[VIDEOHITE]

Hello as a newbie im stuggling to find what kendo exactly is! is it purely weapons or is there a hand/feet technique to it too?

[SNUfR8uI]

"Struggling" . . . . google my son, google !!

[Slintreeoost]

"Struggling" . . . . google my son, google !!

aye i could google... but a simple sentance probably answer the original question!

[bmwservis]

Ken means "sword". Kendo is the way of the sword. I'm kind of confused as to how googling it, if even just for images, would be more of a bother than signing up for a forum and typing out a question. :3

Also on the front page it says "Kendo World - Crossing Swords & Borders", that should have kinda answered your question, no?

[dayclaccikere]

Kendo is not "purely weapons" nor "hand/feet" fighting - no flashy blade-swooshing, no grappling, no spinning kicks.

A shinai for keiko or bokuto for kata are used in kendo training. Proper hand grip and footwork are necessary. The most important requirements, though, are the mind and spirit.

[dr-eavealer]

im really not sure what the problem is with the question! i thought id get a good idea of what Kendo is about by joining a forum which has a wealth of knowledge rather than try google it.

yoda-waza seems to have no problem answering!

cheers

[xtrudood]

ken doh, I guess it's because the basic answer to what kendo is, can be found on any webpage (wiki, for example), however if you want the in depth answer I don't think there is any other way than finding a dojo and becoming a kendoka yourself.

I dunno, I felt it was kind of strange to come to a kendo forum, full of thousands of posts about kendo, on a website devoted to kendo and with so much information, and you didn't take the time to read any of that and just want us to explain it for you.

Although I have to say yada-waza has put it into a very awesome nutshell

I still think, though, that if you're really interested in Kendo, and don't just want a definition of the word itself (that's what it sounded like in your first post) then you will need to take the time to read some posts in this forum or read the wiki article.

Sorry if I sounded rude in my reply, I must have misinterpreted the tone and intent of your first post.

[sXVUOUVC]

im really not sure what the problem is with the question!

your question when asked by someone who's had at least 2 years of experience training under an instructor who is tested by their country's kendo governing body poses no harm. when that same question is asked directly "point blank" and needless to say quite "aimlessly" at any and everyone on an open internet forum, isn't very "encouraging" let's just say. To make matter worse you don't give any sort of indication of whether you are actually "training" in a qualified dojo. So, your question can come across as ultra "newb" standoff ish kinda way. Despite it may not have been your original intention.

i thought id get a good idea of what Kendo is about by joining a forum

that is your first mistake, kendo like many things in life is best understood first hand. you can join Dr. Phil's e-mail list or Oprah's book club, and ask a bunch of question to which many of your peers many know a great deal about, but in the end. ..it isn't up to someone else to tell you what orange taste like, you can get a general sense of what "something" is by talking to others, but to find out for yourselve is much more rewarding.

which has a wealth of knowledge rather than try google it.

again, this "wealth of knowledge" is debatable. Some people's opinion on this forum is more respected than others. And for the right reasons. Others are just here to observe and learn. If these "knowledge-able" folks do not wish to impart their knowledge then that's that. Lately, there's quite a bit of people that tend to think they can just sign up and expect to be welcomed with hugs and kisses. Not so with the case of a online "kendo" forum, as I have not engaged in many other type of these internet blogs. So, just search for past threads and hopefully you are training in a legitimate dojo if not already .

[leijggigf]

If instead you're doing a school project or something on kendo and haven't already done so - try here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendo

[bs44MhUW]

ok.
Hello as a newbie im stuggling to find what kendo exactly is! is it purely weapons or is there a hand/feet technique to it too?

if i were already training then yes, i wouldnt ask on a forum if there was a hand/feet part to it. im not asking many questions that have been asked before! im glad it came across 'as ultra "newb" standoff ish kinda way' as thats what i am!

im quite suprised of the attitude of people in here. i thought new starters were important for anything, but 'Lately, there's quite a bit of people that tend to think they can just sign up and expect to be welcomed with hugs and kisses'. bit drastic really dont you think? i thought id sign up, and after reading pages of stuff i didnt really understand due to technical words etc i thought id ask a simple question, which has now led to this!

as for the comment 'Also on the front page it says "Kendo World - Crossing Swords & Borders", that should have kinda answered your question, no? ' - no, not really. i dont want a question 'kinda answered'. i like black and white 'yes' and 'no'. opinions are welcome but fact is prefered whereever possible.

its a bit tiring reading people say about mind and spirit being important when ive been shot down a few times here already! nothing worse than any kind of martial artist trying to be philosophical all the time and talks in riddles! especially to someone new whos meant to be shown a positive side to it rather than try decipher sentences.

im aware that the best way to find out for myself is to go have a visit and check it out, but the only one in my area isnt on for a few more days so reading about it is as good as it gets untill then. at this rate im not sure if i'll want to if this is the way newbies are treated.

thanks Gideon but its not a school project, i am genuinly trying to find out for my own interest!

[HilaryNidierer]

wow, tell you what, please join that kendo dojo you say will be "on" in a few days with the same exact attutide you present yourself here and see how you are treated as a human being who's ever so standoff-ish about something they are genuinely trying to learn.

[espabamar]

wow, tell you what, please join that kendo dojo you say will be "on" in a few days with the same exact attutide you present yourself here and see how you are treated as a human being who's ever so standoff-ish about something they are genuinely trying to learn.

tell you what, when i do go i'll ask if they use hand and feet an see if he answers a newcomer in plain English or fobs me off and tells me to go google it.

[Qeiafib]

no. there are no hands/feet techniques in kendo. you just hit each other over the head with a stick. repeatedly. of course to be able to do that, you will need to use your hands and feet

[delnisfernan]

no. there are no hands/feet techniques in kendo. you just hit each other over the head with a stick. repeatedly. of course to be able to do that, you will need to use your hands and feet

we have a winner! thank you! where were you for the 2nd post? of course we need hands and feet to do the majority of things in life, but sometimes we use them a little more than usual. for striking or arguments sake in some* martial arts.


*im not 100% sure which ones dont need hands + feet to strike.

[Borzopayn]

im quite suprised of the attitude of people in here. i thought new starters were important for anything, but 'Lately, there's quite a bit of people that tend to think they can just sign up and expect to be welcomed with hugs and kisses'. bit drastic really dont you think? i thought id sign up, and after reading pages of stuff i didnt really understand due to technical words etc i thought id ask a simple question, which has now led to this!

You never mentioned anything about being a starter. Actually you didn't say anything about your motives. You said you're a newbie to Kendo, so people expect general questions, but not the most basic one, whether you fight with hands of feet since the name itself, the definition itself means "The way of the sword". So seeing as you didn't even know that, I elaborated that it was indeed, only the way of the sword. I didn't gather from your small post that you wanted an indepth explanation without technical terms (I asume you mean Japanese terms).

as for the comment 'Also on the front page it says "Kendo World - Crossing Swords & Borders", that should have kinda answered your question, no? ' - no, not really. i dont want a question 'kinda answered'. i like black and white 'yes' and 'no'. opinions are welcome but fact is prefered whereever possible. I'm sorry, maybe I'm reading this the wrong way but I answered your question in my first post. Maybe I wasn't all too friendly even though I used a smilie, but I even apologized for my tone.

its a bit tiring reading people say about mind and spirit being important when ive been shot down a few times here already! nothing worse than any kind of martial artist trying to be philosophical all the time and talks in riddles! especially to someone new whos meant to be shown a positive side to it rather than try decipher sentences. I'm sorry but Kendo doesn't come with flashy colours and shiny newbie gifts. It's one of the most spiritual martial arts there are. It has a LOT to do with your mind. If you want martial arts without any spirituality then I personally don't think Kendo is for you. But as others have already said, in order to find that out you need to read yourself and not ask other people what they think. You need to explore it on your own.

im aware that the best way to find out for myself is to go have a visit and check it out, but the only one in my area isnt on for a few more days so reading about it is as good as it gets untill then. at this rate im not sure if i'll want to if this is the way newbies are treated. But why can't you read about it on the many other websites dedicated to Kendo? Or all those thousands of topics here. I've been lurking on these forums for months before I signed up. Reading many topics and following links and reading other websites. Of course you'll always have questions, actually the more you learn the more questions you'll have. It's just that the question you asked, is the one question you can get answered, with "yes or no", as you put it, by simply typing the word "kendo" into google, so it felt strange and rather silly for us to answer it with yes or no and your short post didn't give the impression that you were interested in the long answer.

If you're genuinly interested that's really good. I can only say, read the wikipedia article with all its technical terms, because they matter. If you want to watch at your local Kendo dojo, don't forget to contact the sensei or contact person there first, to see if it's okay to come watch. It's usually considered rude to just show up.

And in case it wasn't clear: In Kendo you strike with the sword and not with your hands or feet.

[Dstyeglm]

thanks Raindrop, in all honesty i think this post has dragged out covering ground that it didnt really need. appologies to anyone if i do seem out of tone in any posts but to me it was a genuine question i thought straight forward.

I wasnt really looking for an indepth explination, as my 2nd post (post no.3) stated.
"The way of the sword". cool. but to a beginner, its not a sword its a bamboo stick. and how many other MA use weapons as well as other striking methods?

as a newbie i dont expect any special treatment, but its not nice to be critisied just because experienced ones think im being rude for asking a question! do a search. what will i find? probably the same question asked by someone else!

I have emailed the club to see if its ok to call in, im not a bad lad really ive been to a few different MA over the last few weeks, i want to see a few before deciding which may suit my needs first.

[Vjwkvkoy]

Cool, I hope you'll like what you see at the Kendo dojo.

Btw, Kendo is not just with a "bamboo stick". It's still a sword. Also in Kendo Katas (forms) you use either bokken or bokkuto (wooden swords) or when you're advanced you use the real swords. But for the full contact fights we use bamboo swords.

Also you have iaido (see subforum) which is the art of the drawing of the sword, and naginata which is a samurai's lance (I think that's the proper english word, not so sure) and jodo, which is more or less "stick fighting". Then you also still have different styles that focus on different things. For example some people focus only on the wooden swords and the training of cutting movements in a drill sort of way. I'm also still learning about the many different kinds and I'm not sure if they fall directly under "kendo" or if they're more or less their own branch so to speak.

Anyway, enjoy your visit to the dojo! I need to go to bed now cause I have practice tomorrow Whee Kendo!

[AgJ5mNXM]

thanks Raindrop, in all honesty i think this post has dragged out covering ground that it didnt really need. appologies to anyone if i do seem out of tone in any posts but to me it was a genuine question i thought straight forward.

I wasnt really looking for an indepth explination, as my 2nd post (post no.3) stated.
"The way of the sword". cool. but to a beginner, its not a sword its a bamboo stick. and how many other MA use weapons as well as other striking methods?

as a newbie i dont expect any special treatment, but its not nice to be critisied just because experienced ones think im being rude for asking a question! do a search. what will i find? probably the same question asked by someone else!

I have emailed the club to see if its ok to call in, im not a bad lad really ive been to a few different MA over the last few weeks, i want to see a few before deciding which may suit my needs first.

Hello!

Welcome to the forum!

Yes, it is ok to call the dojo. (Which one did you pick?) Actually, that's the best thing to do. That way, you can ask any questions that you may have about the art before visiting. And, it is just good etiquette to ask if you can come watch a practice. Depending on the dojo, they may either have you watch the first practice and then try practicing the next, or, just let you jump right in on the first visit.

Sorry I wasn't around earlier... I think the reason people are acting antsy is because of how you wrote your first post. It was a bit oddly written, no offense. But, to me, it was obvious without having read the rest of this thread, that you hadn't even started kendo yet. So, I don't mind explaining a bit. Seriously though, as said before, you could have googled it(It's easy to do.) and tried to help yourself first before asking. And, if you got stuck, then ask. But, that's ok. Anyway...

Kendo is the way of the sword. We do not use anything else but a shinai, which is a bamboo sword made of 4 slats of bamboo. We do not use hands or feet to strike anyone. We do strike people who are in bogu(armour) with the shinai.

We wear a hakama(pant like skirt, that is Indigo blue) and keiko-gi(Indigo blue top). We do not wear shoes. We practice in bare feet on a wood floor.

Pics of the uniform:

http://www.e-bogu.com/PhotoGallery.a...DHQCOTCOMBO%2D

New beginners start out wearing clean sweat pants that come just to the ankle and a clean t-shirt until they are told they can get the uniform. The reason for this, is because the sensei(teacher) has to be able to see your feet to correct your footwork and other things like posture and your arms when you strike.

Later, usually 3-6 months later after working hard on kihon(basics) you will get to wear bogu. Then, you can get a chance to be hit instead of just you hitting the motodachi(person who receives your strikes.). Motodachi cannot hit a person who is not in bogu.

There is a lot of etiquette involved in kendo too, which is very important.

Some more detailed info:

This is the AUSKF(All US kendo Federation) website with some good info on where kendo came from:

http://www.auskf.info/main/about_kendo.htm

-------------------

This is the BKA(British Kendo Association) where you can check to make sure the dojo you picked is legitimate. You want to make sure it is a member of the BKA. If it's not, then don't go there. Also, there is a lot of information there on kendo, jodo and iaido. You can find dojos in each of these arts on this site:

http://www.kendo.org.uk/

Well, there is a lot of kendo information out there if you will take the time to look it up on the internet. You can look at a site and then come here and ask if it is an ok site to read if you want to. We'll check it out to be sure it's not a site written by McDojo(Basically means a dojo run by an unqualified person who has never been taught in a legitimate dojo and attempts to teach what he does not know. In other words, fake.) people if necessary. Being totally new and knowing nothing about any of those arts can make looking up info daunting.

Anyway, good luck and let us know what you end up choosing.

One last thing... Please do be careful with manners when visiting any dojo. You do write with a lot of ! at the end of your sentences indicating either anger, frustration, impatientness, etc. Really, it's hard to tell exactly what emotion you are trying to convey. It's not very polite to shout, so to speak. So, make sure you don't do this in person.

Anyway, I hope this helps. I didn't go all out, but I think this will be enough because really, you just need to experience it. I can tell you that it is a lot of fun to do kendo. It is very active and you move around a lot besides doing kiai(shouting the target as you strike.). So, this may or may not be for you, who knows.

It's a good idea to look at different arts like you are doing. I hope you find one that suits you best.

Kaoru

[codecouponqw]

Cool, I hope you'll like what you see at the Kendo dojo.

Btw, Kendo is not just with a "bamboo stick". It's still a sword. Also in Kendo Katas (forms) you use either bokken or bokkuto (wooden swords) or when you're advanced you use the real swords. But for the full contact fights we use bamboo swords.

No, you never will use a real sword in kendo kata. A high ranked sensei might use a blunt sword made for kendo kata but that's for demonstration purposes only. Otherwise, all sensei use a bokuto.
Students never use a real sword. Much too dangerous!

I forgot to mention to him about the kendo kata. Ooops! Anyway, Also in kendo, there are 10 paired kendo kata and you will use only a wooden replica of a sword called a bokuto(Also bokken is correct.). There is no contact because to strike someone would either maim or kill them. That's because we don't wear bogu when doing kata.

Each kendo kata comes from a different Kenjutsu Ryu(style). So, 10 kata = 10 different examples of a koryu(old school) kenjutsu ryu.

Also you have iaido (see subforum) which is the art of the drawing of the sword It's the art of drawing and cutting in one smooth motion, actually. You're close.

, and naginata which is a samurai's lance (I think that's the proper english word, not so sure) It's not a lance. Lances were used on horseback by knights to unseat someone in a joust. The English word for a naginata is "glaive." I think "pole arm" can be used too.

and jodo, which is more or less "stick fighting". It's not stick fighting. It is learning to use a 4 foot staff against a sword. It's really neat. I've seen it in person several times. I wouldn't mind learning it myself.

For example some people focus only on the wooden swords and the training of cutting movements in a drill sort of way. You kind of messed that up a bit, no offense. In all Koryu JSA(Japanese sword arts) a person begins with a bokuto(wooden sword) and for several months to a year, uses that until their sensei tells them they may purchase an iaito(blunt edged sword) to practice with. A live(sharp) blade comes much later, like 5-6 years typically, when the sensei decides the student is capable of using one. This may be never. It all depends on the student and how hard they have worked in and outside of the dojo. Sharp swords are very dangerous to the user if they don't have the skills to properly use one.

In terms of drills, those are called kata. In iaido, there are solo kata and at the higher levels, paired kata without contact. Kenjutsu has the same type of thing. Neither has a sparring element like kendo does.

Jodo from what I've seen, has paired kata. That's all I know about it.

For naginata, I don't know what they have in terms of kata, or if they even have kata. I do know that they do spar like we do in kendo. They use special naginata without a blade to spar and also wear armour. I'm sure they do not use a naginata with a real blade in their kata if they do have kata, too. Too dangerous.

I'm also still learning about the many different kinds and I'm not sure if they fall directly under "kendo" or if they're more or less their own branch so to speak. They don't fall under the category of kendo.

Have you visited koryu.com yet? It's very helpful and has loads of information on swordarts.

Here: I bet you'll really enjoy it!

http://koryu.com/

Kaoru

[colmedindustry]

Each kendo kata comes from a different Kenjutsu Ryu(style). So, 10 kata = 10 different examples of a koryu(old school) kenjutsu ryu.

just real brief question here kaoru, no offense to you at all. so please take none. can anyone else confirm this ?