I want to learn!

[The Iron Chef]

I have been trying to find a kendo training manual somewhere on the internet for a while now and have found nothing.

Does anyone know where I can find one?

[emitbrownne]

I have been trying to find a kendo training manual somewhere on the internet for a while now and have found nothing.

Does anyone know where I can find one?
There are vast repositories of Knowledge available on the internet.. but I have yet to find a single site which could act as a comprehensive manual. Your best bet is to look at various kendo club sites and the information they offer.
Go to GOoogle.. and look for Kendo, Kumdo, Kendo Kata, Kendo Waza, Kendo Kamae, Kamae etc... you get the drift.

I understand your desire to learn, because I'm a bookworm, but the best place to gather info (and sometimes the worst ;) ) is by talking to fellow Kendoka.

If you cant learn it from your sensei.. see if he/she can find out for you by asking thier sensei....

Not the answer you were looking for.... sorry.

Ps if anyone finds a good online manual please post a link... I'd be very interested.

[lwegerich]

I have been trying to find a kendo training manual somewhere on the internet for a while now and have found nothing.

Does anyone know where I can find one?

Don't read to many books in the beginning. They'll just confuse you because during training you'll look for the experience of what you read before.

Take the opposite approach. Practise for about a year and then look at a book for finding described what you might have experienced before.

Your own experience and practise is much more important than what's written in a book.

Same with the difference of a beautiful landscape and a map describing it. Too many people get lost in "maps" of their real environment instead of moving in the landscape itself.

[The Iron Chef]

Well, how should I get started?

And I don't have a sensei

[R A Sosnowski]

I have been trying to find a kendo training manual somewhere on the internet for a while now and have found nothing.

Does anyone know where I can find one?

I had a review "A Survey of English-Language Kendo Texts" posted to the The Doshikai Kendo & Iaido Dojo website (http://www.doshikai.org), which was lost during a host crash - I have resubmitted it for reposting.

The is not a lot of material in English, and even less good material. Knowledge is not "FREE" (in spite of what the internet has conditioned us to expect) so you are going to have to invest a few dollars here. My personal recommendations are as follows:

1. Kendo: The Definitive Guide (Ozawa, 1997)
2. Looking at a Far Mountain: A Study of Kendo Kata (Budden, 1992)
3. This Is Kendo: The Art of Japanese Fencing (Sasamori and Warner, 1964)

References.

Budden, Paul, 1992. Looking at a Far Mountain: A Study of Kendo Kata, Ward Lock, London. 128 pp. (reprinted by Tuttle in 2000).

Ozawa, Hiroshi, 1997. Kendo: The Definitive Guide, translated by Angela Turzynski with illustrations by Tamiko Yamaguchi, Kodansha International, Tokyo. 173 pp.

Sasamori, Junzo, and Warner, Gordon, 1964. This Is Kendo: The Art of Japanese Fencing, Charles E. Tuttle, Rutland, VT. 159 pp.

[xvikingx]

Well, how should I get started?

And I don't have a sensei

Well that's an excellent place to start. :D Where do you live? People on the forum usually can recommend or at least may know of a dojo in your area. Also if you go to the links section of the site there are many links to different countries Kendo federation, which in turn (usually) have a dojo list. I agree that a book is not going to do much good, but it wouldn't hurt to read up on kendo. Like about shinai, dojo etiquette, uniform, and what not. (That is assuming you have no knowledge these things)

[Neil Gendzwill]

Well, how should I get started?

And I don't have a sensei
Find a dojo - you can't learn kendo from books. Where do you live?

[R A Sosnowski]

Don't read to many books in the beginning. They'll just confuse you because during training you'll look for the experience of what you read before.

Take the opposite approach. Practise for about a year and then look at a book for finding described what you might have experienced before.

Your own experience and practise is much more important than what's written in a book.

Same with the difference of a beautiful landscape and a map describing it. Too many people get lost in "maps" of their real environment instead of moving in the landscape itself.

Before this discussion goes too far here, recall that there are three different modes of learning:


visual - "you have to see it"
auditory - "you have to hear it"
kinesthetic - "you have to feel it in the muscles"


Your mode of learning may not be someone else's. Unfortunately this fact seems to be lost on students and instructors alike.

And just to muddy the waters a bit more, these modes are not exclusive; depending on the learning task at hand, we have a primary, secondary and tertiary mode. Likewise, we do not necessarily remain fixed in our order of modes. Chances are that the order will shift depending on our phase of learning (i.e., beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert).

FWIW.

[R A Sosnowski]

Find a dojo - you can't learn kendo from books. Where do you live?

No argument from me on this point.

Although I do recommend books, recall that they are only supplementary forms of instruction.

Absolutely nothing can replace the trained eye of an instructor. However, there is also the issue of "instructor quality." Some are better than others. A highly ranked, and technically proficient practitioner may not always be equally adept at instruction - caveat emptor.

[Neil Gendzwill]

However, there is also the issue of "instructor quality."
That's a seperate issue. He may have little choice in the matter.

[The Iron Chef]

Thank you very much for all your help.

By the way, I live in Nebraska

[Neil Gendzwill]

Thank you very much for all your help.

By the way, I live in Nebraska
There are dojos in Omaha and Lincoln. See: http://www.kendo-usa.org/statedojolist.htm#NE

[Curtis]

The SW Kendo and Iaido Federation will be holding their Fall kendo seminar and promotional exam in Omaha on Oct 24,25 and 26. You may go to this link for some info: http://home1.gte.net/res0f9a6/swkif.html .


If you are near enough you may want to consider coming to watch and you can meet the Omaha group.

[The Iron Chef]

I already knew/figured there were places in Lincoln and Omaha but, it's a three hour drive from where I live to Omaha. And I can't exactly make a trip in every day or so.

[Neil Gendzwill]

I already knew/figured there were places in Lincoln and Omaha but, it's a three hour drive from where I live to Omaha. And I can't exactly make a trip in every day or so.
You don't need to make it in every day. You could maybe go twice a month, and ask the instructor to give you drills to work on at home.

[David1960]

Can anyone send me by attachment "Looking at a Far Mountain: A Study of Kendo Kata"[/U] (Budden, 1992)?
Because I live in another countryes and I have no chance to buy it in my country. My e-mail is: david1960@europe.com
With respect,
David Homeriki



I had a review "A Survey of English-Language Kendo Texts" posted to the The Doshikai Kendo & Iaido Dojo website (http://www.doshikai.org), which was lost during a host crash - I have resubmitted it for reposting.

The is not a lot of material in English, and even less good material. Knowledge is not "FREE" (in spite of what the internet has conditioned us to expect) so you are going to have to invest a few dollars here. My personal recommendations are as follows:

1. Kendo: The Definitive Guide (Ozawa, 1997)
2. Looking at a Far Mountain: A Study of Kendo Kata (Budden, 1992)
3. This Is Kendo: The Art of Japanese Fencing (Sasamori and Warner, 1964)

References.

Budden, Paul, 1992. Looking at a Far Mountain: A Study of Kendo Kata, Ward Lock, London. 128 pp. (reprinted by Tuttle in 2000).

Ozawa, Hiroshi, 1997. Kendo: The Definitive Guide, translated by Angela Turzynski with illustrations by Tamiko Yamaguchi, Kodansha International, Tokyo. 173 pp.

Sasamori, Junzo, and Warner, Gordon, 1964. This Is Kendo: The Art of Japanese Fencing, Charles E. Tuttle, Rutland, VT. 159 pp.

[David1960]

Can anyone send me by attachment "Looking at a Far Mountain: A Study of Kendo Kata" (Budden, 1992)?
Because I live in another countryes and I have no chance to buy it in my country. My e-mail is: david1960@europe.com
With respect,
David Homeriki

[Neil Gendzwill]

Can anyone send me by attachment "Looking at a Far Mountain: A Study of Kendo Kata" (Budden, 1992)?
Because I live in another countryes and I have no chance to buy it in my country. My e-mail is: david1960@europe.com
With respect,
David Homeriki
You can buy it here (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0804832455/qid=1065020010/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/102-4218088-2204138?v=glance&s=books&n=507846), I'm pretty sure Amazon ships world-wide.

[The Iron Chef]

I've found several books now on Amazon. But going to wait to make sure I get the wooden swords I bought off eBay before we order any of them.

Thanks a whole bunch for all your help.

[Twobitmage]

I've found several books now on Amazon. But going to wait to make sure I get the wooden swords I bought off eBay before we order any of them.

Thanks a whole bunch for all your help.


I dunno if its been said (sorry im too lazy to check) but dont expect to be able to learn as much from books as you could from a teacher. They are a nice supplement to training but they cant really replace a teacher, who could point out personal problems ("hey bob! your foot is crooked!") etc.