Lizard

One of my friends is thinking of starting Kendo and I said I might go with him, sounds like it could be fun and its quite an unusual hobby... any thoughts? Ive never studied any kind of weapons art before.

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m.artist

personally, i think it's very cool. being able to learn to handle a weapon with some much history attached to it like that, very cool. not many people can say they are experienced with a katana. i would do it. but that's just me

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Lizard

Hmmm... thing is Ive just some some internet research and it sounds very strict and rigid... I'd probably piss people off by not sticking to the correct forms etc.

Well I guess I'd have to try a lesson before making any real descision, schools vary... Is it true that with a katana you should slash rather than chop? Chopping is more fun.

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m.artist

ya that's true. that's what katana's were made to do. that's why they are bent like that. it's better for slashing. and to me, slashing is more cooler, it's clean, and looks really cool. check it out

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Toudiyama[NL]

most of the time you won't be handling a real weapon but a shinai
If you wan't to know how to handle a sword try Iaido instead, it is just the swordpulling but will teach you how to handle it

If you really want to learn japanese swordplay, Katori Shinto ryu is the way but there are almost no teachers in that
Find a kenJitsu school instead of Kendo, kendo is a sportsgame and an expensive one at that ( the gear)

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Hikage

I must perfectly agree. Kendo is useless for what you need it. What you find is people use cheap little moves to create an opening that in reality wouldn't really wound you all that badly. It's sort of akin to the kind of strike that so often wins points in a sparring match. Cheesy. Kenjitsu (the war art of the weapon) would be much more useful to you (assuming you aren't in the arts for sport. If you are, you can stop reading here). The idea you want is sword play. Remember, to be an artist you must create, not duplicate.

I am pleased to hear that you would offend them by not sticking to what they want you to do. Good. There's no need to move like a robot and if the instructor wanted to see someone move just like him he should record himself on tape and watch it over and over and over and over until he gets his lovely little ego fix taken care of.

The idea with weapons is that they should be an extension of what you already know. I.E., the angles are the same as your punches, the steps should be indentical to those when you are empty handed, the list goes on. Everything you do empty handed you should be able to do with a weapon, any weapon.

In order to most fully compliment what you already know, I would choose a style that is atleast of the same divination as your art. Forexample, if you do a japanse jarate, perhaps you'd like kenjitsu (assuming you can find a school.) If you do kung fu, do Wushu and so forth. That way you wouldn't need to re-learn all your stances and you'd be reinforcing that which you already know. Don't re-invent the wheel, it's good enough.

-Hikage

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Lizard

Im really not interested in sword self defence, I just want to have fun really. But my research indicates that most kendo is far from fun... oh well it was worth a look.

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jubaji

You really, truly understand nothing.....

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Hikage

Wow, way to overreact.

Do you honestly feel that it is practical to have an entire dojo of students who move in the same exact manner? Evidently I do understand nothing because I can't see what your getting at. Learn me, please.

-Hikage

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jubaji

Leave it at that, champ.

No wonder you are such a sucker for the parlor tricks

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Hikage

[shrugs]......... ok.

-Hikage

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osopardo

Lizard,
Sounds like what you're really after is the mayhem an carnage of the Dog Brothers!

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m.artist

I have a question. Do you ever say anything half way intelligent? Or do you just go around harrasing(sp?) peoples oppinions? You get mad when either I or Hikage gives somebody advice, I just don't seem to see your reasoning for that.

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jubaji

Halfway? No.

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m.artist

well then what do you call it?
i call it pathetic and ignorance

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