Starting kendo at Wakaba

Please visit Wakaba any Saturday. You can have a look our practice or join into a suitable group on that day. The first practice is free as a trial then please decide whether you want to start Kendo or not.

When you decided to start Kendo you need to do:

  1. Download application forms from this web and fill them then bring or email it to the dojo. We will confirm the practice fee later on.
  2. You need to send BKA membership application by yourself with an appropriate amount check. As Kendo is a martial art, you need to be insured. Please register yourself with British Kendo Association. This is the yearly registration so you have to renew it every year. At some point of registration, you will be asked the dojo password which is “Britannia”.
  3. You can buy your own SHINAI, bamboo stick. Usually we have stocks at Wakaba. Please ask at the dojo.

Initially you may wear any casual T-shirt and long tracksuit bottoms for Kendo practice. Do not wear accessories or watches. Fingernails and toenails should be cut short.

You may wear Kendo equipment after the Instructor has given his/her approval. You will not need armour for the first 1 to 2 terms at least, depending on progress. After the Instructor's permission, "Do" and "Tare" may be worn, and then later, also with the Instructor's permission "Men" and "Kote" may be worn.

While injuries in the Dojo during practice may be covered by insurance through the auspices of the BKA (details available upon request) you are responsible for the proper care and maintenance of your equipment according to the club guidance. (Especially with regards to "Shinai" which, in a splintered or cracked state, can be dangerous.) It is obviously convenient, if you attend practice in armour, to have two Shinai in good condition.

Please keep in mind that good warm-up exercises can protect you from physical injuries. Qualified instructors will help you do proper warm-up exercises. Injuries outside the Dojo, or outside the normal practice hours, will not be covered by insurance. As a consequence, it is necessary for the parent/guardian to carefully watch and guide young children before and after the practice time.

If you have questions about what equipment you need, please ask the club management staff. Shinai, Kendo-gi (top kimono), Hakama (Japanese traditional trousers), Bougu (protective equipment, i.e. Do, Tare, Men, Kote).

For safety reasons, please check your Shinai regularly before and after practice to make sure it is not split or damaged. You will need to purchase Kendo-gi and Hakama at a later stage. It is most desirable for everyone to purchase his/her own Bougu, but if you are under eighteen years old, it is possible to rent Bougu at the beginning. You need to wear the right size. If there is no stock, you may have to wait for a while.