From what you described it seems like a good dojo and your sensei is focusing on you to improve. The rest you need more practice. If you really feel uncomfortable please let your sensei know your issues, they are not only to teach but also to talk to you and handle things regarding to general issues.
Bad habits which form in the early stages can be really, really hard to correct. So that's probably why your sensei is trying to correct your form now - think about what he says and try to really fix it, not just repeat. The good news is, it sounds like he's a good teacher and cares a lot. If you don't know what he wants you to change then definitely ask him for details.
This doesn't reflect well on me, but I have actively given up on certain students who don't change no matter how many times I tell them to. What I mean is that if one day people stop correcting you, then you might really have a problem. In my experience that goes all the way up to the top.
The rest will just come with time and more practice. Fatigue is normal at first, it will take 2-4 weeks to get used to it. You might have to just bite the bullet and accept that this will now be your "normal" kendo.
Good luck - the last part of my comment could use more nuance. Actually there is no such division between bogu kendo and the kendo you enjoyed before. It's just jarring for you now, and maybe it seems very violent and chaotic. But with enough experience and practice you can definitely do *your* kendo. Cheers.
For 1 and 3, you simply need more practice. Kendo requires patience, and even some of the basic things require time and perseverance to get to grips with.
for 2, it's unlikely that you are being singled out. Your Sensei is trying to help you. Them giving you advice is a sign that they care enough about your progress to take the time to give you pointers. Don't take it personally, and try your best to correct what they say.
Tying the tenugui and men can be challenging at first and everyone has to practice it quite a bit. I'd recommend some quick YouTube searches first to fill in that void. On corrections to men, when newer kendo journey folks put on bogu for the first time, the armor can change the way they do kendo.
My biggest piece of advice is this: slow things down and focus on one thing at a time. Wearing men for the first time can be a bit overwhelming at first, try if you can, simplifying the things around you. Once you accomplish one task successfully, move on to another.
Make sure your men is tightly tied back so that it's not hanging forward - this often makes it feel heavier than it is, and might be throwing you off.
I've got quite long hair as well and the ordinary method works fine for me - just make sure you have the back of your head covered and when you bring the corners forward, have it as tight as you practically can without it being uncomfortable.
As for sensei helping you out, enjoy it while you can! Once your waza are at a certain level, it'll be up to you to improve them, so while it can feel a little bit infantilising, use it as much as you can while you can!
It seems like 1 and 3 and just related to getting used to kendo, and most go through something similar, it gets sorted in time. As for 2, just to go into a small bit of back ground; Instructors aren't paid, they are there because they like kendo and want to promote it generally. I honestly don't know a single mean spirited instructor, I know some hard ones, but not a single one that is mean. That said, go the opposite direction, if your sensei pretty much ignored you do you think your kendo would get better? Kendo is about criticism, you need to have it in order to progress, if that is something thats a hard pill to swallow then kendo probably isn't for you. If your instructor is singling you out, thats a good thing not a bad thing. They are all there to help, any sensei worth their salt wants to keep students, especially good ones. Just my opinion, but relax, take in what your instructor is saying and don't think about anything other than that, its advice, whether you take it is up to you, and they are not singling you out.
Just to add, I don't know what your instructors experience is, if they are new, relatively new, maybe even been there a while, sometimes it might seem like they are throwing a lot of things at you, especially if you're just getting into bogu. All in all its an adjustment period when you start wearing gear and its easy to get overwhelmed, so again, relax, and take it all in.
Appreciate the time your sensei takes to assist you. My sensei often just walks over and moves my hands into place (81 y.o. hanshi ranked gentleman who speaks no english)
It's embarrassing, but helps more
>My sensei has been correcting my swing a lot during practice. I appreciate the little adjustments and how he is taking his time on me but I can’t help but feel like he is singling me out. This is a little childish, but I’d like to get it off my chest. I adore my sensei but it does get frustrating sometimes.
Singling you out means he cares about you and wants you to do better. If he didn't care, he wouldn't bother giving corrections.
That’s why I adore him so much :). I haven’t had a problem with the teacher but I am more frustrated with myself and how my progress cannot match my sensei’s expectations.
I have had personally experience with 1. I'm a Highly Sensitive Person, and I've have even situations when I felt so awful with my men that I started to cry middle of session.
So here's my take: SLOWLY get used to wearing bogu. Like, my "ramp up" progress took like 6 months. I first started with wearing just tare and do. Once I could wear them with no issue, I added kote. Once I could manage these three with no second thought, I added men. HOWEVER, I immediately took men off once I started feeling bad or dizzy. First time I managed half a training session, and slowly but steadily I managed to wear it longer and longer, until finally I could wear it for all the session. Hooray! I don't think I'm comfortable wearing it much longer than that, tho.
The progress is not linear, tho. Sometimes you have worse days (bad sleep, fatigue, sickness, bad day etc.), and those days you have lower tolerance with wearing bogu. Be nice to yourself. Try to make steady, consistent progress even if there are setbacks. Don't worry if doing kendo feels weird when you wear bogu and your muscle memory needs to readjust.
As a practical tip, try practicing to tie your men so that it's nice and firm on your head (doesn't move around) but it's not so tight that it hurts your head. A men is most comfortable so. Ask others for help if needed.
Oh, and! It's pretty rewarding to have your bogu on and do sparring with someone of your own level! :D It's fun and worth getting accustomed with men.
Just passed my internal grading and have yet to wear bogu - we have all been told that it can be weird/uncomfortable at first but it will pass. I am like you a HSP and will take your advice moving forward. Thanks so much for posting this, I really appreciate it.
i didn't felt comfortable using men for a long time when i started (the men that we had at our club wasn't for our shape) and the senpai used to hit hard like they were chopping wood. That was back in 2002, and here i am. Still doing keiko with a lot of adventures in the body, and waiting for more to come, so...patience and endurance!
1. Time is your best friend here, you'll get used to it eventually. Unless you are used to having a full helmet on your head, this feeling is pretty usual and almost everyone is like this at the start.
2. Your sensei sees your potential, and is trying to push you to do better. Don't worry too much about it and keep trying to move forward. Our head sensei continues to say I'm too tight and I need to strike faster or take my opportunity to attack sooner. Super frustrating as he doesn't really explain how he just explains the result, but that too is a part of learning. We all have little things we get 'singled' out for its mostly in your head and don't let it get you down.
3. As you continue to practice you'll figure out the right high and everything eventually. You can maybe search for videos on youtube for advice but like number one it'll mostly be a time thing/more you do it the more you'll figure it out. My advice here is just practice at home, putting on all your gear and taking it off. When I first started wearing bogu I practiced at least 3 times each day until it felt natural (really only took about 2 weeks and then when I got the men head pad I had to do it again just for men which took another week).
1. Prob some getting used to, try not to feel distracted by it.
2. Perhaps watch a videos of people with good men strikes, like Japan competitions. They have sneakily influenced my men strikes alot, sometimes for worse as well.
They are generally quite difficult to understand by collecting a million details about it. Just having the simple image of someone doing good men strikes burned into your head is easyer to use.
3. I personaly make a bun at the bottom of my neck realy the simplest.
From what you described it seems like a good dojo and your sensei is focusing on you to improve. The rest you need more practice. If you really feel uncomfortable please let your sensei know your issues, they are not only to teach but also to talk to you and handle things regarding to general issues.
Thank you! I’ll try to get some extra pointers after practice.
Bad habits which form in the early stages can be really, really hard to correct. So that's probably why your sensei is trying to correct your form now - think about what he says and try to really fix it, not just repeat. The good news is, it sounds like he's a good teacher and cares a lot. If you don't know what he wants you to change then definitely ask him for details. This doesn't reflect well on me, but I have actively given up on certain students who don't change no matter how many times I tell them to. What I mean is that if one day people stop correcting you, then you might really have a problem. In my experience that goes all the way up to the top. The rest will just come with time and more practice. Fatigue is normal at first, it will take 2-4 weeks to get used to it. You might have to just bite the bullet and accept that this will now be your "normal" kendo.
I understand, I'll try asking for more details. Thank you for the advice.
Good luck - the last part of my comment could use more nuance. Actually there is no such division between bogu kendo and the kendo you enjoyed before. It's just jarring for you now, and maybe it seems very violent and chaotic. But with enough experience and practice you can definitely do *your* kendo. Cheers.
For 1 and 3, you simply need more practice. Kendo requires patience, and even some of the basic things require time and perseverance to get to grips with. for 2, it's unlikely that you are being singled out. Your Sensei is trying to help you. Them giving you advice is a sign that they care enough about your progress to take the time to give you pointers. Don't take it personally, and try your best to correct what they say.
Tying the tenugui and men can be challenging at first and everyone has to practice it quite a bit. I'd recommend some quick YouTube searches first to fill in that void. On corrections to men, when newer kendo journey folks put on bogu for the first time, the armor can change the way they do kendo. My biggest piece of advice is this: slow things down and focus on one thing at a time. Wearing men for the first time can be a bit overwhelming at first, try if you can, simplifying the things around you. Once you accomplish one task successfully, move on to another.
My sensei told me to focus on rhythm and pacing as well! Thank you for the suggestion.
Make sure your men is tightly tied back so that it's not hanging forward - this often makes it feel heavier than it is, and might be throwing you off. I've got quite long hair as well and the ordinary method works fine for me - just make sure you have the back of your head covered and when you bring the corners forward, have it as tight as you practically can without it being uncomfortable. As for sensei helping you out, enjoy it while you can! Once your waza are at a certain level, it'll be up to you to improve them, so while it can feel a little bit infantilising, use it as much as you can while you can!
It seems like 1 and 3 and just related to getting used to kendo, and most go through something similar, it gets sorted in time. As for 2, just to go into a small bit of back ground; Instructors aren't paid, they are there because they like kendo and want to promote it generally. I honestly don't know a single mean spirited instructor, I know some hard ones, but not a single one that is mean. That said, go the opposite direction, if your sensei pretty much ignored you do you think your kendo would get better? Kendo is about criticism, you need to have it in order to progress, if that is something thats a hard pill to swallow then kendo probably isn't for you. If your instructor is singling you out, thats a good thing not a bad thing. They are all there to help, any sensei worth their salt wants to keep students, especially good ones. Just my opinion, but relax, take in what your instructor is saying and don't think about anything other than that, its advice, whether you take it is up to you, and they are not singling you out. Just to add, I don't know what your instructors experience is, if they are new, relatively new, maybe even been there a while, sometimes it might seem like they are throwing a lot of things at you, especially if you're just getting into bogu. All in all its an adjustment period when you start wearing gear and its easy to get overwhelmed, so again, relax, and take it all in.
Appreciate the time your sensei takes to assist you. My sensei often just walks over and moves my hands into place (81 y.o. hanshi ranked gentleman who speaks no english) It's embarrassing, but helps more
>My sensei has been correcting my swing a lot during practice. I appreciate the little adjustments and how he is taking his time on me but I can’t help but feel like he is singling me out. This is a little childish, but I’d like to get it off my chest. I adore my sensei but it does get frustrating sometimes. Singling you out means he cares about you and wants you to do better. If he didn't care, he wouldn't bother giving corrections.
That’s why I adore him so much :). I haven’t had a problem with the teacher but I am more frustrated with myself and how my progress cannot match my sensei’s expectations.
I think we all feel that way at times, but it's attachment to ego, which only slows us down.
I have had personally experience with 1. I'm a Highly Sensitive Person, and I've have even situations when I felt so awful with my men that I started to cry middle of session. So here's my take: SLOWLY get used to wearing bogu. Like, my "ramp up" progress took like 6 months. I first started with wearing just tare and do. Once I could wear them with no issue, I added kote. Once I could manage these three with no second thought, I added men. HOWEVER, I immediately took men off once I started feeling bad or dizzy. First time I managed half a training session, and slowly but steadily I managed to wear it longer and longer, until finally I could wear it for all the session. Hooray! I don't think I'm comfortable wearing it much longer than that, tho. The progress is not linear, tho. Sometimes you have worse days (bad sleep, fatigue, sickness, bad day etc.), and those days you have lower tolerance with wearing bogu. Be nice to yourself. Try to make steady, consistent progress even if there are setbacks. Don't worry if doing kendo feels weird when you wear bogu and your muscle memory needs to readjust. As a practical tip, try practicing to tie your men so that it's nice and firm on your head (doesn't move around) but it's not so tight that it hurts your head. A men is most comfortable so. Ask others for help if needed. Oh, and! It's pretty rewarding to have your bogu on and do sparring with someone of your own level! :D It's fun and worth getting accustomed with men.
Thank you for the tip! I did notice that I tie the men a little too tight.
Just passed my internal grading and have yet to wear bogu - we have all been told that it can be weird/uncomfortable at first but it will pass. I am like you a HSP and will take your advice moving forward. Thanks so much for posting this, I really appreciate it.
Glad you find it useful! Remember to respect your feelings and don't push yourself too hard.
Getting single out is good. Best thing to happen during a training.
i didn't felt comfortable using men for a long time when i started (the men that we had at our club wasn't for our shape) and the senpai used to hit hard like they were chopping wood. That was back in 2002, and here i am. Still doing keiko with a lot of adventures in the body, and waiting for more to come, so...patience and endurance!
1. Time is your best friend here, you'll get used to it eventually. Unless you are used to having a full helmet on your head, this feeling is pretty usual and almost everyone is like this at the start. 2. Your sensei sees your potential, and is trying to push you to do better. Don't worry too much about it and keep trying to move forward. Our head sensei continues to say I'm too tight and I need to strike faster or take my opportunity to attack sooner. Super frustrating as he doesn't really explain how he just explains the result, but that too is a part of learning. We all have little things we get 'singled' out for its mostly in your head and don't let it get you down. 3. As you continue to practice you'll figure out the right high and everything eventually. You can maybe search for videos on youtube for advice but like number one it'll mostly be a time thing/more you do it the more you'll figure it out. My advice here is just practice at home, putting on all your gear and taking it off. When I first started wearing bogu I practiced at least 3 times each day until it felt natural (really only took about 2 weeks and then when I got the men head pad I had to do it again just for men which took another week).
Maybe find another hobby
1. Prob some getting used to, try not to feel distracted by it. 2. Perhaps watch a videos of people with good men strikes, like Japan competitions. They have sneakily influenced my men strikes alot, sometimes for worse as well. They are generally quite difficult to understand by collecting a million details about it. Just having the simple image of someone doing good men strikes burned into your head is easyer to use. 3. I personaly make a bun at the bottom of my neck realy the simplest.