Working Within - The Art of Kendo

Working within does not necessarily mean going slow...such is the case with the art of Kendo, "The Way of the Sword." The Active City's, Andy Hourahine, visits a Canadian Kendo Federation dojo to learn more. Featuring an interview with Canadian Kendo Champion, Sensei Kamata.

[shorberm]

Fun is not really the right word. Someone once asked me this and I told her, "No, it's not fun." She asked me why I do it then. Kendo attracts all sorts of people in the short term, but in the long term, it retains different kinds of people, people who are looking for something deeper than "fun" vs "not fun". There are times in kendo when everything goes wrong for you, when everyone is beating you, when you're absolutely exhausted. They're not fun, but they are opportunities for improvement.

[_Andy]

Glad you enjoyed it! We are so lucky to have access to such a diverse array of active pursuits!

[_Andy]

Thanks for the positive feedback! It was great to see such Kendo talent in action.

[MrLordCarnifex]

i train in a dojo that is almost an hour and a half away from my home. plus i have my bogu(armour) to carry which is around 10 Kgs circa(never weighed it as i dont care lol). and to be honest, i would continue training even if the dojo was 3 hours away from my home. so yes, kendo is well worth the effort!

[perialis]

Kendo or like any other martial art, Mentality is important.
and the thing about “growth/self-improvement” in kendo is that, from my experience,
it was discipline, stress relief, enjoyment, eagerness to learn, and many more that changed me.
from the start of your journey, you will not change, you will just be tired for the first 3-6 months.
but maybe after if you still dare to continue its beautiful.

there are some things in kendo that have unnamed techniques, or techniques that cannot be described by words.
like simply “feeling the enemy when its going to strike” only uncovers the shallow waters for how deep it actually goes.

and most importantly, to have fun, and i think another thing is good thing eagerness, and even in the most painful times,
imagine the euphoria when you take off that smelly helmet that keeps you alive

(and your my god jesus christ kote)

[guujc]

Excellent video, well done ActiveCambridge.

[LegendBlasterGaming]

I wish somewhere near my area hosted Kendo sessions...

[nimirig]

It is different in every dojo I guess. In our dojo the first few months are only about the basics. Slashing, propper foot work, etc... If you are good and you train hard, you may get your bogu in I guess 6-7 months. But again, it is our dojo. It may be less in other clubs, maybe more depending how quick of a learner you are.

[Martinrof]

I would love to see a similar video featuring Iaido.

[Cyclonus]

I like how they are admitting the internal aspect of an external system

[asianpersuasion]

So much respect for these great warriors. Such devotion to Japanese rich culture. I would love to train, especially in Japan. To idiots who think any Martial Art is easy, go up against a Master. My bad knees keep me from obtaining my black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

[TheRealMau]

Kendo looks fun. I wish kendo was held in the Philippines :(

[rushianokun]

It depends on your patience, it's most probable that you will not pu ton the armour for many months to come.
The first classes will be repetitive like practice walking, practice swinging the shinai.
When you mastered the footwork, basic moves, then you may start wearing the armour and doing some "dueling" or keiko.

[_Andy]

Iaido is very challenging and fascinating as well. A good subject for a future episode?

[NoName]

I'm going to start in a few weeks and I can't wait.

[nimirig]

I envy the nito ryu user their dojo got. Would like to try myself against a nito ryu in the future, and to try it would be awesome as well.

[flemkh]

Definitely! There are only few videos showing 'real' Iaido. Because, for me and for other people that practice it, it is something more than a sport - it's a martial art, a way of life of some kind. I'm studying Iaido only since 2008, so I'm a beginner, but I would like to see a good video about Iai. And finally I could just show my friends a comprehensive video on youtube, when they'll ask me again about "that thing I do" =]

[nimirig]

This question is a bit odd I think. I love kendo and can not wait for the next training after one is over. So my answer would be yes, it is worth it. But again, kendo is not for everyone. For the first months it is all about the basics, and you'll be doing basic footwork and slashes into the air with the high probability of blisters on your feet and some on the hands. Can get boring after some time. However the real fun begins after you have received your bogu (armor), and the sparring begins.

[ContradictoryNature]

Heck, you can do both if you have the time and dedication (and the club fees aren't too high!).

[SapporoMagokoro]

When did they film documentary at Olympiium