Comments for How old do you start kendo at?

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Dec 20, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Along with kendo
by: soyuz

I heard that practicing Tai chi would be good by means of "loosening up the joints" for older kendokas...is that true?   Thanks.

Kendo-Guide.Com: I don't know. My knowledge of Tai Chi is limited. But I can see why people say that. You should try if it works for you. Yoga may be helpful too.

The most important thing is that you have to know the physical limit of your body. It is very important to learn the kendo movements gradually.

I recommend that you should do suburi very slowly. While doing so, you can learn how your body is moving. If you feel a pain or some kind of pressure in a joint, you should go back to your teacher or a book such as Kendo Guide for Beginners.

This also helps you to find your bad habits. Make some time to check yourself slowly. You really should know what you are doing. Once you know what you are actually doing, you can improve smoothly.

Hope this helps.
Dec 11, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Older Beginners
by: John M

I read of a Japanese lady (in Japan) who started kendo when she was 60 and reached go-dan at the age of 70!

Kendo is very safe indeed.  But as a Japanese high ranking sensei said before a three day seminar a number of years ago, "safety first" - if you feel you have to stop, just step back, sit and properly remove men, etc.'.

Also check with your doctor before beginning.

And another thing that I recommend for older kendoka, especially if you have say only one or two practices a week, is to do additional conditioning, like jogging, and very important stretching. Additional conditioning when you're older really, really makes a difference. 

Diet is an issue with older people also.  Get into your weight range as recommended. You lose 20 lbs (about 9kg) (assuming someone is over their weight range for their age, height, etc.) and you'll see the difference in your kendo!

Also I found doing kendo is a great motivator in terms of keeping fit and adding additional conditioning exercises to your normal kendo weekly classes.

Kendo-Guide.Com: Thank you for your post. I am sure many people find this very helpful. Starting kendo at the age of 60! Very impressive and we all know it is not impossible. It is the beauty of kendo, isn?t it?

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