Joining a club that isn't IKF associated

[ECL]

I've been checking out a new club recently and while the sensei teaches really well and it seems like a great dojo, I can't help but wonder why it wouldn't be affiliated with the IKF or even the local renmai. Anyone know what the for and against argument may be for joining an affiliated dojo over a non affiliated?

[ECL]

D'oh, never mind this thread, I did a search and found the answer.

[Soul Blade]

Hey there ECL

I also train in a dojo in melbourne which I dont think is IKF affiliated
What did you come up with in your conclusion.
I would be interested to know

Cheers


Pete

[senki-kendo-jos]

Personally I wouldn't train in an non affiliated dojo! Mind you, I found my dojo via the BKA website, so naturally my dojo will be IKF affiliated!!

[ECL]

Hey there ECL

I also train in a dojo in melbourne which I dont think is IKF affiliated
What did you come up with in your conclusion.
I would be interested to know

Cheers


Pete

I'll worry about it after I get to shodan. In the forseeable future it doesn't matter to me, I'm learning good kendo so who really cares?

[Soul Blade]

Cool

Me too. My sensei is a great teacher and I am learning very quickly.

So its all good.

[smith]

Soul Blade and ECL, is there an international kendo association with which your club or sensei is affiliated? Do you know what grade your sensei holds? Does he/she still actively train and learn from his/her own sensei? Do you know who his/her sensei is/was? Is your sensei happy for you to train with IKF-affiliated dojos? These are all important questions to be answered, and not just the answer but the manner in which your sensei answers will tell you a lot about him/her.

[Neil Gendzwill]

And not to put too fine a point on it, but without any reference how do you know you're learning good kendo?

[Andoru]

*kaboom tish*

[aru-ma]

If you're in Victoria(Australia) the clubs affiliated to the AKR are:

Melbourne university kendo club
Monash University Kendo club
Kenshikan
Mumeishi
Fudoushin
Balarat K.C

if you want to wait for your shodan it's best to train in a dojo affiliated to the IKF affiliated dojos (AKR dojos in Aust.) or else you will have to go and take your gradings again from the begining.

[ben]

Hey Alvin you forgot Nanseikan!

b

[Aden]

There are several reasons a dojo may not be AKR affiliated here in Australia, I have seen all of these at one time or another...

1: Cost - organisation does not want to pay the registration fee per student when only a few may be interested in gradings or competition.

2: Fees - organisation does not want wider involvement as it shows up their fees relative to others (since most AKR dojos are non profit non commercial and do not pay their sensei they have relatively low cost bases).

3: Politics - head of organisation does not get on with state association.

4: Other affiliation - is affiliated with other international organisation.

5: They only do kendo as a sort of armoured sparring component of other things.

6: What they teach is crap and the teacher doesn't want comparison.

Except for 6 (which is rare) none of these mean anything with regards dojo quality - but it does mean there are often no grades recognised outside the dojo - the AKR has fairly punitive grading rules with regards membership, and no participation in any AKR endorsed tournaments for the competitive minded - and it is harder to visit dojos if you are outside the state insurance nets. Certainly in NSW the major benefits of IKF/AKR/NSWKA affiliation are liability insurance, competition, gradings, ability to visit other affiliated dojos to train, opportunity to represent state and country.

Of course for many people (including me WRT Kendo these days) these benefits are fairly irrelevant - if all they want is to train in their local dojo.

Aden

[Swissv2]

Well, if you have no option but the local "club" but you still want to do Kendo, its hard choice huh?