Waikato Kendo Club

2016 Beginner Class-B Grading 17 September 2016 Richard: I wasn't intending to join Kendo club at first, it was really Lilly's request, she had been asking to join since the beginning of the year. When we came and observed beginners class briefly to see what it was like, I was very impressed by the atmosphere of tradition, kindness and respect. There was a strong feeling of family, and as visitors we were made to feel very welcome. So I became excited about joining this group with Lilly. The greatest benefit I have gained from our short time with Kendo so far has been strengthening the bond between my daughter and I. Training together as equals, helping each other, and having conversations relating to philosophical aspects of life, inspired by Kendo training have given us a greater sense of mutual respect. The positive qualities we have been learning from our new Kendo family such as patience, clarity, focus, spirit, humility and kindness have made ...

2016 New Zealand Kendo Federation Winter Camp Host by Waikato Kendo Club at St. John's College 13-14 August 2016 Many thanks to the contributions of  H Morioka Sensei, G Sayer Sensei, A Bennett Sensei A Kuroki Sensei, A Stephenson, B Bennett Sensei   and ALL the NZ Kendokas to make this greta event! Congratulations to our new Dan Grades who has succeeded  in the 2016 NZKF Shodan-shinsa (Examination for Dan Promotion)     Yon-dan (4-Dan) Kai Yoshitani Awatea Yi-Williams San-dan (3-Dan) Kevin Peng Ni-dan (2-Dan) Joyce Tsai Sho-dan (1-Dan) Leon Lu Claire Wei Also congratulations to  Walter McCahon  Achieved his Go-dan (5-Dan) in London, UK on 29 August 2016

A meeting of minds - both young and old!  Thanks to  David  for the great photo and Raoul for the deserved caption!  We don't separate the class by age groups,  instead we think all the members will benefit from this mixed age arrangement. Just like a big family, elders take care of younger ones and younger ones respect and learn from the elders.  Young people remind where we all come from; Elder people show where we are all going to.  * Refer to Raea's Brotherhood .  

Kendo for life We often hear the phrase ‘kendo journey’ and for each of us our kendo paths are different. And, depending on how long we have been studying and training in Kendo, it can so easily become part and parcel of our day to day lives. One such occasion happened a couple of weeks ago when I was preparing for a job interview . I am certain that my Kendo training played a key part in securing the position. These are some of the parallels I have been able to draw: Warm-up (Application) The initial application that I completed was the warm up for what was to come. In those documents I loosened up my prospective employer by letting them know who I was and what skills and experience I could bring to the role. Much like we do when we limber up at the start of each training session, this was an opportunity to show-case myself and prepare for the hard work that lay ahead.  Kamae (Basic assessments) The next phase of the recruitment process involved the completion...

Re: Continue on Harai-Waza training, Wednesday 15/06/2016 This is a continuation from the training we had with Harai-Men. Last week , we learnt about Omote Harai-Men (hitting downward at 45 degrees from the right) and Ura Harai-Men (hitting 45 degrees upward from the left). We focused our training on the Harai part. Sensei advised that it is important to have our wrist relaxed . We use our wrist to create the hit motion like pulling lever using both our wrists. The pivot point of the pulling/pushing motion should be centre of the handle of your Shinai. Sensei mentioned we can move our Kensen slightly off the centre to invite our opponent to enter into our hitting range to initiate this Waza. As your opponent entered to your hitting distance, you strike a Omote Harai-Men. As beginner, the most common mistake is that we often moved the Kensen to side way rather than at an angle of 45 degrees upward. Senpai advised that if we do it in an angle hitting downward, the gravity will assi...

Re: Harai-Men Waza's Training on Saturday 11/06/16: Harai-men is a good technique to use when you and your opponent has crossed Shinai for a long time and you need to create an opening to hit men. When the timing is right, you can swiftly raise your Shinai in angle and knock your opponent's Shinai off his center line. There's two versions of Harai-Men: Omote - (outside, from the right) In this version, the footwork is very similar to Kote-men that we have practice. A small Fumikomi to knock the Shinai out of the way and another fully committed Fumikomi to hit Men. Sensei mentioned, your Shinai should rubbed the Shinai of your opponent on the right side and raise your Kensen by about 45 degrees and hit downward to knock the Shinai down. The hitting should be small and subtle like small Kote-men. Ura - (inside, from the left) In this version, the footwork is like Kihon footwork. You Seme to get closer to your opponent, lower your Kensen, hit 45 degrees upwar...

2006 Beginner Class A Grading Philipp I have always been interested in learning Kendo, ever since I was a kid.  Back then, it was all about the fact that I would've been able to whack people hard.  Now, though, I realise it is more about the communal experience of learning how to kill (with beauty and efficiency), among other things. I am actually really glad that I decided to give Kendo a go, and am eager to continue it in the future. Rasmus Why I go to kendo is because I find it to be easier and more interesting than all the other sports on offer.  It’s interesting to me because when training with the shinai it’s not just about the strongest or biggest hit.  What I also like about kendo is the fact that it has chosen to use brains over brawn, precision and skill over brutality and strength.  Kendo is easy and fun and I would vouch that almost anyone would like it if they try it. Rebecca I found Kendo o...