kendo

Ages 9 to 12
In Japan kendo is very popular with children of all ages. They mainly start in their early years of primary school and continue through secondary school and university. Parents in Japan see kendo not only as a sport but also part of their education.
At the Australian Kendo Dojos children can start training from the age of nine onwards. They are taught the same curriculum as adults but is presented in a way to specifically meet their needs. Providing fun with the physical fitness, but just as important respect to others, self confidence and awareness.
Children may train on Sunday mornings at the Camberwell Dojo, within the same class as the adults.

When first starting kendo your rank or level is 7th Kyu, (equivalent to white belt). By taking tests you work through the ranks 6th , 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st Kyu then to Sho Dan (equivalent to Black Belt). After Sho Dan there is 2nd Dan, 3rd Dan, all the way through to 10th Dan. These gradings are held 3 times of the year.

There are three kendo tournaments held each year. They consist of Individuals, Teams and Kata divisions. Individual tournaments are where members compete individually against other members regardless from which dojo (club) they belong to. Team tournaments consist of five members from each dojo competing against five members of another dojo. This is the same with Kata tournaments except there are only two competitors to form a team.

Kendo is the art of Japanese swordsmanship that was originally developed and practiced by the Samurai. It's theory, techniques, and methods of training, have been handed down through the centuries. Although far from ancient Japan, Kendo is still trained with all the vigour, skill and enthusiasm of the days of the Samurai.

Today Kendo is practiced as a sport, but still using the same principle of perfecting mind and body. The goal of Kendo is not only to develop the physical capability of fighting, but also the moral and spiritual aspects that may be applied in coping with real life.

When training in Kendo, a kendoist wears a traditional Japanese uniform consisting of a Keikogi (jacket) and a Hakama (pants). The weapon used is called a shinai (a bamboo sword) and a Bokken is also used for practicing katas.