# is Kendo as fun as it looks? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 15, 2004, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kendo-as-fun-as-it-looks/229324 "2004-02-15T07:33:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kendo-as-fun-as-it-looks/229324/21 "2004-02-16T19:44:03Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > Because those 2 gentlemen’s works don’t apply to the average SCA fighter. I can see that. Still I was hoping to meet with some historical fencers too, but that might have been expecting too much for my first trip. I’m going to ask some of the SCA fighters directly next time around see if they can steer me in the right direction. ---
**Author:** ![Sweetums](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Sweetums](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweetums)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kendo-as-fun-as-it-looks/229324/22 "2004-02-16T20:03:34Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > I didn’t see where you were coming from. I started on the road to joining up. I went with a friend to a local meeting in central Jersey and watched some of the bouts with rattan sticks, had some fun watching the kiddies go at it 😉 Also had a lot of fun drinking and eating, lot of good food. > > But we never really met anyone who had much to say to us. I did speak with one of the organizers (I think) and I plan on attending another meet in a month, hopefully with better results 😉 > > Unfortunately I didn’t meet anyone who knew whom Cappo Ferro or Sigmund Ringeck were ☹ ``` From an SCA fencer: ``` Cappo Ferro, 17th century Italian master, mostly linear style. ``` Sigmund Ringeck: German fechtbuch, aware of it, but I havn't really studied it much. ``` Prefer Saviolo and Marazzo myself. ``` Hi Kinthalis, you probably figured that I would wander in here sooner or later. ``` 😃 ``` As for the SCA, yes there is indeed much more emphisis on period study and technique in the SCA as of late. There is, however a gap between the Rattan comunity and the Fencing comunity as to the actual degree of period study involved. While both are valid martial arts (or at least sports), SCA fencing has begun in recent years to take a much more scholarly approach. In Certain Kingdoms, the Rattan comunity has begun to follow. So I am willing to bet that I could find more than a few of the local Rattan fighters who have read Ringeck. As for Kendo, yep it's definitly a sport, much like modern fencing. Like modern fencing, while it is based on a system of swordplay, it has diverged from those roots. Tried it once, didn't have the time to continue it along with other activites. Is it fun? Heck yeah, just don't expect the techniques to be much help if you are attacked by Ninjas. ``` 😉 Sweetums ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kendo-as-fun-as-it-looks/229324/23 "2004-02-16T20:14:14Z")
**Sweetums** won’t you consider moving to Jersey?! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kendo-as-fun-as-it-looks/229324/24 "2004-02-16T22:02:29Z")
A word of advice… If you’re (then) Japanese foreign exchange student girlfriend asks you to “play” Kendo with her, make sure to ask her if she was ranked as one of the best in her perfecture in highschool. Then ask her if she intends to break the Shinai over your head in the first 15 seconds of “play”. If the answer to either question is “yes”, politely decline the offer. I speak from experience :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Sweetums](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Sweetums](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweetums)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kendo-as-fun-as-it-looks/229324/25 "2004-02-16T23:13:05Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > **Sweetums** won’t you consider moving to Jersey?! 🙂 Thanks for the complement! ``` Or YOU could move to Western Pa. Rolling hills, woodlandss lots of people to fence with. There are quite a few SCA fencers in about a 200 mile radius of Pittsburgh. Within a two hour drive there are five different groups. Fencers from each group reguraly attend each other's practices and share lessons and observations. There really is a strong and thriving period fencing comunity around here. Ya see, it's all part of my cunning plan to amass my own private army and... ``` FENCE WITH EACH OTHER Bwah ha ha… That and fight ninjas… …darn ninjas. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kendo-as-fun-as-it-looks/229324/26 "2004-02-17T04:26:08Z")
I did Kendo for about a year. It started out quite fun, but the moves are really limited. Really, there are only 3 strikes and minor variations of the same that are valid. Fortunately the yelling, though encouraged, is optional. It is fun hitting people with the sticks, and it hurts a bit to get hit yourself so it’s pretty macho in that regard. Course, I had crappy second hand armor so that might not have helped in the protection bit. Learning the kata’s were fun, but ulimately the limited moves got boring so I quit. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kendo-as-fun-as-it-looks/229324/27 "2004-02-17T06:00:31Z")
If you want to hit someone with sticks and generally have a good time, try Kali or if that isn’t available try escrima. Both of these use rattan sticks either alone or in pairs and the attacks and defenses are taught in a manner that allows you to learn quickly. I tried Kendo for a few months but, like many of the people here, found it boring as hell. I tried a few of the counters from Kali in the class but was promptly informed that those techniques were for use by someone in a street fight whereas Kendo was a Japanese gentleman’s sport. Regards Testy [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kendo-as-fun-as-it-looks/229324.md?page=1)