Darren - Kendo and Me

Hi, my name is Darren.

This is my story and my beginning into Kendo.

When I was young, my Dad took me to a Bruce Lee movie. This changed my life forever, and from that moment on I knew I wanted to learn Martial Arts.

There was something magical, yet beautiful about the way Bruce Lee moved and delivered blow after blow with optimum precision and speed. I wanted to be just like him.

At 18 years of age, I started doing Nam Wah Pai Kungfu. This was a great start into the Martial Arts world for me, it taught me discipline, flexibility and endurance. But I knew that I wanted to learn more. And so, I then began Thai Kick-Boxing, which I found to be more realistic and suitable to what I was looking for, in a Martial Art.

27 years on…..with many hours of training/sparing, 3 ring fights and later the teaching of Thai Kick-Boxing to others, I was forced to stop. Two hip replacement operations later and with a sadness in my heart, I then faced a reality that Martial Arts of any kind was over for me……..

That is, until one day I caught up with a good friend, who was telling me about the Martial Art, Kendo he had recently taken up.

I was instantly interested, not only because of my admiration for the Samurai but also for its flexibility in accommodating both the young and old regardless of ability.
I then went along to check out a Kendo class.

What struck me straight away, was the friendliness of Sensei Sam and Marleen, welcoming me to their Dojo, so too was the helpfulness given from the other members to make me feel instantly like I was part of their club.

I was then asked by Sensei to come and watch the adult class and check out my future. I was blown away by the speed and accuracy of the strikes.

A spark then ignited in me, and an instant passion to want to be a part of this Martial Art, was becoming very clear to me.

I have now been training for three months, and already feel that I have changed both physically and emotionally, my fitness is improving, along with my posture and the way I interact with others generally.

So far, what I have learnt, is the MORE I learn about kendo, the MORE there is to learn.

So in summary, if you are interested in a Martial Art that will not only challenge you but also improve your mind, body and spirit, come and join the Kendo family.

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