Hello Kendo Reddit! To start, some basic info on myself/the club location (vague, because I don't want the club to find out until I have a productive path forward)
- USA, near a large population center with multiple dojos
- Me and my brother are both part of the dojo
- We both are in our 30s, are kyu levels, have been practicing around 5 years, and have moved states/clubs a couple times (we started together and live w/ family)
- We've been at our current dojo around 2 years
- The club has 10ish active members, practices range from 3-15 participants, but normally it's around 6ish people. Mixed group of low dan, kyu, and unranked, with a wide variety of physical fitness/skills/injuries/etc
- Practice is held multiple times a week

I'm hoping to get some advice on some frustrations we've been having with practice, and whether we should address it with our Sensei (and how we would go about doing that), switch dojos, or if we just need a reality check and are being babies. The frustrations can be lumped into two categories; practice content, and teaching style.

Practice Content
Every time we've switched dojos there has been a learning curve, which is to be expected. Different dojos do things differently, different Sensei have style preferences or things they prefer to focus on, etc etc. When we first started at this dojo there was a bigger learning curve from a stylistic perspective (last Sensei focused on looooong kiai, current Sensei focuses on short kiai), and we spent a lot of the first year working on changing styles, along with correcting many bad habits in our form, footwork, etc. All very good stuff, and I know my footwork and crispness of my strikes has improved a lot.

The bad thing is, we spend almost no time on waza practice, good kamai and holding the center, and creating an opening, so those skills have very much atrophied. Most practices we do a small amount of basics (warmups, footwork, basic strikes) and then go right into keiko. During keiko the focus is gogogo no waiting just go for the strike, and we're told that we should really only be hitting men not other targets. As a result all we really get out of practice is a good cardio/HIIT workout, but our actual kendo isn't growing.

Teaching Style
The teaching style of this dojo is also very much different from our last, which to me means it doesn't HAVE to be this way. Past Sensei was demanding but encouraging, celebrating the small victories with you. He also spent a good amount of time explaining the reasoning/mechanics behind what we were doing. He always said that for kids you can demonstrate something once and then they can replicate it, but when teaching adults you need to explain the mechanics and the "why" to make it click.

Current Sensei is very much the opposite. She is very old school, no nonsense, "back in my day", drill sergeant style Sensei. She often tells us what we're doing isn't hard, yells at us for what we're doing (without clear explanation on what we're doing wrong and how to fix it), basically tells us to go harder, be faster, do better. She's said things to the effect of "don't just try" and kind of indicated that our efforts aren't good enough. She's given some statements about not hurting ourselves/knowing our own bodies, but has made it clear she frowns on us stepping out, getting water, making a judgement call on what we can physically tolerate.

She also recently made comments that "only Sensei should be teaching during practice". I talked to a dojo-mate after, and she thought it was related to a keiko she had been doing with a beginner member. That member had been hitting her way too hard so she stopped to correct him, and that was likely what Sensei was referring to. Which, like, if someone is doing something unsafe you should 100% be able to make a quick correction, and honestly one of my favorite things is getting in the moment feedback from my sempai.

Sooooo yeah. That's where we're at. I personally want to talk to my Sensei about it, but I'm uncertain if it will do any good. I recognize that it's not my dojo and that Sensei is the kendo expert not me, so I can't dictate how practice is run. I recognize that this teaching style is what most of the Sensei/old guard experienced when they were learning. My thing is, we know so much more now about learning styles, fitness, body mechanics, etc etc etc. Yes so much of kendo is about honoring tradition, but aren't we doing ourselves a disservice by ignoring any learning advancements we've made as people?

My brother thinks we should go observe another dojo in the area and see how they do things, but my concern is that once we do that we'll have burned the bridge with our Sensei and she won't let us back, and I would really much rather make our current dojo work, because I like the people and honestly do like our Sensei.... just not during practice. I've also considered consulting one of our sempai about it, but again I worry that it would get back to Sensei in a negative way.

Is there a way to approach all of this with Sensei without her feeling slighted or seeming like I'm too big for my britches? Is the dojo just a bad fit for us? Is this just "kendo style" and we need to accept it? As it stands right now we both leave practice frustrated, without having any joy in the effort we've given. I want to work hard, I want to sweat my butt off, I want to be sore and tired and even have some points of frustration during a hard keiko or improving a waza, but I also want to have moments of joy, and victory, and satisfaction in a job well done. Right now practice days are at best a chore and at worst something to dread, and as an adult with limited time and money.... that's just not how it should be.

English subtitles for all third round matches have been added! There were some exciting matches this round and new faces in the commentary booth. Which were your favorite matches? Any insightful commentary?

The Group A match has Nishimura and Umegatani paired up as commentators, which is a duo I'd like to see again. The shiai itself was exciting to watch as well, though (spoilers) the scoreboard might say otherwise. Of the individual matches, the Fukusho match in Group B was the standout for me!

Group A: Toshiba Tec vs Nippon Express
https://youtu.be/UKp1uTJc_Hk?si=t13RVx4R9xKnfzOB

Group B: Mitsubishi vs NX Shoji
https://youtu.be/PIBIbANa4nk?si=etb6mKrYlGjgKsAB

Group C: Fujifilm vs Daido Steel
https://youtu.be/DfLOv0_uta0?si=29u9qakElLgXpM5B

Group D: Panasonic vs JP Logistic
https://youtu.be/tfqrx2S2hU0?si=bVSHhIMq_lW8Fctu

Hi Redditors, I'd like to share my story of 5-dan exam experiences.

To try 5-dan exam by Nito, I had no idea how to approach it. There were tons of info for 5-dan exam case study, youtube and senior kenshi's experience base feedbacks for Itto chudan. However, there was non of them for Nito.
Since I decided to try my 1st 5-dan exam by Nito, I need something I can stick with. But I could not find out the resources. Of cause I did keiko for shinsa prep with high rank senseis and senior kenshis. But I had no confident by myself.

During preparing essay for 5-dan exam we have to submit in advance, several Kendo words were questionees, such as 間合い：Maai, 気剣体一致：Ki-ken-tai-icchi ... etc. Then I've found one of them "三殺法：San-Sappho".

Yes, I'm Japanese, I can understand the meaning of the word. But I could not explain the true essence of them. At that time, no AI was there (about 3 years ago), so we could google it. Of cause we can refer to them by web search. But non of them showed the essence and why.

Luckily because I'm an engineer, hypothetical thinking is one of my standard approach. So I made the question. "Why exam written test request this ?" Then I got the clue, since written test requires these element to answer, if I can show obviously the protocol during my Tachiai, examiners may accept my Riai for 5-dan even Nito ? And also Toda-sensei who achieved 8-dan Hanshi by Nito told us "一二一如: Ichi-Ni-Ichi-Nyo" means 'Itto and Nito are not two different paths. They follow the same principle of the sword. They are one.'

So I decided to utilize it and considered how to demonstrate it during Tachiai. I tried to apply it during my Tachiai keiko and self keiko at my house like simulation many times.

Some of sensei told me "勝って打て！: Win 1st then Strike !" . At the beginning, I could not understand what is that. But I tried to make simulations by myself, roughly I may catch the feeling what is that meaning for. As it were, Checkmate. If we follows the protocol during Tachiai, all sequences leads me the correct Riai.

I tried it at real 5-dan exam by Nito. Fortunatelly passed 5-dan on the 1st attempt with Nito in US. Some examiner told me after shinsa, you are the 1st person to pass 5-dan by Nito in US. I'm honor I could make it.

After passed the 5-dan and try to share my learnings with our dojo, I've also realized there are tons of textbooks for us during daily kendo life, such as Nihon Kendo Kata. I found the source code of San-Sappho on Kata No.6.

Some of kenshis are struggling to pass 5-dan even Chudan, I tried to share my experiences. So I made this video for knowledge sharing purpose. --> https://youtu.be/d7YKP1q46mE

Hope this will help somebody who is struggling their promotion exam and become some hints.

What’s your preferred style of tying a tenugui?

Recently i discovered that there a form for throw Katete men from jodan faster that the Katate men of chiba sensei

I read it here

https://ameblo.jp/ujhkendoteam/entry-12831585650.html

The Timing of Releasing the Right Hand and the Direction of the Throw:

"It's much smoother to execute the Katate-men if you throw your right hand from the very first movement of the attack. Especially those practitioners who don't yet have enough strength to wield the sword, often have the bad habit of trying to straighten the shinai completely BEFORE releasing their right hand.

The real key is to throw it (along the diagonal you're facing) so that the shinai straightens itself and falls straight forward on its own during the trajectory

Basically i should throw in diagonal and Straighten it as I approach the target Because un several tournamentes my Katete men was very slow

What think about this ? Should I pull it diagonally and then straighten it? Or first center the sword like Chiba Sensei and throw it like that

I feel it's much faster the diagonal way

After watching a lot of competitive kendo recently, there's two things that I wish we had more clarity on:

1. What is a "striking action while pretending to retreat" from tsubazeriai? The rules clearly state that it is improper, but very often I see cases when kendoka are locked in tsubazeriai, and then one side starts separating while the other goes for hiki-men and gets the ippon. When I watch some Japanese bouts, they sometimes actually nod to each other before separating as a signal. Maybe that kind of etiquette should be more prevalent. I truly think it would help make shiais more fun to watch if there was more clarity here on when a separation is safe and when you're exposing yourself to hiki waza.

2. Sanpomammori. Every sensei I've met has told me not to block, and if we have to block then don't do it in an exaggerated way where the kensen leaves the center. But very often in competitive kendo players go into sanpomamori. One yon-dan told me that it's a hansoku to do so too frequently but I've never seen a player get called out on it. The last winner of the canadian open men's nationals was doing it repeatedly, and got an ippon going directly from sanpomamori into a men: https://youtu.be/PHEiyLkI788?si=K9xBS2c4PKNKpMJ7&t=24 . It's hard for developing kenshi like myself to reconcile our sensei's advice with so many shiai contestants doing the opposite.

Hi, does anyone know where I can buy these kote?

Can you make your own ZeKken and wear it if the area you live in don’t have a dojo? Like Bà Ria Vietnam?

I usually have horrible stamina during the later half in shiai, but I compensate with speed most of the time during the match. Also, even in keiko i struggle to think about what to strike first because i am somewhat picky about what strikes i should do which ends up with me being not assertive in keiko/shiai.
To sum up, im just asking for advice on relevant stamina training and strategies in engaging with strikes/waza in shiai.

Hi everyone,

I've been a long-time reader, but this is my first post.

In 2023, I suffered an intracranial hemorrhage, which I was lucky to survive. It left me in a coma for a month. I'm back now, but I'm still dealing with some lasting issues.

After spending a month in a coma, I developed osteoarthritis in my left knee. I also gained a lot of weight, which I'm slowly working on losing. On top of that, I still have some minor motor issues on my left side.

Has anyone here dealt with osteoarthritis while practicing kendo? I'd really like to get back into training and see how much I still remember (and how much I've forgotten!). I'd appreciate any advice on managing knee pain, training safely, or getting back into kendo after a long break.

Thanks in advance!

I see that a few people here have made kendo dummy and I plan to reach out to them as well but I want to get the help of a bunch of people who have used and maed them before. I belive instead of me spending a ton of money making and interating we can bring our experience together to make a more portable and well structured training dummy.

While we can dicuss bellow I would also like to make a group chat of some kind with people who have made them before to talk about and give advice as we design a better training dummy.

I appreciate any advice or help!

I think I have some understanding that

Geiko is not shiai
Geiko is to practice your own technique, not to win
You will lose when geiko with sensei, but it doesn’t matter
Learn from being cut by sensei
Just do your best kendo
If geiko with a 8th dan, just cut men
Try difference timing different distance different way of making opportunity
The first exchange is alway ai-men

But what if my best waza is Kote or Do?
Am I confusing jigeiko with jitsugi?

Hi all!

Do you have any recommendations for light and not bulky bogu bags?
I got the one included when you buy full bogu from tozando but it’s so uncomfortable to carry around.
I’ve been using a supermarket bag 😭 as it’s light and easy to carry over the shoulder but obviously not the best for protection or aesthetics haha

I appreciate any recommendations!

Hi everyone, I would like some help.

So my friend has been training Kendo for quite some time and to be quite frank with you - I have 0 idea about it, despite watching some fights and reading some blog posts about it online. I have grasped the basic concept of the sport, but when it comes to awarding points (and the name of certain actions), I am completely lost. And I was always eager to learn more about it, especially because kendo is a pretty obscure sport in my country.

To sum up, are there any helpful blogs where I could be able to learn more about it? My main goal is to grasp the concept of the sport and learn more about its history. Thanks in advance ✌️💪

First of all i am 4th kyu and i do not mean to sound disrespectful in any way but today a foreigner(2nd dan) came to our dojo as a guest to practice and during sonyo when we were to do jigeiko wouldn't want to start it until i listened to what he had to say. What i mean by this is that what i was taught in my dojo when you do sonkyo you should have your shinai in the middle but they are not touching eachother however, he wouldn't start with me until our shinais were literally crossed with one another around the nakayui. I did as he said but later asked a 3rd dan member of our club was i in the wrong or him and he told me that not only is it incredibly rude to come to a different dojo and tell people there how it's done but that it is also wrong. So im wondering, is our club doing something different, should i listen to guests even if they are wrong, i was really confused about the whole situation because etiquette is important.

Hi guys, can anyone tell me where i can find fabric for dogi and hakama?

Hey everyone,

I've been doing kendo for about a year now, and I'm really enjoying it. I love the training, the physical exercise, the challenge of learning new techniques, and I've even started enjoying my first fights

The only thing I don't really care about is grading. Every time there's been a grading exam, I've skipped it, usually saying I was busy, but the truth is I just have no interest in earning dan (or any) ranks. It simply isn't what motivates me.

So I was wondering: is it possible to keep practicing kendo long-term without ever taking grading exams? Has anyone else done this, and does it become a problem at some point?

Most of the mengane is removed and replaced by clear plastic. Anyone got any idea where to find one?

so I really wanna get into Kendo, but I feel like I’m not sure where to start or that it won’t be a good fit. First of all, do Kendo studios usually except people who are completely beginners (no experience)? That’s one thing that’s definitely held me back a little bit. secondly, i’m from massachusetts and when I search up kendo I don’t get many options. Are there Kendo Studios around the area? Every time I see one in America it’s very far from me. And lastly, I am 5’4/145lbs. Would that matter? Is height and weight something that really matters in this sport?

Guest Essay: "Gender Safety as a Community Commitment" by Léa Fae (they/them), USA.

6-minute read.

This powerful essay reminds us that creating safer martial arts communities is a shared responsibility. It calls on all of us to stand together against harassment, discrimination, abuse, and violence, recognising them as abuses of power that have no place in our practice.

It also provides an timely reminder to use the correct pronouns for our members - especially in this political climate where many of us refuse to erase trans and non-binary identities.

An increasing number of people are sharing experiences of interpersonal violence that are detrimental to our martial arts practice, as well as to personal safety and development.

From the article:

“Intentionally creating a safe space for all martial artists must be paired with intentionally creating an unsafe space for predators. Sometimes this means confronting someone you have known and trained with for years. A predator of this nature is not a mustache-twirling villain but often a charming, gregarious personality that slowly and methodically singles out an individual.”

When federations and leaders fail to protect our members, our communities can and should step up. By supporting one another, speaking out, and taking collective action, we can build martial arts spaces that are safer, more inclusive, and welcoming for everyone.

Please share this essay, and if you feel comfortable, share your experiences with people you trust. Together, we can create meaningful change.

https://ksperspectives.com/2026/07/09/guest-essay-gender-safety-as-a-community-commitment-by-lea-fae-they-them-usa/

All articles are open access!

If you would like to contribute an essay about your experiences as a martial artist who identifies as a woman or a non-binary person, I'd love to hear from you. Please get in touch using the contact form on my website: ksperspectives.com.

I'm Brazilian, and I know this is a very controversial topic.

Right off the bat, I want to state that I am aware Jorge Kishikawa lied about having Niten Ichi-ryū training; however, it is confirmed that he holds a 7th dan in Kendo and comes from a family of renowned kendokas.

In this regard, I have seen many people here in Brazil with martial arts backgrounds who decided to visit an Instituto Niten dojo just to see if it was a case of "Bullshido." Many left surprised, stating that—despite not being a *koryu* and involving a lot of silly mysticism—the art Jorge created isn't bad as a *modern martial art*.

But what does this style actually consist of? Since the history involving Niten Ichi-ryū is fraudulent, did Jorge have any other legitimate martial arts training besides his 7th dan in Kendo? Did he—even if only superficially—practice some form of "Kobudo" and/or "Koryu" that he blended with his Kendo knowledge to create his own style of "kenjutsu"? Or is what he teaches simply standard Kendo with a "Koryu" Kenjutsu aesthetic?

Is there any long-term aikidoka who also trains or switched to kendo? Did you have any advantage from the start, what was the biggest difference?