Kendo training guide

[doubissu]

Hi folks, I'm new to this forum and from the few threads I read so far I think you can help. I've been instructing in SCalifornia (SD area) for a few months now and the group is fairly large and varied levels (sometimes 30 beginners & 20 bogus, sometimes only bogus,...) so the class structure is always a challenge.

Anyway to get to the point, I'm looking for a class guide (written document) that would help the new/intermediate students get a better practical understanding of some kendo concepts (seme, zanshin, ...) as well as the reasoning behind drills like kirikaeshi, kakarigeiko,... Of course, all these can be learned through practice but there's nothing like a "Quick reference guide" for those who are frustrated / don't understand the whys and hows.

Secondly, I'm looking for a guide that gives tips on "thematic" classes. IE classes built around themes like "maai" or "kiai"...

As you can see I'm not a big fan of the traditional suriashi/kirikaeshi/uchikomi/shikake/kakarigeiko format repeated at every practice. Generally I find that western kendo is still stuck in "old" methods and a little creativity would go a long way in recruiting more westerners and most importantly keeping them interested.

So far I haven't found any document of that sort on the web. The traditional "This is Kendo" and "Far mountain" are way to esoteric for the purpose here. I heard Keio Univ. published something but had no luck finding it.

Again, the purpose here is 1-give new/intermediate kenshis more practical background 2-to help all instructors and have consistency in all classes.

Thanks for any pointers you may have !

Eddy

PS: Go Canada !

[ben]

Hi Eddy,

Welcome to KWF! I don't know of any online resources per se, however you might like to try the dojo management and teaching forums over at e-budo.com. A lot of people post there not just from kendo but all Japanese MA.

Carol A. Wiley's "Martial Arts Teachers on Teaching" (1995 Frog Publishers, Berkeley; ISBN 1-883319-09-9) is an interesting read and gives an overview of a wide variety of teaching styles.

I've got a question for you: if you're looking for a class guide, why don't you write it?

All the things you mention are faced by all instructors at some time and they're the impetus for developing your own style of teaching. You know best what your students need, you obviously have an idea of where you want to take them and how (i.e. not the traditional Japanese format, classes based on themes like "maai" and "kiai"). Use that as an opportunity to sit down and really nut out what you think kendo should be about. Your own kendo will vastly improve as a result.

My own approach is not to plan too much in advance. I've taught for long enough that I know what needs to be taught and when (usually). Some nights I have off nights but even a plan in those cases wouldn't help. I try and trust my self and my training. Too much of a set program means you are not open to responding to the class' dynamics. In coaching I really believe "less is more". Show rather than say. Get them to do rather than show. Really OBSERVE what your class is doing. It's not so easy.

Sorry I couldn't direct you to a written program of what you want to know. I don't believe it actually exists.

For descriptions of kendo concepts, the ZNKRs English-Japanese Dictionary is really clear precise and to the point. Add this to what you know (I assume you've been doing kendo for a while).

PM me if you want to talk about specific problems.

ganbarimasho :)

b

[Raiza]

Welcome to the forum, Eddy.
You may be interested in having a look at Mizobe-sensei's 100 page "Introduction to Kendo" for information for new students. He's from the SCKF and is Sensei for the Westside Kendo Club in LA and I'd recommend that you contact him directly to make sure it's what you have in mind. I can't help you with your second issue regarding instructor assistance though, at least not yet.
You can find the info regarding the manual here...
http://pub31.ezboard.com/fwestsidekendofrm13.showMessage?topicID=13.topic
A well-written review of the manual is given here...
http://pub31.ezboard.com/fwestsidekendofrm13.showMessage?topicID=32.topic
Beware the evil pop-ups...

[Chusan]

@doubissu:
that`s interesting. I did something you`re searching for some two or three years ago. Just now it`s only in German and not online, yet. Maybe I´m going to translate it into English and put it on one of my sites. Thanks for your words, I`ll keep you informed.

[megumisita]

To doubissu: As member of a classical school which uses all of the "old" methods you described I'm interested but also skeptical of your proposed teaching methods. I was taught repeatedly that every movement in kendo and in drills serves a purpose. If your students want to know those reasons then you should tell them. If you do not know you should seek your own sensei and ask him. If he does not know then I'm baffled as to how any school like that can operate. I'm concerned about your decision to change tried and true drills in order to attract new students. Kendo is hard work and requires committment and is not for everyone as I'm sure you already know. Better to keep few attentive students then many "part-time" students that come whenever they feel like it. Those are the uncomitted ones. However, I wish you the best of luck with your ways of training. When you get it up and running I would be happy to see it. I'm not opposed to change as long as it is positive change. Good luck with your students.

[doubissu]

Thanks for the great feedback Raiza & Ben. Chusan, what are you waiting for ! The world needs more of that stuff ... assuming it's correct of course ;-)

Just for the record, although I'm still 3-dan I've been teaching/assisting for many years (some of us don't have the luxury of having multiple high-ranked senseis). I won't pretend I "know Kendo"; on the other hand I do have very definite ideas of how budo/sports should be taught. Also, I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel, ie, I'm a very big proponent of the "traditional ways" (I just got back from 5 years in Japan). But I think we all recognize that the attrition rate in Kendo is very high; I used to think it was natural selection but I changed my view: it doesn't have to be like that. I think that there is much to gain in trying to understand why so many newbies/intermediate leave (I've seen too many intermediates dropping out after 1-2 years the day they realize that kendo is not a sport but a "life adventure"). They need more support early on.

To those who suggested I create a training guide myself, well I might just do that (although it might require a bit more time and cockiness than I have ! Maybe that moron kurukuru could take care of that...) but I wanted to check first that nothing existed... Doesn't it surprise anyone ? Yes, martial arts are not sports, but I don't see any reason why we shouldn't use modern tools to train.

megumishita, you have a very black/white perspective. I think kendo, like real life is somewhere in the middle. I was taught by both western and japanese senseis; surprisingly enough, the japanese folks were often more UNconventional than the american/canadian/french ones. Anyway I'm certainly not advocating having slackers in the dojo. But again, I affirm that in general, western kendo is stuck in "old ways" (that's no surprise really, considering the fascination the west has always had with "asia"... I'm veering away...).

Thanks again

Eddy

[Goyaman]

Eddy, There really aren't a lot of materials readily avaliable that I can think of like you're looking for, but as far as a basic written materials go, I would recommend checking out Ozawa's "Kendo: the Definitive Guide" (Kodansha, 1997)which has good explanations of basic drills and waza and also includes a sample class practice format. Although perhaps short of the level of detail you may be looking for, it's a good place to work from and can be supplemented by your own explanations and experience to fit the specifics of your own training progam.

I can well understand the situation you mention, since attrition is a common problem in the west among beginner and junior level kenshi. Like you, I also assist our sensei here in instructing at times, and there's definite value in being able to give clear explanations to beginning students; I would however, still echo the spirit of Megumisita's post though and caution against deviating too much from established practice formats.

Here, we considered the problem of attrition among beginners too, and our sensei (who is Japanese and *very* traditional in his approach) tried some different approaches, but we found that it really didn't make any difference. In the end, he decided to just return to his natural teaching style and try to do the best to provide students with solid kihon to build their kendo development.

Kendo is not for everyone, and personally I'm glad it's like that. I know that the repitition of drills and waza in practice may be boring for some, but there's *no one* in North America that couldn't use more practice on basics and indeed you'll here from plenty of hachi-dans that they need to refine their basics too. For beginning level students, it's inescapable to work on proper fundamentals to provide a foundation for their kendo future and we do a great disservice to them in an instructing role if we do not emphasize this.

Also, in a "assisting instructor" role, our place is to support the teaching of the sensei, who is ultimately responsible for the teaching methodology of the dojo, and should follow his teaching format. This will also be in line with with the 2nd point you bought up about being consistent with instructors in other areas.

That said, there are some things you can do such as rotating among different drills and waza on alternating weeks, but I would suggest that you check with your sensei about anything you want to do that deviates from the normal teaching.

In the end, students will come and go no matter what you do, because of the time commitment involved, and the fact that it's a regular physical activity which tends to elicit resistance for a lot of folks. Add in competing interests, work/family commitments, lack of rooted cultural orientation to kendo, etc, and it's not hard to see why many don't continue their training. None of these factors are dependent on teaching, so the best we can do is give them a good foundation while we have that opportunity and let them decide their future. The ones with a true interest and desire will be back, and those are the ones we want.

Good luck...

[smith]

"In the end, students will come and go no matter what you do, because of the time commitment involved, and the fact that it's a regular physical activity which tends to elicit resistance for a lot of folks. Add in competing interests, work/family commitments, lack of rooted cultural orientation to kendo, etc, and it's not hard to see why many don't continue their training. None of these factors are dependent on teaching, so the best we can do is give them a good foundation while we have that opportunity and let them decide their future. The ones with a true interest and desire will be back, and those are the ones we want."


Bravo, very well said Goyaman! I'd add it to my sig, but it's a bit long ;)

[megumisita]

Lol, you are right doubissu. I am black and white in my perspectives. For me it is a necessity. If classical schools do not do things the way that they have always done them then they face extinction as a school. As I mentioned before I am skeptical but if your methods work for you then good!

"In the end, students will come and go no matter what you do, because of the time commitment involved, and the fact that it's a regular physical activity which tends to elicit resistance for a lot of folks. Add in competing interests, work/family commitments, lack of rooted cultural orientation to kendo, etc, and it's not hard to see why many don't continue their training. None of these factors are dependent on teaching, so the best we can do is give them a good foundation while we have that opportunity and let them decide their future. The ones with a true interest and desire will be back, and those are the ones we want."

A much more elegent way of putting it than I managed.:)

[Chusan]

I did both: modern and traditional.
When I had things running on a traditional basis, my dojo was full (some thirty participants). In a different dojo I tried out a modern style (based on sports psychology, modern sports medicine and so on) and I had just a handful of participants.
Just now I do very little teaching. If I do, I try to mix both styles, using a traditional scheme and some modern elements (e.g.: explanations/corrections within ten to twenty seconds, never demonstrating typical mistakes but only correct moves, that kind of things).

[IRJ]

As someone who only has a few months experience, I'd like to say that simple encouragement from existing members and the sensei is the most important way to discourage attrition.

The most discouraging thing for me so far is not the difficulty, technique, or anything like that, but the fact that experienced kendoka seem to purposely ignore beginners. Although the sensei and senior students that teach us beginners are always friendly, they never give actual encouragement or positive feedback and only talk directly to individual beginners to point out errors (this is not a case of language barrier by the way).

I can say personally that a simple "that was good form there" or "you're improving" would make a world of difference for my motivation. Ironically, most of the encouragement, and lack of attritition, in my group of about 11 beginngers comes from each other instead of the proper leadership authorities.

[smith]

Good point IRJ. All instructors, take note...

[StylophonePet]

Although the sensei and senior students that teach us beginners are always friendly, they never give actual encouragement or positive feedback and only talk directly to individual beginners to point out errors (this is not a case of language barrier by the way).

I can say personally that a simple "that was good form there" or "you're improving" would make a world of difference for my motivation.]


Hear hear !

[StylophonePet]

Although one of the trainers often gives me the nod, don't actually know what it means......the other trainer just oogles at me with an expresionless face.

[junkyman]

check out the training page on my dojo's website.
http://home.earthlink.net/~stalemate/training.htm
there are many useful articles, including maai, or like raiza said, you can contact my sensei regarding his training manual. It is pretty good.
http://home.earthlink.net/~stalemate/order.htm

[Banza Joe]

yeah, i agree with the motivational thingy. Ok, we may not be children needing a coloured belt every few months, but acknoweldgement of correct posture/technique is important for progression.
i have fenced with some seniors and they have tsuki'd me as soon as i raise to cut men, often not getting it right and almost removing my head. They know i'm a beginner, and to me thats a real dirty trick.
My friend trains at a different dojo, he admires his sensei completely, but could never approach him in class with regards to questions about his kendo, it was always "wait till we get to the pub", once in the pub the senseis would talk.
On the other hand, most people are ready to help out when they can.
May be its that some sensei's like to concentrate of the seniors, trying to get them ready for upcoming taikai's, then they start to focus on the noobs. But by that time, some noobs may have left.

I understand the predicament.

[MabahoMan]

Try and contact Mizobe Sensei from Westside Kendo Dojo. He has put together a very good manual regarding thing such as maai, seme, and much much more. Its pretty good and covers alot of subjects. His email is carydocyoshi@aol.com