First Kendo Tournament...

[thebigriddle]

I was interesting. I won my first bout and then I lost the next by a point. I did ok. Nail the second really fast in the wrist(kote). I suggest if you have not tried kendo really cool. I also got my shinai sign by two of the best kendoka in the world, they are brothers and came to give a seminar. It was interesting. What was cool was the shinai was given by my teacher, and used in my first tournament. I also tested 2nd Kyu. As a fencer of 17 years really cool and lot of fun. Next time Nito two swords.

[Katman]

Good job. I don't know much about kendo, but one out of two ain't bad I suppose. They judge you on 'spirit' right?

[pkt]

Originally posted by thebigriddle
I was interesting. I won my first bout and then I lost the next by a point. I did ok. ...

Can you borrow all the expensive hardware from your club? Fencing is expensive enough... How much does a Do and a mask cost? At least you don't have to buy shoes...

For those who's not familiar with kendo, here'are a few sites:
http://www.bckf.org/About.htm [This has the most basic info right on the home page.]
http://www.kendo-usa.org/abtken.htm
http://kendo-canada.com/ckf_jodo.htm

PK

[Grey]

You did be amazed that kendo equipment are slightly cheaper than fencing equipment in the long run.

[Claymore777]

I was lucky, my kendo equipment was given to me by my instructor. Kendo is great! Wish I still had my gear, but lost it when I moved into my new apartment. All I have left are my real swords

Good luck to ya though...it's lots of fun

[LDR]

I actually started out with kendo (practicing 7-years+), then moved to saber since the target areas are roughly the same. Kendo bogu (i.e. gloves, head protector, waist protector, chest protector), can start as cheap as $250, and go as high as $3,000. Shinai (bamboo swords) usually start out around $50.

The thing to remember when buying kendo bogu is the stitch, which is measured in millimeter. The lower the mm, the tighter the stitch, the more protection against bruises, but the higher the price. For instance, a 5mm kendo bogu would differ greatly in price (and level of protection) than a 2mm. Also affecting price is whether the bogu was hand-made or machine made, and whether the Do (chest protector) is made out of real bamboo or a composite.

You can check out some cool sets at e-bogu.com, or tozando.com (my personal favorite).

- LDR

[Phoenix]

my friend who does Kendo says that the tournaments are usually in Japan or like California. Is that true? There was one near us once, but there is still not a lot....

Is there anyway she can organise a tournament in her area? she doesn't have the bogu, but I think she should still have her club organize one.

Thanks

[LDR]

There are kendo tournaments held all across the country -- not just in Japan and California. The main governing body for kendo in the U.S. is the All United States Kendo Federation (www.auskf.info). Hard to have a tournament when you don't have the gear, though.