What is Kendo?
Kendo (剣道 kendō, lit. "sword way") is a traditional Japanese martial art, which descended from swordsmanship (kenjutsu) and uses bamboo swords (shinai) and protective armour (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and many other nations across the world.
Kendo training is quite noisy in comparison to some other martial arts or sports. This is because kendōka use a shout, or kiai (気合い), to express their fighting spirit when striking. Additionally, kendōka execute fumikomi-ashi (踏み込み足), an action similar to a stamp of the front foot, when making a strike.
Like some other martial arts, kendōka train and fight barefoot. Kendo is ideally practiced in a purpose-built dōjō, though standard sports halls and other venues are often used.
Kendo techniques comprise both strikes and thrusts. Strikes are only made towards specified target areas (打突-部位 datotsu-bui) on the wrists, head, or body, all of which are protected by armour. The targets are men, sayu-men or yoko-men (upper, left or right side of the men), the right kote at any time, the left kote when it is in a raised position, and the left or right side of the dō. Thrusts (突き tsuki) are only allowed to the throat. However, since an incorrectly performed thrust could cause serious injury to the opponent's neck, thrusting techniques in free practice and competition are often restricted to senior dan graded kendōka.
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PRESTON KEN SHIN KAI
Kendo in Preston is held at Preston Ken Shin Kai, under the guidance of experienced Kendo teacher - Andy Fisher (Kendo Renshi 6th Dan).
We practice once per week at Preston College, and follow a traditional method of Kendo practice, keeping close links with teachers in Japan.
Beginners and experienced Kendoka are welcome - but if you are brand new to Kendo, we would ask for you to join one of our periodic beginners’ courses, details of which can be found here. Currently we accept beginners aged 14yrs and older, and experienced Kendoka of all ages.
KEN SHIN KAI is written in Japanese using the characters ‘sword‘ (剣), ‘spirit‘ (心), and ‘group’ (会), so can be roughly translated as the group for training the spirit through using the sword. Our motto is 剣は心なり - Ken Wa Kokoro Nari - which means the sword becomes the spirit, and is made up of two of the characters used to write Ken Shin Kai.
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INSTRUCTORS
Andy Fisher - Kendo Renshi 6th Dan
Andy has represented Great Britain in 7 European Championships, and 4 World Kendo Championships. In 2013 Andy became the first ever British athlete to compete in the Kendo event at the SportAccord World Combat Games.
In 2009 Andy moved to Japan, and whilst continuing to enjoy tournament success on the Japanese circuit, he taught Kendo to children and young adults until 2017 when he returned to the UK.
Andy currently holds the rank of 6th Dan in Kendo in the UK, is the coach of the British National Kendo Team, a grading panelist and Level 4 National Coach for the British Kendo Association, and a fluent Japanese speaker. Andy was awarded the title of ‘Renshi’ from the All Japan Kendo Federation in May 2020
Andy is also the CEO and founder of KendoStar.
Miyuki Fisher - Kendo 5th Dan
Miyuki was born and raised in Fukuoka, Japan, where she began her practice of Kendo at the age of 6 years old. Throughout her youth, Miyuki enjoyed a successful competitive career in Japan, and attended one of the country’s most prestigious high schools.
In 2002 Miyuki first came to the UK to study English, and whilst helping to coach the UK Womens’ team, she became the UK Womens’ Individual Champion. She made her second trip to the UK in 2007, where she met Andy at a Kendo club in London.
In addition to her Kendo skills, Miyuki is also a qualified Japanese language teacher.
GALLERY
LOCATION
Warton Village Hall
2 Church Road
Warton
Preston
PR4 1BE
Practice Times
WEDNESDAYS - 19:30 - 21:30
If you are interested in starting Kendo, please see the information about our next beginners’ course.
Practice Fee: £5 per practice.
OUR NEXT BEGINNERS COURSE WILL START SOON!
SIGN UP HERE
THE KENDO SHOW
The Kendo Show is one of the most watched Kendo instructional channels on YouTube. The show is presented by our head instructor, Andy FIsher, and features videos pertaining to a wide variety of Kendo topics.
Here is an example of one of our most popular videos - the first episode of the series ‘Kendo: Zero to Shodan’:
Kendo Equipment
Kendo requires the use of various equipment, so that it may be practiced safely, and correctly. Beginners to Kendo are not required to purchase all of the equipment at the start - and the basic gear that is needed is provided as part of the Beginner’s Course. After the beginner’s course the next step would be a uniform, but the Armor (or Bogu) is not normally required for some time after that - you should budget to purchase a set within 3-6 months of having started Kendo. The price of equipment can vary dependent on quality, and can increase with addition of luxury features. Our head instructor - Andy Fisher - is a Kendo equipment professional, who operates one of the world’s most popular equipment companies, and as Kendo is a full contact activity, that relies heavily on the equipment for safety, we ask that all equipment purchases are organized through the club. This way, we can be certain that all members are protected by safe equipment, and are not being charged over-the-odds for below-standard gear. Even better, Preston Ken Shin Kai members have access to equipment from KendoStar at special discounted prices.
The KendoStar brand was launched with the goal of bringing top quality, Japanese Kendo equipment to the Kendoka of the world. Further, it is our goal to offer equipment that is specifically designed and selected to cater to the specific needs of Kendoka outside of Japan. With KendoStar you can be assured of exceptional quality, delivered with unrivalled service.
See more at - www.kendostar.com