The Sacrifices of kendoThe sacrifices of kendo are few yet substantial. One will have to give up their time, some money, and their personal comfort. As with all pursuits in life, kendo requires dedication, passion, and most importantly commitment. The benefits far outweigh the sacrifices of kendo. The sacrifices, with time and effort, eventually get smaller and smaller. The benefits of kendo, however, remain the same throughout the years.
Sacrificing TimeOne thing every kendoist will tell you: Kendo takes hard work and practice. To practice kendo, one will be sacrificing one or more nights a week in order to attend practice. Those nights may be in the middle of the week, the weekends, or even on a Friday night. It is important to find a dojo whose time schedule coincides with yours.Besides sacrificing time for practices, there will also be times when you need to set whole days aside for tournaments, shinsa (exams), or other dojo/federation events. While entering tournaments is not necessary for your development as a kendoist, it is highly recommended.
Sacrificing MoneyKendo isn’t cheap. Being a smart shopper will, in the long run, save you money. Either way, as much as we’d like to avoid spending money, you’ll have to dough out some cash for the gear. Most schools charge a membership fee as well.The bogu, or armor set, ranges anywhere from $400 to $1200 for a standard set. Some high ranking kendoists have bogu that are $2000+. Those sets, though, are special and hand-made from sharkskin and other high quality materials. Gi and hakama range in price from $120 to $200 a set. Shinai have an even broader price range ranging anywhere between the $15 bamboo type that is made in China to the over $400 carbon graphite shinai. A well maintained bamboo shinai has a lifespan of around 3 to 6 months, while a well maintained carbon graphite shinai will last several years.
Sacrificing Personal ComfortThis is not as large a sacrifice as it may seem. At times, kendo will push you past your physical and mental limits. The practices are tailored to help you reach those limits and to surpass them. It is, however, more forgiving than many other sports.Some dojos (schools) will have conditioning practices while others don’t. Some dojos are known for having very rough practices that can make you puke; others are known for simply practicing hard. Again, it is important to find a dojo that can tailor to and fit your individual need. You will definitely sacrifice some comforts if you're one who doesn't like to compete. Competing is a large part a kendoist's development since it is through competition that we can gauge our growth and improvement (mental and physical). Back: The Benefits Next: Beginning the Journey Back to Beginner's Korner
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