Can you have "natural Kendo" talent?

[Benegizer]

With most other sports, you always hear about some people just being a natual at it. They've got a natural throwing arm for football, or just a natural swing in baseball, or great hand/eye cordination in basketball.

Or people who can just pick up the piano, or violin at a incredable pace. Learning faster and surpassing all the other people in there class.

The gifted. Whether it's the gifted athlete, musician, artist, writter, or prize fighter. There seems to be people who just do things better than the average person. You can find this anywhere. From the smart kids at school, who score perfect on their SATs (there was one in my high school) to the guy in art class who can draw exactly what he sees (me by the way).

So, my question is, do you think a person can be a naturally gifted kendoka?

I have my idea, but wanna hear what everyone else thinks first.

[mingshi]

I don't see why not? Kendo is a learning process.

Just that "talent" should be the motivation to train, not an excuse of not working hard.

Attributes that help can be:-
Optimal physical built
Great body coordination
Flexiblity
Stamina
How well can you listen/interpret/copy from your instructor
...
and then later stages:-
How persistent are you about training?
Confidence
Analytical about opponents
Personal strategies/ trickyness

etc. etc.

[ahmed61086]

Yes, there is definitly the possiblilty to be natural talent in kendo.

Mingshi, i think you missed a couple of attributes.

Good concentration
Mature mind(not the childs mind, where its just attack attack attack, without realy finding openings)
Philosophical understanding

My sensei once said about one of his students "a talent like that comes once in a blue moon".

So yeh, there is definitly the possibity of natural talent, kendo is no different than anything else. There is allways going to be that person who seems to have some "innate" ability.

[Kmav]

I don't see why not? Kendo is a learning process.

Just that "talent" should be the motivation to train, not an excuse of not working hard.

Attributes that help can be:-
Optimal physical built
Great body coordination
Flexiblity
Stamina
How well can you listen/interpret/copy from your instructor
...
and then later stages:-
How persistent are you about training?
Confidence
Analytical about opponents
Personal strategies/ trickyness

etc. etc.

You forgot the most important thing...which is spirit...or mind over matter. A person with strong spirit or a strong will, will always defeat a person with the best physical conditioning and no spirit.

[nodachi]

I think another thing that contributes to the growth of talent or not is the ability to reflect on your own kendo and see where you need to grow. Sure there are lots of people who progress quickly because they can take direction well from others and make those corrections. However, at some point it is important to look at yourself and see what is weak and what is not. I think this is something that holds a lot of people back. Practice ends and so they stop kendo mode, but at some point it is helpful to sit and review the practice in your head and see what needs work. This is where the drive home from the dojo or things like journal writing are really helpful. Just because we are not in the dojo doesn't mean we can't work on our kendo.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Of course you can have natural talent for kendo or if you prefer athletics in general. Some people just move more naturally and catch on more quickly than others. Unfortunately those people also tend to quit, because in other activities they may have been able to get by on talent alone whereas in kendo everyone has to practice, everyone hits walls and plateaus. If you find someone with talent and a strong work ethic, you've got a real prospect there.

[Henrik]

Indeed! Talent and devotion don't exactly walk hand in hand all the time :)

[Old Warrior]

It has always been my belief that to be "great" at anything, it takes God given talent. But you can get damn good at many things with years of dedicated practice. But, world class skills need some special genes.

[ahmed61086]

I agaree with you old warrior.