References

[distrex]

I know, from past posts, that you guys don't recommend newbies to go out and start practicing the kata even when they are not in a dojo. I was just wondering if you guys knew of any books (online or print) that would allow me to see some of the basic moves, etiquete, culture, background, etc. Simply so i don't go into my first Dojo as a complete virgin to the sport. I don't want anything to train with, something that just shows me somethings about kendo. Thanks for your time.

[Shiro]

I don't know a lot of Kendo books but I think "Kendo, the Definitive Guide" by Hiroshi Ozawa is quite good. The sketches in the book could be much better, but I think you'll still have a good idea of what Kendo is through that book.

[Craig Jones]

I just received the Kata book for Kendo World and it seems to be really good.

[not-I]

I know, from past posts, that you guys don't recommend newbies to go out and start practicing the kata even when they are not in a dojo. I was just wondering if you guys knew of any books (online or print) that would allow me to see some of the basic moves, etiquete, culture, background, etc. Simply so i don't go into my first Dojo as a complete virgin to the sport. I don't want anything to train with, something that just shows me somethings about kendo. Thanks for your time.
hi distrex, we had a thread about this not too long ago called "reading list" in this very forum (look down about a dozen threads) where a few books on kata were also mentioned. have a look.

[distrex]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I'll go check Barnes and Nobles sometime soon for some of those books. While these are helpful do you guys know of any online resources? Thanks again for all the replies.

[JimB]

I don't know a lot of Kendo books but I think "Kendo, the Definitive Guide" by Hiroshi Ozawa is quite good. The sketches in the book could be much better, but I think you'll still have a good idea of what Kendo is through that book.
I agree with Shiro, this is a truely great book for anyone practicing Kendo. I got it fairly cheap on Amazon along with "Complete Kendo" by John Donohue.

[Andoru]

Like I said in the Reading List thread, I believe that Ozawa's book needs to be "balanced" by other books which focus less on waza and more on the spiritual aspect of kendo. In my view, John Donohue's "Complete Kendo" does exactly that.