Newbie: Uncertain if I will be able to get used to bogu-training

[meow]

Hi,

I had my second class yesterday and I really liked, what I have experienced so far.

- I don´t mind doing suburi over and over.
- I have no problem, practicing basic stuff like foot work.
- I don´t care how long it will take me until I will wear bogu for the first time.

Ok. All of this is just fine and I would like to really seriously start kendo, BUT:

*deep sigh*

I am a little scared, if I will be able to handle the training in full bogu.

I know, I know...this is far too early to worry about bogu, since I didn´t already really start to practice. The point is: What if the training goes well, I make progress and have fun...and then, when it comes to wearing the bogu and get hit in training i panic and can´t get used to it.

I have never before done any full-contact training. I absolutely don´t know, if I can take this.

I don´t think, I will have a problem with carrying the WEIGHT of the bogu, this is only a matter of training and I know, that I can take a lot if it´s just about stamina. I already do cardio-training (jogging, mountainbiking, stepper, weighttraining)

The point is: I don´t want to waste maybe a year of my sensei´s time and find out that I can´t stand the bogu-training and quit. If it would just be my time, no problem, at least I had a lot of fun until then.

I think about asking sensei to put a men on my head and hit me real hard, and push me and attack me in an real aggressive manner. This way I could find out what it is like and maybe it´s no big deal and i can handle it.

If I find out, that i start to panic and can´t handle getting hit, I can quit before I waste sensei´s time.

Do you think, I should do this or is this just newbie-bullshit and I am worrying too much?

Please, this is no trolling, I am very serious about this! (Although I admit that it sounds like I am totaly nuts...*sigh*)

I would be very glad to get some advice from experienced kendoka or maybe newbies who have just startet to train in bogu.

Please excuse, this confused posting, but I can´t get this out of my mind.

greetings


meow

P.S. Sorry for my bad english but I am totally nervous

[Hattori Hanzo]

Meow,

You worry too much, if it is injuries you are scared of my dojo so far has a flawless record of being injury free, you might recieve a welp below the arm where somebody swung a little high, or on your arm, as long as you don't lean forward when you strike you are well protected, Bogu is pretty tough. I think your adrenaline will out weigh your fear.

[Migoto]

I think you must believe that the person you are today will not be the person you will be tomorrow. In Kendo you will grow and mature physically, mentally and spiritually. If you have concerns today about your confrontations in bogu, you may not have them when you are deemed ready to practice in bogu. When the time comes for you to wear bogu you will have grown technically, physically, and possibly mentally i.e. not feeling the weight on the worries you carry now. Even if you have those worries when you start to wear bogu they may not persist much after that. When you confront some in bogu the battle is not with them but with your self. Your battle is with the four sicknesses (fear, doubt, surprise, confusion) your fellow kenshi is there to help in this fight in their own way. There are many aspects to Kendo as there are many aspects to your self.



The saying “ Everyday a new battle” is much the same as the saying “ No matter where you go, there you are”.



Good luck, Work hard, Have fun.

[Raiza]

Your concern is normal. What we do here is slowly ease beginners into not being afraid of the shinai or of being hit. It takes time before someone gets used to the idea of being hit! Also, there's a great deal of time and effort involved in emphasizing how to hit properly. If someone can't hit in a decent manner, they're not allowed to hit anyone.

At the dojo I started in, the sensei would lightly hit the unarmoured students as they did uchikomi on him. This would become steadily tougher as we progressed. Conversely, the bogu people would exaggerate how awful it was so by the time we got into bogu we were expecting the worst and were totally steeled for it. As far as I can recall, that dojo has a pretty decent retention rate, much better than the 10% statistic that's bandied about. AlexM belongs to that dojo if you would like to discuss it with him.

The extra weight will take some time to get used to. Doing kendo with bogu is a lot tougher than without. That's why they're making you guys do lots of suburi and other conditioning drills. Your adjustment to bogu will be much easier after you've trained than if you put it on now when you've barely started. That's why I wouldn't recommend trying on bogu to test it out in your first few classes. Your body is not as ready as it will be when your sensei says it's time to wear to bogu.

In the meantime, relax and have fun! :)

[meow]

Meow,

You worry too much, if it is injuries you are scared of my dojo so far has a flawless record of being injury free, you might recieve a welp below the arm where somebody swung a little high, or on your arm, as long as you don't lean forward when you strike you are well protected, Bogu is pretty tough. I think your adrenaline will out weigh your fear.
It is not possible injuries i am worried about in the first place. It is more about the "stress factor". I fear that being hit by my partner again and again and again could make me lose my nerves and start to panic.

On the other hand: I had some months of Wing-Tsun practice some years ago and there you also get hit all the time. After a while I didn´t mind that much...

Thanks a lot for your help. Some of you must think that those stupid newbies worry about every damn little thing...*shame*

[mystic_kendoka]

it is easy, there is hardly any pain involved, the bogu is light...

[LNGUYEN]

When you drive to work, have you ever thought that before you learn how to drive for the first time, you were facing real danger of being in accidents? Did you get stress or worry that you would screw up when you take a real job first time? were you nervous when you go to school first time that you could be in a fire or something. Do you know that some people got hit by lighning when they just walk outside in the rain or being ran over on the sidewalk?

Stop worrying men, if you can't do it, then stay home.

[mingshi]

considering that most All-Japan champions starts kendo at the age of 5, they were still kids when they progress into bogu training.

i don't know who should panic... a newbie at the attacking side most of the time, or the Senpai at the receiving side?

;)

[meow]

@ Migoto:

Good point. I think you are right. we are growing with expectations.

@ Raiza:

Sounds good. I think, I should just have faith in my sensei and let things come as they are.

@ mystic kendoka:

Thanks for the encouragement :-)

@ LNGUYEN:

Hmmm....I guess you are right. OK! I will stop worrying about problems I do not even yet have to solve. ;-)

I will concentrate on working the basics and when I am carrying bogu I will give my best to get along with it. I will take this as a test how serious I am about kendo. ;-)

Thanks for your comments and advice folks. I will stop whining and worrying! I promise! When I get hit, I will "kill" the opponent with kiai! :-)

greetings

meow

[ALI G]

Hi,
I had my second class yesterday and I really liked, what I have experienced so far.

I am a little scared, if I will be able to handle the training in full bogu.

Lookz...youz been 2 two hole classez...Juzt do da praktiz andz dont worryz aboutz itz.......Youz mitez be likez Hai_Haiz and quitz b-4z youz even makez it 2 boguz....Da pointz iz 2 juzt prakticez.......

The point is: I don´t want to waste maybe a year of my sensei´s time and find out that I can´t stand the bogu-training and quit. If it would just be my time, no problem, at least I had a lot of fun until then.

dontz worryz...youz senseiz iz uzed 2 people quittingz afta dey getz into boguz...

[niji]

no pain no gain....

stop worrying and lets move forward....
btw, i just on bogu traning... kinda cool... its the kote or should i say the grip.. its makes doing of men cuts n mododachi difficult.. i need to get use to the kote grip...... :devious:

[meow]

Thanks for all the kind replies. :-)

@ mingshi:

I was a little ashamed when I read you reply. You are absolutely right. There are little kids playing kendo in full bogu and I worry...if little kids can get used to it, I should also be able...LOL

@ Ali G:

Yes, I think there were a lot of newbies before me, who had the same problems and some of them quit. So this should really be a known fact for my sensei. I will just practice and wait what happens. ;-)

@ niji:

Hey, nice to read the opinion of a beginner, who just started with bogu-training. Sounds good...and maybe a little sting when the kote got hit will encourage one to not forget about the basic stuff and make one practice a lot to improve. :-)

greetings

meow

[Neil Gendzwill]

If you're enjoying your training, carry on. Worry about bogu when the time comes. As long as you practice sincerely, you're not wasting your sensei's time. If you give your best effort while you're there, he will appreciate it.

As far as getting hit a lot - when you first wear bogu, you should get hit hardly at all by your seniors. They should mostly be letting you hit them, getting used to performing proper technique with the bogu on.

[niji]

yeah...... now looking at my right hand... i get patches of blue-black :smoker:

the men......... *sign* diffcult to tie.... must practise

[Gohanssj]

Well, Im new to my kendo and ive already doen 2 classes in full bogu to get use to it, the only thing that bothers me is how somtimes it presses your ears in and it kinda hurts, is there any way i can stop it from pressing my ears in hard? like pads or somthing?

[niji]

Well, Im new to my kendo and ive already doen 2 classes in full bogu to get use to it, the only thing that bothers me is how somtimes it presses your ears in and it kinda hurts, is there any way i can stop it from pressing my ears in hard? like pads or somthing?


tie ur men's so-call shoulder protection to 45 degrees in line with the man... thus, ur ear will not be press so hard...
another way is when u are done with putting up ur men, u can pull the so-call shoulder protection at the ear out to give ur ear more room...

u know what i am talking about??? :ko:

[Kendo ISB]

To release pressure on the ear, tie the knot lower, the lower the knot, the less pressure on the ears. This is important, as an ear-ache is very annoying and can be quite a distraction during practice. I believe at kendoshops, they also have a 'men' pad that protects the head...not sure about the ears though.

meow- There is a girl in the kendo club that I am in, she loves the art and the way of the sword, but her personal preference is not fighting. So everytime we practice, she just focuses on her basics with the teacher. (Of course when she has to wear it, she will. :P Its just she doesn't perfer to wear it, you can do that.) I hope you become a great Kendoist, and remember, have a good spirit!