Is kendo for me?

[Budoka 83]

Hi, I have a question. I'm from south east England where I have been practicing kendo for about six months. The kendo club here is quite lucky because are instructor has lived in Japan, speaks Japanese and was the manager of the british kendo team. I injoy kendo, but I can't help fealing out of place at practice. It is a university kendo club and I am a high school drop out (command and thug like), who's serounded by university students and computer programmers.

So my question is, can I succeed in a sport witch is clearly dominated by upper class yuppies or should I stick to streetfighting and bare nuckle boxing?

Thank's for your help.

[Nanbanjin]

Hi, I have a question. I'm from south east England where I have been practicing kendo for about six months. The kendo club here is quite lucky because are instructor has lived in Japan, speaks Japanese and was the manager of the british kendo team. I injoy kendo, but I can't help fealing out of place at practice. It is a university kendo club and I am a high school drop out (command and thug like), who's serounded by university students and computer programmers.

So my question is, can I succeed in a sport witch is clearly dominated by upper class yuppies or should I stick to streetfighting and bare nuckle boxing?

Thank's for your help.
Kendo needs people like you. Please don't give up!

[Sanjuro]

Budoka83-

Kendo is for everyone. In Japan, Kendo is very popular among the police force. They even have a tournament for Japanese police kendoka. I wouldnt exactly call them "upper class yuppies" :tongue:. Anyway...I'm sure that as time goes on you'll get to know your fellow kendoka better...so don't give up!

[Kaoru]

Hi, I have a question. I'm from south east England where I have been practicing kendo for about six months. The kendo club here is quite lucky because are instructor has lived in Japan, speaks Japanese and was the manager of the british kendo team. I injoy kendo, but I can't help fealing out of place at practice. It is a university kendo club and I am a high school drop out (command and thug like), who's serounded by university students and computer programmers.

So my question is, can I succeed in a sport witch is clearly dominated by upper class yuppies or should I stick to streetfighting and bare nuckle boxing?

Thank's for your help.

Hi!

If you enjoy it, stay. Don't allow it to get to you. And, try to talk to your dojomates and try to make at least one friend to begin. You may be pleasantly surprised. And, in England, can a person get a GED? Here, that's a General Education Diploma that is like a H.S. diploma, that a person can study for and go to classes to earn, if they've dropped out of H.S. With that certificate, a person can apply to college. Maybe you can do that too! :) Don't feel bad about being the only non-college person there. You don't have to be like them, to get to practice Kendo. And, if they are nice people, they won't care that you aren't in college or don't have a H.S. diploma. That isn't what Kendo is about.

I think it is wonderful that you found Kendo, which is a nice alternative to what you were doing. You should feel proud of yourself. :) You won't get beaten up in Kendo. And, one more thing... maybe you might want to try another Kendo club out, if there is one in your area, if you truely feel uncomfortable. Sometimes, one dojo will fit a person, while another won't. You might also want to talk to your sensei and tell him about how you feel about not fitting in. Anybody else think that would be ok?

Where in Southeast England are you? I could try to find another for you, if you want.

Kaoru

[Yowai]

You are correct. Kendo is for the upper-class yuppies. High schools did not supply their students with bogu, therefor alienated the poor people. The rich kids would much prefer doing the more kakoi~ Kendo than risk getting hurt in Judo.

Please get back into high school.

[Budoka 83]

Hi!

Where in Southeast England are you? I could try to find another for you, if you want.

Kaoru

Thank you kaoru, but I think i'm going to stick with this one (it's nice and close).

Thank you all for your help. I think kendo probably is for me and I'm just gonna have to aim at being are clubs best fighter. And yes, im sure that in Japan kendo is for everone. But in England it's clearly a upper-class sport.

I think maybe in martial arts, the best fighters are those how have come from nothing and go on to be the best martial artist/ budoka that they can possibly be.

Thank you!

[Budoka 83]

You are correct. Kendo is for the upper-class yuppies. High schools did not supply their students with bogu, therefor alienated the poor people. The rich kids would much prefer doing the more kakoi~ Kendo than risk getting hurt in Judo.

Please get back into high school.

Yowai I never said I couldn't afford kendo. In facted are sensei teaches for free! That's right he teaches for the love! I think he is the closest thing to a true Samurai. If only you were as fortunet to have such a teacher. Samurai were never rich people!
And I'm afraid it's a bit later for me to go back to school!

[Neil Gendzwill]

Ignore Yowai and Hai_hai - they are our resident trolls.

Outside of Japan, kendo tends to be popular with college-educated people. In Japan, all sorts of people play. I wouldn't worry about it. If you're enjoying your practice, keep slugging.

[Nanbanjin]

Yowai I never said I couldn't afford kendo. In facted are sensei teaches for free! That's right he teaches for the love! I think he is the closest thing to a true Samurai. If only you were as fortunet to have such a teacher. Samurai were never rich people!
And I'm afraid it's a bit later for me to go back to school!
Budoka 83,
Don't waste your time with a flame war with this guy. He is just trying to get a rise out of you. Just ignore the comment and save yourself some grief.

[Yowai]

Hi farmer and the chinese character obsessed.

[ALI G]

Hi farmer and the chinese character obsessed.

Idz ratha B a hawd workingz fahma den a weakboy quittaz..................

["Rojindo"]

Budoka 83...

If I may?

My own path in life has been similar with resect to schooling (i.e. crap), I myself have never had any higher education. I even have a bit of trouble hanging on to jobs... as I am an artist by trade and live in the Silicon Valley (where you better have a degree or forget it).

My Dojo is FILLED with absurdly well educated people (95% asians) all of whom seem on the fast track sucess. They drive brand new cars, have amazing girlfriends, wear smashing clothes and are totally nice too. Respectable!

I feel like a turd next to these guys.

But our senior Japanese Sensei are all contractors, working men... one owns a flowershop... heck, our Dojo Master works as a grounds keeper for the sports department of a university. Thats right... 7th Dan, President of the entire US Kendo Federation, celebrated and honored for his contributions and widely known among Kendoka from here to Japan... he mows the lawns.

What I am saying is... there is no "limit" on your Kendo.

Through your Kendo, you can gain respect, friendships and even admiration when you accomplish the goals set before you. You can use Kendo to build confidence in yourself, to make peace with whatever demons that haunt your progress in life. Your Kendo has nothing to do with your bank balance (unless you buy handstitched Bogu), nothing to do with your bloodline, nothing to do with your skin color...

... it is yours, and you are responsible for it's status.

Do Kendo... and have faith in yourself!

[Old Warrior]

"So my question is, can I succeed in a sport witch is clearly dominated by upper class yuppies or should I stick to streetfighting and bare nuckle boxing?"

There is sort of a reverse snobbery implied in your question. Education and/or money is not a reflection of the quality of the person or the liklihood of Kendo prowess. Any reasonably worldly person knows that. But Kendo takes real honest dedication to learn and if you don't stick with it, the time invested in training you is wasted. So my take on your inquiry is - if you are serious about learning, go for it. If you are not sure, it is still no crime to try something new and give it a shot.

[Kaoru]

Thank you kaoru, but I think i'm going to stick with this one (it's nice and close).

Thank you all for your help. I think kendo probably is for me and I'm just gonna have to aim at being are clubs best fighter. And yes, im sure that in Japan kendo is for everone. But in England it's clearly a upper-class sport.

I think maybe in martial arts, the best fighters are those how have come from nothing and go on to be the best martial artist/ budoka that they can possibly be.

Thank you!

Hi!

What Rojindo said. He said it perfectly! :) And, you're welcome, too.

Also, it's never too late to get an education if you really want it. But, if you are comfortable with who you are without finishing a H.S. education, that's just fine too. Just have fun, and try to get to know your dojomates. Just enjoy yourself, and enjpy learning from your sensei. Remember, the dojo IS a college club, so that's why there are a lot of students. That's nothing to worry about. Who cares if you aren't? It's ok not to be. Don't worry about that, ok?

Kaoru

[Future Head]

Hi, I have a question. I'm from south east England where I have been practicing kendo for about six months. The kendo club here is quite lucky because are instructor has lived in Japan, speaks Japanese and was the manager of the british kendo team. I injoy kendo, but I can't help fealing out of place at practice. It is a university kendo club and I am a high school drop out (command and thug like), who's serounded by university students and computer programmers.

So my question is, can I succeed in a sport witch is clearly dominated by upper class yuppies or should I stick to streetfighting and bare nuckle boxing?

Thank's for your help.

I've gotten the impression from my British friends here that university education tends to be more on the elitist side across that Atlantic, so I could imagine you might feel more out of place there than at a club, say, here--a good deal of the people in my university dojo are either post-grad, out of school, or attending a different uni.

Whether that's true or not, if you enjoy kendo and get something out of it, keep doing it. All that really matters in a dojo is how hard you work and how much you learn.

Well, that, and how much ass you can kick.

Stick with it, and you might get to show the yuppies and nerds what-for.

[RustyDK]

I am going to have to be extrememly careful of how i word this cause by no means do i intend to offend. For one, you go to a university kendo club, although i do not agree with your classification of all university students being upper class and yuppies, you have to understand that it is a university kendo club. Friendships have been formed within the uni, so it's only natural that you'll feel a little alienated when you go inside the dojo, perhaps going to another dojo that isnt run in a university would be more for you.

I for one am a university student, and my mates who dont go to uni feel the same way as you, the university students are rich and wealthy, and babble mindless #@$@# after a year of being exposed to the education they have. Now i have to tell you one thing, i for one am not wealthy, definately not upper class and dont see how you can stereotype all the guys in your dojo as being this if you choose to go to a university run dojo.

Note that im from australia so the way things are run in our uni's are dif to your's and i only read your post so it's probably already been debated the thing i brought up.

Seriously though mate, give it a go, stay in your current dojo, make yourself known, get out there and make some mates, that way you may find that the people aren't as bad as you think and you'll have made some really good mates too. Otherwise my only other offer is to go to another dojo that isnt run by a university or run within a university...

Good luck dude

[Bayushi]

Seriously though mate, give it a go, stay in your current dojo, make yourself known, get out there and make some mates, that way you may find that the people aren't as bad as you think and you'll have made some really good mates too. Otherwise my only other offer is to go to another dojo that isnt run by a university or run within a university...

Good luck dude


I agree with rusty....i went to see kendo the same time he did...and after i left I already knew the senseis name..and a few others who basically were only too happy to show me the equipment and answer any questions and all seems really friendly...hell i even got a lift back into the city ..just go up and tolk to them and see what happens!

[Shazzanzzz]

I for one am a university student, and my mates who dont go to uni feel the same way as you, the university students are rich and wealthy,

university students are righ and wealthy in australia? Most american college students are poor.

[Raiza]

Most Canadian university students aren't doing too well financially either! Myself included!

Just finished paying off my student loan this month. Whee! :D

[Budoka 83]

When I wrote this post, I was really just thinking aloud. But it was worth sending for some of the replies I've read. The post has nothing to do with money! Infact I have alot more money then most students, as I am in full time work. This post was just supposed to explain the alienation I fill when I attend practice, due to the upper-class families most of these students come from.

I allready Know the path that lies before me... to beat the nerds! :devious:

Also did I offend any computer programers? Because I'd give you a taste of my shinai aswell!


"Death may come even by the bamboo sword"

[RustyDK]

university students are righ and wealthy in australia? Most american college students are poor.

You miss understood what i said Shazzanzzz...I said that most of the people who dont go to uni or didn't have the oppurtunity to go to uni feel that those who actually do go are wealthy and well off, which is definately not the case...i mean come on...most of us in my uni are currently unemployed now and throughout the university year and i still am...let me tell ya now, my parents are going to be getting a LOT of money off me of which i have borrowed from them this year haha.