So, I'm thinking about to start buying the gear. What should I buy first?
I was thinking that maybe shinai and bokuto should go first and after a while the hakama + keiko-gi. I'm kinda low on cash so I can't get everything now.
Also, it will take a while for needing a bogu, but feel free to give any tips if you want.
I'm confused, have you started training at a dojo yet? Or are you just considering starting Kendo?
>>1063166
Sounds like he just wants to buy the stuff and LARP at home.
>>1062104
The club I go to requires only that you have a shinai, to start. You may as well buy a shinai bag. I prefer the hard cased ones that look like luggage, but YMMV.
Hakama and gi come about three or four months later, once you're sure it's for you.
Then kote, then do, then men.
Bogu are expensive, so its nice to be able to stretch them out like that.
Bokken I've honestly never used, and unless you are in some kind of friendly regional tournament/skill display, you probably won't ever see it, because why would you. You don't spar with them, as they're more likely to damage the bogu for no gain.
>>1063322
Thanks for the answers.
Where I practice you don't need a shinai to start, but they say it's good to get one as soon as you can. I talked to my instructor (sensei, whatever you like best) today and he said something along these lines.
But added that a bokuto could be useful in the future, as FIK is using kihon a lot more, but no need to get one early on.
Also, hakama and gi are a little hard to find around here so normally people buy on trips, or ask other practitioners to bring to cut the delivery fee, etc...
>>1063351
You're probably going to have to bite the bullet and buy your shit online. Be glad of you aren't a big guy, sizing is insane, and larger sizes are more expensive.
Definitely get a shinai asap, start swinging as soon as you know how. Hundreds of swings a day will let you get natural with it, whereas the instinct is to be tense because you're holding a sword.
There are heavier shinai available for training strength, they're great. I use a barbell for the same reason.
>>1063424
Well, I'm around 182cm tall (6'0? always get confused with the conversion). Anyway that seems to make the clothing around 20% more expensive than what another student paid.
She was around 160 cm (5'3?) however, well I'm not that good at eyeballing people's height but I guess it was around that.
Thanks once more.
I do reccomemd getting the uniform soon (not bogu mind you) purely because of that cool air on your bum feeling hakama provides makes practice much nicer. Also learning not to trip on poofy pants is important
18 year old youngfag here, last year of highschool is this a good time to start kendo/kumdo? I used to do it when I was back in korea but it was less than a year and I was around 9 then.
>>1063872
Sooner you start, farther you can go, if Dan progression is of any interest to you.
>>1063872
Koreaboo who's been doing kendo for a while here in America, but plans to move to Korea here. Exactly how popular is 검도 in Korea?
>>1064118
Fuck Korea. Japanese clay.
>>1064118
I wouldn't say it's too popular compared to Taekwondo or Hapkido, but 검도 is definitely up there and they participate a lot in competitions and stuff. It's way more popular than it is in western countries ofc
Alright get this niggas: Hakama and Gi are first steps to Kendo if you have a club that puts it at as a mandatory. Why? Because they actually hold a significant meaning. Everyone can hold a shinai, but a real Kendoka will be recognized on first sight by wearing their uniform when needed.
Besides, do you really plan to be the only one left out of wearing it? Sounds hella awkward, but I don't know your situation so it's hard to judge.
If your dojo will offer you shinais, why fucking buy those first? That's dumb. A shinai is relatively cheap (and so can Bokuto's be), so you'd rather be saving big for your uniform instead.
Regarding Bogu, ask around. Really, this is why you faggots need to attend tournament because not only do you improve through mitori-geiko, you also meet people. Meeting people means contacts, contacts mean possibilities.
Goodluck to you Anon, and remember, Kendo is a sport of dedication. Don't go half-assed on it.
>>1067052
>you need to spend a hundred dollars+ on a special gi day one
>fuck the actual sword that the entire art is based on
>>1067350
Don't be ridiculous. If the sword is offered for free, why buy it?
And what the fuck makes you think that the shinai is the center of the sport? That has to be one of the dumbest shit I've heard.
>>1067350
You combat sport guys can't understand martial arts.
>>1067052
>>1067654
The sword is not offered for free, they lend you one till you get the chance to buy one. At least that's what I understood.
So it would be like a friend offering you a room for a couple of days and you end up living there for a couple of months without paying anything.
>>1067052
>>1067655
I get it that the uniform is a big part of the martial art, but if you are low on cash/it's not easy to buy it where you live, you should prioritize somethings over the others.
You can't practice suburi out of the dojo with your own hakama and keiko-gi but no shinai, but you can do it with the shinai alone.
>>1067834
Maybe we should create Dodo, a martial art where you push your opponent out of the shiajo with belly (protected by a do) bumps.
What do you guys think about jumping rope for conditioning? Does it help with the footwork?
>>1067955
Yes it's great for conditioning, no it has nothing to do with footwork. Kumai stance is unnatural and terrible, and only practice in kumai will make kumai better.
Has anyone here made their own shinai bags?
If that's the case, what kind of fabric did you use? Leather/Faux leather at the bottom? Would you have any prints/schematics?
Was thinking about making one and wanted some directions.
>>1064118
yeah, you can just about find one anywhere in Seoul. just search it in Naver.
also make sure it's 대한검도, not 해동검도.
they are wildly different forms of kendos.
>>1067834
do means path.
ken means blade
without blade, there's jsut a path
fuck the blade.
>>1072535
kendo without swordsmanship would be watered down philosophy
>>1072559
And it would look a lot like ballroom dancing.
>>1068066
Kek I'm glad somebody else agrees. Feels especially weird as a 6' tall guy
>tfw you live in the middle of nowhere so you can only practice with your jap friends that were really good at kendo as kids
fuck the midwest man
So I picked up nito lately and somehow I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Compared to jodan, where you still have right hand support in a way (in that you can "push" your shinai, I mean), I get the feeling I'm going about using the daito the wrong way. After practicing for a while the other day, I felt a lot of pain in my left arm, and had to rest it for a while, and it feels like I'm putting too much pressure on it, honestly. Any tips?
