I have always been interested in Kenjutsu.

[NoGroinNoKrav]

I have always wanted to practice a sword art for fun. With other MA I look for self defense, but i always wanted to do a sword art just for fun.

I know of Kenjutsu and Kendo. Though I am unsure how i would go about finding a legit school. I want a school thats not full of larpers and what not but with actual sparring.

I live in Montgomery County PA in the USA. I come to ask for help on what to look for in a school and the legit groups.

[helmutlvx]

I do kendo off and on with a group that's run by a 3-dan here at the unversity

Go watch the kendo training by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Judge all others by that standard.

[daishi]

I think kendo might fit your personality more than kenjutsu....kenjutsu is a broad subject and easily can lead to LARPER types, as you say. I would love to take kendo on a regular basis but the closest decent place to me is almost 3 hours away.

[SusanMart]

I love watching Kendo!
I think it's very meditative if you watch it from a side) Kenjutsu is also good, but I love kendo a lot)))
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[babo78]

Just heads-up though. Kendo is not cheap. Initially you should be able to borrow equipment to train but as you go along you will need to get your own and they are not cheap.

As for kenjutsu, I do hear that you get a real good workout even if you LARP since swords are not light and gotta do lot of swings...

[NeilG]

Just heads-up though. Kendo is not cheap. Initially you should be able to borrow equipment to train but as you go along you will need to get your own and they are not cheap.

The equipment is not so bad, under $500 these days for a decent beginners' set. The cost is more than offset by the cheapness of the lessons, as almost every dojo is volunteer-run and as cheap as it is possible to make it. Our dojo for example is about $20/month at the local Y, or free for members. YMMV of course - dojo in big cities have to charge more, rent being what it is.

AUSKF is the governing body for kendo in the US, you can find their list of kendo dojo in PA here.

As far as "kenjutsu" - that's a broad term that encompasses a number of old schools of Japanese swordsmanship called "koryu". If you are really interested, start here.

You can find a lot more discussion of kendo and other JSA at Kendo World.

[helmutlvx]

Just heads-up though. Kendo is not cheap. Initially you should be able to borrow equipment to train but as you go along you will need to get your own and they are not cheap.

Oh man, this.

My shinai and bokken ran me $50, a hakama will probably be around $100 and the armor $250. And that's the cheap stuff.

[Coach Josh]

I am still looking for a Kendo instructor

[NeilG]

I think you're SOL in Lafayette, Josh. Closest I know of is New Orleans. You can try posting a question on Kendo World - if anyone knows of anything closer, it will be the guys there.

My shinai and bokken ran me $50, a hakama will probably be around $100 and the armor $250. And that's the cheap stuff.

So you're into it for $400? That's a good pair of hockey skates or a middling set of golf clubs. Plus it's not like you're buying bogu every year. I've had 2 sets in over 25 years of practice, plus an extra pair of kote.

[Rock Ape]

You know I have a spare bogu of fairly good quality (Nine Circles 2.5mm) gathering dust and I can't find anyone here in the UK (SERIOUSLY) who wants to take it off my hands. I've been in contact with a number of BKA clubs offering it as a donation to the cause and for one reason or another it's still here. WTF is the world coming too ? lol

[Robert W]

Not to knock Kendo, but it's a sport and not really a martial art.

As for "kenjustu", just as others have already mentioned, it's a broad subject open to many, many interpretations. Have you checked to see if there are any legitimate kobudo/jutsu teachers in your area?

You might want to try using the Swordforum.com site to make finding a good school a little easier.

[helmutlvx]

I think you're SOL in Lafayette, Josh. Closest I know of is New Orleans. You can try posting a question on Kendo World - if anyone knows of anything closer, it will be the guys there.
So you're into it for $400? That's a good pair of hockey skates or a middling set of golf clubs. Plus it's not like you're buying bogu every year. I've had 2 sets in over 25 years of practice, plus an extra pair of kote.

It seems expensive to me since the most I've ever paid for a karate gi was $60. Even then I felt like I was wasting money.

You do have a good point though. Just doing cutting practice with shinai isn't too much wear and tear on bogu, and the armor (You cut "do" on it, I dunno what it's called) is much tougher than you'd expect

edit: Wait a minute. Bogu should refer to the armor part. There's the helmet (men) then the gloves (kote)

I can never remember that shit.

[NeilG]

Not to knock Kendo, but it's a sport and not really a martial art.

Depends on how you define terms. Kendo has a sport aspect to it for sure, but it's budo all the same. If what you want is to learn how to handle real swords though, kendo is not for you.

It seems expensive to me since the most I've ever paid for a karate gi was $60. Even then I felt like I was wasting money.

You must have a low threshold for spending cash. A pair of jeans and a t-shirt will run you $60 these days, never mind a good karate-gi.

[Coach Josh]

Yes the sport based martial arts teach you nothing. I mean Judo and Kendo are so sport oriented that you will gain no benefits from actually competing against someone. I mean we would all be better off learning a martial art that deals in actual resistance like Aikido.

[Robert W]

Yes the sport based martial arts teach you nothing. I mean Judo and Kendo are so sport oriented that you will gain no benefits from actually competing against someone. I mean we would all be better off learning a martial art that deals in actual resistance like Aikido.

If you're taking either Kendo or Judo,and not learning ANYTHING then you are either pretty dense or you need to get another teacher.

As for Aikido, there's a lot of bad stuff being taught out there as well. Tons of "hippy-dippy", "unify with your partner's energy baloney".

The problem with Kendo, is that because you are wearing armor and because you are using a shinai, you tend to lose your sense of martial awareness because of it.

As I have no experience with Judo whatsover, I can not comment on its relative merits or disadvantages, but I can make an educated guess from my own training that from what I've seen of Judo, it's not something one does lightly.