Kendo

deegs

Hi all,

I'm after a bit of feedback really, is there any Japanese here that have studied kendo in Japan but for whatever reason choose not to practice it it Ireland.

What are the main differences ye can see between Kendo in Japan and Ireland.

When I have been to Japan I've often been asked "You do kendo? Why? Its so difficult"

Is it a case that Kendo in Ireland is just not hard enough?

I confused on this.

Rob

FruitLover

(Might get a better response on the SD/MA board?)

I'm not Japanese, nor do I do Kendo, but I've trained in other MAs (karate, judo and jujutsu among other bits and pieces) in Japan and Ireland (and other countries, for that matter), so my observations might also apply to kendo.

The biggest difference I noticed was the attitude toward training. Most of the training is pretty similar between Japan and anywhere else (although this will of course depend on various things, e.g. instructors, clubs, etc), but the Japanese tend to train with 100% effort 100% of the time. It's common to see people in Western countries just going through the motions, or doing for example the first 10-15 reps of kicks or whatever full speed, but the energy and focus trailing off as they get tired. There's far less joking around and slacking off in Japanese clubs, as there's more of a sense of 'team spirit' (or 'clique-iness' if you prefer a less PC term ). If you fart around over there, it's like you're letting the whole club down. People in Western clubs tend to be far more individualistic, and won't be ashamed to slack off, as they don't think they're bothering anyone else (of course, there are exceptions to this).

I'd recommend trying to arrange some training if you're in Japan again. It's a eye-opener!

deegs

Thanks for the post, I have trained in Japan, and would like to do so again.

Its a good post you made and espaically the team spirirt part, espcially the letting down your club bit.

Thanks for the input.