Do you think I should take kendo?

Who cares! take somthing and stick with it!,sure why not!!!

I have never taken any other martial arts before I started Kendo, but I found that it wasn’t a problem at all to not have prior martial arts experience when learning Kendo.

Being 15 is not a problem at all, in Japan, kids start learning Kendo at the age of 6, especially if their families are traditional Kendo practitioners or run a family dojo. You just need the enthusiasm, determination and dedication to continue since Kendo is not an easy martial art (though none of them are really). Being a girl also doesn’t matter, I know lots of very good female players who whoop my butt in practice and competition.

Kendo is very physical and strenuous depending upon the style that the people you train with take, and yourself. As a beginner, you will find it possibly physically taxing, especially when you first get into the armour too. I usually end up going home with a much heavier bag because of my uniform soaked in sweat (and it makes it awful to wear the next day if it hasn’t dried properly overnight lol).

I have been doing it for years and I love it. You should give it a try to see.

well i agree with the answer above me about kendo. its fun but its hard work. but dont worry, you dont have to buy armor (really expensive) until half a year or so. I also do Taekwondo and i really enjoy it. but to be honest if i had done kendo first i never would have done taekwondo. i did boxing before tkd and i wanted to do something with kicks that was more traditional form of martial arts. i should have done muay thai!

about aikido i think that you would be better off in the TKD class for fitness or kendo class. but aikido has its drills as well, though ive never done it, but im sure it has to have some hard work outs.

Unfortunately kendo is one of those things that you have to actually experience to know if it’s right for you. Age, size, and sex are going to have much less to do with it than your personality and disposition, though even considering personality and disposition people are often surprised.

In the beginning you can start to get an inkling of what kendo is about by doing the “pre-bogu” (bogu is what we call the armor we wear during practice) training, which will teach you the basics of footwork, control of the shinai (the bamboo sword), basic strikes and techniques (called waza), and etiquette.

A big turning point is often when the kendoka begins wearing bogu and begins sparring (jigeiko) against other kendoka. Mostly because this is when you find out how badly you suck (despite the training you’ve been doing), you get to feel how bulky and confining the bogu is (many people get a sense of claustrophobia in the beginning), and people start hitting you back. That’s a lot to deal with at once, but most people adjust to it within a month or two.

Until you’ve been practicing in bogu for six months, I don’t think you can really tell if it’s a good fit. During that period, you may find that you really enjoy the competitive aspects of kendo (many people I’ve met and trained with weren’t very aggressive or competitive prior to kendo find that kendo brings those traits out of them). At most dojo a certain camaraderie also develops between the members, which is nice.

The gear can be expensive, if you’re lucky they may have gear you can rent for the first six months or so, until you feel whether you’d like to commit to it. As with most martial arts, the hardest part is showing up.

OTOH, did I mention the smell?

If you’re interested in kendo, try browsing the Kendo World Forums over at
There are a lot of very knowledgeable people there.