Hello! I am the dude on the left at the start of this video and needed some advice on my small men. There were many times in competitions where I find my strikes very weak and it has costed me multiple ippons in the past and most likely this one as well (1 shinpan raised her hand in my favour but not the others).

My Sensei told me that it was my upper body being too "tense" and that the force of my lower body does not transfer well to my upper body. Anyone has experienced the same? I am struggling to figure out what he means and need pointers. Also, should I just hit harder?

Any other critique on my form is also appreciated!

Hello! I have been doing Kendo for 2 years now and I am Shodan. I was wondering if there were any dojos in Tokyo (preferably near Adachi) with prac between Jan 15th-17th that accept foreign visitors. I speak english and I have very limited japanese unfortunately. Thank you!

hello everyone, I am currently a first dan kendoka training for second dan and better shiais.

Lately I've been working on developing a strong and scary seme. I would love to ask for your tips and insights on how you senpais improved yours

Can i still learn kendo and participate in Kendo Matchs even if i practice the Corean Version? If not, what should i do to learn? I'm from Barranquilla, colombia

Is there a way to properly distribute people in the dojo at initial and ending protocols (seiretsu/reiho)?

I know shomen should be the wall farmost from the entrance. Which side of the shomen should be the sensei and the line of practicant?

Let me start by saying that I enjoy doing kendo, but I experience terrible anxiety about going to training. I feel like a burden to others because I can't replicate (I forget due to my ADHD) the exercises that my teacher wants us to do. It's humiliating for me every time.

Someone in the dojo even told me that others notice that I forget things that are told to me, another person called me stupid. In a few hours I have a lesson and it feels like I'm about to take an exam.

Hi, I have a question about maintaining proper etiquette at the beginning and end of practice while wearing under-kote gloves.

Before Practice:

I assume it's not appropriate to perform rei while wearing the under-kote gloves. If that's the case, does this order work?

1. Perform chaku-za.
2. Line up kote and men in front of you.
3. Keep the under-kote gloves off (store them inside the kote or zekken pouch).
4. Complete rei.
5. Wait for the call to men ske
6. Put on men.
7. Retrieve and wear the under-kote gloves.
8. Put on kote.

After Practice:

1. Perform chaku-za.
2. Remove kote and line them up in front of you.
3. Remove under-kote gloves at this point? (If so, where should I store them when doing reiho?)
4. Wait for the call to men tore.
5. Remove men.
6. Finish rei.

Alternatively, should I wait until men tore (step 4) is called before removing the under-kote gloves?

If wearing kote protectors, is it proper to keep them on during reiho? Should I remove them, and if so, where is the appropriate place to put them?

Thank you for your guidance!

I recently watched the famous 2006 WKC USA vs Japan matchup and noticed one of the US players fought nito style. I am curious to know whether this is common, if there might be any reason other than personal preference, and if this has happened in other big caliber tournaments such as the AJKC?

Random Kendo thought, has anyone ever created a new waza? What’s the newest waza historically? When and how would it be recognized? Just wanted to ask for fun.

I am coming to Tokyo on business and have Thursday evening and all Saturday free to attend practices. I have a few options already, but my company practice unfortunately was cancelled. Does anyone know of any open practices following proper shokai protocol as one would that would be recommended?

I was told by my Sensei that Taiwan has its own 8th Dan examination back then. I was wondering if there are Hachidans from Korea, Taiwan or Brazil, for example.

I wanted to try something new for 2025, and found kendo after researching different martial arts. I took a class and really enjoyed it, the sensei was strict yet fair, I could tell he had a genuine love of the art.

I watched the other students spar and I found it so inspiring that I want to get to that level eventually.

I know that it’s gonna take a lot of time and effort to get to that point, but I’m pretty determined after this first class :)

I'm going to be abroad in Korea for the entire fall '25 semester, and while there want to do new things.

One of the main things that I'm interested in is some type of sword martial arts. Kendo has always interested me, but I live slightly remotely so it's never been an option. But considering that, to my knowledge, kumdo is in many (and the important) ways the same thing as kendo, this would be a great opportunity for me to learn.

First, I want to ask if this is really a practical option? Although I've been trying hard to learn Korean, I doubt I'll be strong at communicating as with 4 years of learning French I've learned that language is not my strong suit. I do want to learn kumdo, but if there are not really any good options for me when my communication skills are at a minimum. Plus, I don't know how dojos will typically treat foreigners interested.

I'll be at Sogang University, which I believe is in the Daeheung-dong area of Seoul if I'm reading google maps correctly (forgive me for anything I'm incorrect in, still trying to learn things). If the answer to my first question doesn't really pose any problems, I'd love some advice on dojos that would be nearby in my area.

Also, as I am completely new at this, and as much as I am curious about this, I doubt picking up a stick and looking at tutorials is a good start, so because of that very likely be completely new when I go to Korea. Also because I'm new, I have no knowledge on how equipment and sizing works, and what I'll have to invest in gear are some pieces of information I'd love to get as well.

Thanks for all your help!

On the dojo’s lineup, is there a name for the most ranked person that gives the initial and ending commands? I investigated a bit and the name “shihandai” appeared, but I wanted to confirm

Hello everyone! I recently joined a kendo club. It has a weekly two hours session. I am still learning the basics but I am really struggling at one of them: sonkyo. I am not as flexible and strong as the others in the club. Sonkyo is so hard for me. Especially after crouching, when I need to stand up, I always have hard time to push myself upright straight. I end up standing at a 30 ~degree angle with my back leaning forward to make it possible. Do you think I should go to the gym and train my legs? Any advice is welcome.

Made from waterproof x-pac material.

Open up -> pull the black tap to pull out flags -> judge the fate of the mortals.

Why? Why not!

Good day, champs <3

I'm a kendoka learning nito and I stumbled across this video (https://youtu.be/ifnzZk6njs4?si=EXbDMVfCtVH1ghlZ) while casually looking for kendo content to watch and study. In this video one of the nito players is using hidariwaki and the other is using nito chudan. I was wondering if there are more videos like this where uncommon kamae is used with nito? Also which stances in nito are hansoku? In the Balkans where I usually train and go to competitions jyuji jodan is considered a hansoku (they give you a warning first time) but in some Japanese nito videos, jyuji jodan is totally fine to utilise. The only difference that I managed to find is that in Balkan the only cases of hansoku for jyuji jodan were in gyaku nito and the Japanese guy used sei nito.

Edit: Thank you all very much, this helped me clarify a lot of things!

Title.

Yeah i know it probably is both. But i just want to have the right expectations about it before i enter a dojo.

Happy New Year all!

I have a quick question for anyone who’s used KendoStar shinai before. I absolutely love my KendoStar shinai (oval grip and smoked): they’re high-quality, well-balanced, and nearly indestructible, and I couldn't recommend them enough. However, I’ve also noticed that all six of them feel slightly heavier than other shinai that I’ve used prior. Is this just my experience? Or is this a design feature?

Cheers!

Any “Ah-that’s what they meant by x” moments in your kendo journey? What happened and do you have a story of what lead to it?

Happy New Year everyone.

Hi! I saw the team Korea during the WKC but couldn’t ask them what brand was, I tried searching in every online store I know but haven’t found anything, can someone help me? Thanks!