Did you do another Martial Art?

[David J]

Ladies and Gentlemen...

A visiting sensei mentioned that in his experience, most people come to Kendo having previously studied a martial art.

So, out of idle curiousity - is this true? What did (do) you all study prior to Kendo. And why is Kendo better for you?

To get the ball rolling - I did a year of Shaolin Kung Fu. Very enjoyable, but I ended up with a jaw problem that lasted about 5 years after one very light-contact sparring session. (My partner started the session by saying "ok, dont hit me any harder than >this< and whacked me on the jaw :eek: ) Plus it was a bit impractical to get to, and not cheap (in todays terms about £20 UK (30 bucks US) per lesson - and you had to pay a whole term in advance!)

And I never got anywhere near as much peace / control / focus / meditation or just _fun_ that I get from Kendo. And the people in my Kendo dojo are nicer. And we all go up the pub after :D

Over to you......?

<rei>

Dave

[GMason]

I've tried quite a few diffent MA's.

The first one was Judo, which I really loved. I practiced for several years but had to give it up due to my father being in the forces and moving about alot. I finaly tried to start again when I moved to Yorkshire but couldn't find a dojo I liked. So started looking for somthing else. I tried Aikido and decided it wasn't for me. I think it was the sempai on my first night. when he was teaching said "You've seen Nico with Steven Segeal well this is the move he used to kill that guy !!!" this really turned me off to Aikido, I was forced to try TKD & Karate by my friends, which again stopped me from really enjoying it.

Then I found Kendo, and my current Dojo in England which is great !!!! I love it. I now practice about 3 - 4 times a week. It great.

[Kenshi]

All UK people so far :o

Long story : Monkey Magic->Aikido->Judo->Shotokan Karate->Wing Chun->Shorinji Kempo->Kendo + [later] Iaido/Koryu

I am still preeeety handy with a broom handle to this day...

[David J]

Originally posted by GeorgeMcCall

Long story : Monkey Magic->Aikido->Judo->Shotokan Karate->Wing Chun->Shorinji Kempo->Kendo + [later] Iaido/Koryu

I am still preeeety handy with a broom handle to this day...

..ah yes, but can you produce one by plucking a hair from your ear? :D

[GMason]

I don't know if George can pluck one from behind his ear but I can pluck a hair from my Ars............ Sorry !!!!!! :D

[lewis]

I wrestled in high school and college and had to take up Judo in college to improve my throws. I liked Judo and would have switched over to it after graduation. But I trashed my knee in Junior year and had to choose between walking for the rest of my life and wrestling/Judo for another year. That's when I picked up Iaido, and eventually Kendo.

Funny how things work out. I never would have had the time to do Iaido if I hadn't gotten injured.

[lucian]

hahaha that hair bit is going to replace the wale in my nightmares

I did a bit karate then moved in to judo and loved every min of it but the dojo closed down with sensei being ill, then in to kendo iaido years after judo closed, soon to do jodo when my sensei’s have time to do the lessons

[mingshi]

Not so experienced as you guys, but I would also like to know if anyone is regularly practising Kendo + (other martial arts)? Since everyone is like, "Hey I've done all these but I end up in Kendo".

I know someone who practice Aikido also does Tai-Chi, and you can sort of relate the two... err, maybe they enhance each other...? What about Kendo+(somthing else) then? (oops, I know they're TOTALLY DIFFERENT but it's just an example) Will that help?

[ben]

I've done a bit of aikido (3 kyu) but always found the footwork a bit of a clash with kendo. Went back to aikido recently and got put off by how wussy the training sessions were (not a generalisation folks, just this dojo). :)
b

[Fighter]

silat, taekwondo and boxing for me...I'm sort of on this martial arts journey but I say that I find Kendo is the most intense of them all.

[Florence]

Aikido and Judo from age 10. We had an old Japanese sensei, who had been practicing with Ueshiba and Mochizuki, been a war prisoner in Mongolia and escaped to Vietnam, where he taught judo, aikido and traditional medicine, before marrying a Vietnamese and finally coming to France. His aikido was direct, bordering on brutal. When he left, aikido teaching turned into a kind of new-age recruitment center, the movements and techniques some kind of dance with almost no relation whatsoever with the fighting art it is at the core, so I left.

To this day, I'm still occasionnally playing Judo, mostly with kids.

[Jerry Wellbrock]

I have been practicing and teaching Chito-Ryu karate for the past 30 years....I still train in karate 4 days a week....I also studied Ryu Kyu Kobudo for twelve years but no longer study with that Sensei who also taugh Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido....I still practice Iaido and I am new to kendo.....I find kendo to be a tremendous physical work out which contributes to my overall conditioning....I think kendo contributes to zanshin and you must stay much more focused than in other martial art classes....my reason for coming to kendo is two fold....one is to train in one of the oldest and most traditional of Japanese martial arts and second at my age almost 50 I no longer compete with the younger athletics for two reasons....advance rank and advancing years....I feel that age is less of a factor in trainng in kendo....although I will concide the advantage of youth in most physical endeavors.....I believe my karate background is a great help in coming to kendo and that kendo will also contribute to may karate.....although the weapons are different much of the strategy and concepts are the same....:)

[lewis]

Mingshi-

A dojo I know of actually combines kendo and karate practice, but only for senior students in karate. They say it adds alot but that it is hard on the bogu.

I have also heard second hand and read alot about older japanese sensei who were not adverse to throwing kendoka during practice if they screwed around or spent a lot of time up close. We had one here, Umemoto-sensei who was amazing. I never saw him do it, but apparently it was fairly common for him (at 75) to knock over or sweep kendoka who were out of position.

[Phorest]

Hate to dredge up this post but....

I'm thinking of doing Praying Mantis style Kung Fu along with my kendo training. (I haven't started either yet).

I practiced Ho Shin Do style Taekwondo 2 years ago and was fairly good at it. I was doing that and playing soccer (goalkeeper) full time. I still think thats the best shape I've been in in my life. So, I know I can do two things physically at once (if I work back up to the point where I was physically 2 years ago).

My question is this though, if I started larning both martial arts at the same time, would I be really confused? As in, would it be tough to keep my footwork straight if I'm learning footwork for 2 different martial arts?

Can anyone who has ever done this before give me a bit of insight?

Thanks!

[Jerry Wellbrock]

Phorest....it is awful difficult to begin two arts at the same time and would most likely slow your progress in both...there is an old adage about a dog that chases two rabbits at the same time and goes to bed hungry....becareful not to chase rabbits...also the arts you are talking about are very different...perhaps kendo and iaido would blend well for you but kendo and kungfu are very different to tackle at the same time....in my karate dojo students should be at least nidan or sandan before they chase other rabbits and then it is only with the permission of our head instructor....if I remember you are near Salem-Teikyo University which has a Kendo Club....what an opportunity for you and I can think of no better place to start...good luck...Jerry:D

[Phorest]

Yeah, you're probably right.

Also, I'm starting Kendo at Salem-Teikyo on the 15th! NEXT WEDNESDAY! I can't wait. :D :D :D

Kung Fu would most likely be next year, if I decided to do it. Theres a place that teaches it in Rochester, NY (where my college is gonna be). I'm hoping to find some Kendo up there as well.

So if I did do Kung Fu (hey that rhymes) it'd be after several months of Kendo. And I'd do it to get myself into the best shape possible, and to have a decent grasp on both empty and erm....full hand martial arts.

Another thing I thought about is that with Kung Fu it seems like you start weapons training fairly early on. I'd guess learning something like...broadsword or staff would pretty much fubar me up in regards to my Kendo. That may be reason enough not to take it...as I'm much more attracted to Kendo that Kung Fu at this point.

[Hingus]

I have been actively involved in Karate for over 20 years and I am also a beginner in Kendo. I do not consider either one "better", just different. I find that Kendo is adding new perspective to my Karate and that is a good thing. I do not know what effect Karate has on Kendo. That is a question for my sensei!

:)

[Jerry Wellbrock]

I know there is a Rodchester Kendo Dojo listed with the US Kendo Federation and I also know a good Chito-ryu Karate Instructor who also teaches Koseido Jujitsu ....Chito-ryu is the same style taught at the Bridgeport Comunity Center....when you get to Rodchester look up Sensei David Tollis at the Rodchester Yoseikan Karate School.:D

[chidokan]

I used to do more kendo than iaido but had a crash so my knee's a bit dodgy. Still do both but the emphasis has gone from 3 kendo/ 2 iaido to 3 iaido/ 1 kendo sessions. I had to drop a nights kendo because the floor is solid and I cant even walk off the dojo aftera good bash! I consider one complements the other, and would love to balance my time a little more evenly. Used to do karate and taekwondo 30 years ago but stopped it all for kendo, and the iaido just came along about 2 years later...

[nodachi]

I love martial arts of all sorts. I started in Tai Chi because it was my calming influence and really slowed down the pace of my day to go to class early in the morning.

Then when I came to Japan, it was my chance to learn from where these arts originated so I am going budo crazy. I feel like my Kendo and Ittoryu practices compliment each other. I am also learning Kyudo, but that doesn't confuse me with the others. Granted I don't go to official practices everyday. I go to each separate dojo one day a week. I do practice at home though. I use the separate locations to separate the different styles in my head. I sort of think like, "in this dojo I use this style, and in this other dojo I use this style" and it helps me to separate them. The more I practice, the more I don't confuse them anymore now as well. At home I rotate what I practice each day so I can focus on one or two without blending all of them together and messing them all up.

[Charlie]

Originally posted by chidokan
Used to do karate and taekwondo 30 years ago but stopped it all for kendo, and the iaido just came along about 2 years later...

Hey, you are not that old! When did you start karate, as a toddler?

[KATSUJIN]

i used to practise karate for abt 4 years..then had to stop for abt 4 years....then i picked up kendo when i was 16....so i am still practising it now....

[Old Warrior]

Chidokan: "I used to do more kendo than iaido but had a crash so my knee's a bit dodgy."

I put down my Harley a year ago and tore my ACL, MCL and Miniscus in my left knee. After many years as an epee fencer I decided to try Kumdo because the posture is more erect, the knees straighter and there is less twisting motion off the back leg.

Of course, I went from something I was pretty good at to being the last guy at the end of the row of teenagers. All I have going for me is persistence, a willingness to learn and practice and a fair sense of timing and strategy for close quarters combat. But, being 3 times older than my "training partners" is still depressing. The "kids" have unlimited energy and they move much faster than me. If Kumdo didn't have so many rules I could, at least, profit from my treachery. Instead, I'm stuck with a nimble mind and a 54 year old body.

[Steve]

I have no prior experience in MA's before Kendo. In fact, i was pretty much a couch potato before i took it up.

[BigG]

Judo at age 7 - 11 ... big (18 year) break ... started Kendo at 29.

and no reference to Georges Hair

BigG

[ShÖgun]

i have been doing karate since i was about 4, i also did some aikido and about a week of judo cause i could not stand it. I have been doing kendo for ah few months now, still do karate though.

[gill]

Theres no option on the poll for none :(

I tried some aikido after I started kendo but my knees couldn't handle it

G

[Fai]

Quote from Phorest

"Another thing I thought about is that with Kung Fu it seems like you start weapons training fairly early on."

Can you tell me which kung fu club? from my experience is that you do not get to use any weapons until you are a high grade or a seihing (senior member of the club). This can take years. It took me over 4 years of praticing kung fu before I was allowed to even try weapons such as the staff let alone using broad sword or gim.

When using weapons in kung fu it relys on great balance and posture, you are required to do complicated high and low swift movements and you can not do any of that without knowing the basics very well and that will take a long long long time.

In answering Jenny's question, no I find it too hard to juggle work, social life and kendo. Adding another matial arts will be very difficult (maybe I have not been able to find a decent kung fu club).

[Ares2907]

Did about 3 years of karate (actually it was more a hybrid of a number of styles but they called it karate). It was okay until I pulled a hamstring.
Did about 6 months of capoeira. I was extraordinarily bad at it, but I enjoyed it immensely. I would definately go back to it if I had the time.

[Nishi]

I have a memory of judo when i was 5 or 6 years old, then there was Sikaran (filipino), then Aikido(japanese), then Hapkido(korean), and then Brazillian ju-jitsu which led to all sorts of vale tudo/muay thai interests...then to traditional Ju-jitsu and back to Aikido...then a few years ago...Kendo.

[bob]

Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

[Dwayne P.]

Kickboxing/Karate/Kendo/JuJitsu for me~

[emitbrownne]

Thai boxing, European Fencing, European broadsword and a little Kabbaddi (I know its more of a sport but you still have a few indian martial moves thrown in... try the kiai for kabbaddi...!)

Kendo beats all of these for all round fullfilment

[kendokamax]

hey dude
back to the future rules

[emitbrownne]

It does... but thats not why I chose the name :p

cant tell you why this name was chosen I'm afraid....its a secret...:laugh:

[kendokamax]

are you from the past?

[emitbrownne]

Nope I'm the future :p

[Sinta]

I used to do Tae Kwan Do for 2 years. Since 6 years ago I've wanted to do Kendo, but only found the oppurtunity two months ago! *happyhappyhappy* But to balance the vigor and sometimes tough training of Kendo I also take Tai Chi at least once a week to relax.

[z3ngine]

I did GoJu Ryu Karate before starting Kendo and continue to do it along with Kendo training (Karate once/wk, Kendo twice/wk). I have found that the kendo improved my karate sparring - I stopped backing down or trying to block absolutely every strike - reflexes improved to move before being hit and counter attack... I have found that karate has helped my general fitness for kendo by developing strong arms, legs and abs and good breathing control/stamina.

I've heard that Tai Chi would be complimentary to both of these styles in helping to clear the mind and develop focus.... but time is an issue.

Monkey Magic rocks irrespressably...
z3ngine.

[dorkusxmaximus]

yellow in aikijiujitsu, 2 months of kung fu, and a summer of karate and kickboxing. Boy, kickboxing was fun ^_^.

[DCPan]

Hey,

The poll does not allow multiple options!

In elementary school, I did:
- Karate, 2 years (still remember the heian shodan kata!)
- Judo, 6 month

I practiced aikido for one summer during high school...also had a weekend crash course in Even-Brow Staff/White-Crane Fist from a "real" shaolin-monk that was touring the US (my uncle was playing host/tour guide).

In college, I practiced:
- Aikido, 2 years
- Fencing, 6 month
- Taichi, 6 month

After that, I trained briefly with a classical fencing group.

Kendo was mixed in here and there since high school. However, haven't really trained in two arts at the same time though, unless you count iai.

Currently trying to balance kendo vs. iaido practice...also going to yoga for more flexibility and stuff.

:D

[tantadi]

I do shotokan karate and kendo. Have been practicing ju jutsu and tai chi.
Kendo benefits the mental focus, karate is more physical orientated imo. It is a good combination for me.

[GBN]

Not so experienced as you guys, but I would also like to know if anyone is regularly practising Kendo + (other martial arts)? Since everyone is like, "Hey I've done all these but I end up in Kendo".

What about Kendo+(somthing else) then? (oops, I know they're TOTALLY DIFFERENT but it's just an example) Will that help?
I've done tae kwan do and chinese kung fu in the past. I currently do naginata as well as kendo. I think most martial arts training will familiarize you with your body which is the hardest thing to do. Once you know how you move/dont move, it's comparatively easy to do another martial art. You still have to get the details right, but you're better off then most unexperienced beginners. Timing, distance, balance, etc. are the same no matter what the art. As far as what is best, there is no right answer to that. I'm enjoying naginata. The armor is similar. :) I'd say look around and see what piques your interest and then give it a shot.

Brian

[steliosk]

I have no prior experience in MA's before Kendo. In fact, i was pretty much a couch potato before i took it up.
I think that also describes my path to kendo.

1. Couch
2. Kendo

[Andoru]

Karate when I was 13 for 3 months
Aikido when I was 19 for 1.5 years (til I injured my right shoulder and had to stop)

[Sir Percy]

Chidokan: "I used to do more kendo than iaido but had a crash so my knee's a bit dodgy."

I put down my Harley a year ago and tore my ACL, MCL and Miniscus in my left knee. After many years as an epee fencer I decided to try Kumdo because the posture is more erect, the knees straighter and there is less twisting motion off the back leg.

Of course, I went from something I was pretty good at to being the last guy at the end of the row of teenagers. All I have going for me is persistence, a willingness to learn and practice and a fair sense of timing and strategy for close quarters combat. But, being 3 times older than my "training partners" is still depressing. The "kids" have unlimited energy and they move much faster than me. If Kumdo didn't have so many rules I could, at least, profit from my treachery. Instead, I'm stuck with a nimble mind and a 54 year old body.

Could be worse, you could be a 57 year old ex-foilist, struggling with trying to erase 30 years of right of way training. I agree, if I could only benefit from treachery it would be great.

[AngryMonkey]

I played a lot of Tekken and Soulblade before starting kendo. Does that count?

[Kendo-Militia]

I do Gun-Fu.

[Bleda]

I do a latin martial art called judunno.

Judunno if i got a gun, judunno if i got a knife...

Seriously though i did 6 years of TKD, 2 years of brazillian jujitsu, and 1 year of judo. Now i do kendo, iaijutsu, and naginata.

[自会思 ジエシ]

This thread has brought up some thoughts in my head. I'm not in Kendo yet (not until College, dojo is 3 hours away) but I do Tae Kwon Do. Will starting Kendo compromise my TKD? How many Martial Arts should I take? Four is too many, but I'm also very interested in Kyudo and Judo. Since they are all very different (Throws, Strikes, Sword and Bow) is it possible to do them?

[not-I]

This thread has brought up some thoughts in my head. I'm not in Kendo yet (not until College, dojo is 3 hours away) but I do Tae Kwon Do. Will starting Kendo compromise my TKD? How many Martial Arts should I take? Four is too many, but I'm also very interested in Kyudo and Judo. Since they are all very different (Throws, Strikes, Sword and Bow) is it possible to do them?Posture and footwork in TKD/karate are very different from kendo, so that might take some getting used to and could possibly lead to some body confusion. We had a beginner in our kendo dojo who had done karate for quite a while and this influence was obvious in the mistakes in his form (as well as his typical karate kiai).

As far as doing a number of martial arts, i think it's basically a question of the time and energy you have available to put into them. College, TKD, kendo, kyudo, judo -- that sounds like too much to have on your plate. The other thing to consider is that the more MA you pursue, the less likely you will be to make significant progress in any particular one -- you end up becoming the proverbial "jack of all trades - master of none." I'd suggest sticking to a "main" art and if you have the time, supplementing it with one other, preferably a related one (we have a woman at our kendo dojo who just got into bogu - she's done kyudo for a long time). You'll see what you really like and how much time you have anyway.

For my part, i started years ago with chi kung & tai chi and some shaolin kung-fu (which are all related), but i wanted something more akin to my zen training, so i moved to kendo. I do iaido on the side (again, a related art), and still occassionally do some basic tai-chi/chi-kung to limber up for kendo keiko, but kendo is my main and favorite MA and it is the one to which i devote the most time and effort.

[自会思 ジエシ]

Well, there isn't kyudo anywhere near where I'm going to go to college, so that narrows it to three. Judo just seems so fun, and all the people on this thread say that they enjoyed it. There's no doubt in my mind that I want to do Kendo, and I'm not going to quit Taekwondo, so maybe two will be my limit.

[jonjayjaca]

Dear fellow kendokas,

i've been practicing aikido wayback 1990 and i am now in my first month of kendo practice. why i chose to do kendo? it is simply because of the discipline i've started with aikido. in my place, i got no chance to learn kendo because there was no dojo or anyone to learn with.

aikido was the one who introduced me to japanese budo. i love the feeling doing it and doing kendo is just the same. in aikido, we have the hand techniques rooted from samurai swordmanship. in kendo, we actually do with the sword. see the beauty!

doing any martial art is an honor. it should be of a humble purpose.

live and practice with every good principle,

jay

[D'Artagnan]

This is a really old thread, but i'll post on it anyway...

started with Kickboxing-this lead to 5 years of Muay Thai- also practised Judo, Karate, Aikido/Ju-jitsu,

I also practise and demonstrate native British weaponary, Sword/Sword & Shield fighting from Iron-age -> circa 1600, Spear Fighting (same periods), European Halberd, Jousting and mounted combat, and the fighting techniques of the Roman Army/Soldiers...

gee come to think of it, it seems like i've done a fair bit... but saying that i don't really have a life...

However, nothing i have ever done has ever felt as right for me as Kendo does. I have gone from studying kendo to impove my understanding of other things, to doing other things to improve my understandng of Kendo... Kendo is my Life

[Hotei]

Gosh, where to start?

Gojo Ryu '76-'80
Eishen Ryu '80-'82
Shorin Ryu '82-'86
Drunken Monkey / Choi Li Fut '88-94
Loooooooong break. . .
Now Kendo

It seems that the biggest problem I've had is in the fact that I'm in a college town and most of my instructors have been connected with the University in some way. University profs are almost as bad as university students when it comes to not having the ability to put down roots. :rolleyes:

[Dervish]

This can probably be construed as acute necro-posting, but I somehow came across this thread and felt compelled to contribute (feel free to remove my post if it is too necro for most people's sensibilities).

When I was much younger, I had enrolled in Tae Kwon Do for 2-3 years (on and off). For various reasons, I left TKD, and so far I've taken 3 Kendo classes (all in the past 9 days). One of my biggest obstacles has been getting used to Kendo stances. TKD stances are typically very long and one's body is oriented sideways sometimes. In Kendo Kamae, for example, the complete opposite is employed.

For some reason, even though I hadn't taken TKD in quite a few years, I found myself taking a stance based on those old references very early on. From the beginning of my Kendo training, however, I've been aware of it, and am constantly working to correct myself so I can assume a proper stance.

[satsumaruma]

Why is there no box for JuJitsu (in any of its spellings)?

I know there are a plethora of little known MA's out there but I would think this is more mainstream than either kickboxing or Tai chi (not knocking either of those BTW)

[Nanbanjin]

All UK people so far :o

Long story : Monkey Magic->Aikido->Judo->Shotokan Karate->Wing Chun->Shorinji Kempo->Kendo + [later] Iaido/Koryu

I am still preeeety handy with a broom handle to this day...
For me is was:

Monkey Magic -> Karate (8 - 16) -> Kendo (on and off 16 - present)

Karate was JKA Shotokan. We used to have over a hundred students in a single class and I was El Capitan of them all. I had my own club for a while too when I was 15/16 but just on Saturday mornings. I thought I was really good until I went to Japan, realised that karate is not at all popular in Japan, took up kendo and found I was totally hopeless at it.

Karate has its benefits, but I like kendo much better.

[Bailemor]

Hi I started off with Wado Ryu Karate, but didnt like being the cannon fodder for the higher grades so switched to Nanbudo Karate, when that club cosed down i was at a loss untill i found kendo and really enjoyed it.

Through Kendo i discovered Iaido (thanks George) and now train in Iaido (MJER) and run the club in Edinburgh

Recently i have strted Tai Chi and found the balance of Tai Chi and Iaido very complementary

David

[Galo]

Trained Shito-Ryu Karate while a child. Dropped it a year later after I lost in a tournament (couldn't bring myself to hit the girl who was my opponent).

Letter got in Shotokan Karate in college. Then Muay Thai after graduated, and a year later started Kendo. Was introduced to Iaido 6 month afterwards.

I currently train Iaido and Chinese Kenpo.

[ScottUK]

Started out in MA 20-odd years ago with Wadoryu karate (it was a compromise - my dad wanted to get me into boxing). I did a fair bit of gendai jujutsu too, before finding my purpose in life as forum executioner.

Now, I practice iaido (Seitei-iai and Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu), kenjutsu (Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu) and kendo (in the style of Clubber Lang).

[nebosuke]

Ladies and Gentlemen...

A visiting sensei mentioned that in his experience, most people come to Kendo having previously studied a martial art.

So, out of idle curiousity - is this true?

There is no "none" option in your poll. How can you tell if most people have previously studied a martial art if all of the answers are variations of yes?

[lucy]

There is no "none" option in your poll. How can you tell if most people have previously studied a martial art if all of the answers are variations of yes?

Valid question. I would choose "none" if it was there... :)

From couch to Kendo (and Iaido) very much describes my "path".

[sid]

in TAI CHI most would have formed the lotus hand ...the shapes ur fingers take naturally when u relaxx them....this is like the basic shape of ur fingers and palms when u start/do tai chi chuan......AND......when anybody holds the shinai the grip is llike the application of ur lotus hands...its very smooth n looks really gracefull...


i see that when my sensei taught me the first day how to hold the shinai . i said to myself '' wow! the lotus hand....now i see the application of that theory!!!'''

a lil messed up but hope everyone got it..........

[Anonymous]

Why isn't there an "other" choice?

[JByrd]

Since this thread has been officially reanimated, I'll pony up my $.02: I earned shodan in Wado Ryu Karate in 1988. My Karate teacher had studied a little Kendo, and he encouraged me to try it. I immediately knew Kendo offered me more of what I wanted from martial arts practice, and I stopped Karate training after about a year of doing both arts.

[kartoffelngeist]

Valid question, but somewhat pointless given that the poll was created 4 years ago...

[Hisham]

I trained in Kendo while i was in Canada but due to the fact that there are no dojo in my home country i try to keep it alive by training alone, besides that i was lucky to find wing chun which is another MA that i was interested in.

PS: About the choices for voting, tai chi is one of many styles of "kung fu" (better use wu shu instead of kung fu).

[Bailemor]

tai chi is one of many styles of "kung fu" (better use wu shu instead of kung fu).

My instructor would disagree as Kung Fu was derived from Tai Chi, not the other way round.

David

[Hisham]

My instructor would disagree as Kung Fu was derived from Tai Chi, not the other way round.

David

No offence but research what kung fu and wushu mean and you'll see for yourself, eventhough it's a very common mistake to use the word kungfu for chinese martial art, tai chi is a chinese martial art in other words "kungfu".

[Fred27]

Well..I'm no kendo-dude...(a statement I prolly should put in my sig)..but before I started with Shinto Muso-ryu Jodo (love saying that) I spent 6 months in ki-aikido. I hurt my upper back when doing break-falls and had to ease down..I decided to take up Jodo while my back healed up..I ended up choosing Jodo over Aikido mainly because the schedueles collided (and still do). I wouldnt mind training aikido alongside Jodo though.