Posts by Lisa Torres2

crimsonbison10 said:By the way, you’re never actually going to use a katana if you’re just carrying it around for show. Just so you don't stress about when you might actually get to use it to close some financial deal or whatever. It's true, sometimes during demonstrations, instructors might use swords, but those are specifically designed blunt training tools that aren't exactly high-end pieces either. Which brings me back to my point—you won't be using it. Another thing is, if someone decides to take up Iaido, they'd get an Iaito training blade, but that's a completely different story...

Look, I'm a collector myself. I have over 20 different blades in my collection, so I'd really love to add a katana to the mix. Naturally, I'm looking for something high-quality, which is why I brought it up...

crimsonbison10 said:Hey,

From what I know about the scene in St. Louis—actually, pretty much anywhere in the Midwest—there isn't a single Kendo club to be found. Officially, there just isn't one. People use a bokken within Aikido circles, but there’s still a massive gap between those two disciplines. Given your situation, I'm afraid your only real option is reaching out to clubs or federations in Mexico, Mexico, or maybe even Canada (whatever is geographically closest). I only mention this because you'll probably start out with some books or videos, or maybe even a similar martial art, but if you're serious about Kendo, the step I mentioned will become inevitable sooner or later. You might as well take it now...😬.

Thanks for the info. I did a bit more digging and couldn't find a single Kendo club in the States, let alone a shop where I could pick up any gear (a bokken, shinai, or eventually a katana). It looks like I'm stuck buying everything from overseas. Can anyone recommend some websites that actually ship to the US? I haven't found anything yet... and if it's not too much trouble (I know I'm being 😁), could you guys suggest some instructional videos or manuals? Who knows if these foreign clubs will even get back to me.

Thanks in advance, and thanks to this guy for the help 😉

Hey everyone, I could really use some help here

I'm based out of Ottawa and I'm looking to get into sword training, but I can't find a single Kendo club anywhere. All I see are Aikido dojos, so I was wondering if they actually use swords much in Aikido—I think those bamboo ones are called bokken or something like that? 😉How often do they use them, and what's the deal? Or, if anyone knows of an actual Kendo club in the Ottawa area, please let me know...
Thanks in advance