Learning anything new can be scary and daunting, but it always helps to know people and let them tell you, in their own way, about their journey. This is the intention of our new “Get to Know Our Members” (GTKOM? 😅) series and we hope it brings kendo, and the other budo we at Hamachidori practice, closer to you!
From SheilaP:
I've only been doing kendo for close to 2 months now, and my thoughts on kendo are how despite the rigorous physical and mental training required, like anything else, it takes dedication, hard work and humility to be any good.
I get trained three times a week in fundamentals in the dojo (before the pandemic started), and I practise at home. I have to get a good basic in foundation before I'll be able to put up any kind of a fight. Perfection is something I can never attain, but always strive for. And I do have to strive because kendo is crazy difficult. It is built on the basics and repeating movements which we can end up doing for months. Learning to properly swing a shinai is hard. I have had to relearn how to use my body so that I can make consistently sharp hits every time.
People who have been doing kendo for more than eight years still think about all the things they need to improve on or change. Kendo is a lifelong journey.
Thanks so much for sharing SheilaP! Please look forward to more member introductions coming in the future~