Kendo or Kumdo?

[munenmuso]

I've been reading alot about kendo and kumdo on this forum, about it's similarities and differences. Some would say it's the same other's would say there is a bit difference and the other offers a bit advantage and zest. The origins of this art has been a debate between the two countries and it's followers while politics has kept creeping just to settle the ownership issue. Just to set the record straight within this board and to know your personal preferences and views about kendo/kumdo, I'm going to ask a hypothetical question:


If there are only two clubs in your community, one is a kendo club the other one being a kumdo club with the same equal footing and same talented senseis, to which club are you going to enter and why?

[kendokamax]

I would go the club where the group is the most interesting for me.

Also would go to both club to train a bit more every week.

Kendo vs Kumdo ? again ? hehe

Personaly if I had the chance I would begin my training with a kumdo club, because it is more physical and is more sport oriented. Then later on I would tend to go to the kendo club to polish my technique a bit (the more traditional japanese kendo of 1 hit, 1 ippon).

[JSchmidt]

I would go to both.

Jakob

[nodachi]

I would go to the Kendo club because I think I really like the nice clean, patient and then BAM! Point! style.

Practicing with both would be fun to be able to get experience against a different style, but I think I prefer to use the one clean cut, point style.

[KhawMengLee]

I'm with Jakob, both. It seems at times that the two are on different extremes. It would be good to do both and blend the two.

[Steve]

I would go to both. Our former dojo lead here in Halifax is from Korea, and as such he demonstrated the "standard" korean style; very aggressive.

But, its not that he didn't have clean kendo, he just didn't stop attacking. meaning, it would be a constant barrage of attacks...for example: men, hiki-men, kote-men, hiki-kote,men-do, etc.... After a flurry of such attacks he would either go into tsubazeriai, or remain at itsoku itto no maai. IMO, this "korean" style is kind of like another form of seme. You begin to fear this flurry of attacks and that will force you to break your kamae if you let it get to you. Once that happens, he would go for the "one strike, one point" type of attack.

In fact, he was the guy stressing the philosophy of "one strike, one point" at every chance he got, as well as maai, control, everything.

After being exposed to both "styles", they seem like they are just two sides of the same coin: water vs ice, energy vs matter, waves vs particles...they're all different forms of the same thing. Is one better than the other? I don't think so, but thats up to the individual person to decide.

[KATSUJIN]

Yah....i think doing bothwould be better

[taiwnezboi]

I would probably go to the Kumdo club because most of my friends are Korean and I get along well with Korean people. I also like the aggressiveness of Kumdo.

[Old Warrior]

I belong to a Kumdo school. My opinion isn't worth much because I am a beginner. But, we received a stern lecture last week (it was translated to me as it was being given). It appeared that the students were not demonstrating clean techniques and were resorting to more frentic uncontrolled actions. We were being told that there is more to Kumdo than scoring points, that we should be striving for perfection in the techniques we learn and that how you look while you compete is as important as scoring a point.

I don't know - but that strikes me like the same philosophical approach as that ascribed to Kendo in this forum.

[hwarangdo]

please me preface by saying i am a beginner (less than one year of practice)

kumdo does seem more aggressive, frenzied but ultimately it strives to achieve what kendo strives for which is the perfect muri (kumdo) or men, using the merciful one-strike one-kill approach.

i can see how a kumdoin could apply his techniques into kendo but i'm not so sure about converse. (let me restate that i've practiced kumdo while only observing kendo.)

in any case, both are awesome sports or arts and keeping your mind open to both styles will ultimately lead you to the right way of the sword.

[munenmuso]

BTW, can a kendo student go to a kumdo class without experiencing "culture shock" due to so many differences if there are any. Are the terms or jargons are the only thing different there or there are also techniques or moves that are quite unique to kumdo which are not available to kendo?

[sminki]

I don't imagine there being too much culture shock. Kumdo does employ Korean terminology so there'a bit of a language barrier. However, it employs same motion, rules, waza, etc. Only thing that might truly be a culture shock (other than no sonkyo and white uniforms with black stripe in kumdo) is the promotion test. Kumdo has integrated into promotion test an ancient Korean sword form called "Bonguk Kumbeup" which is translated into Japanese as "Hongoku Kenho". So students of kumdo have to do geiko, kata and this Bonguk Kumbeup. I have heard that KKA, the ruling body of kendo/kumdo in Korea will integrate another ancient Korean sword form called "Chosun Sebeup" into the promotion test. But other than that, kendo students will not experience a lot of culture shock. Koreans and Japanese actually have a pretty active interaction with respect to visiting the respective countries to train.

[munenmuso]

I hope they will not integrate "haidong gumdo", otherwise you'll be seeing yourself doing kata in a hasso kamae position with your right foot raised like the "karate kid" with a sword.:D

[kawa]

I have to agreed, once I was accused that I was doing “Taiwanese Jen-tao” (Jen-Tao is Chiense pronuciation) In Taiwan, we uses Taiwanese terminology..etc. But most high ranking Sensei in Taiwan speaks fluent Japanese, but they felt the need to translate the terminology into Taiwanese pronunciations, because they are in Taiwan. I know some senior Korean sensei ignore to tell their students that they learn “kumdo” from a Japanese Sensei so I guess over time, “Kumdo” student thinks and believed “Kumdo” is developed in Korea.

However, Haidong Gumdo is very similar to Iaido with an interesting twist, and it is 100% pure Korean.

[NewKenshi]

ok just last night I experienced this question first hand. I practice kendo. A pair of brothers show up and ask to train with us. They are from korea and are exchange students. During free practice I got to see the differances first hand. Kumdo is much more aggressive. But essentially it is the same. I enjoyed the practice with them and can only say that it will definantly help me improve my kendo. I hope they continue to come back and train with us.


as always just my two cents.

[DanDan]

i would go to the kumdo place because i would actually be able to understand what they are saying. i also started w/ kumdo and honestly, i like the more sport-like attributes. but if i had the time and money to go to both i would.