Finding Time to Practice

Compact Diss · 4th January 2004, 01:12 PM

How much time do you spend each day practicing?
I do not have the luxury of having my entire day free; two kids, the wife, the job and so on...
I wonder how others cope with this situation. I ride a bike for 30 minutes every other day, I also work my upper body, I am planning on fitting in Iaido and Kendo practice along with this.
What types of methods do you use to get all of this done?
Is your day filled up or what? Do you feel like you have the time you need to practice and if you don't how do you feel about continuing? Do you feel like you are making progress in your class?
I am not worried about how fast I go as long as I have quality practice to improve my technique and focus I'm just wondering where I will find the time...
How are you coping??

**mystic_kendoka** · 4th January 2004, 10:01 PM

i just practice when i have spare time, or need a break from work... im only 14 (15 on the 9th,) so i have lots of free time,

whenever im doing an essay or something, and im just stuck, i pick up the shinai, do some suburi...

Compact Diss · 5th January 2004, 02:47 AM

Originally Posted by mystic_kendoka

i just practice when i have spare time, or need a break from work... im only 14 (15 on the 9th,) so i have lots of free time,

whenever im doing an essay or something, and im just stuck, i pick up the shinai, do some suburi...

14! You have all the time in the world!

ACRAWFORD · 5th January 2004, 04:08 AM

I feel your pain. I have two boys work for the DoD and go to college full time. Time management is my life. What I have done is make a schedule, first take out work because you are unable to train during that time. Next schedule in your training sessions. One or two or however many you need for yourself each week. Next schedule in everything else around that. I even have kids hour every night. The get one or two hours with me at least 6 times a week. Sacrifice is also necessary like TV shows or other hobbies, but I make sure that my wife and kids get the qaulity time that they need and deserve.

Hope this helps

Andre R Crawford
Ft hood TX

**Dr. Hellsing** · 5th January 2004, 07:48 AM

i am also 14, but i don't have all the time in the world. i have a 8 year old brother to take care of, and very messed up family issues( i mean very). so when i don't have time,beacause of all the stuff, i just say "fuck all this my life is not all about all this shit." then go to pratice. so the point is that your life is not all about your family and work, just go.

**Old Warrior** · 5th January 2004, 08:20 AM

"How are you coping"

I found a school that has a 6:30PM class 3 days a week. I sneak away to go and no one knows I'm even missing. One of the reasons I like kendo is that I can attend a class and be home without being away for more than 1 1/2 hours. I'm happy and it intereferes with nothing.

**Dr. Hellsing** · 5th January 2004, 08:30 AM

what dojo are you going to, old warrior?

Shambler · 5th January 2004, 08:59 AM

I'm fairly new to kendo as a practitioner, so I won't profess to know much. But over the course of my study, it has helped to get in a few minutes of practice each day. Our dojo only practices once a week unless we have seminars, so it's very important to practice even a little bit whenever possible.

Progress? I make progress each time I go to class, get a few pointers on how to improve what it is I'm doing, and each time I watch someone with their skills. Sometimes you form bad habits, and you get corrected.

As for time... you'll find the time to do anything you want to find time for. Just a few minutes each day - it's kind of like brushing your teeth, taking a shower, etc. - a few minutes each day helps to maintain/improve your technique... unless you form bad habits.

If you're devoted and love kendo/iaido/whatever, you'll find the time to fit it in, I'm sure.

**Old Warrior** · 5th January 2004, 09:14 AM

"what dojo are you going to, old warrior?"

Sung Moo Kwan in Closter, NJ. It is excellent, but somewhat costly.
http://kumdo.co.kr/kendoacademy/

Yowai · 5th January 2004, 10:09 AM

Kumdo is an ancient form of martial art with its origins in Korea. Kumdo means "The way of the sword" and its ancient form originated in Korea nearly two thousand years ago as a form of sword fighting used by warriors to defend their territorial hold over the country. Kumdo is therefore founded on a strong sense of patriotism and loyalty to one¡¯s fellow countrymen and family. Also, as a sword symbolized a power over one's life, Kumdo soon developed into a true martial art and a way of life in the heart as opposed to a brutal method of combat. In the 18th century, Kumdo was reshaped to its present form using bamboo swords and protective gear to make Kumdo safer to practice without compromising any of its focus on spiritual and mental prowess. Although strength and speed play important roles, one cannot master the art of Kumdo without a pure and unadulterated state of mind and heart. It is this aspect of Kumdo which makes it very appealing and beneficial as it intensively trains both mind and body. Kumdo is a very popular martial art with over three million current practitioners all over the world.

...........

**Neil Gendzwill** · 5th January 2004, 10:16 AM

Yah, well, Korean revisionist history - all you can do is ignore it.

Compact Diss · 5th January 2004, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by ACRAWFORD

I feel your pain. I have two boys work for the DoD and go to college full time. Time management is my life. What I have done is make a schedule, first take out work because you are unable to train during that time. Next schedule in your training sessions. One or two or however many you need for yourself each week. Next schedule in everything else around that. I even have kids hour every night. The get one or two hours with me at least 6 times a week. Sacrifice is also necessary like TV shows or other hobbies, but I make sure that my wife and kids get the qaulity time that they need and deserve.

Hope this helps

Andre R Crawford
Ft hood TX

Thanks everyone for the input. Time management is something that one must have a lot of self discipline to conquer. I spend way too much time surfing the web...

**mystic_kendoka** · 5th January 2004, 04:16 PM

old warrior, you go to a korean/kumdo dojo?
do u happed to be korean by any chance?

**mystic_kendoka** · 5th January 2004, 04:18 PM

on this website, http://kumdo.co.kr/kendoacademy/
the three good things you get out of kendo is Improved physical fitness, balance, and flexibility.+Good manners+SELFDEFENCE...

i was just wondering, has anybody ever used kendo for self defence? im sure it would be interesting to hear about..