A Brief Guide to Kendo Kendo is a form of martial art that is aptly defined by the translation of its name, which

is - the way of the sword. Kendo is primarily a descendent of the traditional Samurai fighting styles. History shows that the unification of Japan as a country saw the decline of the use of swords for factual combat. As a result, the swordsmen of the time decided to use their nowledge to imbibe traits li e patience, culture and s ill among the population. Kendo has progressed a lot o!er the years. "t has e!ol!ed from a sword fighting discipline to a ma#or martial art in itself. "t is used to teach !irtues such as cooperation and discipline to its practitioners. "t has spread out from its place of origin in Japan to places all o!er the world. History and origin Around the $%th century, the sensei&s decided to incorporate the use of traditional armor along with the bamboo stic s that were used to replace the original swords to reduce the ris and in#ury to beginner and intermediate students. 'oday, Kendo is one of the most popular and widely practiced forms of armed martial arts in the world and the fact that it is a mentally as well as physically challenging acti!ity means that its students are highly respected. "n $()*, the occupying powers of Japan banned all types of military training and, as a result, Kendo also suffered the same fate. "t was only until $(+, that Kendo -in the form of Shinai competition. was allowed to return to public life, after which a number of federations promoting the sport sprung up. Kendo was re!i!ed soon after by concerted efforts by the Japanese authorities and ordinary people. "t soon made a full reco!ery and again became a part of the public consciousness. /eople started practicing Kendo and started to train other people as well. 0ow Kendo has spread to other countries as well and has a global audience for itself. Kendo armor and technique 'he e1uipment used when practicing Kendo is traditional Japanese garb. 'he Shinai is a wooden stic that replaced the sword. "t is made to specification and comprises of four bamboo slats that are held in place by leather fittings. 'he newer !ersions of the Shinai are made with carbon fiber, while some are e!en made with the help of reinforced resin slats. 2oth new !ersions primarily focused on ma ing the Shinai more durable. 'he protecti!e armor is also a !ery important part of the sport. 'he armor protects specific areas on the body from impact. 'he helmet features a metal grille on the front in order to protect the face while ha!ing a minimal impact on !ision. 3abric flaps and hard leather is used all o!er the body as armor in order to offer protection. 4ith regards to techni1ue, most of the stress is placed on conditioning the body to master the art of Kendo through a series of le!els and stages that are carefully structured. Since it is an armed sport, Sensei&s ta e a special interest in teaching defense strategies first before getting into the offensi!e ones. 'he techni1ue consists of 1uic and sharp blows made by the stic . 'he other person tries to defend himself using the body armor. 'he main ob#ecti!e is to defeat the opponent using as few blows as possible. A long protracted battle can wear one or both of the fighters. 'herefore both sides should try their best to ma e the battle as short as possible Health benefits Just li e with most !ersions of martial arts, there are a number of health and mental benefits that Kendo offers its students. 5astering Kendo re1uires a significant amount of practice and patience. 'he fact that it ta es time to learn the !arious techni1ues and tactics that Kendo comprises means that self-discipline will come almost naturally o!er the course of training. 'he sharp, sudden and intense mo!ements that your body will be trained to perform will cause significant amount of weight loss as well. 6our muscle groups will also become better coordinated with your mind, thereby de!eloping a more harmonious energy pattern within your body. 7ong time practitioners of Kendo ha!e successfully lost weight and ha!e made themsel!es fitter as a result. /ractitioners of Kendo can e8pect to ha!e healthier bodies and ha!e longer li!es than their peers. "n addition, practitioners of Kendo also learn ma#or life lessons such as patience, perse!erance and persistence. 'his can ha!e a huge impact on their li!es. At 9o:Karate; we list a large amount and !ariety of martial art schools that will ser!e your needs in the category of !arious martial art styles.