New Members

Welcome to the Algoma Kendo Club! We are glad that you have decided to learn the martial art of kendo. There are some club rules and other notes that are important to be aware of to ensure safety, fairness and a positive training environment for all.

New members must be at least 16 years old.  This is a full contact sport which requires maturity and focus to ensure the safety of all members.

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First month of lessons:

Loose clothing such as a plain shirt and shorts or athletic pants are appropriate beginner attire. Kendo requires a sliding footwork technique so pants that are too long or too stiff will not be appropriate. Please do not wear any loose jewelry or watches.

The club has loaner “shinai” (bamboo sword) for use during practice.

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Club Members:

After the first month you will be a full member of the kendo club and as such the following will be required;

• • Purchase your own shinai. The shinai is your sword so it is important to have and to care for your own. The club does have shinai for sell.
  • Purchase a club T-shirt. Please wear the T-shirt to practice as a kind of uniform until you decide to purchase the actual kendo uniform.
  • The kendo uniform (keiko-gi and hakama) should be purchased when students become comfortable with the basic skills. Please discuss with your instructor.
  • Students will be advised when they have achieved a sufficient proficiency of basic skills to warrent the full kendo equipment (armor). Please discuss with your instructor.

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Common Kendo Terms

Shinai = bamboo weapon used to represent the sword
Sensei = teacher / instructor
Rei = to bow
Seiza = sitting position
Sonkyo = crouching position
Mokuso = meditation
Kamae = ready-to-take-action posture (body and mind)
Kiai = the vocal expression of your spirit
Suri-ashi = sliding footwork
Arigato gozaimashita = “Thank you very much” in Japanese
Onegai shimasu = “Please let me practice with you” in Japanese
Keiko-gi = kendo jacket
Hakama = kendo pants / bottoms
Counting:
- Ichi =one
- Ni = two
- San = three
- Shi = four
- Go = five
- Roku = six
- Shichi = seven
- Hachi = eight
- Kyu = nine
- Jyu = ten
Suburi = shinai swinging exercise(s)
Men = striking target area at the top of the head/forehead
Kote = striking target area at the opponent’s right wrist
Do = striking target area of the side of the body/torso
Maai = distance between you and your opponent
Issoku-itto-no-maai = Distance between you and your opponent where it is possible to strike with one forward step
Ki-ken-tai no ichi = Kiai, shinai and body striking together as one.