SaigonNezumi.com » Kendo

Saturday night Kendo in Saigon

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:01:38 +0000

Made it to my third Kendo class this week. I really enjoyed it though I got another blister on the bottom of my left foot. My right ankle swelled up a little so I need to find a really good ankle brace. Despited working out in the gym for nearly 3 months, I am still a bit out of shape for kendo as well. It is quite demanding but I am loving it.

I practiced kendo today at the dojo located on 235 Nguyen Van Cu in District 5. This dojo is ideal for beginner kendokas in Saigon.

Below are some pictures I took with my G1. I will try to bring a digital camera so I can get some clear shots in the future.

(My ICT student, Si, on the left)

(My men (helmet) is crooked…)

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Swollen Foot – 6 weeks later

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:42:10 +0000

I know the guys from my Kendo dojo are wondering where I have been for the past 6 weeks. I thought my ankle was finally healed but last week, it started to swell up again. This surprised me a bit. Injuries in tropical climates, such as Vietnam, just seem to take forever to heal.

I am now using Fastum Gel which, as my pharmacist told me, will heal help the ankle heal from the inside (translation, sorry). Before, I had wrapped my ankle and used Tiger Balm to get the swelling down. The pharmacist also gave me several other medicine, which, I used only once. He also wanted me to stop wearing shoes.

Boy, I hate sport injuries.

(My poor swollen ankle)

(Fastum Gel)

(The other meds which I used only once)

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Saigon Kendo Classes

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Sun, 17 May 2009 10:57:29 +0000

Last Friday I completed one full week of Kendo lessons. In the past, the only martial arts classes I ever took was high school wrestling, hand to hand combat training in the US Marine Corps, and finally Aikido here in Saigon. I did not take an interest in aikido three years ago, I had meant to study kendo but I had no idea where the classes where. I regret not starting then because I really like kendo!

Kendo is not easy. I now consider it one of the most toughest things I ever done in my life after Marine Corps boot camp and high school wrestling practice. It does not matter that you are a fresh beginner, Sensei Kanesaki and his students will get you started on the moves immediately. You are not allowed to sit unless you are an observer. Even visitors may be “forced” to start lessons with some encouragement.

At the end of my first practice, I had the world’s biggest blister underneath my left foot. My wrists and shoulders ached. I most have lost about a couple pounds of water from sweating. I looked forward to the weekend. We are supposed to practice at home but I am just too sore.

Practicing with the bamboo sword, shinai, is fun but it takes a lot of energy out of you. After one hour of practice, you start looking at the clock, well if you are a beginner. By lesson 2, I was given my hakama and kendogi, the traditional Japanese clothing for kendo. Last Friday was Lesson 4 for me. I was given my bogu (gloves and protective armour) minus the helmet which I will get tomorrow. All together, the hakama, kendogi and bogu starts to trap all the heat in you.

After wearing the full gear, minus gloves and helmet, for an intense 40 minutes, I got hyperthermia (heat stroke). This is the second time I ever got heat stroke in my life so I knew what was happening. Luckily a couple guys saw this and I started to remove my bogu to cool off and hydrate. I could not work out after that. I was exhausted. I am glad this happened since it enabled to me research more about Kendo and hyperthermia. It turns out hyperthermia is an endemic problem with this sport. The study at the above link urged instructors to educate their students on hydrating properly during the class. I plan to hydrate myself every 15 minutes with an electrolyte that I will make at home.

Oh, if you wonder how I got to the point where I experienced heat exhaustion, it is quite simple. The dojo where I work out at has no air conditioners. The inside temperature if roughly in the high-80s to low 90s. A far cry from an air conditioned health club that I am used to back in the US.

Anyway, tomorrow is lesson 5 for me. I will work on some moves tonight and try putting on all my gear myself. If you want to join, I left some information and costs below the pictures.

Kendo Practice in the Tan Binh District

Address: 364 CMT8 Street, Tan Binh District.
Instructor: Sensei Kanesaki
Class Hours:: MWF 19:30-21:00

Costs:

Lessons: 150,000 VND/per month
Shinai: 450,000 VND (Made in Japan)
Kendogi and Hakama: 2 million VND (Made in Japan)
Bogu: 5 million VND (Made in Japan)

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