Kendo?

Training
1

Anyone have experience? I was thinking of taking it up because I could not afford a partner for dance classes and I don’t want to punch air or get intimate with men so this seems like a good art providing a progressive curriculum without getting too macho and tight.

Is it more about the sparring (or equivalent) or drills? Are the drills “scientific”? I heard that the old samurai did not have a scientific basis for their swordfighting but just went berserk. Do you have to scream a lot?
Is it fun?

Anything?

2

i’m calling you a troll for your remarks about other combat sports.

Go grab a wooden stick and feel like a warrior, the perfect sports for nerds, just like ninjutsu.

3

WTF

4

5

Grrr. Hate going without tags.

6

i never know how to get images from outside my pc on T-Nation.

7

[quote]Alffi wrote:
Anyone have experience? I was thinking of taking it up because I could not afford a partner for dance classes and I don’t want to punch air or get intimate with men so this seems like a good art providing a progressive curriculum without getting too macho and tight.

Is it more about the sparring (or equivalent) or drills? Are the drills “scientific”? I heard that the old samurai did not have a scientific basis for their swordfighting but just went berserk. Do you have to scream a lot?
Is it fun?

Anything?[/quote]

Kendo is a sport, and by learning kendo you get good at the sport, not swordfighting. Yes, you scream a lot. It is fun depending on your sensei and your idea of fun. If you want to slap on some armor and whack people with sticks, then kendo is not for you. In a traditional (good) dojo you will practice drills for months before you earn the right to wear the bogu.

As far as that whole berserk samurai nonsense is concerned, I can only assume you’re joking. Japanese martial arts are some of the oldest in the world, and without a doubt the most regimented. The assumption that the sport of kendo was some attempt to get “scientific” about swordfighting is silly.

8

My brother did it semi-competitively. He also enjoyed getting dressed up like something from Lord of the Rings and running around in the park with PVC pipping with his friends (and a lot of other grown adults) pretending they’re going to war.

I think they wear too much armor, so they don’t really care about getting hit.

If I were looking at weapons training in a not sport oriented way, I’d go with some brand of Philippine knife/stick fighting.

9

or how about a western martial art? long/bastard sword, rapier, messer, dagger, sword and buckler. the knowlege base is massive and there are many excellent instructors - http://fightmedieval.com/

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here is some full- speed stuff, all interpreted from period fight manuals