We Travel Together
Niagara | Kendo Club
by Mark Kawabe
1y ago
Happy 2023! We’re in the middle of our January new student intake session. Someone asked the other day what the atmosphere of the club is like. I enjoy questions like these because it makes me think about how the club has developed over the past 18 years and how it’s likely to evolve in future. I like to think our club is: Friendly Welcoming Inclusive Accepting Supportive My goal is to share my love of kendo with other people. For those who come to the dojo, I encourage, challenge, and support them on their kendo journey. That’s the approach I take, and as people develop their kendo, it is ..read more
Visit website
Kendo Injuries and Recovery
Niagara | Kendo Club
by Mark Kawabe
1y ago
I’ve had my fair share of kendo injuries. Sometimes they’ve been broken bones (one wrist from falling during drills, two toes from playing stupidly), but mostly they’ve been soft-tissue injuries. Think muscle sprains, strains, and tendonitis. Like many kendoka, I was encouraged to play through soft-tissue injuries. “It makes you stronger.” “It’s good for you.” “It’s part of kendo.”   ** BULLSHIT ** In my opinion, none of the above reasons are valid. Playing through a soft-tissue injury means it will take longer to heal. You also run the risk of further injury as you compensate for your b ..read more
Visit website
Last Chance to Join for the Summer
Niagara | Kendo Club
by Mark Kawabe
2y ago
Just wanted to remind folks that we are approaching the end of May, which means your chance to start your kendo training this summer is slipping away! Registration for the summer session of kendo closes on May 31. If you’re interested in joining after that, you’ll have to wait until September. The Niagara Kendo Club accepts new kendo students in January, May, and September. We hope we’ll see you in the dojo soon!     The post Last Chance to Join for the Summer appeared first on Niagara Kendo Club ..read more
Visit website
Memories of Gill Sensei
Niagara | Kendo Club
by Mark Kawabe
2y ago
This is harder to write than I thought it would be. It occurs to me that some point while I’m writing this, Gill Sensei is heading home. When I went to visit him for the last time on Tuesday, he said he was going to hang out with Ip Man and the other masters when he got there. I asked him to save a keiko for me. I was a younger man when I first stepped into the dojo of the St. Catharines Kendo Club. My wife and kids were taking karate at the Glenridge Martial Arts Academy and I’d heard there was a kendo club starting there. I’d been out of kendo for several years at that point and for various ..read more
Visit website
Kendo Equipment for Beginners
Niagara | Kendo Club
by Mark Kawabe
2y ago
Starting your kendo journey is easy: just get to the dojo regularly. Just as easy is the equipment you’ll need, because you really don’t need much. Here’s the equipment we suggest for new students. Bokuto Set (wooden swords) – long and short – including tsuba (hilt guards) Shinai (bamboo swords) x 2 – including tsuba Kendogi (uniform top) and Hakama (uniform bottom) Shinai bag (that can carry at least 3 shinai) to carry shinai and bokuto Beginners don’t need bogu (armour) when they start. The transition to contact drills and sparring doesn’t have a set duration at our club: it depends on an ..read more
Visit website
CanFitPro Certification
Niagara | Kendo Club
by Mark Kawabe
2y ago
In May 2021 I decided it might be beneficial to have more knowledge about physical training so I enrolled in a course to become a Personal Training Specialist (PTS) through the canfitpro organization. I passed the theory portion in May. In hindsight, I should have booked my practical exam at that time but didn’t. Fast forward to November 2021. I remembered I had 6 months in which to complete my practical test, so I booked it and did a virtual exam this past weekend. I had to create a workout program based on the goals of a sample client, then demonstrate how I would run the initial class with ..read more
Visit website
Kendo in the Era of Covid-19: Part V
Niagara | Kendo Club
by Mark Kawabe
2y ago
These have been challenging times for martial arts dojos, gyms, yoga studios, fitness studios, sports clubs, and all manner of businesses and organizations. As Ontario moves toward “Step 3” of its reopening plan, it seems we will be able to move indoors again. Outdoor training’s been hit and miss (pardon the pun) between heat and weather conditions. What will our kendo training look like next week once we’re back in the great indoors? Not Yet “Normal” I think it seems likely we’ll be able to get closer to resuming our usual activities, with some exceptions. If you would like to read the reope ..read more
Visit website
Kendo in the Covid-19 Era: Part IV
Niagara | Kendo Club
by Mark Kawabe
3y ago
We’ve now had our first practice working under the “Orange” level of Covid-19 restrictions that require us to have a 3m distance between students when training. Last week we didn’t have classes so this week was the first test of the system, so to speak. I’d say it went well enough that we’ll continue. In the meantime, here’s a video we shot earlier in the season discussing some of the protocols and precautions we’re taking in the dojo to keep everyone healthy. I hope you enjoy! If you have any questions, please let me know ? The post Kendo in the Covid-19 Era: Part IV appeared first on Ni ..read more
Visit website
Kendo in the Covid-19 Era: Part III
Niagara | Kendo Club
by Mark Kawabe
3y ago
Ontario has moved to a more restrictive level of its Covid-19 response framework. Niagara is now subject to the “orange” level of restrictions. It seemed another call to Niagara Region Public Health was in order. I spoke to the same person (Matt H.) as I did last week. He said I was on his list of people to call as he had received some more guidance about whether or not the distancing restrictions announced last week applied to us. (See previous post for that discussion.) In short, we now have to maintain a 3 meter distance between students during training sessions, even though we are masked ..read more
Visit website
Kendo in the Covid-19 Era: Part II
Niagara | Kendo Club
by Mark Kawabe
3y ago
So . . . the Ontario government has released a new Covid-19 Response Framework. For your reading pleasure, here’s the link: https://files.ontario.ca/moh-covid-19-response-framework-keeping-ontario-safe-and-open-en-2020-11-08.pdf Niagara is in the yellow “Protect” level of the framework. What does this mean for us? The measures that are in place for Sports and Recreational Fitness are as follows: Face coverings required except when exercising Increase spacing between patrons to 3m for areas of a sport or recreational facility where there are weights / weight machines and exercise / fitness cla ..read more
Visit website

Follow Niagara | Kendo Club on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR