virginia tech kendo

starting kendo

The Kendo club at Virginia Tech is a student run organization sponsored by the university. As such, we welcome all students interested in Kendo, provided they are willing to abide by the guidelines outlined here.

practice

Kendo, as well as being a mental discipline, is sport practiced at a competitive level and therefore requires proper warm-up and stretching excercises to minimize the chances of injury. These are always conducted as a group at the beginning of practice. If you arrive after the warm-ups, it is your responsibility to properly prepare for practice; officers cannot be expected to interupt practice for you.

The format of practice can differ based on which officer is leading practice, however basic forms and footwork are stressed, as everything derives from having a solid foundation in the basic motions of Kendo. As you progress, you will find yourself returning to these foundations time and time again to improve.

You begin Kendo without gi or hakama, as they conceal your form. Once you advance to the point where your basic footwork no longer requires frequent correction, an instructor will authorize you to come to practice wearing proper Kendo attire. If, after many more months, you progress to the point where it is safe for you engage in sparring with other Kenshi, an instructor will then authorize you to wear armor (bogu) to practice.

With bogu, you may, in addition to the basic forms and at the discretion of the instructor, participate in any of:

  1. kiri-kaeshi: successively striking the left and right men, practice centering, distance, and proper cutting while building spirit and stamina.
  2. waza-geiko: technique practice in which the student learns to use the many techniques of Kendo with a receiving partner.
  3. kakari-geiko: short, intense, attack practice which teaches continuous alertness, the ability to attack no matter what has come before, as well as building spirit and stamina.
  4. ji-geiko: sparring practice where the kendoist has a chance to try all that he or she has learned with a resisting partner.
  5. gokaku-geiko: sparring practice between two kendoist of similar skill level.
  6. hikitate-geiko: sparring practice where a senior kendoist guides a junior kendoist through practice.
  7. shiai-geiko: competition matches which are judged on the basis of a person scoring valid cuts against an opponent.
In geiko there are a number of legal targets. Beginners will focus on a subset of these. In particular, the straight men, kote, and do (migi-do on the picture) will be taught. Other targets are reserved for advanced kendoists as they can be dangerous (tsuki, most notably).

tournaments

Tournaments are for many the most exciting aspect of the Kendo, and give everyone a chance test their technique againsts others of similar skill and learn from their defeats in a friendly and competitive atmosphere.

Usually, a tournament is held over a period of two days (e.g. a weekend) and is divided into two events: a team competition and an individual competition. A team, in Kendo, is composed of five members. A match between two teams consists of five matches, first player in team A against first in team B, and so on. The names of the positions (from lead through captain) are: Sempo, Jiho, Chuken, Fukusho, and Taisho.

From wikipedia:

"In a tournament, there are three judges, or shinpan. Each holds a red flag and a white flag in opposing hands. Each competitor has either a white or red ribbon attached to their back. For a point to be awarded, a minimum of two judges must agree. To signal this, the judges raise the corresponding coloured flag of the player who scored the point. The first to score two points wins the match. When the time limit is reached several things may happen: If one player has one point and the other does not, then the player with one point wins. In cases of a tie, the match may be declared a draw or decided by a period of sudden death overtime (encho), or by hantei, judges' decision."

Our club typically participates in four tournaments a year. Historically, these include those hosted by GW, William & Mary, Cornell, Yale, and Harvard-Radcliffe.  We usually enter one to three teams per tournament, depending on how many people are interested in participating. Note that if you are just beginning, do not expect to be on the "A" team. More than likely, you will lose all your matches. Learn from your losses, and improve your technique.

For detailed information regarding Kendo tournament rules and regulations, see here.

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