A pedagogical approach of kendo: Keiken Suru

Book excerpt: The word kendo means “the way of the sword”. Well beyond the technical skills, it relates to our emotional and intellectual skills. If in Japan, and more generally in Asia, this multidimensionality of kendo is straightforward and fully apprehend, this is not yet the case all around the World, where the practice of kendo still needs to gain maturity to blossom. The heart, strength and soul of the Japanese kendo is undeniable, and we must inspire ourselves from its rich history. However, we have to be careful of the shortcut residing in the temptation of a “copy and paste”. This easy way will lead to the edification of a fade kendo without any character and soul. On the contrary, we should inspire ourselves from the Japanese reference to build a kendo culture, that will rely on our own experience and traditions, the roots of our strength and singularity. This book proposes a multidimensional pedagogical approach of both learning and teaching kendo, where beginners, as well as experts, are going to find relevant and practical materials for daily practice. Moreover, any isolated trainee can find in this manual, references to guide his practice and monitor his improvements. Keiken suru, means “to make the experience”; so Embrace your own Experience with Force, Efficiency and Soberness.