Waikato Kendo Club

You are warmly invited to join us and  start your New Year resolutions as a  Modern Samurai .  --- Information for Year 2025 Beginners --- Little Samurai Class (age under 14): 1.30 - 2.30pm, Saturdays  Beginners Class (age 14 and above): 2.30 - 3.30pm, Saturdays Intermediate and Advanced Class : 3.30 - 6.00pm, Saturdays Starting Dates: Term 1: Saturday 25 January Term 2: Saturday 10 May  We will be accepting new students all Saturdays of May, but the earlier you can start, the better. Term 3: Saturday 19 July   Term 4: Saturday 11 October Join our 2025 Beginners Facebook Group  now to get updates. Or, email us for more information.  Course Information: No previous experience required. Regardless of gender,  ages from 6 to 60  are all welcome. First lesson  is your Free trial. Membership Fees:  Kids and School students: 50.00 per month Tertiary students and adults: 80.00 per month Family discounts : the 2nd family member is 50...

剣道修行の心構え /  重岡 昇 The mindset for kendo training / Noboru Shigeoka 現代剣道百家箴 ，昭和四十七年 A Hundred Aphorisms of Modern Kendo Masters （1972) "Never allow the first strike to land." No matter how skilled or unskilled your opponent may be, both sides start on equal footing, fully committed to the first strike. This requires putting your entire being into that initial attack. "Strike at the opponent’s initial movement." Always train with the mindset of targeting your opponent’s opening move. Be proactive, fully prepared, and maintain readiness. Cultivate an unwavering mind and approach each engagement with a steady, unshaken heart, free from the Four Fears (fear, doubt, surprise, and hesitation). "Kendo is about striking at openings. If two combatants are evenly matched in strength, the one who strikes first will lose." A stance that embodies both technical skill and mental preparedness has no openings. However, any disruption in this balance creates an opening. Suc...

Kendo Dōjo basic etiquette & commands for beginner & kyu grades Thanks to Janet for organising this article. When entering & leaving the Dōjo （道場, training hall）, we need to bow respectfully from the waist, first towards the direction of Joseki （上席）, in our case this is the Waikato Kendo Club WKC banner.  (But in Japanese dōjo there is often a Kamiza （上座） with a small Shinto shrine or altar displayed with religious significance). And then bow towards Sensei & Senpai on your way in before neatly organising your belongings on the side & getting ready quietly. At beginning of each Keiko（ 稽古）, Sensei（先生）or Senpai（先輩） will say: Line up -  Seiretsu （整列） :  We will need to quickly find our position along a horizontal line facing Sensei (in the middle) in order of our experience/ rank with Senpai (Seniors) on the right and Kōhai (Juniors, 後輩 ) & Shoshinsha (Beginners,  初心者 ) on the left. Standing straight facing the front, holding Shinai firmly...

Beginners Grading October 2024 Appreciate everyone's participation and efforts in making this a successful grading event for beginners and kids. 💕 Talking About Grading: fees, attitudes and purposes Grading is an integral part of the Kendo journey, along with Keiko (training) and Shiai (tournaments). Each aspect shapes a Kendoka’s growth in its own unique way. Fees: We pay membership fees for regular training and event fees to participate in tournaments. Similarly, fees are required to challenge the Kyu/Dan Promotion Examination, which we often simply refer to as grading. From the organization’s perspective, grading fees serve as a necessary source of income. It's widely agreed among members—Kendo enthusiasts—that this is not just a contribution to our local clubs, like the Waikato Kendo Association, or national bodies like the New Zealand Kendo Federation (NZKF). It extends to the broader Kendo community, even reaching the International Kendo Federation (IKF). More importan...

You are warmly invited to join us and  start your New Year resolutions as a  Modern Samurai .  --- Information for Year 2024 Beginners --- Little Samurai Class (age under 14): 1.30 - 2.30pm, Saturdays  Beginners Class (age 14 and above): 2.30 - 3.30pm, Saturdays Intermediate and Advanced Class : 3.30 - 6.00pm, Saturdays Starting Dates: Class A: Saturday 10 February Class B: Saturday 9 March  Class C: Saturday 4 May  Class D: Saturday 27 July Join our  Beginners Facebook Group  now to get updates. Course Information: No previous experience required. Regardless of gender,  ages from 6 to 60  are all welcome. First lesson  is your Free trial. Fees:  Kids and School students: 50.00 per month Tertiary students and adults: 80.00 per month Family discounts : the 2nd family member is 50%OFF, and from the 3rd one is free. Learning Objectives:  By the end of the course,  you will be ready to put on Bogu (armour)  an...

The days leading up to our Kendo grading had started becoming a little stressful I have to admit. Despite our sensei telling us not to worry it was very difficult to push the doubts out of my mind. Even the minutes leading up to our grading were spent clarifying certain techniques or movements. I was confident in my ability to correctly perform the required Kihon-dosa but I lacked confidence in understanding a new language and was afraid I would incorrectly interpret an instruction. It was a great start to the afternoon as I got to watch my 2 children perform their grading. I was very happy to see that our efforts at practicing everyday (despite their objections) had paid off. As our group (group 2) was called up my anxieties were at their highest yet the moment sensei instructed Tai-to (placing your shinai at our left waist) all that anxiety simply melted away. All of a sudden I was in a very familiar space. Everything that was asked of me in the grading I had done many many times b...

Wednesday 31st May 2023 Keiko Reflection - Janet Tonight’s Keiko was planned by Marleen sensei & led by Senpais Leo & Joyce.  We had a rare opportunity to watch & learn some wazas/ techniques first hand from both senpais particularly on their specialties: Jōdan-no-Kamae & Gyaku-Dō. The upper-level posture or stance ( Jōdan-no-Kamae ) which Leo Senpai uses, is the Hidari (left) Jōdan , where the left foot is in front of the right foot, so essentially the foot positions are reversed from normal Chudan position.  Using the posterior right foot to push off when going forwards & the anterior left foot to push off when going backwards.  Otherwise all other elements of footwork remains the same, like heels off the ground using Suriashi sliding steps, maintain inner parallel & the distance between both feet, right foot not overtaking left foot, using the left foot for fumikomi & right foot quickly follow up after strike to run through with Zanshin…etc....