Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum and this shall be my first post.

I live in Finland and I thought about starting Kendo. I already signed up for a beginner course which shall start on next Monday. Has anyone here done Kendo? I hope you can give answer to a few questions.

Do you have to be in seiza in the trainings? I can maybe manage 10 seconds in that position and then my legs get numb so that will be a problem.

The club informed that they will borrow us the equipment needed for the course. But I suppose you have to buy your own armour and sword after that? Are they very expensive?

Scoring in Kendo also seems quite complicated. I understand that you get points from only certain body parts and that you have to shout where you will try to hit. But I watched some videos from Youtube where people hit each other many times in the correct places without getting points. Does the strike also have to look somehow "elegant" to get points?

most asians are trained & used to sitting on the floor. Thus, no difficulty in 'seiza'.

1] A very beginner like you, bear the pain if possible as long as you could. When unbearable, be at ease & relax ur legs. Do not stand up..sit at a position which is comfortable for you. However, you feet must not be shown infront towards sensei - consider disrespectful. Hmm? ii dontt know to explain this. Keep practise your seiza...eventually...will withstand longer. Prolly 1-2years for fully 1-2hr seiza. However, when grading..you will seiza more than 2hrs. It's the painful & crampful time - for those who are not to use to long seiza.

2] Need not to buy 'shinai' or 'hakama' yet (beginner set) -- REASON below.
COLOURS:
- Dark Blue (male)
*- White(Gi)-Black(Hakama) [Not really recommended for male unless you're in Dan-level, female is okay)
*- White gi-hakama (Female only).
[* = new rule if not mistaken]

There was once a conflict between Japan-kendo & Korean-kendo (Kumdo). Thus this why the rule has implement. That's what ii heard.

R: Get to feel the kendo atmosphere..if you're really into it. Then you may start thinking about buying it. When mastered the very basic etiquette of kendo, then probably you'll - start thinking or buying/rent - need your own "Armour" - which are costly. DO NOT SIMPLY PURCHASE KENDO EQUIPMENT ONLINE - CHECK PROPERLY BEFORE PURCHASE ANY.

Shinai = bamboo stick sword. (~$10-20)
Gi-Hakama = the uniform (~$50-70)
Armour = (~$300-1,500) *subject to some materials are expensive*
[Price approximation in USD/UK dollar]

3] SCORE - the 'Shinpan'(referee) of three have to agree on each other (of two) that they see a proper strike & whom got the first hit. If one did not see, he can't give a point although other Shinpan saw a good cut & the kendoka should deserved a point. To avoid contradiction, the shinpan must be a really dedicated person & alert all the time. Thus, rarely this case occur - perhaps.

"Ki-Ken-Tai ichi" = Ki-ai + Ken + Tai...have to be syncronize as one. It's the basic step, and it's not that easy as you think.
"Kiai" = Battle-cry
"Ken" = Strike
"Tai" = Stomp? Or Movement.
This could be a reason that kendoka didnt get a point although he perform nicely cut. No Ki-ai indicate no energy on striking (applying in a real sword battle). They have to show all this 3-criteria during the sparring to get a point.

STORY: imagine this..in situation of war...no samurai kill each other silently. They scream or shout (the battlecry) gave them some sort of 'extra' energy & power to slash. That's the time when you see two groups of enemy run toward each other, shouting "HYAAAAA....!"

Further INFO - is better to ask your senpai. Cuz ii cant give exact explanation if the etiquette & rules are different. Check if your country is recognized under KENDO FEDERATION...if yes, thus no problem & usually has the same etiquette.

All right, that shed light on many things. Thanks

You're welcome

Is kendo your first (as in, doing) martial art? heh. Welcome to the martial artists' world. Best combination with Kendo will be Aikido though. However... Shotokan Karate is recommended for self-defense. Kendo is not self-defense art, it's offensive art. Meaning to say, in reality, no sword-wielder use sword to defense himself but to KILL the enemy to protect himself/family.

I would say there's no best martial art in this world, every arts have its flaw.

Like me, ii learnt martial arts for future sake. To protect my family & friends & prepare for any unwanted circumstances.

PS: Please learn Kendo from a real kendoka, not self-proclaim senpai/sensei (which usually they see & learn from Youtube. LOL).

Yeah, Kendo is my first martial art to do ever. Actually, they combine Kendo and Iaido in the trainings. They said that there will be two trainings a week: On Monday it's more Iaido oriented and Wednesday more Kendo oriented. Beginner course is supposed to prepare you to practice both and then you can choose which interests you more.

I've no idea how experienced the teacher will be. By real kendoka you mean that he has a "rank"? Like 6. dan for example?

I hope my big toe won't be a problem in the trainings because it broke about 2 months ago and is still a bit stiff and doesn't bend normally

6th Dan. Good to hear there's sensei teaching. 'Cause there are some youngsters proclaim they are senpai/sensei (which they learnt for less than a year, or watch in DVD/Youtube/book). Yeah...undisciplined. Finland's Kendo is recognized by FIK (International Kendo Federation) under EKF (European Kendo Fed.) So you not have to worry about it.

Usually Kendoka with 3rd-Dan above are called "sensei". However, some prefer at "4th Dan".

Hmm...That's true. Beginners are put that way so they can choose which sword arts they are more interested in We had 3 aessions week. You dont have to worry about your toe. Usually we dont use toes to move. "ashi-sabaki" is more on sliding. Example, lazy way of people walking - they dont lift their feet when they walk.get it?.LoL. I remember my first time, i was told to do ~2hours of 'ashi sabaki'. Beginner (sometimes) tend to get blister on the bottom of your feet.

Second, if you swing hours with shinai during your training. You'll get blisters on your hands. Do ask your sensei about your blisters. They can indicates your wrong way of holding the sword. Then, you should ask which position of blisters on your hand you should get/see for the correct cut (or swing). YES. We must get blisters on our hand - which is the left hand. LOL.