Comments for Dangers of Kendo

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Aug 19, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Other Injuries in Kendo Practice
by: Santiago B. Tejada

I understand there have been cases of hyperthermia reported due to practice with thick kendogi and bogu set on warm climate. Also, there is a good chance of developing "plantar fasciitis" due to the prolonged standing position of the left foot on the ball of the foot. Nothing you can't prevent with proper practice and care.

Kendo-Guide.Com: Thank you for the input. When I was young, we were not allowed to sip water during training. But as we all know, you SHOULD drink water during training. Even when you are not training, apparently we need to drink 1.5 litres of water per day (this info is old). Maybe more now.

If you are new to kendo, you must gradually increase the amount of practice. Kendo has many new movements you have never done in your life so your body needs time to adjust to the kendo movements.

Build up good basics at the beginning. Give yourself a lot of time to learn the basics. You will be amazed how quickly you will improve in the future.
May 27, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Senpais take some responsibility
by: Matt

Very often it isn't obvious when you shinai is broken, which is why it is important to check it before every practice, and occasionally during.

Additionally as a higher ranking person in a dojo, I take some responsibility to point out unsafe shinai and to help juniors repair or retie them.

I don't know how it works, but often I can 'sense' something is wrong with a shinai and usually ask to see it, and often it is broken, I suspect it has to do with the striking/bending characteristic being different from a normal shinai.

I would not expect beginners or juniors to have a good sense for this. Ultimately it is your responsibility however and you should check you shinai before practice at a minimum, but before after and occasionally during would be best.

Kendo-Guide.Com: Good comment. Thank you. Yes, people with higher graders should keep eye on the shinai of their juniors.

Signs of a broken shinai and the time to check:

1. Something falling from a shinai: You can feel something falling on your face. When you feel that, you'd better check your partner's shinai.
2. You can see a line on the surface: When you see a line (crack), or the surface of the bamboo looks puffed up a bit, take the shinai apart and check inside.
3. When the tsuru (string) is twisted (not straight): When the tsuru of a shinai is twisted, that means the tsuru is too loose, or the tsuka-gawa (the handle) is too loose.
4. A shinai makes too much noise: When the nakajime (the white leather part to tie the 4 pieces of bamboo together between the saki-gawa and the tsuka-gawa) is loose, your shinai becomes noisy.

Hope this helps.

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