Hey guys, what do you think about kendo training in VR? It is very popular for boxing.

Hey kendo friends. Anyone know where I can buy a nice white gi, that preferably ships from North America*? I have found a few but the international shipping fees are nuts, especially if I'm only buying the one gi. TIA!

*edited

Good morning from Stockholm🫶

It's the 1st of September today. It's the first day of autumn. It's very beautiful out here by the water. Very calm and cool. It's very, not exactly an exciting feeling coming into winter, but I'll enjoy the autumn anyway.

So last night I had a fantastic session. I led a session at my dojo and I could feel that the other people had a good session as well, so that was quite empowering. I came home feeling quite positive and uplifted.

And then just looking at a few posts on Facebook, which is never a good idea to do before bedtime. But then a few things just triggered me, reminding me of how we don't stand up or speak up enough out about sexual harassment and power harassment.

I think about the people who are seeing these posts and how they're impacted by seeing people in communities that they have personally experienced sexual harassment, sexual misconduct or power harassment and how that must really impact them. Then it quickly switched into anger.

And I was thinking, well, some of these people know about this person's behaviour, but they don't do anything about it. They don't say anything. They don't cancel this person. This person is still in the community. And this just, it's actually quite disappointing because I think of how complicit people, especially people in leadership can be. And it shows how the structures of power work in kendo.

There are so many good people in kendo. There's so many people that don't misuse their power.

Choose the good ones and really speak up and stand up and support people who share experiences with you. They really need you on their side because remembering how I felt last night after my training session, we can't take that experience away from people - of how good kendo is for people.

It's really empowering. It's really uplifting.

Choose the good people to lead. Associate yourselves with the good people. There are so many high graded people. We can let go of the ones until they learn how to behave and look after our community members.

It's that simple.

We've had some very tense discussions over the past couple days. I want to ask about something more useful, which is how shinpan are trained. Please lock this if we can't keep it on topic. Please do not litigate the correspondence of any videos to the training scenarios I describe.

I have not been through the shinpan training pipeline, I am not a qualified judge. I am looking for accounts from people who have, especially qualified shinpan instructors. I just want context from the broader kendo world.

Serious misconduct within a kendo match is almost unheard of. I see a lot of people get lost in the sauce or not be very good at kendo, maybe excessively rough play, but nothing that would result in DQ. Likewise, when I have seen shinpan instruction, detailed applications of the rules and raising the level of point judging are the rightful focus.

The only reference in kendo manuals I can find to shushin stepping in and interposing their shinpan-ki would be for the Wakare command. Presumably in the case of stopping a match before gogi and possible DQ, a similar movement would be helpful. I am not suggesting a physical struggle with shiai-sha, I am saying that interposing the sight line with something inviolable is the most reliable way to create an immediate end to a fight when commands do not have immediate effect. It is a combat sport norm.

Here's the question. Have you ever trained, or seen trained, something similar? To bring it a little more general, what does training and correction look like for the high end of administrative penalties, like shikkaku?

Recently the president of my country's kendo renmei reached out to all LGBTI+ about wanting to talk to people in the community on how they feel we could implement new policies to include them better.

After joining in the conversation myself I've heard a lot and I mean a lot of people grilling him just for reaching out for input.

Do other countries have the same kind of vicious outcry when attention is brought to that side of the kendo community?

I have another video showing this incident from a different angle, and I think people should watch as many recordings as possible before reaching a conclusion.

First of all, I am genuinely sorry that someone was injured, and I hope he makes a full recovery. The footage is understandably disturbing, especially when viewed outside the context of kendo. However, an injury—serious as it may be—does not by itself prove that the other competitor deliberately intended to hurt someone.

From this angle, the fall happened during a fast, active exchange. It does not look like Lam approached someone who was already injured and defenceless and then attacked him without provocation. After the fall, Lam appears to make approximately two downward strikes. Whether both were immediate and appropriate, whether they were properly controlled, and whether yame had already been called are all legitimate questions for qualified referees to examine.

But these are questions about competition conduct and refereeing—not proof that Lam is a violent, sadistic or evil person.

Under the All Japan Kendo Federation’s rules, a strike delivered immediately to an opponent who has fallen may be recognised as a valid strike. The regulations also list falling and then lying face-down without responding to the opponent’s attack as a prohibited act. In other words, the rules do not treat falling as automatic immunity from further attack.

This does not mean that anything done to a fallen opponent is acceptable. The word “immediately” matters, control matters, the target matters, and the referee has a responsibility to stop the match promptly if the situation becomes unsafe. If yame had already been called and a competitor continued attacking, that would obviously change the nature of the incident. That is why the complete footage, its audio and the views of properly qualified referees matter.

We should also be careful not to reduce every incident to a simple “monster versus victim” narrative. If falling, turning face-down and covering the head automatically ended all scrutiny, a competitor could potentially use that position to avoid the continuing exchange. I am not claiming that this particular competitor deliberately did so. My point is that the person who was injured is not necessarily completely without responsibility, just as the person who continued the exchange is not automatically a monster.

Anyone familiar with footage from serious Japanese university or Tokyo Metropolitan Police kendo will know that this level of physical intensity is not necessarily unusual. That comparison does not excuse genuinely dangerous conduct, but it does remind us that kendo must first be understood within its own technical and cultural framework—not judged solely by how violent a few seconds may appear to someone unfamiliar with it.

I believe we have a responsibility to understand kendo on its own terms and to consider the perspectives of experienced Japanese practitioners, particularly senior Japanese sensei who have spent decades studying and teaching it. That does not mean treating every Japanese authority as infallible. It means understanding the standards of the art before declaring that someone’s actions could only have come from cruelty.

Lam’s actions can be questioned and debated. It is reasonable to ask whether the second strike was necessary, whethersufficient control was shown and whether the referees should have intervened sooner. What is not reasonable is using a short video to declare that Lam has no humanity, no budō spirit or a fundamentally violent character.

We must distinguish between outcome, responsibility, intention and character. Someone being injured is an outcome; it does not automatically prove malicious intention. Criticising a specific action is fair. Turning that action into a licence to assassinate someone’s entire character is not.

Hi all,

We rarely practice tsuki at my dojo, but when we do, because I know it's so dangerous, I feel like I completely lock up and feel my heart rate rising. I dread receiving tsuki from my partner, even though they are usually 5dan or up.

The problem is (apart from having time to anticipate the hit, which I def wouldn't have in a shiai) I've just heard so much about how dangerous tsuki is, so I can't help but feel afraid.

I have a couple of questions.

1. How dangerous actually is tsuki in terms of statistics? Like how many people get injured by it/the likelihood of injury?

2. If tsuki is so dangerous, why isn't the men designed to more comprehensively cover the neck? As it is, it seems fairly simple for a poorly aimed tsuki to end up going under the bib of the men. It could also go through by glancing to the side, but I'm guessing that would be considerably less dangerous.

3. Has anyone else struggled with fearing being hit by tsuki? If so, could you please share some advice with me? I'd greatly appreciate it.

To be honest I have no idea how rooted in reality my anxiety actually is, so I'm hoping by collecting some info about it I can also deal with it better.

Thank you so much in advance.

Current Kendo training systems rely heavily on empirical transmission and lack sufficient grounding in systematic sports science theory. Furthermore, existing biomechanical research on Kendo is largely confined to inverse kinematics and dynamics analyses of standard techniques—essentially qualitative and quantitative assessments of movements performed under ideal conditions. There remains a scarcity of empirical studies directly revealing the compensatory mechanisms and biomechanical manifestations that arise when practitioners possess specific physical limitations. Consequently, existing research findings struggle to effectively address the practical technical issues faced by average practitioners—issues stemming from physical deficits such as limited absolute strength or flexibility.

To address this, this study employs a comparative experimental design involving physical constraints to investigate the biomechanical relationship between standard techniques and those performed under specific physical limitations. Using a high-level Kendo athlete (Wu Xingxing) as the subject, the study utilizes a 3D motion capture system and force plates to synchronously collect kinematic and dynamic data for the "small-movement phase" of a technique. Subsequently, specific external physical constraints are applied to the subject—artificially replicating conditions of specific physical deficits—and the technique is performed again to collect corresponding kinematic and dynamic data. The data from the unconstrained and constrained conditions are then compared. This methodology evaluates the specific negative impacts of physical deficits on technique execution and the resulting compensatory movements, enabling average practitioners—who may lack a background in sports science—to engage in specialized physical training grounded in biomechanical theory.

https://www.ifdian.net/a/2026714jiandao

Xiaohongshu ID：26264000425

Apologies for the double post. I just remembered there's a coloured version of the image I shared in my previous post (https://www.reddit.com/r/kendo/comments/1w15m49/premodern_bogu/) that was a response to the post by u/the_scarry_lobster asking about pre-modern bogu.

This is in response to the post u/the_scarry_lobster posted about whether there are any reproductions of pre-modern bogu. The attached image is of an actual pre-modern bogu. Yeah, it's maybe nice to have in a historical artifacts collection but I don't think I'd want to wear this in lieu of modern bogu during actual keiko. This image is a snapshot from a photo in Nihon-no-Kenjutsu 2 published by Gakken: https://www.amazon.co.jp/日本の剣術-2-歴史群像編集部/dp/4056042306/

"From Korea to the Global Stage: A Brief Overview of Women and Kumdo in Korea" by Kate Sylvester (she/her). Published in Fine Ladies Kendo Worldwide magazine (Volume 8, 2026).

The article challenges the common perception that kumdo is merely a Korean version of kendo. By examining its unique historical development, cultural significance, and role in modern Korean society, it reveals how kumdo has evolved along a distinct path shaped by national identity, professional opportunities, and Korea’s physical culture. It provide a basic overview of women's kumdo with insight and contemporary perspectives, this is an interesting starting point to look at a martial art community redefining tradition and expanding possibilities for women in Korea and beyond

https://ksperspectives.com/2026/08/28/from-korea-to-the-global-stage-a-brief-overview-of-women-and-kumdo-in-korea-by-kate-sylvester/

So I've fallen into the deepest rabbithole ever, after I discovered volume 6 of Hokusais manga I suddenly ended up finding alot of older materials and translated works. All this made me realize a fair bit of things such as the difference in bogu of their time to our modern more sport oriented bogu, has anyone ever made reproductions or worked with how the difference affects ones kendo and also if no, does anyone know of any makers willing to go along with such a request?

Hey everyone, looking for some advice from other kendoka, especially anyone who trains in hot/humid conditions or is a really heavy sweater.

For some background, I'm from the Caribbean, so it's naturally hot and humid here. I've been training kendo for almost a year, but I've only been training in full gear for approximately 3–4 months.

When I initially started wearing bogu and men, I definitely noticed the additional heat and fatigue, but things became much more noticeable when I started training regularly in the gi and hakama as well. That's when the really heavy sweating and exhaustion seemed to ramp up.

Inside my men gets extremely hot. Sometimes it gets to the point where I feel like I can't breathe properly because of how hot and stuffy it feels. I'm usually already sweating heavily before I even put my bogu on, and once the men goes on, I'm basically pouring sweat for the remainder of practice.

Today we trained for around 3 hours. I weighed about 180 lbs before training and 173 lbs afterward, so that's roughly 7 lbs (~3.2 kg) of body weight lost during one session, or close to 4% of my body weight.

Towards the end, I was completely drained. My legs were done, my back was exhausted, I got dizzy, and I felt like I was on the verge of cramping, we didn't even start wearing the men yet. Eventually I had to stop. The dizziness went away once I rested.

I drank water and switched to Gatorade during training, which helped temporarily, but once I reached that level of exhaustion, I couldn't seem to recover enough to continue.

Full disclosure: I'm definitely not blaming all of this on the heat or equipment. My sensei has already pointed out that my kamae is way too tense, which I'm sure is a huge contributor to how quickly I'm burning through energy. I'm actively working on relaxing more and not carrying unnecessary tension throughout practice. The other members are training just as long and not getting as burnt out as me.

I also probably didn't fuel properly today. Suring the day I'd eaten some hash browns, chocolate, peanuts and steamed vegetables, had some water and drank a Celsius. So there are several things I could probably improve.

However, I really noticed the sweating and fatigue becoming a bigger problem once I started regularly wearing the gi, hakama and bogu, particularly the men.

Has anyone else experienced something similar when transitioning into full gear?

I'm especially interested in hearing from heavy sweaters or people training in tropical/hot climates. What do you do for hydration and electrolytes before/during practice? What do you eat beforehand? Did your body eventually adapt to training in full gear? And did learning to relax your kamae make a noticeable difference in your endurance?

I'm planning to mention the heavy sweating/dizziness to my doctor as well, but I'd really appreciate hearing what has worked for other kendoka.

English subtitles are up for the past 4 videos! This time it's the Round 4&5 matches for Groups C & D. Did you have a favorite ippon? Favorite random conversation from the commentators' booth?

There were some interesting pairings in the commentator booth this time. I particular enjoyed the conversations between the three All Japan vets (Nishimura, Sato, Takemoto) in match D4, as well as the conversation between recent 8-dan Nakamura-SS and Coach Matsuno in C4. The shiai themselves are also exciting to watch -- my favorite may be D5!

Group C4: Toray vs Sumitomo Electric
https://youtu.be/V2kQ01sS9jk?si=RPLrlZpt8iQXkQPv

Group C5: Fujifilm vs Sumitomo Electric
https://youtu.be/mPM6yyIMf90?si=b4QhOJXxf2kKSv4q

Group D4: Nishi-Nippon City Bank vs Runtec
https://youtu.be/_CDzvd4D6-Y?si=q5JWwXOd_5DjZTHl

Group D5: Panasonic vs Runtec
https://youtu.be/Bjq5kiBos3g?si=zK6I5DDj-Awqj_l4

I let him borrow my current one to get measurements. This ended up being just a little bit (like an ounce and a half) lighter than my current one also

Looking for some advice as this experience im mentioning has left a pretty bad taste in my mouth (or bogu lol).

Been training for a very VERY long time in martial arts, have decided to join Kendo to enhance my skill set. The sessions really are a lot of fun, especially when I find commonality in various elements and apply what a learn into practical scenarios or even cross self defense.

Whilst if been training since the start of the year, recently work has changed things up which has resulted in me temporarily having to cut back on a lot of leisure whilst I adjust to things with work. Ii work in a highly technical and safety critical role, hence the need to put a lot of personal things on the back burner for a few weeks.

I explained the situation to my club and sensei before the fiasco happened and they seemed to be ok with it. As I near complication of my work issues, I sent a courtousey message to sensei stipulating that Im sorry for the absense but will be getting back into it etc etc.

The response was "Your low attendance is going to result in you being left behind, and you need to step it up. This is how martial arts works. When it comes to gradings and qualifying for squad there are no exceptions."

This immediately left me feeling horrible and doubtful. In all my years training (25+ years), and with my tournament achievements, belts, learnings and friendships made etc, I felt as though this sensei completely ignored my concerns or issues and dismissed everything. I have been in martial arts long enough to know that OF COURSE there cant be exceptions to gradings lol. But I never joined kendo to climb the grading ladder, no more than I joined karate to not climb the McDojo ladder. I have been raised knowing that martial arts is more than points, and its a journey. I understand some people are passionate about their training, but the big picture is that the world is a large place, life happens, and kendo is just one aspect of it.

I have also trained some Kendo overseas with japanese too, who were very different to the example above. The sensei of which even said "try to find commonality with your known martial arts and build on it to improve your kendo and vis versa". I felt this was mroe wholistic and more 'musashi' like.

Maybe i'm over my head and i should stop kendo? But something feels off, and I need some input from fellow martial artists.

The worst part about this is that with my current like of safety critical work, this exchange with my sensei has really thrown me off my game - is this the price I have to pay for being polite to my sensei? ffs

Frequent lurker, first time poster.

I’ve been practicing kendo 23 years total: started in middle school and stuck with it through to adulthood. But for a month or two over the years for work, and the collective COVID break, I’ve been more or less consistent with practice.

Title says it all: interested to hear stories from others who managed to persevere through this bottleneck; especially from any who may be parents if they are out there, as I became a dad twice over during the pandemic period.

Ganbatte kudasai

Disclaimer: English is not my native language, so please excuse me for any possible mistakes.

Hi! I have a problem with my strikes. I'm kyu 3 (F32) and it's still fairly hard for me to make them impactful and powerful throughout the whole training session as my muscles grow very tired towards the end. I know that you shouldn't involve your muscles that much but I think that the anatomy difference in men and women directly influences my problem (my build is slim and tall if that's important to the topic). I only take kendo trainings now but I'm planning to go to the gym soon.

Is this a technique issue or actually the muscle strength one? Do you guys have any tips for me? Thanks in advance!

Hi there! I'm a communication trainer and strategist and I've been doing different martial arts on and off for a while. I have recently been doing kendo and not only have been really enjoying it but also have started to notice a lot of helpful kendo training elements, translate into good communication practice, especially around high-conflict topics. I was hoping to hear if you all have noticed kendo (or other martial arts training) helping you with your communication skills or if you have translated some of that training into your daily life interaction.

For example, in kendo we have to learn how to breathe right, observe our opponent and react in harmony with them, and practice the basics SO much that in time of high-adrenaline, chaotic sparring, we have a muscle memory of the best strategies.

Similarly, when communicating with someone who we disagree with, we have to learn to take a moment to breathe and calm down, not spew facts and disagreement at them and instead slow down, listen, and observe with empathy, and practice conversation skills so many times that it becomes muscle memory and when we are in the middle of a heated discussion, we don't just snap and go wild and instead keep our composure and act strategically.

I wrote about this in the link below and will hopefully be working on a free accessible resource for everyone interested in martial arts and communication skills.

https://martialartscomms.substack.com/p/communication-lessons-from-martial

A number of people in budo have contacted me about their experiences of abuse and lack of reporting processes in their federations for reporting discrimination, harassment and abuse.

The lack of prevention and response procedures currently fail to safeguard our community members.

How can we as individual members contribute to co-creating safer and more inclusive budo spaces?

Look into your federation's policy.

Does your federation have effective and transparent policies that educate and protect members?

What are the preventative measures in place?
What are the response measures in place?

If something happened to you would you feel safe to report it?

Here is a helpful link to:

Recommended Policies to Prevent and Respond to Athlete Abuse.

https://theathletesurvivorsassist.org/resources/guides/for-institutions/recommended-policies/

En donde vivo no hay un lugar ni entrenadores que enseñen kendo así que tengo que practicar por mi cuenta. Me fabriqué un shinai que mide y pesa lo mismo que uno original con un palo de escoba, el palo pesaba menos así que tuve que agregarle 100g más recubriendolo con tela. Solo que no tengo con quien practicar de forma segura, en mi jardín armé un "blanco" de mi medida (170cm) para apuntar con velocidad.

¿Alguien que tenga más consejos para darme?

Is there a place to practice kendo in Guam?

I’m planning a trip to Guam, and it would be great if there’s a kendo dojo there.😎