Hi everyone,

I’m getting back into kendo after being on and off the past few years after becoming a new father. I’m excited to return and look forward to start training to possibly participate in a couple taikai this spring and grading this summer. I’ve been using the same cotton gi and synthetic hakama since I started and wanted to get something nicer for these events and training in general. A nicer gi and cotton hakama. What do people recommend (websites, thread count, etc.)? I’ve heard bushuichi is good. I’m in the US if that makes a difference. thanks!

Hi. I started practicing kendo recently and I have an issue with my shinai's tsuru that no one else seems to have. After one or two practices, my tsuru moves to the left so much that it isn't anywhere near center, and I have to take it apart to get it back to where it should be. I'm not sure if it's a tightness issue, because this still happens even when a senpai ties the tsuru for me.

Is there something off about my grip? Is something wrong with my shinai? Has anyone else had this happen to them? Thanks in advance.

Hi! There is a high level grading in Brussels starting now at 1400. Does anyone know if it is streamed anywhere?

Hi there. I'm a beginner at Kendo. I recently joined a Kendo club where me and other beginners began 5 months ago. Last month, we finally got authorized to wear our Bogu and by the end of our practice we would spar a bit. However ever since we began wearing our Bogu is where my problems started.

A few weeks back during practice, I received a few hits on the men from a certain senior member and one of our sensei. In just a few minutes I felt disoriented and confused. I had barely any strength to do an anything. These symptoms lasted 24 hours and my head was spinning, and only got better after going to sleep and waking up the next day. I was later told by a doctor friend of mine that I definitely suffered from a mild concussion.

Today, I went to practice once more. Near the end of practice I ended up with the same senior member and sensei. After facing them, I felt unwell once more. Can't say if it's worse or not from last time. My head wasn't in pain but like last time my head just didn't feel "right". I felt unwell moving at all and even felt nauseated once I cam back home. All I wanted to do was lie down and do nothing for the rest of the day. And like last time after the men hits, I felt the faint smell of blood. And my mood was depressed for the rest of the day.

Also I don't know why, but I seem to be the only one suffering from this issue. I don't know if it's because people don't realize what a concussion is or just "tough it out" or if just a personal problem.

I come here seeking advice because I feel discouraged to continue doing kendo. For information, I have no prior history of concussions and am in perfect health.

(Edit 1: Thanks for all the replies. For context, my doctor friend checked up on me and asked my symptoms. They were not severe enough to warrant any sort of action other than rest. They told me that I most likely received a mild concussion from the whiplash of the strikes rather than the force of the strikes themselves. Like my brain moving in my head.

That said I will be taking a short break from Kendo to be able to recover. When I come back I will check on my bogu and discuss the issue with other members of the club)

This is gonna be super controversial and I’m sure people are gonna get mad.

AUSKF is run by SCKF/West Coast and this region lock creates an unfair preferential treatment. This treatment makes it harder for those in other federations to even try to involve themselves unless the person somehow makes enough money and has enough time to constantly travel to California.

This is super unrealistic for most people.

As most of the time and energy goes into California other regions of the United States can’t get enough experience or involvement. Even if someone is deeply passionate about kendo, not everyone can uproot their life and move to California.

Now I know people are gonna say “skill issue get better everyone has the same chances” and I mostly agree. You can be a good kendoka even in a place with limited resources if you practice hard enough, but wouldn’t it be nice to see the money we give to the AUSKF every year actually be used to provide opportunities to everyone in the United States (not just the AUSKF Championships every 3 years which coincidentally is always dominated by SCKF I wonder why)? Is it a crazy ask?

The only thing that comes to mind that is done nationally is:

1. Shinpan Seminars
2. EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE a high ranked shinsa
3. Nationals every 3 years (even this event has been done in California a lot)

Now I know the next question is what can the National federations do. That question is a bit tough, I am not an expert in how to run national sports organizations.

But one thing is helping every regional federation host tournaments with multiple federations participating in different locations rather then leaving it up to a region to fizzle and die out as there is no direct leadership (as people have lives and are busy there are circumstances it is understandable).

For further proof maybe just look at the AUSKF instagram. All of it is regarding California kendo stuff. Not one post about New York Kendo Clubs which have quite good amount of people, much less any other kendo club in the entire country.

I am willing to hear people out on this I’m not closed minded I think lol. It’s just a bit crazy to me. I want to clarify I don’t think this is particularly anyone’s fault. There is no blame, though I think things could be better. The tough thing in kendo in general is that people are stuck, and if things work for a group of people of course they are unwilling to want to change anything, and the others are forced to just follow. But we live in America and I think we have a right to voice opinions. I have that right and so do you so lay down your insults on my opinion I’m ready to take it on the chin.

Hey all. I am looking for any recommendations for my first kendogi and hakama. I live in Toronto Canada and would prefer to buy in Canada but I am open to Buying from other countries if need be. Thanks.

I have just bought my own bogu, and the kote is chafing at the base of my thumb and index finger on my left hand. It stings quite a lot when I try to strike, and afterwards the skin peels and it's really sore (especially because I'm left handed). Is there anything I can do about this?

So I just started my journey with kendo and want to do some training by myself and not only in classes, you guys have any tips on training on form, grip etc.?

(Thank you all for help and helping me get the picture right, I'm really glad the community is that much of a help, love you guys)

Hello, fellow Kenshi!

I’ve been doing Kendo for 2 years now and just started Iaido. I imagine like everyone who does Kendo, I think the bogu, shinai, and all equipment that is used in Kendo is incredibly beautiful.

There’s a hole forming in my second pair of kote, and I’m working on getting it patched up myself using the extensive guides on the internet and this reddit.

This got me thinking, how and where do people learn to make and repair bogu? I have a dream of opening up a Kendo equipment and repair shop, because I think I would enjoy it and there’s no Kendo shop in the country where I live. I understand that this would be a difficult task, but I’m motivated by the fact that I think opening up even a small shop like that would be really beneficial for developing Kendo in this country.

Please let me know if you have any information on learning to make and repair bogu or if you have good resources or interesting stories about the people involved in this field. Feel free to recommend good books on this topic as well, if you know any. Thank you greatly ahead of time, I hope this will start an interesting discussion🙏

This is specifically for AUSKF and the USA. The AUSKF policy is clear: insurance coverage is for AUSKF members only. The dojo needs to ensure that new members are added to dojo roster promptly for coverage. And the dojo needs to ensure a visitor is a current member of an AUSKF dojo somewhere (so that they are covered by insurance of their home dojo).

So now the question is: how do you deal with new beginners? We can hardly expect a brand new beginner to register with the national and regional federations before they even learn how to hold shinai. And how do you deal with a visitor who’s not an AUSKF member? He might either be from abroad, from a non-AUSKF dojo, or had stopped kendo but now looking to restart?

There is a waiver form on the AUSKF website. But I’m told it’s worthless. I suppose the proper channel for this issue is the regional federation insurance representative. But my regional federation is pretty non-responsive in our past dealing with them.

So, how do other USA dojos handle this?

Hey! so it has been almost 6 years since I quit Kendo due to personal issues and honestly just hitting a wall in terms of progression. I have been thinking of returning to Kendo as I sort of miss it, or maybe starting with muay thai instead. But I do miss kendo a lot i had some great times and got really fit.

My old dojo closed and I was just looking around for a bit a found a dojo ( with some of my old mates at that dojo)

But I am nervous to start again, none of my old gear fit me anymore and I will be extremely far behind everyone else.

Any tips ?

I am training Kendo for about a year now. The clubs fee has increased from 30€ to 40€ a month. Doesn't that seem a bit too expensive or are my parents just cheap stakes? I know, taxes and other fees are way more important, but I'm still not over the age to have a job of my own. Do I just quit Kendo and give my parents a relief or do y'all have any suggestions? Is my Kendo club just over the board? Thank you for your time to read this.

It needs a lot of training that people realy dont have the time to do it; People just assume you can put it on in 7 seconds and be ready. It really puts a lot of anxiety on me every fucking time.

Last week, I contacted this dojo to inquire about practice sessions and membership fees, as it operates 5 days a week with two 1-hour sessions each day. The monthly fees are based on the number of sessions you attend: $99 for 2 sessions per week, $130 for 4, and $185 for unlimited.

Is this acceptable? I ask because I don’t see this dojo listed among the registered Ontario Kendo dojos. Also, the fees are not publicly available—you must call the master to get the details. This raised a red flag, as I haven’t seen other dojos with such a policy. Is there a reason they might need to hide their fee structure?

For context: I tested for 2nd kyu in June, I didn't get my menjo until mid-november. I tested for 1st kyu in October (see the problem here) and still haven't gotten my menjo. My test for 1st Dan is in two weeks and I'm kinda frustrated. I've already been in contact with my federation multiple (separate) times trying to resolve this.

Hi, when I am buying ssp certified shinais online, they sometimes come with b3, b4 or b5 label on ssp sticker.

What does it mean? I hypothesize it describes point of balance, but maybe anyone knows for sure?

Sometimes I face opponents who go into “turtle” mode and don’t respond (or retreat) from seme or constantly do the overhead block for all strikes/feints… and just run out the clock.

While it can get frustrating when trying to break through their defense, I understand the problem is more me related then them related. So, aside from a strong do strike (which I and judges seem to dislike), is there anything else I can try to force the opponent to react or another way to fix my own kendo when it comes to these types of opponents? My shikake waza is always met with overhead blocks and no reactions or responses when facing these guys.

Who did this?

https://youtu.be/lmj54z9zp1Y?si=CYUcaKPvhSxVK84Q

Êtes-vous jus de raisin?

I really like two sword style and my sensei sometimes lets me stand in nito ryu. I also learned from a book about different kamae in nito ryu, such as ryo jodan, chudan no kamae and so on. They are situational but sometimes useful but I almost never see anyone use them. Are there any rules that might limit them or are they just useless?

The leather inside my Kote is damaged. I would like to learn how to repair it so that members of my club can save some money. My question is: Is there any written guide on how to repair a Kote?

Left-handed people have traditionally been discriminated and abused throughout history.

Even as recent as the 1990's, nuns in Catholic Schools in America would tie the left-hand of left-handed children behind their back, beat them, and forced them to write right-handed. I am just using Catholic Schools as an example, as it comes up a lot in stories of left-handed children being forced to become right-handed. I personally don't have anything against Catholic Schools fyi.

For me personally, when I was 5 years old, I was severely beaten for being left-handed. And forced to write right-handed. The conversion really messed me up, and I developed a permanent speech disorder as a result. I still struggle with a speech disorder even in adulthood. That was in the 1990's. The conversion failed, and I'm still left handed.

Thankfully, around the mid 90's, the practice of converting/ forcing left-handed children to become right-handed stopped.

Now that the practice of 'forced conversion' has stopped, most young left-handed people now-a-days don't have a problem with being told to do something the right handed way.

However, for people who have experienced left-handed conversion as a kid, as you can imagine, some of them are not ok with being forced to do something the right handed way, unless there was a really good reason behind it.

Now-a-days, the world is much friendlier towards left-handed people. Martial arts is especially friendly towards left-handed people. Many martial arts schools openly teach left-handed people to train the left-handed way. Ie: HEMA, Boxing, taekwondo (which I'm currently an instructor of), and Fencing (just to name a few) all encourage left-handed people to train the left-handed way, and welcome the advantage that left-handedness brings to martial arts.

-----Kendo however is one of the few martial arts in modern day that still has extremely anti left-handed practices.

ie: everyone has to learn to hold the sword the right-handed way. Right hand on top, near the hilt, left hand on the bottom, next to the pummel.

Left handed people are not allowed to learn kendo the left handed way: left hand on top, next to the hilt, right hand on the bottom next to the pummel.

Why? Pour quoi?

Because tradition. Because a dozen other reasons people use to justify why.

I love practicing martial arts. I have been practising Japanese Martial Arts for over 10+ years. I have always LOVED kendo. I LOVE practicing with a sword in class. I love sword sparring. I loved practicing HEMA and Fencing.

I really want to learn Kendo in the future. But if I go to a Kendo school, and I'm told I must hold and train with the sword the right-handed way in class (as all the other left handed students have before me) ---- respectfully, I must refuse. And I will have to respectfully quite the school. And unfortunately Kendo will not be for me.

I have 10+ years of experience in Japanese martial arts. I love practicing with swords in class, and have always wanted to learn kendo in the future.

I have been told that kendo trains right-handed only

Ie: right handed grip - Bokken held right hand forward on top, close to the hilt. Left hand on the bottom, close to the pummel. To the best of my knowledge.

I've been told that holding a Bokken using the left-handed grip is not allowed in kendo. Ie: left-hand forward on top, right-hand at the bottom.

Is this true? Thanks

I’ve recently ( 5 months ago) been told by my sensei that I should try Jodan, but have been given very little guidance, so I’m trying to figure things out for myself. For those that fight in Jodan, what is the ratio between your katate waza and Morote waza? Personally I feel a lot more comfortable and confident with 2 handed waza, but I understand that this shortens my ma-ai (one of the advantages of Jodan.) I also see mostly katate waza in ippon compilations. So I’m wondering if I need to step out of my comfort zone and focus more on katate waza.

Thank you.

I hope to land a perfect Do strike in competition. It is my worst. I need to not hurry. For such a slow horse, I always try to run so fast.

What is your dream strike? What the image of your ultimate victory?

I have been training in kendo and iaido for a few years, and some people in my family, teachers I work with at school, graduate school colleagues, friends, etc., are bothered by what they call an excessive dedication to martial arts and having to cancel commitments because of training, competitions, seminars, etc. I would like to know if this happens to you as well, those who train.

I find that my jigeiko performance increases a lot when we take a break before doing it. However, my sensei has started pushing us more and we rarely get one now. Does anyone notice the same effect? Is it a placebo? What causes it and how can I become less reliant on breaks?

P.s. This is not due to me being exhausted. No matter how short, I always notice this effect as long as I get the time to remove the men (even if for literally 10 seconds) and drink some water.

Hello, fellow Kenshi!

I’ve been doing Kendo for 2 years now. I took a 2 month break due to some problems and I’m planning to return to training next week.

My dojo trains for 2.5 hours every week. Most likely my cardiovascular endurance really diminished due to taking a break and not exercising. Would you say that it’s ok to be out of breath during my first training after a break?

I’m really anxious and afraid to slow everyone down and embarrass myself due to being out of breath after like 1 hour of the 2.5 hour training.

Is it ok to be out of breath sometimes, after taking a break and would you say that most likely no one will look down on me?

Thank you greatly, ahead of time🙏

Hello everyone, a few days ago I found a backpack that at first glance seemed ideal for a bogu, the problem was the size (very narrow). This made me think: do you know any backpack that is sold on aliexpress or similar that fits a bogu?

I know the backpacks sold in Tozando or other stores, but adding the shipping to Chile and customs charges it becomes expensive to buy one. That is why I am asking you if you have any experience in this matter.

Do most sensei have small and long feet? The sensei at my dojo has small feet but somehow he can move extremely flexibly when wearing bogu and never shows any signs of losing balance. While my feet are much bigger but it is difficult to maintain balance when suburi for long periods of time