[chuecafresss]

I've recently noticed a drop in my interest level in Kendo. I have a Hakama-Gi and Shinai, but we have just been doing drills.
I want to learn something new, do something interesting.
Can you only start doing more interesting things when you have Boju?

I don't know, I'm thinking of leaving Kendo, but I have a Hakama-Gi and I think my parents would get mad at me.

[Ggskbpbz]

Well, all depends on how many classes you have already had. From my limited experience I know that kendo demands patience. I've been practicing it for about 5 months but I can tell you that you don't need the bogu to do fun stuff. Soon you will be doing exersices in pairs and those can be really cool. I would give it a try. Go for at least another month and then decide but don't make the mistake of starting to miss classes cause in the end you will stop going.

[preptarra]

As menkotedo said it requires patience, and slow periods will come and go. See it as a self-induced test that everyone must go through to see if their resolve to train Kendo (or any martial art) is strong enough. If you are truly driven by Kendo then simply be patient and hang in there you will be rewarded in the end. And remember: you will experience more than one slow-period in yer lifetime.

[derisgun]

I've recently noticed a drop in my interest level in Kendo. I have a Hakama-Gi and Shinai, but we have just been doing drills.
I want to learn something new, do something interesting.
Can you only start doing more interesting things when you have Boju?

I don't know, I'm thinking of leaving Kendo, but I have a Hakama-Gi and I think my parents would get mad at me.

Things do get interesting when you join the class with bogu on. But you'll still be doing drills and lots of it - kihon is fundamental in kendo.

[Imiweevierm]

dont give up on it yet it is a mental test! how long have you been into kendo? we all have our slumps, those days where its harder to drag your ass to practice then actually practice.

[JulieSmithXIV]

I think if you are more worried about your mom and dad being annoyed with you for stopping than anything else then you may have answered your own question as to whether to continue.

As the guys say, with any martial art and anything in life, sometimes you have to simply stick with it and come out the other side. But don't beat yourself up about it - doing something you no longer enjoy because you feel duty bound may not be a good reason for continuing.

Have a good think about why you got into kendo in the first place and see if those reasons still hold true. Talk to your parents too if that is bothering you. Maybe talk to your sensei too.

I'd consider setting myself a time limit - say 6 weeks - where you never miss a session and throw yourself into it wholeheartedly and at the end of that time - reasses. If you feel the same way then fair enough, move on. But you may find that you have rekindled your passion and you are just in calm waters right now.

Hope this helps.

[9enackivegliva]

Patience is the key, remember that on average, you can achieve a Dan grade in Kendo quicker than in other arts (some can take up to eight years to reach shodan, is some Judoka have told me). Even if you think of Kata, we only have ten official ones to learn, opposed to dozens in other arts.

Believe me, other martial arts can be tremendously arduous and repetitive until you reach a level where you can have fun too.

You will find that Kendo becomes more fun as you pregress, at some point you are going to cut a nice big men, your Kote cuts will improve, and next thing you know you will be looking forward o going into class.

Just wait for a bit longer, for me it came all of a sudden during a seminar. And it was only because my Sempai had me doing basic drills for about four weeks as I had picked up a lot of bad habits. It requires effort on your part too.

As for bogu, is great fun, worth the wait

Best regards,


Jorge

[ExelePlavisseu]

I've recently noticed a drop in my interest level in Kendo. I have a Hakama-Gi and Shinai, but we have just been doing drills.
I want to learn something new, do something interesting.
Can you only start doing more interesting things when you have Boju?

I don't know, I'm thinking of leaving Kendo, but I have a Hakama-Gi and I think my parents would get mad at me.

Ask yourself these questions:
how good are you at those drills?
How good is your stance and posture?
How good are you at holding the shinai the right way?
....etc

I think you'll find much to work on as far as those drills are concerned, the problem for somebdoy who's never done a martial art or done some "lightened version" is to understand why there is so much emphasis on "boring" basic drills, this my friend you can meditate on or ask your sensei about it.

BTW try different "screams"/kiai when doing those drills, kiai in itself is a work in progress. Finally try to see kendo as it is and don't compare it to other activities where satisfaction/pleasure is gained relatively quick.

Tell yourself that to be prepared for the next step which would be having your bogu on in your case, it takes going though those drills, IMHO it's all about perception, you'll have to fine tune yours to find what's great about Kendo at your level.

Having said all of the above, if after making the effort it still doesn't work for you then try something else, it's not the end of the world, it's like relationships but that's another subject

Good luck, i hope you'll keep at it cause it's definetly worth it.

[Green_Monkey23]

Only you can really tell, but I'm sure all of us thought about giving up when all we were doing was standing doing men-uchi in thin air.
As people have said, most of us have been there and stuck with it and came out really enjoying kendo.

However, I also believe that somethings just aren't right for some people. Making the decision to stop something that isn't right for you is every bit as admirable in my eyes as sticking through it. There's a difference between giving up because it's hard and recognising it's better to stop...

Like I said, only you can really tell. My experience is that I stuck with it and think kendo's amazing.

[Nurfzerne]

Thanks guys. I forgot, I told myself that it's just part of it, going though the stuff like this. I forgot about that before posting here.
I've been at Kendo for... 8 months?! Wow.
I go to the Thursday and Sunday classes.
Thursday is 1 hour of non-boju/boju.
Sunday is 2 hours, but I only stay for the first hour,
(First hour is basics / non-bogu, second hour is boju)

But the thing is, is they don't follow what the site says.
All we ever do on all the classes is swinning my shaini up and down up and down. It hurts because I get blisters :P
Anyways, a very nice dojo, even if there are about 4-6 people per class.

I'm off to Kendo!

[suiviouse]

:O I'm back!

[OgrGlgHu]

I've recently noticed a drop in my interest level in Kendo. I have a Hakama-Gi and Shinai, but we have just been doing drills.
I want to learn something new, do something interesting.
Can you only start doing more interesting things when you have Boju?

While it is my opinion that yes, things do get more interesting when you are in bogu, one part of your post grabbed my attention. You say you want to learn something new, do something interesting. In the long run, I believe you will not find that in kendo.

In my opinion, kendo, for the most part, is about perfecting the basics and learning when and how to best apply the basics. In a sense, you don't learn many "moves" or "techniques". Especially when you contrast kendo against other popular martial arts, like taekwondo, judo, and wushu. (Based on my admitedly limited understanding of those martial arts.) In kendo you learn a slight variation in movement or timing so you can apply your basic cut. The joy and challenge that most of us derive is in correctly identifying and applying this in different situations against different opponents.

What you do get in kendo, and what drew me to it unlike other martial arts, is that you spend most of the time sparring in a fairly unrestrained, yet safe manner. Rather than learning more moves and techniques than I can possibly hope to remember or apply as needed, in kendo I get to practice against a live opponent pretty much constantly.

Again, all of this is my opinion. Others may also feel differently. But I would advise you to think more about whether kendo is for you if you feel a real need for new moves, and the variations and applications in kendo are not enough to sustain your interest.

P.S. Blisters on your hands and feet are practically a rite of passage for kendo. Almost everyone gets them at some point. They are almost inevitible given that most of us are not used to kendo's movements and requirement of repetitive exericise in this modern age. I view them as a badge of honor for forging ahead in practice.