Firstly welcome! We really hope you will want to continue to learn about Kendo with us,
and will be a regular part of our Dojo. To help you with your journey we have collected together
a selection of information that will help you understand what we do, and why we do it,
including why we do it that way instead of another way you might have seen or heard of.
One thing to keep in mind with the information presented here or by the instructors at the
dojo, is that you won't be told everything. I mean, we could fill this page with lots of
info and links, and we could spend endless hours telling you stuff at the dojo, but we don't.
Instead, we will tell you a little bit and get you to do it. Then we will tell you a bit more
and get you to do it, and then ... (you get the idea). This is because Kendo is a "DO" form -
a "way". You need to experience and learn and realise for yourself. If we were teaching you
Kendo as a sport with the goal that you could win tournaments as quickly as possible,
then we would tell you much more, much quickly. But Kendo is not a sport. It is a "DO" - a "way"
- a path to being a better person. And you need to learn by your own experiences and
sometimes (often) you learn more from failing than succeeding.
You may think the other dojo members are ignoring you, or not helping you enough (or at all!),
when they can all see you aren't doing the footwork or that cut quite right - but they
know that their well meant advice may detract from a key thought or technique the Instructors
are having you go through. Also, in the beginning, there is so much to learn about doing
"perfect" Kendo, that you would overload and become more frustrated! Because Kendo is a "DO",
it is a lifelong journey, and the highest 10th Dan and above sensei's will tell you they are
still learning - so you need to have patience, and remember and be satisfied with your "baby
steps" at the start! Actually, in the first few months you will feel you have learnt a lot -
and you will have, but it is still be just scratching the surface! But it is a lot of fun!
Please keep this thought in mind when accessing the material here also. In the interests
of trying to help you have as much info as possible, we have a lot of material here.
But, you probably shouldn't "read ahead" (as it were) too much. Example - the Kendo Kata:
we have here the detail of the different Kendo & Kumdo Kata, but you shouldn't try to
learn them from the description. Have a look to get the idea of what the kata are, then
forget it until we learn them at the dojo! Then when we learn them, come back and read the
one(s) you learnt to reinforce any points you missed, and perhaps as you practice them at
home to make sure you're doing them correctly. Perhaps read ahead to the next one so when
it is taught at the dojo your mind will already have an idea of it and you will pick up more
of what the Masters say at the time. But that's all! Remember the kata are used to assess
the Dan level Kendoka (Kendoka = a person who practises Kendo) - so as beginners you don't
need to know just yet. In fact, some say
they shouldn't be taught at all until a certain kyu level is reached. There are plenty of
other aspects to understand before you should worry about this!
Visitors
If you are a Kendoka intending to visit our Dojo while in Christchurch - please,
intend no longer! We really look forward to the chance to cross Shinai with other Kendoka.
Please note the training times here, and if you have a
chance, please contact one of the
Instructors to make sure there have been no changes, and to ensure they have time to alter the
programme to accomodate you as best as possible (if necesary). If you need a lift to
the dojo, this can probably be arranged also. We hope you brought your bogu with you!
Beginners - Getting Started
After reading this section, please be sure to read the sections on this site about:
About Kendo, Kendo Equipment and
Kihon (Basics) first.
Then perhaps you should read about Bushido, Samurai and start to learn a little
about swords. Also read Musashi's "Book of 5 Rings"
(Gorin-no-sho) and Sun
Tzu's The Art of War and
anything you can find about the mind and Spirit (refer "Do": Mind & Body section) etc ...
Language
Since our club is affiliated with the Korean Association, most/all the commands are given
in Korean. This can be worrying for the English-speaking beginner, but in fact it has
never been a problem. We have several "english-only" speaking members who can attest to
this point. You will learn the commands and Korean counting as you go. Double bonus!!
Here is list of the more common terms in Korean,
English and Japanese. (When you attend an event, the commands will be in Japanese).
Items with question marks beside them have not been confirmed, but are the authors
best guess. KoreanKendo.doc
Costs
Should we scare you now or later?! :-)
We try to keep our costs low so it is affordable for everyone. If you have a problem
with any of the costs, please discuss with the Instructors as we really want you to train
Kendo with us. The standard costs are in the vicinity of:
Joining/Registration Fee:
$50
Juk-do/Shinai:
$40
Uniform (Hakama & Gi):
$40
Training Fee per month:
$50
When you are ready, you will need to buy your armour. If you haven't been able to find
a second-hand set, this will cost around $800 (or higher cost if you want). This is
quite a lot of money to spend, but this is comparable to many sports equipment costs,
but more importantly, remember that Kendo is not a sport but a "DO", a "way" and this
cost is an investment to your personal development and will last you a long time with
proper care. It is important to note that the Instructors do not receive any pay for training us,
and the club functions on a not for profit basis. Costs are what we can buy the
items for plus the shipping costs - only.
Program
The training program is based around the number of students and the upcoming events.
Normally we start with a half hour warm-up, then train Kendo basics followed by
armoured drills for the seniors. We also cover Kendo and Kumdo Kata at appropriate
times - usually in the build-up to a National grading event.
Beginners usually break off from the others part way through the warm-up and learn the
footwork and basic cuts. Once you have learnt the basic cuts you will stay through
more and more of the warm-up and eventually also the seniors drills until you are
determined ready to wear the armour and join the seniors.
Regardless of how this goes, you will always learn/re-learn the basic cuts and footwork
- always! And, you will never have learnt it sufficiently well! Foot work is the basis of
all other "technical" aspects of Kendo - you should spend as long as you can learning
footwork. (and then spend even more time on it)!
Events we participate in
Part of Kendo is about dealing with the unexpected, so we always want to practice
with Kendoka we haven't met before. Also, some of the national events feature training
seminars and also the chance to cross Juk-do/Shinai with some of the higher Dan
Kendoka. The atmosphere at these events is very intense, and generally one weekend at
one of these events is worth several months of training in the home dojo as a result.
South Island Takei, Wellington Rembuden Taikai, NZ Nationals and of course our own
Canterbury InterClub Shiai are some of the events we try and participate in. Details of
these events are listed on the
NZ website.
