, that is PARRALLEL || feet and a straight back / leg, not quite the aikido style.

If you have been learning aikido for a while, you may find the correction that is needed to be quite difficult.

Good luck - the journey is worth it !


Richard

[Britfunclubs]

decide first if kendo is really the sport for you.you mind end up buying all those expensive kendo stuff and cover all skin on your body then end up quitting in exchange for the sport of swimming where swimming trunks is the only wear you need.after you decide, you only need a good shinai, cheaper one will do.wearing keikogi is too unbearable especially when your in a tropical country so you should be thankful while you still have to wear a pair of pants and a shirt.

[CreativeAcrobate]

AlexM, what the heck were you doing to be shearing off all that skin? Us rookies in your dojo haven't had that problem consistently. Well, other than the broken foot, that is.
All I can say for prevention of blisters is hockey tape. Best used on a hair-free part of the foot or where you would really like to remove hair. Medical tape works too but won't last as long, doesn't have as many harmful adhesive chemicals, and it won't remove as much hair. I wrapped hockey tape around my two largest toes on both feet during karate and it worked great as I could move faster and more smoothly. Plus it looked way cooler to do the opening move of Heian Yondan without my feet sticking to the floor...

I can't believe the people who use duct tape for blisters, yikes!

For keeping that bandage over the blister, medical tape is probably the best alternative.

And really, you shouldn't be bleeding all over the floor, don't scare the poor guy...

[AgJ5mNXM]

I agree. You don't have to worry about getting the gear. From my experience I borrowed a set then bought one later on a year later. For me it was a year before I put the borrowed set on.

[Qxsumehj]

I think that when I started kendo, i didn't really know how much it would cost me in total. So I started with a 35$ shinai (or was it 40?), which is pretty okay. And I just bought my second shinai a month ago because my first one began to unplease me (well, i could have use it 3 month or more but i wanted a new one... :þ). I started 8 months ago, and they just told me a couple of weeks ago that i might want a hakama and gi. I had enough time to see if i liked kendo or not. I think it's better to wait and see if your destiny brings you to this martial art. I'm not even thinking about buying my own bogu right now (i'm still 13 and i know my parents wont pay 500$ for my bogu next year... :| ). Worriying about a bogu isn't that important (just stick to the one you borrow from the club). Yes, hakama and kendo gi cost a lot. A good quality one can cost up to $200 and the cheap ones cost around $100-150 + shipping and other stuff. If you take care of your shinai, it wouldn't take you 5 shinai per month to buy. Mine last 6 1/2 month and it's still okay (...).

[oliverlogo]

Hahaha ... there is plenty of time later for you to dump your money into kendo!

Especially after you finally decide that kendo is for you...

[DF9sLGSU]

Since this is my first post here, I first just want to say that this forum is great! Really well-designed with lots of diverse opinions and all that.

Ronin, you may want to hold off wearing hakama for the first few months as they tend to hide your feet and it makes it much more difficult for your sensei to evaluate if your footwork is correct or not. Comfortable clothes are just fine when you're starting out. Usually the sensei will let you know when you are are ready to wear bogu and hakama and kendogi. I find waiting for the invitation to move up garners a better reaction than "When can I wear bogu/hakama/gi?".

[rassedgesse]

You will not wear equipmetn from day one. So you shoudl start only with your will, confortable sportswear (tshirt and confortable pants will do) and you might want to buy your own shinai, which can be quite cheap.

After a while , maybe three months or so, you might buy a cheap set of uniform.

Then when sensei allows you to, you can either borrow or buy a reasonably good set from e-bogu.com or kendoshop.com. That will take about six months or so. Beginners should not worry about gear.

[Aizutox]

I rented armour from my club until I was shodan. Ronin - does your club have no spare armours? This is a problem for most clubs, but I'd say its paramount for a club to have enough armours available to hire so that beginners like Ronin-postcode don't have to buy until they can afford a decent set. Better to wait a few years and pay $1000 for bogu that will last than spend $400 now on a fall-apart bogu IMHO.
b

[fluoxet]

Actually cklin has made a very good point - Kendo may not be for you. In most dojos many people drift away after a few weeks (or in some cases, after only one. I'm not saying this is you - you may be a lifer - but hold fire for now.

In the meantime, a cheap book about Kendo will help you understand a lot of the etiquette that goes on, and the terminology.

Good luck



Dave

[steevytraunse]

Here is an idea about bogu.

If, after a few months, you are still committed to kendo, buy an inexpensive used bogu set from a senior student or e-bay. Then in a year or two, when you are really committed, you can reward yourself with nice new bogu and donate your old set to the dojo. It keeps your cost down until you are sure, and will help the dojo.

Also, if you decide kendo isn't for you. Donation of the old bogu is an excellent way to show respect for and to thank the sensei and dojo when you leave.

[scemHeish]

Talking about waiting and watching. I actualy watched for 2 years. My boyfriend has been at it that long so I learned ALOT from just watching. I was only watching mainly because I didn't know if it was for me and I also had really sore knees (old injury), and didn't know how they would stand up to it.

The watching really helped. I soaked in all that information and I received my first grading only a month after I started. Never underestimate the power of learning by watching.

[bgsavings]

Originally posted by kendokamax
midori keiko?

It's good, in tournaments you can learn quite a lot by just watching matches.
It's "Mitori Keiko" - Learning from watching/observing.


amatsuda
http://mywebpage.netscape.com/sjkendo

[tooratrack]

Originally posted by munenmuso
decide first if kendo is really the sport for you.you mind end up buying all those expensive kendo stuff and cover all skin on your body then end up quitting in exchange for the sport of swimming where swimming trunks is the only wear you need.after you decide, you only need a good shinai, cheaper one will do.wearing keikogi is too unbearable especially when your in a tropical country so you should be thankful while you still have to wear a pair of pants and a shirt.

[daasayse]

Bandages. You're going to want a lot of bandages for your feet. Prepare for the wonderful world of blisters where there should be none. Of course, no amount of bandages I could find would stay on my feet during practice.
To be fair, some people get this problem and others don't. My blisters only went away after 4 months of practice and occasionaly came back to haunt me (like when I'd did jodan for a short amount of time during one class or when I stoped practicing for a while). Be prepared to bleed on the floor.