GIAG SESSIONS
Give-it-a-go sessions will be on 27th September, Friday and and 4th October, Friday for the 2024/2025 Academic year.
Location: Roger Bettles Sports Centre "Studio 2" (Next to Student Village)
Time: 17:30 to 18:30
Price: FREE!
How to Purchase?: Get your Free ticket (£0) from the event's tab! (We need this to have a rough idea of how many people will be turning up; let us know if have issues booking)
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.
Semeser-1 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 for the first semester.
Full Membership - £50; This tier comes with your own personal shinai, which you get to keep! It 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! Friday sessions for members of this tier are free!
Sessions
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.
Location: Roger Bettles Sports Centre "Studio 2" (Next to Student Village)
Time: 17:30 to 18:30 every Friday.
Price: £2 for Semester-1 membership holders; Free for Full Membership holders. (Non-members can't participate)
How to Purchase?: Purchase tickets from events tab. (If you are a yearly membership holder please buy the free ticket to register attendance so we know who to expect)
Special Beginners course
This special beginners course is offered by Gaku Shi Juku Kendo Kai, the local kendo dojo in Leicester. It is a shortned version of their own beginners course in order to fit into the dynamic student schedule. It will include introduction into ettiquette, technique, footwork, coordination and access to armour which you can borrow for free once you are ready. This is available to both membership types!
Location: Top Floor Studio, Unit 36 Faircharm Trading Estate, Leicester, LE3 2BU
Time: 19:00 - 19:55 every Monday
Price: £50
First session: 7th October 2024
Last session: 2nd December 2024
How to Purchase?: Purchase as a product from the "Products" page.
Note: The entire price for this course goes to the local dojo! They are a non for profit club entirely dedicated to the practicing and teaching of Kendo. All money goes towards paying for the hire of the dojo and to maintain membership to the British Kendo Association. Any extra is used to buy equipment for everyone to use and reduce costs to all members. If you want to joing this course you need to register with the BKA which you can do via this link: https://www.britishkendoassociation.com/membershiptypes/ . Doing so will make sure you are insured while practicing! (it should £25 + £10 one time registration fee; the membership last 1 year from the day you got it.)
Contacts
We have Instagram (@uolkendo) and a whatsapp group (request to be added) 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! All their information is available at: https://leicesterkendo.com/