I just got back from teaching a Kendo class, and started thinking about why I stuck with Kendo for so many years:
Karate has always been a huge martial art. And now with MMA dominating TV, a lot of people are getting into Jiujitsu. However, I learned Kendo in my freshman year of college, and even while taking Karate alongside it, Kendo has always been my favorite martial art. When I first learned how to strike the head, I was still learning how to hold the shinai properly. I was trying to learn my footwork, as well, and also remember to shout “Men!!” as I connected with the helmet.
Then the wrist and the stomach (kote and do, respectively) were the same. And around year two of doing kendo, I started seeing a pattern. Warm up, do 100 strikes, do 100 more strikes, rest, end class. You’d put the strikes with footwork, you’d strike after avoiding an attack, you’d strike after parrying. But the strike was always the same. And there were only three. And they all were done in a similar fashion. When I joined a dojo after college, I thought, “I’m going to learn some new techniques!” What did I learn? Men, Kote, and Do. And also footwork.
I’ve been doing Kendo for years now, and I’m still learning the basics. What’s going on? I didn’t realize it, but things were getting easier. But all I was doing was striking the head. As I progressed, and as my sensei started pushing me harder, I was picking up power and speed on my fumikomi. Also, I was leaping farther, and everything was falling into place. Sensei told me I broke the code. That’s when I figured it all out.
Kendo is so different from other martial arts, in that it feels simple at first. Once you pick up the strikes and all the basics (and there aren’t many) it seems like there’s something more. But those simple things, after repeating them over and over, become more complex, and at times, some of the most difficult parts of the martial art.
This also goes for Kendo katas. The katas are so basic, consisting of usually less than 4 moves. However, to master the katas and make them look flawless, it takes years and years of learning the subtleties of the kata. And with 10 katas, it takes a long time. It’s amazing that one of the most aggressive martial arts is actually at times the most zen-like and calming. In many martial arts, you’re chasing the next belt, or the next kata. In Kendo, I’m still chasing my basics, trying to continuously improve them, since that’s all you have to work with. It’s a very backwards martial art at times, and to some, seems like you’re just going in circles. But if you retread ground 50 times over, you see everything with a different eye, and that’s where all the improvement happens.
