Fringe Benefits

[David J]

Have you found any unexpected advantages to doing Kendo? Met your current partner there? Developed enormous muscles?

My favourite is kiai. Its very good for halting errant pedestrians wandering into the path of the urban cyclist.

1. Spot inattentive twot wandering into traffic
2. Wait until dopey git is at convenient point,
3. then, focussing on the diaphragm, good loud kiai "YAAAAH!" (or whatever, "Wahaay!" works nicely too :D),
4. idiot jumps 2 feet in air, lands, attempts to restart heart
5. you sail safely past.

<rei>

Dave

[JSchmidt]

Hmm..well, I just use "LOOK OUT!" (Some days, if I'm in a good mood, I'll use a roadrunner style "meep-meep"), but yeah, the volume is now quite impressive. Of course you still get the odd twat who deliberatly ignores you.

Jakob

[David J]

True. "Look out!" actually gives them something to think about though (and consider ignoring), whereas "YORRRRR!" or "TOHHHHH!" seems to scare them more :D - maybe they think they are about to be beheaded or something....

D

[Charlie]

Gosh. Good question. So many benefits.

-Blow off steam.
-Aerobic, breathing ability.
-Nice legs!
-Nice shoulders and forearms. (Beer-belly, though, now kendo isn't helping me with that.)
-The people. I've made so many friends.
-It's an outlet for my spirituality.
-Confidence.
-Aggressiveness.

But mostly it just keeps me level-headed. I can be having a crappy week or crappy day, go into kendo, and come out at peace.

[Confound]

Fringe benefits? Many invitations to enkais. I met my iaidou sensei at a combined practice, he remembered me because I was the only gaijin there. How embarassing. Wouldn't it be nice to say that he remembered me because I had nice waza? no. it was the hair colour. again.

c

[CypherSushi]

Pain tolerence!
I used to be a total wimp who couldn't take a playful slap with a wet towel. (I live with two guys, cleaning the dishes could easily degrade to a towel-war)
After just one semester of kendo, I can take the slaps and retaliate... :D

[Domicius]

Kendo, like Tai Chi (please don't flame me!), has definitely made me more aware of how my body moves, of the importance of my posture. It's funny how, when practicing something as simple as a men strike, it is so hard to get everything to move *perfectly*.

I don't know if anybody else has this feeling, of course...

[John W]

Has given me a real good excuse to drink more beer!:D
(esp. after a hard training).

[munenmuso]

I have learned two things in kendo:

1) Wax in.

2) Wax out.

Wait. Wrong forum!!!!!!:)

But seriously, I benefit so much from this sport. So many things to begin with. just don't know what to start with.

[Matthew Lagden]

it has developed my muscles (but not burnt off my beer gut worse luck) and it has given me exceptional commuter zanshin...

train is here - door open - through the gap - into the seat. i leave my fellow commuters standing. literally.

i am much sharper in crowds as well which is a key benefit in london.

and in general my exo perception has improved. i am much more aware of what is going on.

[Tato]

Don't know if I've to put this post here or in the Cross Training.

Yea!!! The commuting zanshin is a great thing, as is the Ashi Sabaki techniques to move when you're in a crowded street, pub, airport or any other public place.

Also good maai and seme when crossing streets (if the light is green for cars)!!!

It goes in both directions, the more kendo you do, the bigger improvement you'll get on street waza, if you do lots of street waza...

... you will be very tyred in your next keiko!!! :p

Rei

[etherknot]

Originally posted by CypherSushi
Pain tolerence!
I used to be a total wimp who couldn't take a playful slap with a wet towel. (I live with two guys, cleaning the dishes could easily degrade to a towel-war)
After just one semester of kendo, I can take the slaps and retaliate... :D

You could be onto something new here!

wet-towel-do!:D

[Kendoboy]

I thought I might be alone in taking the perspective of the urban samurai. Good to know that others are doing ashi sabaki in the middle of crowds and risking looking foolish (works great though!) Also the seme; as in "I'm crossing this street NOW. you better slow down and get out of my way" (it's a huge ego boost when you can make a car stop when the light is green for them. "I just stopped a 2 ton vehicle with my MIND!")

[John W]

err.... I would not rely on stopping traffic with yer mind all the time! Otherwise this may be the last look on yer face before you take a dirt nap!:eek:

[Matthew Lagden]

i didn't like to claim that i stop cars with my mind, but now that someone else has i am going to as well!

It's just a question of communicating your intent - I am going to cross - you have enough time to stop and i know you have seen me - you don't want to hit me and spend the rest of your life in court - so stop now!!

and they do.

boss perception is enhanced as well, and i find meetings and negotiations are a lot easier to manage also.

And since i was forced to give a mini demonstration in my office and ran through Men, Kote Men, Do and Kirikaeshi on a particularly annoying colleague people are nicer to me in a slightly wary sort of way.

[James]

...Kendoboy
"I just stopped a 2 ton vehicle with my MIND!")

You are not supposed to stop them! you are supposed to lift them out of the swamp - tell him Mingshi.

[Confound]

This sounds like a support forum for Godzilla. "No, no, you're supposed to lift up the bus, Godzilla. Just put down that train, and we'll go over this again. Stop the BUS, not the train. The bus is lighter, you'll strain fewer muscles that way."

I'm often amazed by the funny perceptions people have. You don't stop the truck with your mind, you force the driver to choose between hitting you, since you've made your intention clear that you're going to cross illegally, or not hitting you. Considering the options, which include manslaughter, the driver of said vehicle has actually been stopped by the power of legislation. No matter how clearly you telegraph your intent, it isn't you that's stopping the driver, it's the driver's choice not to go to jail that's stopping him.

Frankly, when I drove in North America, I enjoyed terrorizing people like you. If you want to cross, I'll make sure you're aware that you're doing it illegally. It's like playing chicken, only the game is backwards. Am I going to hit you, am I going to stop? Who knows, but you'd better give up on trying to use seme, because you only have a limited time to get across the street.

may i suggest that we all wait for the pedestrian crossling lights to turn green, in our respective directions. let stupid people walk straight into death. You don't need to prove your seme or kendou skills by doing dumb things like walking out into traffic.

Digruntled as always,
c

[David J]

Originally posted by Confound
Frankly, when I drove in North America, I enjoyed terrorizing people like you.

Careful now. Rufty-tufty as I'm sure you are, I dont really think you'd like a death on your conscience (or your bonnet ;)) regardless of who was "in the right"

<rei>

Dave

[munenmuso]

Ashi sabaki on the street?

Is piroueting next or what have you learned in ballet you can used in urban jungle survival?

I did ashi sabaki at the moment before a speeding sedan, it was a test of kendo skills rather than common sense. I realized that kendo requires common sense rather than taking it literally. My fast ashi sabaki perhaps saved me from being roadkill but in the first place I could have prevented it if I apply tai-no-sen(translate: wait for that speeding car to pass and then cross the street).
Perhaps my kendo lacks common sense.

[Tato]

Err...

I don't know on North America, but in Spain if a driver hits someone allways gets the fault (only in a highway this don't apply). It's on the driving code, the driver must, allways, be ready to prevent those situation... (Awarness, heuu... kendo again)

Ok, even if I know that I've the law on my side I try not to be killed each time I cross a street, even if it's a legal place to cross, you only need to see how my compatriotes drive, you will undestand (and will have nigthmares for the rest of your life).
:p

Rei

[lucian]

Hahah I will back you up on that one Tato I have braved driving from Malaga to Marbella with 3 drunk para’s, peacefully driving along at 100 and a mad bus driver tries undertaking you For no reason, oh my personal favourite trying to hit foreigners when the light says walk :)
Now if I was doing kendo then the widened gaze and perception would have been great

[Kendoboy]

Some of you people take things WAYYYYY too seriously!! Have you ever heard of sarcasm? or as the english say; taking the piss? I got a good laugh out of reading these responses from people about my safety and sanity, and trying to picture the look on their faces when they read my post. Here's another example:

<quote> I don't know on North America, but in Spain if a driver hits someone allways gets the fault (only in a highway this don't apply). It's on the driving code, the driver must, allways, be ready to prevent those situation... <quote>
- Posted by tato

I can't tell you how exiting this is for me!! I think I'll move to spain so that I can practice my ashi sabaki in the street with complete reckless abandon and utter lack of regard for my own safety!!


** feel free to take this seriously as well. I'll enjoy reading your posts (especially yours Confound)**

[Tato]

Kendoboy, if you ever came to Madrid, let me recomend you a couple of streets where you can practice this high risk sport, and, please, let me know the hour so I can sell tickets for the show!

For instance, I didn't take this tread seriously, at all, belive me, please.

;)

Rei

[Kendoboy]

Great! If I'm ever there, it would be good to try jigeiko! at the moment when go into tsubazeriai or a taitari I get mixed responses from people. ;)