Kendo - Has anyone any experience of it?

[Big Ben]

It's something I've fancied a crack at for quite some time, (especially recently so I can get fast enough to hit freeform with a big stick :D) but does anyone have any experience of it that might be of any use?
:confused:

[khafra]

When I was doing aikido we did Iaido with bokken every Friday, but that's as close as I've gotten besides seeing the Kendo guy attack James Bond in that one film. It's always sounded rather interesting to me as well, though.

[Andrew Green]

Yes, I did kendo for a while a few years back. What about it are you interested in knowing?

PS: Freeform is a bit misleading, kendo is a little restrictive about where you can hit, and how you can hit.

[Andy Murray]

In case anyones interested!

Gotta be worth a look.

12th World Kendo Championships
Kelvin Hall, International Sports Arena
Argyle Street, G3
Phone 0141 357 2525

Will be held in July 2003

Find more info at - http://www.kendochampionships.com/kendochampionships.htm

[Freeform]

Mr Green, I think he was refering to me... his flatmate! ;)

Andy, I think I'll wonder along to that, anybody else interested, we could make it a ScotMAP meet!

Col

[Andy Murray]

Sounds good to me.
BMX masks and Bamboo garden stakes in the Kelvin hall car park. Last one there's a Spike!

[Andy Murray]

Seriously though, this is a 'world' event, and the forum needs a good report, so anyone with any knowledge of Kendo would be great to take along to the event.

[Andrew Green]

Originally posted by Freeform
Mr Green, I think he was refering to me... his flatmate! ;)

Col

Got it.

Perhaps the Dog Brothers method of stick fighting would be more suitable then ;)

[Freeform]

Oi! First Yoda hits me with a stick and now everybody thinks it fashionable! ;)

But seriously, we do have a big garden :D

I'll try and convince some of our Aikido lot to go, Tintin should have a good appreciation of the swordwork.

Colin

[Mr Heel Hook]

All I have to say is yes I did practice AND that I loved it. It is a bit restricted on where you can hit someone, but at the same time not really. I mean if you look at it like...all the places you strike will kill someone almost instantly, then it has a value to it. Well, if you ever go back a few hundred years with your katana and end up in Japan. But I loved it so because it is super competitive and takes real nerve to win your matches. Gosh, I wish our school never closed down...

[Spike]

"BMX masks and Bamboo garden stakes in the Kelvin hall car park. Last one there's a Spike!"

Cheeky sod

[Andy Murray]

Ya got me!

Oooh, I'm cut to da bone! :D

[Spike]

I`m trying to make sure I only use small words in my retorts so that you can understand them :)

[Tintin]

Hey, I'd happily be a Spike - he got a bit of Buffy action last night...:love: :D

I'd be up for going to have a look at the kendo comp, should be interesting.

[Cudgel]

Originally posted by Mr Heel Hook
All I have to say is yes I did practice AND that I loved it. It is a bit restricted on where you can hit someone, but at the same time not really. I mean if you look at it like...all the places you strike will kill someone almost instantly, then it has a value to it. Well, if you ever go back a few hundred years with your katana and end up in Japan. But I loved it so because it is super competitive and takes real nerve to win your matches. Gosh, I wish our school never closed down...

what about the kote shot
that wont kill instantly

[JediMasterChris]

I do kendo....so does officer_fujiita and kendo_cougar

[officer_fujita]

Originally posted by Big Ben
but does anyone have any experience of it that might be of any use?
:confused:

Are you asking if it can be used for self-defense?

I've been training a little in kendo. Kendo is good for developing concentration, discipline, coordination, balance, speed, etc. - much like every martial art. I guess what sets it apart is you also get to learn a bit about Japanese culture with it. But for self-defense... nah, I don't think so.

[JediMasterChris]

I agree. :love:

[Cudgel]

I on the other hand beleive any MA has seldefense applications.
Why?
Because you be surprised how many katana weilding nuts there really are out there. ANd knowing how to fight against some one using a sword may save your life some day.

[JediMasterChris]

Oh? I have yet to see a katana weilding nut...mabey a baseball bat, but not a katana...and if they did I don't carry my katana around with me.

[officer_fujita]

Originally posted by Cudgel
I on the other hand beleive any MA has seldefense applications.
Why?
Because you be surprised how many katana weilding nuts there really are out there. ANd knowing how to fight against some one using a sword may save your life some day.

I have yet to see a katana weilding nut :D

And if ever I meet one, I will never use the little I have known in kendo against him or her. I don't think that person will think "I have only 4 targets; men, tsuki, kote, and do. I must be mindful of my maai. I should be mindful of kikentai-no-ichi. My fumikomi-ashi should be correct..." Most probably, that person will be thinking "Too bad, motherf%^$er, I'm gonna hack you to pieces!".

[Cudgel]

I am fortunate then iun that I dont study kendo I study the sword its all "I will hack you into bitty peices and keep going until you are dead" which is how we are taught
ie: even if you think your first blow is a killing one do another and yet another killing or maiming blow just in case. :D YOu want to make sure the b@stard is not getting back up
But thats just me and how I was taught

[Spike]

sorry if I `m speaking out of trun but I don`t see how "hack you into itty bitty pieces and keep going until you are dead" fits into the "way of Harmony" Forum

[Cudgel]

oh I forgot it was in the Akido forum
Whoops

but when you are talking about a deeadly weapon who's sole purpose is to kill it works out maybe sorta.....

seee this shopuld have been in the weapons forums
yeah thats it :P

[crovax612]

Originally posted by JediMasterChris
Oh? I have yet to see a katana weilding nut...mabey a baseball bat, but not a katana...and if they did I don't carry my katana around with me.


I've never seen one either, but about two weeks ago a security gaurd at my job and I were chatting and he was telling how some nut went down to the local Ralphs with a Kitana blade and killed several people. He said the cops just ended up cornering him and he didn't wanna put his blade down, so they shot him.At least that's what he told me, I kinda doubted him since I was told that you can't bring kitana blades with gilded edges into the US (or if they still make em that way)

Anyway, a co-worker of mine also does Kendo. I asked "...so, how would you be able to defend yourself if someone attacked you?" He told me that he's been taught how to disarm someone with a knife and that as long as he has some kind of long and durable object he'd be able to take them down. So then I asked"...what if there isn't anything around:confused: ?" and he says"...yeah, that would kinda suck:( ."

[JediMasterChris]

lol :D

[Cudgel]

gilded edges?
you mean sharp?

Well it is possible and legal to ship sharp blades into teh USA and it is legal to make sharb blades in the USA Also. I should know I own a few sharp toys, nothing I would trust my life with but they could kill if I wanted to do so.

[crovax612]

yeah, I mean sharp edge. My Japanese friend (who's a knife and sword nut) told me that Swords with guilded edges (if that's how you spell it:confused: ) are not allowed in the US, even for "cultural" reasons. He tells me that for this reason he can get his familiy's old Kitana blade (passed down from his mother's side of the family who were buddhist temple gaurds) taken away.

Another friend of mine has a kitana blade but his blade doesn't have guilded edges. I asked him why it wasn't sharp and he mentioned the same thing. Apparenly a weapon that large can't be sharp because, well it's pretty damn dangerous:D .

[Cudgel]

well thats bullsh!t. I know of several sites from which you can buy decent swords that are sold SHARP, so your friend is smoking somthing.

[Mr Blobby]

I've practised a bit of kendo, in Japan, in fact. It's not going to teach you how to fight with a real sword any more than western fencing will. It is really good for your reflexes, practice of maai (judging distance) and use of the rear foot to propel your body weight forward, all highly useful in aikido and pretty much any martial art! Also, it really helps your shomen technique... Give it a go.

[47Ronin]

I own and collect Katanas (not kitanas :D)
Maybe your friend can not take out his sword from Japan but in the US blades are allowed, many historical blades are found in the US from WW2 when American soldiers brought them over.

If I read correctly his family has shrine keepers in it? That's the only reason he didn't lose the blade in WW2 when they confiscated all blades that did not belong to a shrine. This is what I know :(