Can you just buy a Hakama or does your Sensei have to tell you its ok, as with the Bo

[Attica]

The feeling I have gotten in our Dojo is that you're welcome to get the hakami and gi when you want but they want you to make sure you really want to do kendo before you do. In other words they don't want you to waste your money to come to kendo for a month or two and then decide not to do it. I've seen some beginners get it after a couple of sessions. I waited until I was told to just because. . .

As far as Bogu: Our dojo only has two practices a week and it is not uncommon for some students to only come to one practice a week. I worked on basics for over a year (probably about a year and 6 months) before I was told to either rent bogu from the dojo or buy it. Most people its around a year depending on age and skill (a few months if they are young and are picking it up fast). Our dojo doesn't have the students put on all the bogu at once either. You practice for a few weeks without the men. I think it is primarily to learn how rotation works, get used to the bogu and get used to hitting someone else instead of a shinai (you typically pair up with senior students that have full bogu).

THEN

[Attica]

Sorry....accidently submitted.


THEN you can wear full bogu. By the I wore full bogu I had been doing kendo for a good year and a half (probably plus a 1-3 months). From reading online sources the idea I have gotten is that our dojo takes their time with beginners.

[atgm]

I was thinking about it a bit; another factor may be affecting how quickly people get into hakama/bogu at my dojo...

There's a ton (ton [TON]) of old bogu/hakama/keikogi since kids outgrow stuff pretty quickly... and the ones that "graduate" from the dojo tend to leave their stuff behind or just give it to sensei, apparently. So cost isn't really a factor for most of the kids; they can just use something from the dojo for free for an extended period of time.