Kendo and Iaido

[ewallace]

I know this is a CMA forum, but does anyone have any experience or thoughts on these two arts? There is a group here that holds classes at a local college. They are members of the All United States Kendo Federation. No contracts, and you have to watch at least one class and have permission by the instructor to enroll.

Here is the url:
http://rcikk.mastersage.com/index.htm

[Sestum]

I choose Iaido over kendo when I had the choice, that was a personal preferance though... Check out the classes, I enjoyed the bit of Iaido I did, unfourtunatly I cant quite make that 2 1/2 hour drive every week with my new job.

-Sestum

[ewallace]

They teach them both. 1st hour iaido and second hour kendo. Or you can use the second hour for free iaido practice.

[San Soo Sifu]

Eric:
You probably all ready know this, but...

Kendo is the Japanese art of "fencing" or "swordsmanship."

Iaido is the Japanese art of "drawing the sword."

Both have very "spiritual" aspects contained within the art; hence the "do" suffix.

If you buy the Kendo armor, you should get some practice in "real-time" fencing. While Iaido is the philosophy of "one draw of the sword out of the scabbard, one stroke (slice), and one kill."

I hope this helps some. Take it easy.
:D

[ewallace]

Cool. Thanks Jon.

[Thomas Chen]

StumbleFist
RE: I practice Iaido and Chinese Miao Dao.

May I know which school or teacher did you learn Miao Dao from....Just curious..

Thanks.

[Tiger_Yin]

I practice kendo and Iai... increadible arts both of them :) altho i have to say due to teachers and some other things kendo its my main, i do iai a bit on the side, that's it. I like kendo more due the the fact u apply all you learn in combat. No holding back ;) i see it this way.. Kendo - Traditional kungfu (you do what u practice) and Iai - Wushu (look good :D) lol anyways... i also train wushu so no offense ment :D

[Leonidas]

I would choose kendo over iaido but thats just me. I actually wanna learn how to fence with the sword after its drawn. I guess I just like the cool armor you get to wear and the part about hitting someone with a big stick. Iaijutsu was more for surprise attacks, like if you get caught off guard you can save time by slashing in the same motion that you just drew your sword. they also practice while kneeling and sitting and it even has kata. Its alot more complicated than it sounds and takes alot of practice like everything else in life, but there both fun if you have the time, besides the inherent danger of cutting your hand off......

Why not do them both.

[ewallace]

They teach them both. 1st hour iaido, second hour kendo.

[ewallace]

Oooohhh. I just noticed her email starts with "ladysamurai".
Cool.

[dre_doggX]

Iaido is circular and considered more advanced,

Kendo is linear, mostly.

but in my opinon why take either, when you can learn sword fighting in kungfu, plus all the other things kungfu can offer that these single sport martial arts cant.(at least not as well as kungfu.)

[ewallace]

Because there is not much KF in my area. Believe me if there was I would be there.

I am not looking at it for practicle purposes such as street encounters. I think it would be fun to study the art as a hobby. Hell people who paint porcelain horses don't plan to ride them at the Belmont stakes right?

[Sestum]

Originally posted by dre_doggX
Iaido is circular and considered more advanced,

Kendo is linear, mostly.

but in my opinon why take either, when you can learn sword fighting in kungfu, plus all the other things kungfu can offer that these single sport martial arts cant.(at least not as well as kungfu.)

I really dont think I'd consider Iaido a sport martial art... at least not the way I had it taught to me...

Not to mention the huge freaking pants :D
-Sestum

[Kristoffer]

Anyway, I'd choose Kendo over Iaido anyday. But that school combining them like that sounds great!
Kendo has a great philosophy behind it.

[Sestum]

*sigh* yes i do have the incriminating pony tail.

-Sestum

[Kristoffer]

:D

[Sestum]

Originally posted by Stumblefist
How to cut your hand off...

.Also, he told us, one day they had had a few beers after class and felt so good they went back for another session. They did a draw and raise to overhead and slice straight down at the kneeling position. It is the first of the common exercises, the draw from Seiza or kneeling posture. Well, this guy on the slice down lost his grip and his sword went sailing forward like a throwing knife and through the leg or calf of the guy in front of him! The sensei didn't report it as serious, but i'm not 100 percent sure it wasn't.
Anyway after that they learned the idea of "staggered" row practise. Also learned the idea of not to come to practice "staggering". :D :D
http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=402

Through the leg? ouch, most i ever did was get a few paperlike cuts from improper drawing and sheathing.

Now serious would be if he cut of the offical, manditory, and prerequired Iaido Ponytail (tm) :D

-Sestum

[Mr Punch]

I've done kendo properly for about two years, but I learnt and have practiced the basics since about 9 years ago. I started here shortly after I got here and have been fortunate to have learnt under a very very good sensei, in the grounds of Kawagoe Castle. That kicks ass!

It's very linear (and very very fast) in footwork: sidestepping, stepping off line, or circling are practically unheard of. The strikes LOOK linear, but until shodan you are taught only big circular strikes, to ingrain the feeling. As you progress after shodan, the strikes become shorter and shorter, so they look like you are cutting straight through, but the feeling is still most assuredly circular.

The power generation is somewhat odd to most cma practioners, I think. It certainly was to me. The front foot (always the right in shiai) is flat on the floor, with the knee ever so slightly bent. The back foot should be a few inches off the line of the front foot, and approximately a shoulder-width's distance from the front foot. The back foot's heel should be a couple of cm from the floor, and the leg should retain a springy feel.

When you strike, you quickly bring the back foot closer to the front, and spring (but horizontally: you don't want upward motion), and as you put your front foot down you straighten the leg and keep pushing forward (the cut should 'finish' exactly as the leg straightens, though really, the cut is supposed to keep going through until you have gone all the way through your opponent's body).

The stamping sound on a springy gym/dojo floor is phenomenal and can cause a little shock in itself (even worse is when you are sitting in seiza at the end on hard boards, your feet are going to sleep which is good cos of the extreme pain of sitting in this position after practice, and SOMEBODY ELSE is stamping next to you, sending waves of agony through your already pain-racked body!!)!

The energy coming through your arms reminds me very much of the elbow energy in wingchun (beware the kendo elbow! though you shouldn't get it if you 'wring' the sword properly).

The kiai can hurt your throat and a timid opponent.

Your feet WILL bleed when you start.

Despite armour and those nice pliable shinai, the head strikes, if done properly, really really hurt. Remember when you start to use the last 8-9 inches of the 'blade'. If you generate enough power, and you hit further down the blade, you CAN kill someone (I've been told, but sorry O net pedants, I have yet to see solid documentary evidence...). The worst that will probably happen (I speak from one of the most painful experiences in my life) is that your grumpy instructor will show you how much it hurts: it rocks your head like a good right hook, dazes you, and leaves you wondering if, when you take your helmet off, your brains will go with it.

All in all, it will teach you pain, discipline, fear, pain, shouting (I stopped smoking almost immediately), speed, timing (possibly the key, as ever), fast and changeable reflexes, pain, and ooos!!!, I wouldn't do without it for long!

Shiai are not much like traditional swordfighting. Take all of the lovely fluid strikes and footwork of traditional swordsmanship, strip it down to the raw linear movements and you have modern sport kendo.

The kata (usually partnered), are beautiful, calm, serene, and give you an idea of its origins. They are not much use in shiai, but I believe have their own merit for timing and awase (blending).

You are pretty well expected to take iaido after kendo shodan in my school. I haven't unfortunately due to time constraints, but I have seen and taken part in some demos and practice. See the other posters! A lot of it at first (and I mean a lot of it!) is ritual, bowing to the sword, holding and passing the sword around your body, etc. Don't take it unless you have the patience of a saint.

Did I mention kendo hurts?

****, sorry, went on! I do rather like it though! To summarize the feeling I enjoy from kendo, take the first three letters: Kill Everyone Now DO.

If you want any more info/discussion, perhaps you'd better PM me! Hope it helped.

Oh, I have a very short ponytail.


:)