Started off with the cleaning of the floor, japanese style! Everyone gets a cloth, runs in line with each other, cleaning the floor as quickly as possible. Always good.
They do the bowing part. Involves a lot of shouting from the Instructor, it takes a while.
Then everyone gets in a small circle, and the instructor and other people inspect each others equipment to make sure it's alright. They do this facing in the way, and facing out. This takes a while.
And so warm ups begin, everyone starts off with things like jumping jacks and bunny hops and variations on warming up in one spot (no running around the hall). Whilst this is going on, the Instructor shouts out four things in Japanese, everyone replies with four different words again, in Japanese. I presume they are numbers.They then begin doing stretches (static ones) again with the shouting and replying. This all takes a while.
Everyone goes and collects their swords/bokken.
Instructor points out about how to strike with a sword, then many cuts straight down (everyone in a large circle, lots of space). Instructor shouts out four things in Japanese, everyone replies with four different words again, in Japanese. They do this for about two minutes, before they stop, the instructor comments on what he's noticing and where everyone can be improving. Fair enough. Repetition is good.
Here is where my first real issue takes place. He singles out one girl to come into the middle of the circle and do push ups. "Okay, now we are going to do *Japanese word for sword strike* until *Kirsty* (I can't remember her real name, and wouldn't use it anyway) has done ten push ups. We are going to do this at my pace, and until I am satisfied that she has done tento my satisfaction".
Not his exact words but close enough. So this thick rimmed spectacled short pudgy looks-like-she-owns-eight-cats-with-mens-names 20 something year old girl comes out, looking very nervous and gets into the middle of the circle and performs zero push ups. Just sort of bobs up and down on her knees and hands very awkwardly. Probably because she has never done one in her life. I was enraged that it continued for about a minute until he said "aaand that's enough."
It backfired on him because she physically couldn't perform the action, and I am also very much against singling people out for physical punishment. It was infuriating. I figure that this is probably the way he was taught. To be fair, I don't think anyone in that class is capable of ten push ups. They either looked like they watched to much anime, or took it far too seriously, or both.
So they move on to very slow basically two-person katas. I say katas rather than techniques because they were very ritualized about stepping forward with each other, performing (slightly bizarre sometimes) movements in the air, rarely making contact, then walking away, facing each other. This all takes a while.
Then the same again a few more times, very slowly, very controlled. It was also always deathly quiet. Very nervous energy. Everyone seemed almost scared to break the silence. They also seemed slightly scared of the instructor, even though he was never harsh, he taught alright in my opinion.
Then they did the kata in a big rotation. Lots of shouting orders by the instructor, very military like. Everyone got in two lines facing each other, then did more kata. Do one kata, then walk backwards, slowly, facing your partner, until the instructor calls for a rotation. This all takes. FOREVER.
After about an hour they put on all the equipment, and start practising how to actually hit each other. The instructor basically going over how to get points in competition. Then they done the rotation thing again, basically hitting each other in the head. It gave me a headache just watching. It all takes a very long time.
I left after that. Didn't stay for sparring.
My final thoughts are:
I won't bother with Kendo
They wasted SO MUCH TIME!
Everyone walking like a Geisha girl with their heads down and small steps was sort of annoying.
The time they wasted was incredible. Exactly the opposite of my experience with Judo.
The rule set is limited.
The instructor looked younger than me by about three or four years. Not a slight on him, he taught alright. It was just weird that I'm older than people who can teach things.
The silence was unbearable at times. Nobody asking questions, or even conversing much.
No water breaks really, except when collecting their swords and putting on their armour.
Armour is cool.
There are no belts that I could see.
I think I'd enjoy hitting people with a stick.
I think the two biggest things I took away from it though are:
Kendo is sort of an oxymoron. It's a competition sport, but it's not taught very efficiently. For instance, they could have put the armour on at the start and practiced the techniques. So much wasted time with the ceremonial stuff.
It's a very ritualised way for basically killing someone. It's very far removed from it's original purpose.
My JJJ friend came along, so I'll try to get him to input more info on this, his memory is better. (less hits to the head :p )
They do the bowing part. Involves a lot of shouting from the Instructor, it takes a while.
Then everyone gets in a small circle, and the instructor and other people inspect each others equipment to make sure it's alright. They do this facing in the way, and facing out. This takes a while.
And so warm ups begin, everyone starts off with things like jumping jacks and bunny hops and variations on warming up in one spot (no running around the hall). Whilst this is going on, the Instructor shouts out four things in Japanese, everyone replies with four different words again, in Japanese. I presume they are numbers.They then begin doing stretches (static ones) again with the shouting and replying. This all takes a while.
Everyone goes and collects their swords/bokken.
Instructor points out about how to strike with a sword, then many cuts straight down (everyone in a large circle, lots of space). Instructor shouts out four things in Japanese, everyone replies with four different words again, in Japanese. They do this for about two minutes, before they stop, the instructor comments on what he's noticing and where everyone can be improving. Fair enough. Repetition is good.
Here is where my first real issue takes place. He singles out one girl to come into the middle of the circle and do push ups. "Okay, now we are going to do *Japanese word for sword strike* until *Kirsty* (I can't remember her real name, and wouldn't use it anyway) has done ten push ups. We are going to do this at my pace, and until I am satisfied that she has done tento my satisfaction".
Not his exact words but close enough. So this thick rimmed spectacled short pudgy looks-like-she-owns-eight-cats-with-mens-names 20 something year old girl comes out, looking very nervous and gets into the middle of the circle and performs zero push ups. Just sort of bobs up and down on her knees and hands very awkwardly. Probably because she has never done one in her life. I was enraged that it continued for about a minute until he said "aaand that's enough."
It backfired on him because she physically couldn't perform the action, and I am also very much against singling people out for physical punishment. It was infuriating. I figure that this is probably the way he was taught. To be fair, I don't think anyone in that class is capable of ten push ups. They either looked like they watched to much anime, or took it far too seriously, or both.
So they move on to very slow basically two-person katas. I say katas rather than techniques because they were very ritualized about stepping forward with each other, performing (slightly bizarre sometimes) movements in the air, rarely making contact, then walking away, facing each other. This all takes a while.
Then the same again a few more times, very slowly, very controlled. It was also always deathly quiet. Very nervous energy. Everyone seemed almost scared to break the silence. They also seemed slightly scared of the instructor, even though he was never harsh, he taught alright in my opinion.
Then they did the kata in a big rotation. Lots of shouting orders by the instructor, very military like. Everyone got in two lines facing each other, then did more kata. Do one kata, then walk backwards, slowly, facing your partner, until the instructor calls for a rotation. This all takes. FOREVER.
After about an hour they put on all the equipment, and start practising how to actually hit each other. The instructor basically going over how to get points in competition. Then they done the rotation thing again, basically hitting each other in the head. It gave me a headache just watching. It all takes a very long time.
I left after that. Didn't stay for sparring.
My final thoughts are:
I won't bother with Kendo
They wasted SO MUCH TIME!
Everyone walking like a Geisha girl with their heads down and small steps was sort of annoying.
The time they wasted was incredible. Exactly the opposite of my experience with Judo.
The rule set is limited.
The instructor looked younger than me by about three or four years. Not a slight on him, he taught alright. It was just weird that I'm older than people who can teach things.
The silence was unbearable at times. Nobody asking questions, or even conversing much.
No water breaks really, except when collecting their swords and putting on their armour.
Armour is cool.
There are no belts that I could see.
I think I'd enjoy hitting people with a stick.
I think the two biggest things I took away from it though are:
Kendo is sort of an oxymoron. It's a competition sport, but it's not taught very efficiently. For instance, they could have put the armour on at the start and practiced the techniques. So much wasted time with the ceremonial stuff.
It's a very ritualised way for basically killing someone. It's very far removed from it's original purpose.
My JJJ friend came along, so I'll try to get him to input more info on this, his memory is better. (less hits to the head :p )
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