DOJOs in Connecticut

[iron_tanto]

Does anyone know of any in CT?

I know the one in New Haven and Stamford but are wondering if there are anymore. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

[Kaoru]

Does anyone know of any in CT?

I know the one in New Haven and Stamford but are wondering if there are anymore. Your help will be greatly appreciated.


Unfortunately, those are the only two Kendo dojos in Connecticut. I'm sorry!

Kaoru

[Kenshin Himura]

Aww poo. Thats why when I'm 18 I'm moving. ^^x lol I'm moving out of state to a country like state with kendo nearby so when I do take kendo and learn katas and such I can go outside and practice. I have a feeling if I take my bo-staff to the park somebody will call the cops but then again.. lol (the park is the closest place for me to train besides my bo-staff classes at my martial arts dojo.)

[Kaoru]

Aww poo. Thats why when I'm 18 I'm moving. ^^x lol I'm moving out of state to a country like state with kendo nearby so when I do take kendo and learn katas and such I can go outside and practice. I have a feeling if I take my bo-staff to the park somebody will call the cops but then again.. lol (the park is the closest place for me to train besides my bo-staff classes at my martial arts dojo.)

You know... "country like state with Kendo nearby" is such an oxymoron! hahaha! I live in a country like state, and there are only 3 dojos, and all three are very far from me. Two are 2 1/2 hrs away(one being my dojo, and the other, 4 hours away. hehehe! You'd do better to wish to move to a populated state that does have lots of Kendo like New York, Florida and California to name a few that have quite a few dojos about. Anyway, when you learn to drive, you can still go to Kendo, providing your parents let you take the car. :) Or, just choose a college that has Kendo near. :)

Kaoru

[Kenshin Himura]

Well I'll be working at my karate dojo when I'm 16 and get money for it.. I'll get a car.. I can probobly just bareley afford kendo then.. maybe.. I'm not sure. lol ^^x'

[nodachi]

Most kendo dojos that I have been to have rather cheap dues. Non profit organizations that just want to practice together. After you've paid for your equipment, then kendo is probably one of the cheapest martial arts out there. Figure out your other problems of transportation and all that because the money issue is not so bad (AFTER getting equipment, of course). Think long term.

And I forget where you said you were in CT but you keep mentioning MA dojos are too far away. There are a few in RI if that helps. I've practiced with a few of them too. Nice people. Maybe RI is your closer option.

[iron_tanto]

Thanks for your help guys. I was just wondering if there were any more options, but I guess I'll see what I could do transportation isn't a big problem. Its time really. Working 6 to 8 weekdays and some weekends kinda sux. I guess it matters which dojo you go to but are they open on weekends?

[Sakabatou]

Cheap dues? oh thank goodness.. @.@x I wouldnt be able to afford to pay something as much as my karate lessons myself.. I think my dojo is just trying to get more money out of the people in it too.. take a look:
$100 to sign up
about $100 a month
2 lessons a week
_____________________
$600 for Leadership joining(like getting into honors classes in school)
exta $60 a month
+15 minutes onto each of your lessons
Weapons training
(you have to buy the weapons when your learning the form)
Monthly seminars
________________
Certified Instructor Training (to run your own dojo in the future)
about another $50 more a month
about $300 or $400 fee for joining
_________________________
about $30 every test. price increases the higher rank you are
$15 every mid-term test (if you cant test for your next belt like you dont have all the craeteria this is what you do, a mid term, and you get a star for your belt to show you know certain things from your rank needed for your next rank)
________________________
So far I'm in leadership and normal karate. lol so its about $160 a month, plus tournoments too wich are usually around $50 per person going or so, and I bought one weapon, a bo-staff. lol wouldnt you say this is rather pricey? The workout is great though so im not sure.. anybody here in martial arts and go to Villari's? lol

[nodachi]

Dude! They are taking so much of your money it's not funny. You should be able convince your parents to take you to kendo based on the financial reasons of it being substantially cheaper alone, and that includes the money for the time, gas, and travelling that you will have to do.

[Hiryu]

Well I'll be working at my karate dojo when I'm 16 and get money for it.. I'll get a car.. I can probobly just bareley afford kendo then.. maybe.. I'm not sure. lol ^^x'


Oh Wonderful, Another strip mall dojo run by a 16 year old "Sho dan" charging all kinds of money and inventing new kinds of colored belts with stars and stripes and all kinds of crap just to make money. Wonderful.

[Sakabatou]

Oh Wonderful, Another strip mall dojo run by a 16 year old "Sho dan" charging all kinds of money and inventing new kinds of colored belts with stars and stripes and all kinds of crap just to make money. Wonderful.
I didnt mean I was going to make my own karate and dojo X.X
What I meant was there is a team in my dojo called Storm Team thats free to people in Leadership, and they do things like help teach classes, greet people at the door, other stuff like that. I think I can get paid for helping teach classes when I'm 16, not run my own dojo. lol

[Will]

Storm Team....

fear....

Hey, that would be cool if we could name our own teams...so instead of having our teams named after our dojo/city/federation, we could have cool names like Storm Team.

I had an unofficial name for our youth team..."The Bus Drivers" because we take all the other teams to school...

Maybe we can rename our adult team to "The Silent Thunder" or something else that would sound cool...but i don't know if we could top Storm Team...

[Sakabatou]

lol was that sarcastic or not? couldnt really tell. lol

[ALI G]

Storm Team....fear....Hey, that would be cool if we could name our own teams...so instead of having our teams named after our dojo/city/federation, we could have cool names like Storm Team.
...

Storm Team strikez fearz in mezelfz 2.....Iz shakingz....

Maybe we can rename our adult team to "The Silent Thunder" or something else that would sound cool...but i don't know if we could top Storm Team...

I likez da team namez...."Silent but Deadlyz..."

[Sakabatou]

lol I'm suprised storm team in my dojo isnt another $600 and another $50 a month. Villari's is too expensive. lol

[mingshi]

take a look:
$100 to sign up
about $100 a month
2 lessons a week
...
So far I'm in leadership and normal karate. lol so its about $160 a month, plus tournoments too wich are usually around $50 per person going or so...
WHAT A RIP-OFF!!
The annual fee for British Kendo Assiciation is around $50 --half if under 18/student.
$100 a month can give me 6 days a week of kendo in different dojo in and around London.
Price of a set of armour for beginners starts at $340 in E-bogu. This is like, 2 months of your "leadership" and "normal karate".

If I were you: stop doing this Normal Karate - save up all the money and do something more "legitimate" when you get to university. For the moment just go jogging or swimming, instead of learning something so damn over-priced!!!

...and I thought I spent too much money on Kendo... :rolleyes:

[Sakabatou]

lol well I can't really quit karate now X.X my dad would kill me, since he already spent so much on it (I never invested in the idea to look for dojos in connecticut untill a year or so ago) lol

[Musha]

Sorry this is a little unrelated but I went to the AGM yesterday. Not making it to the Kangeiko because the BKA web master was so thick that he did not know him self where the event even was and he was going him self lol :ditsy:.

From next year to join the BKA you must pay £50. £40 for membership and £10 for some thing else. Junior membership is now £20, all in all most things have been raised by about £10..
No wonder I want to join the Nippon renmei :(..

But about Karate, I heard one of the Karate dojyo leaders that teaches at the same time as we do Kendo talking to a young girl. He was saying you must! come twice a week pay alot of money or you will be throne out of the dojyo. I don't like to say this but I don't think Karate is related to Japan at all, it is from Okinawa that is off near China and is highly excadurated like Kung fu. Bruce lee him self said that Kung fu was getting stupidly commershal.

Real Japanese sports are

Sumo
Kendo
Aikido
Jujitsu and the other less known like Naginata, Kyuudo.. Just look for the Do or jutsu :). But don't get mixed up about Ninjitsu that does not mean any thing what so ever and is just made up by Westerners.

[amatsuda]

Does anyone know of any in CT? I know the one in New Haven and Stamford but are wondering if there are anymore. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

You can't go wrong with either one....Both are run by very good Senseis....

The one in Stamford (Shidogakuin) is run by Kato Sensei who is an awesome Sensei. He was our coach when we went to 10WKC in Kyoto and I learned a lot from him...

The dojo at Yale is run by Zoot Sensei who has trained extensively in the U.S. and Japan..He has also trained under Kobayashi Sensei who was the Kantoku for the 12WKC Japan Team and also the person who trained 6 time All Japan Champion Miyazaki and his younger brother.

lol well I can't really quit karate now X.X my dad would kill me, since he already spent so much on it (I never invested in the idea to look for dojos in connecticut untill a year or so ago) lol

Listen kid...I know you're only 14...actually I think the whole forum knows now....but here's some advice after reading your post because it's not about the money....

If you continue with your Karate training or ever start Kendo, make sure that as you get older, you make your own decisions and commit yourself to the decision you have made regarding Karate or Kendo or anything else in life....

Otherwise if you are doing things to appease others or doing it to meet someone else's expectations...you will never do Karate or Kendo or (anything else as a matter of fact) with heart because you will always have that 'my parents are paying for this' 'people think I should do this...' or 'my parents will be disappointed if I quit' mentality....

As an instructor, You can totally see the difference in the kids who are there and continue training because they want to be there and those who are there because their parents force them to come.

I think the most honest statement regarding this matter was made by my Sempai Onitsuka Sensei (U.S. Team Captain - 11WKC)...."Thank you for coming to the first Kyoka Renshu practice to prepare for the U.S. Championships in 2002...For all those of you who are here because your parents made you come, or are here because you think your parents want you to come to practice...(pointing)there's the door.....you are all dismissed..all those who are here on their own volition and ready to practice with heart...let's get started..."

When you're young you need your parents to give you that extra push to motivate you and keep going...However, as you get older you have to start doing things for you...and that is when people start practicing Kendo with heart...

amatsuda
http://mywebpage.netscape.com/sjkendo

[Khabbi]

"lol well I can't really quit karate now X.X my dad would kill me, since he already spent so much on it (I never invested in the idea to look for dojos in connecticut untill a year or so ago) lol "

Im sure he will be much happier when he finds out you did karate even when u wanted to quit , Dads love paying for things their sons hate , much cheeper then quiting ? ,

and those fees were nuts

I dont see the point in doing stuff u dont like , exept school and work , ive never liked either of them but you have to do em :smiley:

[Snobody]

Before you read my post, I hope you realize that like the (in)famous Sakabatou I'm 14 and therefore my judgement of pricing may be pure bullocks.

The Kumdo dojang (Il Kum Kwan in NY) I'm currently attending charges a fee of:
$130 a month/$350 for three months.
$100 for the uniform (keikogi and hakama) and $30 for the shinai.
It appears, although I may be wrong, that students purchase their bogu through the dojo.

Before you all link me to Kaoru's thread about her Kumdo dojang, master, and bogu problems, I'll tell you that in doing my research on potential dojos I read that post and every single other post in the archive containing the word "kumdo" (along with reading a lot of other threads and looking at websites). I realize that these costs are extremely high in the kendo world, and that living in New York should offer me many alternatives, unlike many people stranded in middle-of-nowheresville (no offense to any of you out there). However given that the dojang is:
A dojang under the AEUSKF/AUSKF (and supposedly "legit" because of that)
Holds classes 5 days a week, with 4 1 hour classes at night (with no "limits" on how many you attend)
Is 20 minutes away (as opposed to going into the city/having my parents drive me to somewhere far).
Is financially stable, large(as in sq. feet), has lots of students, not too large class sizes (6-15ish).
Seems to have a good reputation, etc.
Instructors are nice and instruction is good.

What I'm basically trying to say with this post is that cost, while a major factor in determining whether or not a place is worthy of attending, doesn't necessarily automatically make the place a "McDojo" of sorts. Of course that karate place doesn't seem like the most official of dojos....
It obviously depends on the circumstances, especially if you're a kid (parents willing to drive, pay, etc.). As a kid myself that's unable to drive, earn money, and really do anything at all, the choices you make should reflect your parents opinions too, just because they're the ones paying and going through a hassle just so you can do whatever it is you want to do. While your actions should be for you, it seems a bit selfish to only have your own opinions in mind when you're not really in the position to say "It's my life, I'll do what I want."

Oh and if I/my parents are being totally ripped off, please tell me, and disregard a large portion of this post.

[Will]

It obviously depends on the circumstances, especially if you're a kid (parents willing to drive, pay, etc.). As a kid myself that's unable to drive, earn money, and really do anything at all, the choices you make should reflect your parents opinions too, just because they're the ones paying and going through a hassle just so you can do whatever it is you want to do. While your actions should be for you, it seems a bit selfish to only have your own opinions in mind when you're not really in the position to say "It's my life, I'll do what I want."


You're 14, you're not a kid. Get a job, I did.

You can earn money, you can take public transportation.

I'm not disagreeing with what you said, I just don't like it when 14 year olds think they're helpless to do stuff without their parents. Most states allow you to work at 14, and even if they don't, i'm sure you could find a place under-the-counter to work at.

but yes, your choices should reflect your parents if they're paying and doing all the work.

[Sakabatou]

Lol if your telling me to get a mini job like at Mc Donalds I can't. I have to wait 2 years before I can apply for anything. But for now I can probobly do chores or something... lol And I'm not being forced to do karate, I joined on my own free will, and got into all of this on my own free will. I don't want my dad to be dissapointed of me for quitting karate for kendo either. I like karate, I enjoy it alot. Sure if there was a dojo I was able to get to myself without a big fuss I'd do all I could to join there or anything. Maybe if I was able to get a petition to get signatures for people here in Enfield who want to get a dojo here... Theres a recreational center nearby that I can walk to, but they don't have kendo... Maybe if I can convince them to start up kendo somehow?... But nobody would listen to a little kid like me...
I was talking to my dad about karate and I said "if I quit karate for kendo" and he said "I hope you just lied." he doesnt want me quitting karate for kendo I think... (MOST IMPORTANT SENTACE NEXT! READ IT)Well, I'm sure I'll figure something out eventually.

[ALI G]

MOST IMPORTANT SENTACE NEXT! READ IT)Well, I'm sure I'll figure something out eventually.

Maybez youz can continuez 2 developz youz own kitanaz stylez & callz itz..hedgtrimmerz skool...............................clazzez can B heldz @ youz momz howz in da front yardz.....& youz opponentz can Bz da juniperz bushez....

[Sakabatou]

Maybez youz can continuez 2 developz youz own kitanaz stylez & callz itz..hedgtrimmerz skool...............................clazzez can B heldz @ youz momz howz in da front yardz.....& youz opponentz can Bz da juniperz bushez....Wow you have serious problems if you stalk my posts this much. Lol I don't get why you bother me. Maybe its because your not even a kenji or got booted from your dojo. I wouldnt be suprised.

[Shiro]

Maybe its because your not even a kenji

You're not one either :p

[Sakabatou]

True lol I never said I was a kenji. (for being a martial artist my friend calls me pheasant but thats what they were back then. lol)

[Kaoru]

True lol I never said I was a kenji. (for being a martial artist my friend calls me pheasant but thats what they were back then. lol)


By the way, that's "Kenshi," not "Kenji." Kenji is a person's name. Also, a Pheasant is a bird. A martial artist is not called a Pheasant. Never was, either. Your friend doesn't know what he is talking about unfortunately. You might want to inform him that it is a type of bird to keep him from getting laughed at. Seriously. That would not be cool to get laughed at. That would be sad.

Kaoru

[Sakabatou]

lol i mean peasant or.. however its spelt.. lol and I forgot if it was kenshi or kenji... wait Kenji is a real name? lol