Welcome to Kendo Club!

We are happy to see you are interested in the amazing world of Kendo. What is Kendo you say? Kendo is a martial art which utilises a "shinai" (bamboo replacement of the japanese katana) to engage in full-contact sword-fighting. For protection we use "bogu" (armour) which heavily reduces (and usually completely removes) any physical sensation of pain that would usually be felt if struck without the armour. Kendo's roots can be traced back to the Japanese samurai and therefore much of the etiquette and rules in Kendo trace their way back to old Samurai traditions and behaviours. 

Kendo is also much more. The Japanese word for Kendo is comprised of two components - "Ken", meaning "sword", and "Do", meaning "way". Therefore Kendo can be translated as "the way of the sword". Kendo isn't all about fighting and winning. Kendo is also about fostering the human mind and spirit through the lessons and wisdom the sword can teach us. The following is taken from the British Kendo Association website and perfectly represents the spirit of Kendo:

 

Concept
Kendo is a way to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana.

 Purpose
To mold the mind and body.
To cultivate a vigorous spirit,
 And through correct and rigid training,
To strive for improvement in the art of Kendo.
To hold in esteem human courtesy and honor.
To associate with others with sincerity.
And to forever pursue the cultivation of oneself.
Thus will one be able:
To love ones country and society.
To contribute to the development of culture
And to promote peace and prosperity among all peoples.

 

Kendo is a sport open to absolutely everyone, no matter your sex, gender, religion, or race. We all practice together on equal footing and strive to be better both as humans and as kendo practitioners. If you want to experience part of the remaining samurai culture of Japan, if you want to learn to grow yourself as a person by learning more about the way of the sword, or if you simply want to learn how to bonk people on the head with a sword then Kendo is definitelly for you! What if you are none of the above? Then don't worry Kendo is still definitely for you too - we all find different meaning and motivation behind what we do and why we do it. So, come along to one of our many free taster sessions to come and experience the world of Kendo!!!

Memberships

As a new society, our main source of funding will be from everyone that wants to do Kendo. As such, membership prices have been set in a way that minimises costs to members and allows us to buy the neccessary equipment needed for practice. 

Standard Membership - £15; This tier makes you an official member of the club which makes you eligible to partake in all practice sessions as well as participate in member only events and outings.

Advanced Membership - £30; This tier gives the same permisions as the one above but also grants access to our exclusive trade discount from Leicester Martial Arts Superstore, which members can use to purchase their Kendo gear once ready to committ! In future years this tier will also include ability to partake in advanced kendo sessions exclusive to advanced membership holders. The price reflects the money you would save by using our membership, while also giving us extra support to provide even better sesssions!

Sessions

Regular sessions will take place in the Roger Bettles Sports Centre "Studio 2" at 17:30 to 18:30 every Friday. The sessions are run by Alex Coley, 5th dan, who is also teaching at the already existing dojo in Leicester, Gaku shi juku kendo kai (more on this at the end of this page). These sessions are for members only and require you to buy a ticket for every session, priced at £2.5. You can pay for the sessions by purchasing tickets from the "events" tab. You may be asked to show the receipt from your purchase, which you should receive in your sudent e-mail ibox after every purchase.

 

Contacts

We have Instagram (@uolkendo) and a whatsapp group (https://chat.whatsapp.com/GVCuKTDc1nACTPB5pLHOC4) where we keep everyone updated on what is happening with events, practice sessions, and casual hangouts. For any questions or queries please contact us via direct message on instagram, joining and messaging the whatsapp group or using our university e-mail at su-kendo@le.ac.uk (we don't take breaks so please don't worry about contacting us at an "inconvenient time" - no such thing!!)

 

Wait, you are already hooked and can't wait to do more Kendo?

Well, great news!! There is another dojo in Leicester called Gaku Shi Juku Kendo Kai. In fact, the sensei there have been extremely nice to offer to help teach at uni as well. So, if you love Kendo and want to do lots and lots of Kendo, then speak to the people over at Gaku Shi Juku! Keep in mind if you are really eager to start Kendo your best bet is to join their beginner course which starts on 15th January, otherwise we look forward to seeing you in one of our taster sessions through out term two! All their information is available at: https://leicesterkendo.com/