I went to watch practice for the first time; a student recommended his dojo to me, but I still wanted to see what it was like and talk to the sensei first. I was a bit intimidated -- but not for the reasons you might expect. When I went to watch practice, all of the students were elementary children. Only a few of them have double-digit ages.
I still thought it looked incredibly interesting, despite the age gap. Kendo is, after all, sort of like little league in Japan; it's something that people generally start when they're young. I hear it also used to be a part of the physical education curriculum, which I can understand. It's quite a workout!
After practice ended, I met the sensei, and he was incredibly warm and welcoming. He told me about kendo, then iaido (form practice with a blunt sword), then jodo (staff practice), though the jodo practice was way too far away for me to be able to attend. He also completely soothed my worries when it came to practicing with children, so I told him I would come to the next practice ready to go. He said that it was fine to come in sportswear since I was a beginner.
I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed; not only do I like keikogi (the "karate uniform" top) and hakama (pleated skirtlike pants) that kenshi (kendo practitioners) wear, but I wanted to fit in with the kids so I didn't stand out even more. Much, much greater than my disappointment was my eagerness to start.
Speaking of not fitting in, I only saw one student who wasn't wearing the bogu, or armor, that kenshi generally wear when they're advanced enough for contact sparring. That student also stood out because she was a girl. I wasn't very surprised, since half of the kenshi I know are female, but I was glad that I wouldn't be the only one without bogu.
Armed with a form to fill out, I returned home, completely excited about starting practice.
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