Hello again

[Margali]

Hello. :smiley:

I just wanted to pop in here again and say "Hi"
I started kendo last December and am enjoying it very much. I got into bogu in February, but then caught a virus and got very sick and wasn't able to train for 2 months. I'm back to training again, kendo 3 times a week, plus 1 night of kata.

Some nights I really feel my age, 48. I think I have a couple of decades on most of my classmates and by the end of the hour, I am really sucking wind. But I do my best to keep up with everyone, even though I have to occasionally stop and catch my breath. I think I am doing better over time.

Thanks to everyone sharing their stories, tips, and advice. I find these forums helpful and encouraging.

[Wraith]

Hello!

Glad to hear you're back on your feet ;)

[Jung_Yul]

The most important thing is getting back on the proverbial horse. The hardest thing about missing a large stretch of any kind of training is going back that first time afterwards. Once you start going again, which you have, everything else should fall nicely into place.

Glad to hear that you've gotten better, and welcome back!

[rfoxmich]

48 is still young. Keep practicing.

[braxtonhicks]

I agree about the age thing. There's a guy at my dojang who started kendo 2 years ago, around age 45 or maybe 48, and he placed third in the Ontario Kendo Championships Mudansha division this past fall, and he thrashes me when ever I keiko with him! I've only been at it a year now, but I'm 32, and he's really inspiring!

Glad you're back at it. I'm out for a few weeks with a torn calf. :bored:

[Bokushingu]

Welcome back. hey I'm 40 turning 41. One of my trainers (he's from another Dojo in the SCKF) he trains me like i'm 20 lol drillign the crap out of me. but now I'm able to handle it. but it took months of sucking wind! just becareful and stretch! stretch big time! my joints use to be be in serious stiffness & pain the next day.


last months I started taking Trigosamine because i was waking up the next day with sore joints. The ER doctor at my job told me about it--told me older sports pros were using it. I started taking it and Wow! after a weeks no more sore/stiff joints.

Ps why when i come to the women's forum, I feel like i'm sneaking into the Ladie's Locker room????

[Kaa]

Good to hear there's more than me pushing 40....

Actually the reason I started with martial arts was some great youtubes' of a couple of, well 70-ish (?) ladies doing Naginata with such an accurateness, firmness and vitality that I was impressed and thought - now that's the way to grow older. So for me - my goal is to still be doing this when Im 70... But yes - I have to remind me of it during classes when I am by far the only in my... category.. and feeling slow, stiff and yes, old... Praying, I will get the hang of it, I will get the hang of it - please let this not be an early stage of alzheimers - i get this soon sensei..

[Masahiro]

Ps why when i come to the women's forum, I feel like i'm sneaking into the Ladie's Locker room????


i must question why you might even know what that feels like!! hahahahahaha

[rainmaker]

It is rather like indecent exposure pervert... Why more guys respond in woman's forum than woman ??? Including me ????

[rfoxmich]

The first time I practiced at Shudokan in Osaka, I met a guy who was in his lat 60's we exchanged pleasantries. He was curious about me an kendo in the U.S. so we got to exchanging stories. He was sandan, and said that he always wanted to practice kendo but never managed to find the time to start. So when he retired he started practicing kendo and realized his dreams.

[Tort-Speed]

Hi: For the 40's and ups, maybe we can't keep up with 30-year-olds and unders' speed and fast-recovery-from tough "keiko"
but our maturity may give us strong centering as well as sticking to something. Some of the oldies but goodies I've seen (age 70 and up) have the timing and can read a younger person's attack before (s)he gets moving with it. Unless you've
some serious pre-Kendo injuries, or chronic this and that, don't lose energy and concentration by thinking about your age.
Just get on with your practice. Just a comment: perhaps wearing full bogu soon after starting Japanese fencing can be
tough as you're trying to do things correctly but may feel the protective gear's getting in the way, is inflexible,
heavy, etc. Some dojos have beginners start out bare-handed (bandaids, thin gloves if big blisters from the "tsuka"), alternating with wearing kote, later gradually adding the rest of the bogu.

[hunnysan]

hello, glad you're back in training. And i also took a long break from kendo because of my school/work schedule. But back in training now. Currently looking for bogu for class because i've just been advised that i will be doing the beginner's test soon and will then start to wear bogu. :rambo: