Why I decided to stop kendo

[Amish_Samurai]

I want to know why so many people have stopped doing kendo after they have had bogu on for two or three weeks? They spent the time working on their kendo so that they would be in the bogu class. After a few weeks of talking about getting hit hard or having pains a few days after class is over with they stop showing up to class.

If you have stopped kendo please tell us why you have decided to quit kendo
I think a lot of people who have started kendo and quit still hang around this site because "you can take the kenshi out of the dojo but you can't take the dojo out of the kenshi"

[piggy]

After a few weeks of talking about getting hit hard or having pains a few days after class is over with they stop showing up to class.

Isn't that the best part?

[Kumdo-Star]

i love getting hit it teaches me not to get hit

[mingshi]

I want to know why so many people have stopped doing kendo after they have had bogu on for two or three weeks?

Well, it's just the shock and realization of the reality. The feeling of practising kendo in armour is beyond their imagination, which is too much of a different thing they've been expecting. Of course, some people can see it coming and are well-prepared for this level of training. While for the others who see it as a new experience, will either A) stick along, or B) quit.

In response to your "You cannot take away the dojo in the kenshi..." statement... It really depends on what dojo you are talking about. Maybe they've got into the wrong dojo in the first place.

[I.Ru]

They are too rich for Kendo .....
Because they suddenly are having ''time'' problems......















and they suck ~....

[nodachi]

There is no instant gratification in kendo. It is just too hard for many people. They don't like getting hit back.... who knows.

There is no instant reward and progress is slow so it is not nice for the ego. For example, in basketball they may suck, but if they score an occassional basket then they can get that instant happy feeling. In kendo we just get beat down day after day by our sensei and sempai. I don't think they like that. Shiai are so far apart that they don't have the feeling of "game time" that they might like better in a different activity or sport. It's hard to train and train and train and have no competition to motivate them. And even if they get to competition, most of us get beat down pretty quickly because of the there is always someone better than you quirk of life.

It is just a difficult path for people to follow down. Perseverence and diligence and commitment and dedication are lacking in most people.

[drizzt]

i havent Quit....just taken a forced hiatous(losing a piece of foot does that to a person), but i have seen quite a few people(had a good friend) who quit because the sensai was not praising him...

I think some people havent gotten the idea down that not having something commented on is about as high of praise as most older sensais are willing to give......if hes not griping about it, your probably doing it at least close to right

[Berugijin]

I'm reminded of something that was posted in another thread:

"The few, the proud"

Personally, I like pain. Everytime you cut men we bond in a very special way. Especially if you're blonde.

[Neil Gendzwill]

If you're having pain that lasts beyond the actual moment of the hit (aside from off-target cuts), then there is something wrong. Either your partners are hitting too hard, your bogu doesn't fit properly, or the padding is inadequate and needs to be supplemented with extra. I'm going to be making sure that I make this very clear to new students from now on: if it hurts, tell me about it so we can fix it. Too many people end up thinking this is normal and kendo just isn't for them.

But lots of people quit after getting bogu for other reasons. Physically it gets tougher. Mentally it gets much tougher. Even if it doesn't hurt much, getting hit is too much for some. Hitting others is too much for some. Maybe others get frustrated with their progress. Lots of reasons, but for sure right after getting bogu is a major quitting point.

[Paikea]

Isn't that the best part?

Nope. The first month or two is awful. Your kendo feels ugly, it's claustrophobic, hot and you feel like you're getting beat up. Those that thought they'd finally made it to the fun part get a rude shock and sometimes that's too much.

You work your butt off, until finally one day a sensei says "wow, where'd that come from?" - then it starts to get better.

Because they suddenly are having ''time'' problems......

As if you know anything about working for a living, little troll.

[Amish_Samurai]

If you're having pain that lasts beyond the actual moment of the hit (aside from off-target cuts), then there is something wrong. Either your partners are hitting too hard, your bogu doesn't fit properly, or the padding is inadequate and needs to be supplemented with extra. I'm going to be making sure that I make this very clear to new students from now on: if it hurts, tell me about it so we can fix it. Too many people end up thinking this is normal and kendo just isn't for them.

But lots of people quit after getting bogu for other reasons. Physically it gets tougher. Mentally it gets much tougher. Even if it doesn't hurt much, getting hit is too much for some. Hitting others is too much for some. Maybe others get frustrated with their progress. Lots of reasons, but for sure right after getting bogu is a major quitting point.

You are correct sir, I also find that after the student has given up on kendo they pawn their bogu set off to someone who is somewhat their size and thinks that's ok. That person has problems because the bogu set does not fit right. So that could be a major problem for some students. I did not think about that point Neil Gendzwill came up with.

[jimswanson]

I had to take a hiatus from Kendo a couple of years ago for a lot of reasons. First, the school lost one of its practice areas. Second, the schools other practice area had parking problems. Then, schedules changed, and I was unable to go to class during class time. That was what killed it for me. I loved the classes, kendo, and my dojo mates, but I couldn't get to class anymore.

I started again at a different dojo that's a lot closer to me, and the class is fitting my schedule. It looks like this will work out for a long time, and I still have my old gear. BTW, starting over again sucks.

Jim

[piggy]

Nope. The first month or two is awful. Your kendo feels ugly, it's claustrophobic, hot and you feel like you're getting beat up. Those that thought they'd finally made it to the fun part get a rude shock and sometimes that's too much.

You work your butt off, until finally one day a sensei says "wow, where'd that come from?" - then it starts to get better.

Personally, I like the struggle.

Its too bad that the dojo re-opens after a month and a half of no kendo. I'm going to go back on the 30th and totally suck.

[Utotin]

Got married, had a baby, & moved really far. Already have shodan & one day I'll be back!

[Fonsz]

Originally Posted by An Ignorant Ass
Because they suddenly are having ''time'' problems......

As if you know anything about working for a living, little troll.

You got a point there but the majority of the people who are quitting or have set their mind on quitting are looking for an excuse and the time problems are quite convenient to justify the quitting(sp?).
But then again if someone really want s to practice it doesn't matter what the time is (within reason) as long as he/she can practice. If you want to quit you can always find a reason and if you want to practice you can always find the time. IMO
When someone comes up with the time problems excuse the underlying reason is usually they don't care anymore or they lost the spark that keeps your Kendo (or other things in life for that matter) alive. But having said that work can sometimetimes be too demanding and cause spells for non attendance but not for quitting I think.