home training vrs dojo training

[Tsurugi]

To all swords art students Which is better?, Home training or Dojo training?

[Reina]

Definitley dojo training. That way you'll be taught the right way and be able to be corrected. :smiley: Although my senseis tell me to practice at home as well...

[Tsurugi]

oh... because the only sort of training I do is at home.

[SaitoHajime]

oh... because the only sort of training I do is at home.
Please describe what training involves for you and where you learned this from?

[Reina]

I'm curious, how do you train at home? (I happen to be a very curious idiot, I'll apologize for that right now...) :smiley:

[Tsurugi]

I... (Blushes :confused2) I'm kind of embarassed to tell but if I did tell please don't say I'm an idiot. I don't use Video tapes nor books but I just make up... Techniques... :disapp:

[Reina]

Don't worry, I only call my friends idiots. :wink: But I will say :shocked: , if you're truely interested in learning kendo(I'm assuming this), you should really find a dojo to train in.(Try here: http://www.auskf.info/mainpages/schools.htm ) Its really great and fun, I swear, It'll be one of the best things you'd of ever done. At least, it's definetly that way for me. (You might want to look here too: http://www.auskf.info/mainpages/auskfmain.htm ) :smiley:

[Anime12478]

Unless you have the convenience of a Sensei coming over to your house several times a week, you should train at a Dojo. Usually the cheapest ones are at Universities since everyone doesn't have that much money to put down right away. So unless you want to look like a wannabe sword fighter flailing a sword around for no purpose, you must go to a dojo.

[SaitoHajime]

I... (Blushes :confused2) I'm kind of embarassed to tell but if I did tell please don't say I'm an idiot. I don't use Video tapes nor books but I just make up... Techniques... :disapp:
Nothing really wrong with being original. You could keep going like this however something I've leared is that mixing and matching the two might be hard. For instance while you and some friends might be able to get together and practice for fun you might have trouble going to a dojo and sparring with students. Or if you could spar with them they might feel that your methods were either unrefined or not safe to spar with. However it'd probably be easier to work the other way around, as in going from a dojo to sparring with friends. You should really just stop by a dojo and get a feel for the whole thing personally then see if it's for you. Is there any reason you haven't gone to a dojo yet if I may ask?

[Tsurugi]

Believe it or not, I don't even go to a dojo. I just practice any made-up methods. For the records I don't have any friends that does bother to do swordsmanship.

[Reina]

Believe it or not, I don't even go to a dojo. I just practice any made-up methods. And for the records, I'm NOT poor.
Good, cause keiko gi, hakama, and bogu are expensive...j/k! :silly: But they are, really..if thats what you decide to do.

[Tsurugi]

I'm not planning to buy any Iaido, Shinkendo, nor Kendo equipment. That goes for hakamas, Iaito katanas, shinais, sparring equipment, obi and etc. The only sort of equipment I have is a 2 year old bokuto which was broken and then glued back together.

[SaitoHajime]

Believe it or not, I don't even go to a dojo. I just practice any made-up methods. For the records I don't have any friends that does bother to do swordsmanship.


Well that answers some things. To the original question of which is better, well it depends on what you are looking for. If you are happy with your own made up techniques then go with that. People will always critisize you no matter if you made it up or spent years at a dojo. However if you want to be taught swordsmanship by someone who has been practicing thier technique for years then your only choice would seem to be being taught by a sensei. For the record if it was possible I would love to see some of these techniques you are practicing. Also remember that a technique usually isn't something you cand do just a few times and then call a technique. Usually you would practice it many times until you feel it is perfect and then you would begin to make more techniques based off of and adding to the original otherwise you'd just be making random progress (which by the way could still be considered a type of swordsmanship funny enough). In any case, what is better is just a matter of what you think is better :)

[Tsurugi]

I'm not sure... If I did join a dojo (No matter how fun it did look) I might quit in a few days, weeks or even months later. Because long time ago I thought Tae kwon do would be fun, but all that did was make extreme pain on my back and I got bored of it. (I'm not an old aged person!)

[SaitoHajime]

I'm not sure... If I did join a dojo (No matter how fun it did look) I might quit in a few days, weeks or even months later. Because long time ago I thought Tae kwon do would be fun, but all that did was make extreme pain on my back and I got bored of it. (I'm not an old aged person!)

I feel the same way about the dojo think. To add on some dojo's charge a few months in advance. The luxury of just practicing at home is that you are your own critic and you can do it around your schedule. That's a pretty good combination. The only problem I have with the same setup is that it's hard to find opponents (which is something I care for personaly). I like to train but I also like to measure up against the skill of others. This is something that joining a dojo would partialy allow me to do. I so feel your point on the getting bored though. I don't care about pain or hard work, I can deal with those two no problem but if I get bored then I just flop. Just make sure that if you do visit a dojo that you are clear about exactly what you want out of it and how you want it to happen so that nobody has to waste thier time.

[Tsurugi]

Um... About the dojo you guys were talking about, I live in california, Fullerton and There is no nearby dojo. I'm sorry but the nearest dojo is miles away from here. Anyhow I live in an apartment so I really can't practice much.

[Neil Gendzwill]

I dunno the geography, but there's a dojo in East LA which is under 30 minutes away according to Mapquest. That's nearby according to my definition. If you expect to find kendo within walking distance, you're being very unreasonable.

Tsurugi, have fun all you want practising your made up techniques. So long as you're only using a bokken on your own, the only thing in danger is nearby furniture. Please don't spar with anybody, they could get hurt. But please don't delude yourself into thinking you're doing anything more than having fun and pretending. If you want to learn, you need to get to a dojo.

[SaitoHajime]

But please don't delude yourself into thinking you're doing anything more than having fun and pretending. If you want to learn, you need to get to a dojo.

I can understand what you're saying about the sparring thing. Even though if the people practicing set some ground rules and use a little self control most accidents can be avoided. However why must he just be limited to only having fun and pretending. What is to really keep him from coming up with an artform on his own? In theory if you do want to learn something you have to go to a school but what if you want to create something from scratch ?

[Tsurugi]

Well I'll try to be practicing with caution. And about the dojo, Many of the dojos cost about 100 bucks. I can see going to the dojo is way better than making up fake and uncertified techniques but I'm afraid that buying kendo equipment would cost more than 300 to 400 dollars. Besides I'm 13 and I can't wear the heavy armor.

[SaitoHajime]

Well I'll try to be practicing with caution. And about the dojo, Many of the dojos cost about 100 bucks. I can see going to the dojo is way better than making up fake and uncertified techniques but I'm afraid that buying kendo equipment would cost more than 300 to 400 dollars. Besides I'm 13 and I can't wear the heavy armor.
Just as a point about things in general. I thought the same issue about the equipment. I'm told it doesn't come till way later, so all the while you could save up for it or buy it over time. Also can someone answer the question of how long it generaly takes to get to the poing of having to wear anything extra?

[Swissv2]

Kids at your age can wear kendo armor (bogu) so its not a matter of too small. Making up your own stuff is making up your own stuff. It is not learning.

Remember when you first tried to ride a bike? Looked easy didn't it? I am sure you found it to be a bit tricky, but with a little encouragement and help from a friend or parents you eventually learned.

Remember when you tried to understand words in a book? You see people read all the time so it seems easy, didn't it? But you needed to learn what the words meant, and also how to use the words.

Remember when you learned math? just simple numbers written down on a board. Seemed easy didn't it? I am sure you needed to be taught how to do it by a teacher.

My point is: there are many things you have to be taught be someone who already knows. Other than that you are just guessing, and like the infamous quote "what does this red button do?" if you do something and you dont know what the dangers are, you are likely to do a boo-boo.

my 2 cents.

[SaitoHajime]

My point is: there are many things you have to be taught be someone who already knows. Other than that you are just guessing, and like the infamous quote "what does this red button do?" if you do something and you dont know what the dangers are, you are likely to do a boo-boo.

my 2 cents.


I have to say that while I advocate coming up with your own techniques there is also a good point here which is that a lot of people made the mistakes that you would have to go through while trying to come up with techniques and have addressed these issues. This means that while not something you made up on your own you also don't have to face as many possible pitfalls. That's a plus to going to a dojo :)

[Reina]

Ok, my last two cents here: I'm 13, and bogu really isn't very heavy. It looks a bit more heavy than it is. Have fun! :wink:

[Anime12478]

I wouldn't think that bogu would be too heavy. If you go to a competition, you may sometimes see people as young as six or seven competing in full armor. With the proper training the bogu shouldn't be a problem.

About the making your own techniques, if you want to do that, then that is fine. As long as it's safe, showing your creativity is something I like to see in a world full of followers. But I believe that you should also understand the techniques that you are doing. Anybody can swing a sword around and put names onto a technique. But it takes a martial artist to have a point behind the technique. Basically, there should be a reason you are doing the techniques that you are doing "because it's cool"

[Tsurugi]

I think you guys are right about training in a dojo because to tell you all the truth, Crude, homemade techniques are kind of hard to create. I might have a small problem that if I did join kendo, I might have pain in some of my bodyparts...

[clin61285]

Tsurugi, I first started kendo when I lived in Fullerton. I went to the Orange County Buddhist Church (OCBC) Kendo Dojo in Anaheim. It's less than twenty minutes away.

Here's a link (http://www.eanet.com/sckf/dojo/ocb.htm).

[Tsurugi]

All right. I've decided I'll try Kendo for a month. But the only problem is, I don't know any kendo locations nearby Fullerton, California. Do you guys know?

[Tsurugi]

(Sighs) forget the location I already found one. In norwalk.

[Anime12478]

If you are worried about a little pain, then Kendo is not for you. All of us can tell you about the blisters and numb limbs that we came home from practice with when we started out. You just gotta remember that over time, the pain becomes less and less.

When I started last year, I went back to my dorm not being able to lift even the lightest of stuff with ease because my arms were so exausted. And then there was the time where I couldn't walk correctly for 2 weeks because of the exercise when you kneel down and you block, then jump and hit the do and repeat (the name escapes me).

Basically, don't be afraid of pain. It is something that we all have to go through in our lives. As long as you remember that the pain will be over and that you stretch correctly before and after practice (which I should have done the night my legs gave out), you will be fine. I hope you enjoy Kendo!

[Tsurugi]

oh man never mind. I can't go to the dojo. Lately I've been concerned because of the expenses of the classes. 25 bucks a month but 250 bucks for registration.

[indigo0086]

I know for certain you can teach yoursef <insert your name>-jutsu, but you can't teach yourself kendo.

[moocow65]

I prefer home training waaaaaaaaaay over dojo training because I can do exercises that focus mainly on what I need to improve in i.e. wrists, hips, accuracy. Then again, I have been doing kendo for a while and I can create exercises on my own that improve each of these aspects.

[YAMAFELL]

All kids should be allowed to have a hobby. I am sure that that extra money wouldn't be a problem from your parents if you took some from an allowance or something, maybe tell them to pay it upfront and then $5 every month or whatever goes them instead of you from now on.

If you really want to try to learn kendo, maybe just go to the dojo and watch a few times. Talk to the sensei, and have your parents come too. Then make the choice. You can always go in to visit before making a choice, it is actually more polite to go in and watch before choosing to practice within a dojo anyway.

Don't worry about costs about bogu, you won't need that for a while..

If you are worried about pains... well... Kendo is a tough art, at first it will just be pains for getting your body used to the movents to make. (when made corectly) When I first started standing with my feet parallel gave me a hard time with my chubby knees, but now, I do fine. (And it has only been 8 months!)

Just do yourself a favor, and visit the dojo to watch. I don't think you have seen that much of kendo before, and if you see it, maybe you will want to play it more or understand that it isn't right for you. At least you won't question yourself or be unsure.. Just visit and say, "It looks intresting, but I am not sure if it is right for me... Can you give me some information about it?" Then you can ask about the money issues, bogu issues, pain issues...

GOOD LUCK!

[Tsurugi]

about the watching suggestion... The class doesn't start until 7:30 P.M. And besides I can't really risk about 550 (maybe) bucks on the equipment and classes. I could purchase a brand new japanese version ps2 with that money.

[Anime12478]

Just like video gaming is an expensive hobby, Kendo is an expensive hobby as well. While I have yet to buy the uniform and the bogu, I am not looking forward to the time that I have to fork over the money. But since this is something that I want to do, I will be willing to pay the cash when I need to.

From the looks of it, you seem to be more worried about the monetary aspect of Kendo rather than the many benefits that come with it. I know how you feel though because I am an avid gamer like you. The best trick is to just do it as long as you can afford it and not think about the total cost. If people looked into how much children cost these days until they reach the age of 18, there would be a lot less children around. What people do is they look at the benefits of having children and do the payments along the way. While it is still expensive either way, it is something to do which will keep us happy.

If you can't afford it, then I understand. Not everybody has $1 million at their disposal (I wish I had that money!). But if you are not willing to afford it, then you may have your priorities placed differently.

[SaitoHajime]

about the watching suggestion... The class doesn't start until 7:30 P.M. And besides I can't really risk about 550 (maybe) bucks on the equipment and classes. I could purchase a brand new japanese version ps2 with that money.

Then it's settled, buy a ps2 and find a game with swords. Also while playing other games take time out to send a note to various game developers asking for a kendo simulator game that we'd all love. There you go, all problems solved. No worrying about pain, no monthly fees or hitting/getting hit. Sounds like a plan.

[Tsurugi]

Well I've bought the japanese ps2 except the game and instead of playing a game or doing the actual kendo game, I don't train at home any more.