What do you learn on your 1st day??

[eKenshi]

Can you write what was like at your first day?what did you learn or do at first?I know mine is still unknown/uncertain

[kancho]

On the first day one of the instructors took me aside and we went over the basic strikes and footwork for 2 hours. Footwork- forward back side to side. Strike - Men Saiyu men and kote.

[emitbrownne]

Forgive the lack of terminology, and correct titles but I thought I would write this from the perspective of a newbie.

"Both myself and a friend went at the same time.

The class was confusing.. with lots of japanese words thrown around, and the students moving in military precision to the instructors commands.

It was intimidating... and then they started screaming and hitting each other!

That first day I tried the class, and my friend did not.

She refused to go again saying it looked like way too much work and too much screaming... far too complex.

Her reasons for leaving were initially my reasons for staying.

On the first day I was shown (note I say shown not learned... because I'm still struggling) the footwork for forward and backwards....

I was instructed to hit a practice dummy.

I did repeatedly, following the directions of the instructor. the dummy was pulled away on one strike, and my bamboo sword slammed into the floor... I was introduced to tenouchi (or the lack thereof). Which was the only japanese word I remember taking in.

I was instructed to rest whilst I watched a baffling dance between two guys (one of them the instructor), they were not wearing armour, and thier swordstrikes stopped centimeteres from contact... WOW.

Everyone donned armour, and again I stood at the side and watched.
They fought with blinding speed and power.

I HAD to do this!!!

My feet were sore, my arms were wrecked, but I was in love and went back for more...."

[aru-ma]

"My feet were sore, my arms were wrecked, but I was in love and went back for more...."

This actually sonds like a nice piece of poetry :happy:

[Neil Gendzwill]

We try to keep the first class to an hour or so. The new students learn how to bow (standing, sitting, sonkyo), some dojo etiquette, how to stand in chudan, suri-ashi back and forth, how to hold the shinai (and what it is) and the basic men cut with no contact. There's also administrative info about the club to talk about and a Q&A session. Then they're invited to stick around and watch the seniors practice. I can pretty much guarantee that those that watch until the end will stick with it for some time, it's always a sign of a more serious/interested student.

[Old Warrior]

Day One Lessons:

Don't forget that ice cream spoon hooks over and under the first tie.

Don't get your toes caught in the hakama as you move.

You belong at the end of the line.

The shinai is NOT used like a club or a baseball bat.

Your name sounds funny when pronounced by someone who comes to English as a second language.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Day One Lessons:
Don't get your toes caught in the hakama as you move.


We don't let our beginners wear hakama for the first 3 months or so. It's too hard to correct their footwork.

[emitbrownne]

Don't forget that ice cream spoon hooks over and under the first tie.
?? I don't get it ??
please teach :)

[Koori]

My first class was like kancho's-- footwork, bowing, standing and sitting, holding shinai and basic men strike. 2 hours worth, painful but worth it.

-Koori

[Old Warrior]

In our dojang, a commercial setting, when you sign up, you must buy a uniform. While I know there are those who oppose anything but a traditional voluntary organization, I have no complaints whatsoever in the way the school is run. Also, no beginner wears his hakama as low as it is intended so as to hide their feet.

[Neil Gendzwill]

In our dojang, a commercial setting, when you sign up, you must buy a uniform.

Just the opposite approach here. After 2 months, they can order a uniform if they want (takes about 1 month to arrive). They're fairly expensive, so those people who have quit within that first period are spared the expense of purchasing one. Those who can't afford them just continue to practice in sweats or whatever.

[mingshi]

My first class was spending 2 hours on a bench, watching!!

...which also includes a few Suburi with a Shinai after they've finished the class. I remember my comment was, "this is lighter than the wooden one." (I tried Aikido before Kendo)

[Nishi]

I remember being walked thru suburi by a dan grade, shown the basic grip and stance, then i remember the instructor holding out his shinai and going through men cuts for about an hour and showing me the basics to cutting men (i mean real basics.. step, raise, drop, check back and feet, very slowly...watch what your doing), which i still do for a few minutes before every class...methodically.

Then i watched jigeiko...i knew i would commit whatever i had to in order to be properly involved. Im so grateful ive stuck with this.

[Fai]

All I can remember on my first day of kendo training was wishing for a pair of trainers and my poor soft feet. :scared:

I did not buy my gi or hakama until after 6months of practice. I waited till my sensei forced me to buy it :wink:

I remember the first time I tried bogu as well. It was in a 5-man competition, I was very nervous and no one told me that having the men on restricts your arm/shoulder movements and most of all the vision. Actually no one showed me how to put the gear on as well!!! :disapp:

It was a fun day and a great experience, my opponent was a member of the British kendo squad and he fought me in jodan!!!! :rolleyes:

I was shocked to say the least :spchless:

[dorkusxmaximus]

On my first day of kendo, I remember working on footwork and striking Men and Kote. That's about it.

[Siglith234]

First day i did foot work, men, kote, do strikes

[kendomushi]

Day one was chudan, posture, footwork, men.

[nodachi]

First day I did quite a bit. Started with the warm up where I got corrections to my ugly form during that. Then was pulled aside and worked with the assistant sensei who started on footwork, forward and backward. Then chudan no kamae and sankyo. Then went to doing shomen suburi more with footwork with the sensei. After awhile worked more on footwork so as to try and establish and maintain proper distance while either moving forward or backward to stay in issoku itto no mae (hope that;s right, tired) with the sensei and moved accordingly with how he moved. After that, got thrown in to practicing with rest of dojo at hitting extended shinai doing different combos of men, kote men, kote men doh, or whatever the sensei felt like having us do. Clearly, they were doing their normal practice and after doing alone time to give me a general idea of things, then they threw me in with everyone else. And then a little group kata practice. Then we watched the advanced students and sensei jigeiko a bit.

As a side note, it was interesting how in Japan they put a lot of emphasis on learning through watching your sempai and sensei sometimes. There doesn't seem to be much of an emphasis of that here, in my limited experience. Sometimes my sempai in Japan would stop practicing with me, tell me to watch what someone else was doing, and identify different important points or things they thought I should know from what they observed. They did this with lots of the students there too. Kinda interesting, the differences in teaching methodologies used.

So the first practice was overwhelming, but it gave me a huge overview of lots of stuff and not just footwork. The next practice I was segregated more into a beginner group of myself and assistant sensei, but the first practice they showed me a lot to give me an overview of things, I suppose.

[Kiki]

My first class was spending 2 hours on a bench, watching!!

Me too and it was quite shocking when all the screaming began especially after the quiet meditation. I liked what I saw and I could see the sensei cared about the students.

My first physical practice was learning rei, seiza, forward suriashi, basic swing and counting to 10 in Japanese. I speak some Japanese so counting was the only easy thing and also the only thing that did not make my body sore the next day. It took awhile for my feet muscles to adapt.

[jmarsten]

My first day through my 5th day were all exactly the same. I sat on the bench and watched the entire 2 hour practice from start to finish. At the end of practice on the 5th week (they only met once a week on Sunday) someone came over and asked if I was interested. That was 32 years ago. BTW my classes are not even remotely structured like when I started.

[ben]

BTW my classes are not even remotely structured like when I started.

Marsten sensei, from a teaching POV that's an interesting comment. Would you care to elaborate?

[jmarsten]

Marsten sensei, from a teaching POV that's an interesting comment. Would you care to elaborate?
When I started it was whoever drew the short straw had to teach the beginners. They would even swap out people during the lesson to insure there was no continuity in what was taught. They habitually contradicted each other so mixed messages were received as to what was correct.

Beginners in my classes start in a group at the first of each new quarter. They may not miss both of the first two weeks or they are dropped. I do not take any more new students after the first two weeks until the start of the next quarter.
They are given a 10 week lesson plan which details what they will learn each week. This allows them to see how missing a class affects their individual learning and affects the group. We stick to the lesson plan as much as possible. If the class is slow we hold back the next weeks lesson until everyone is pretty much back together. If there is a particularly slow person then that is their problem, I do not hold back the group for one individual. Some individuals have to repeat the beginning class the next quarter. Most graduate to the next series which starts preparing them for keiko.

They use a bokken for the first 4 classes. Then they use shinai and bokken. I teach by a step method in that every thing is broken into component parts. Learning footwork and striking consist of many steps. As they master a step the next step is added. Learning to swing the shinai is about 10 steps.
No one teaches beginners unless they have done a couple of quarters teaching with me. The method is consistant across classes and improved process is incorporated so that all the teachers are up to speed. A person is generally assigned to teaching duties for the entire quarter. Since they all teach nearly identical it is not a problem to substitute an individual if they can't come one week.
This coming quarter I have a new trainee from Japan that is sandan, he will student teach with me for the next two quarters. No one teaches unless they volunteer to be in the teaching group. I have found that the best way to improve my kendo was to teach beginners since I must constantly analyse what I am doing. This has led to improving footwork and swing and my results with todays students are vastly superior to my results of several years ago.
Another thing is how we treat people, I do not tolerate any abuse either verbal or physical of the students. My beginning class is limited to 25 students per quarter of which half are generally children. All are treated like the adults, I believe respect has to go both ways. I also try to make it fun and yet work them as hard as they can go.
I make up goals and lesson plans for the entire year for the intermediate/advanced group. Hope this helps. If someone wants to use my lesson plan they are welcome to it. They would have to ask for some translation because it is short hand and special terms are used that only my students understand.

[samurai999]

First day was at UCD (err UC Davis) like 4 years ago. Watched the whole thing. We had dans but highest was 2dan and they rarely were there. We spent some days collaborating what was right and what was wrong by looking at Ozawa's "big black book". Plus for most of the 2 months i spent there, we were rehearsing for an "exhibition". I didn't get to learn a lot of "kendo stuff". All that stuff was learned when I joined Palo Alto 3 months later.

Tim

[Parabellum]

Well, my first day in kendo was sitting on the side watching.... :)
Next practice session was spent learning etiquette.... how to bow, seiza, hold the shinai, etc.

Mike

[liuzg]

Yo~~~~1st time here
Well.........it seems almost all of you learn a lot in the first day,i practice kendo only for 1 mth,and the 1st day i learnt only the etiquettes and footworks~~~~~(shinai came only at the 4th lesson)

[Bane]

I did not do much, I watched a lot of the time, but we went through some stances, how to hold the shinai/ bokken and some basic footwork, really enjoyed it though, the people were friendly and very happy to answer any questions concerning Kendo.

[Chopstix]

I wish I get to learn more dojo-specific etiquette and names of strikes and footwork. I also wish that my dojo would have a mirror so I can check myself.

[tweetyness]

my first lesson was 3 hours long!

for the first two or two and a half hours i copied whatever the instructor did (footwork, men, kote, a few words, sitting, ???). for the last half an hour i watched the non-beginner students doing something that i'm not sure what it was (kata maybe???)

[Danny Boy]

I wish I get to learn more dojo-specific etiquette and names of strikes and footwork. I also wish that my dojo would have a mirror so I can check myself.

Mirrors are a bit of a liability in a kendo dojo.
Once you start doing taitari, you'll know why ;).

[twotoedgiraffe]

I just remembered dragging my left foot after my right foot for what seemed like hours. Then the shinai and walk til the end of the dojo, turn around, repeat, over and over and over again. Walk, walk faster, run, hop, etc.....all footwork until the skin on the bottom of my feet calloused to where I could step on hot coal. Posture, form, etc.....all important stuff

[Gohanssj]

On my first day I learned the footwork, basic strikes, side strikes ect and how to excersise your arms right for kendo, but i get most of my excersise out of the kung fu classes i take also, but I still dont remember all the call outs lol, all i really know is Men, what else is there? i need to get them for next time i spar.

[souljah]

On the first day, I was taught how to stand in chudan, footwork, 3-step suburi, 2-step suburi, footwork, footwork, and lots more footwork.

[Mike]

My first day was three days ago (tonight is my second practice), and we learnt the real basic stuff, like footwork, how to hold the Shinai, how to show respect by bowing and similar stuff, and last but not least how to count to ten in Japanese (did that during warmup). :smiley: