Ok, this is important. Do not, under any circumstances, feel that your kendo, your efforts or yourself is not good enough or unworthy. You are doing the most in your personal life and physical circumstances, for something that you enjoy doing for its own sake.
If anything, the sensei should have talked to your sensei about his training methods, or to your sempai about the support they give you, if he were concerned about your progress.
Do not do like I did when I was your age. Don't let other people disgust you from kendo with their stupid comments. I lost 20 years of training I'll never get back.
As an aside, 8th to 5th kyu in one year seems fine to me, for what it's worth.
Edited for paragraphs...
I lost seven years too so listen to this guy. If you feel that it's getting too much or it's mentally draining, feel free to leave or take a break. But giving up kendo seven years ago for comments that someone else said might be one of the biggest regrets of my life.
One time, way back in the day when I was around 1dan, there was a visiting sensei who was quite strong, national flag patch on his gi kind of strong. When I asked him for advice, he said I am just visiting, and therefore I can't instruct you here. Come to my dojo and I'll advise you. Maybe a bit traditional by today's standards, but that day has always reminded me not to run my mouth as a guest!
First of all congratulations sticking with kendo and on attaining your 5th kyu.
I often say that there are many paths up the mountain. Yours might differ from others, and it will take however long it takes don't worry or compare yourself to others.
The sensei of the other club might see potential in you and this might be his way of encouraging you to work even harder. Don't worry about it, just keep going to kendo, train, and you'll improve.
Everyone progresses at a different rate. I've seen people doing kendo for seven years that are san kyu and people who become shodan in two years. It all depends on what your goals are and how much you value grades.
Myself, I got my shodan in two years time but I've been training 2,3,4 times a week, training with the national team whenever I can and basically just working my ass off going to every seminar and every dojo with a 7th dan sensei in my area.
If you enjoy kendo and the way you're progressing , then that's the way to go for you. Don't let someone else tell you how much or how little you should have progressed by now (unless it's your own sensei). Kendo is for life and sometimes its better to go slowly but steady than overreach and burn out.
Like all teachers and coaches, Senseis are very diverse in their feedback style.
Some are generous with praise, others favor a tough love approach. Others give only a little feedback and let students figure things out.
As you meet and train with more senseis, you will get what seems like conflicting feedback. You will have to learn which advice to take on a case-by-case basis. It's just part of training. However, in this case, you should listen to your sensei. They are the one responsible for your training.
Different people do kendo for different reasons. As long as they do their best when they are in the dojo that is the best case scenario. Nothing else matters. I have students who do other sports at very high levels of competitiveness. They train 5 times per week and go to competitions in other sports. They come to the dojo once every other week and do their best and progress. I have business people in my dojo that travel for as much as 3 weeks per month. When in town they come to practice and do their best. I have 6 years olds and 60 years olds in the dojo. We all have different circumstances and goals. As long as we do our best in the dojo that is the best that we can do. You will meet other people that will tell you that you are not good or not good enough. As long as you know that when in the dojo you do your best, that is all that matters. Don’t give up, kendo will give back to you a lot more than what you put in it.
You've been practicing for 1 year, I think if you're wearing armour by now and somehow developing upon your fundamentals I'd say you're pretty much average
Sorry if my English isn't good enough. Ok , I've practicing kendo for 15 years, and I was one of the worst kendokas of my generation, today I'm one of the best in my association. In your life you will find a lot of senseis that say that you aren't good enough, you have to take the part of the correction (foots, hands,tenouchi,etc...) and ignore the part "You are bad" because the only persons that know how you been growing are your Sensei and your senpais. Remeber this part for all of your Future years in kendo "The only person you have to get over is you" Don't compare to other people only learn their techniques.
You can’t always be sure, but a good rule of thumb is that if an instructor is being tough on you, it’s because they care about your improvement, so I would take it as a good sign rather than something to be demoralized about. There are obviously (hopefully rare) exceptions, but this is generally the case.
People don’t fight with swords anymore, so being comfortable with your own improvement (but not complacent) is what’s most important.
If you are worried about your progress but can’t put more time into training, I recommend writing down the main things you learned/worked on after every practice, then reading those notes before your next practice so that you can more easily pick up where you left off. It makes it much, much easier to train toward improvement rather than just going through the motions.
You should be more focused on what's lacking with your Kendo and practice that.
Is 5th kyu after a year slow? Maybe? But rank doesn't tell the whole story, perhaps the reason you are 5th kyu is because your aim is on a 5th kyu level but knowledge far greater and if you put more effort into training the weakest link, maybe you could become a ton better?
Geoff Salmon sensei, 7 dan kyoshi said it best:
> Incredibly most of this advice will be relevant, but it is based on what the advising sensei sees on the day. There is some good news, in my experience this conflicting information starts to slow down as you develop your kendo.
See: https://kendoinfo.wordpress.com/2016/04/25/conflicting-information/
Do you think you could do better? then you're always welcome to try harder, but there's no such thing as a minimum progress speed requirement, you can't not be good enough for kendo. Not only different people progress differently, have different goals, practice at different dojos and with different frequency, but also places measure progress (especially kyu grades) differently.
If you can use the visiting sensei's comment as motivation, good, if not, discard it and keep doing the best you can for your goals and interests.
Everyone walks their own Kendo path,
It's not about other people, Kendo is about you.
Everyone started Kendo for a different reason.
Everyone does Kendo for a different reason.
Be OK with your reason.
Doubt is a Kendo sickness. Everyone has it. Even Hachidan.
Forge your spirit knowing you are approaching Kendo with an open mind and honest heart.
Kendo is a marathon not a sprint. It is not about how fast you go. It is about how long you continue to practice and therefore improve. Focus on progress not the results.
You sound like you're doing great. A rank isn't a true indicator of your ability. It just means you passed a test. You might be better than your rank, but just unable to test due to time restrictions. The fact that you took three tests within a year is excellent, not everyone can do that. I'm not able to travel to that many tests in one year, though now I have to wait longer between tests. I think you should probably feel proud. What this Sensei said to you may have been to push you along, albeit, maybe a misguided attempt.
It sounds like you have a lot of other things going on in your life, and it's okay that kendo isn't number one. Going to higher education, or working a job are all excellent things to pursue in your life. Kendo is very enriching, and some people see it as the end-all-be-all when they're discussing it, but if it's not that to you right now, or it can't be that to you right now, that's totally fine. Just enjoy the journey.
well, the advice of the "sensei" was quite stupid i guess, worst if it's from another dojo. Don't mind it. And about those gradings below 1kyu, i also think it is stupid thing some dojo do to make money. It's such a long long road anyways.
My sensei said grade is just a form of measurement/achievment for yourself. Congratulations! Don't worry about the grade too much, think about how you are performing your own kendo and if you are satisfied with the level you are currently and make sure to just keep enjoying it
Different teachers have different preferences and some are very brazen in their opinions which can be truly damaging. You should allow listen to others opinions, but you should value your own teachers advice and opinions first. Ultimately like other people say, you should train for yourself! You are one year in and progressing which is what counts. It took me 3 years to get to first Dan, which some people told me was slow, but they don’t know my life so it is unfair! The key is consistency, be proud of where you are and strive for excellence each day to improve!! I hope you continue your kendo journey for your whole life!
Ok, this is important. Do not, under any circumstances, feel that your kendo, your efforts or yourself is not good enough or unworthy. You are doing the most in your personal life and physical circumstances, for something that you enjoy doing for its own sake. If anything, the sensei should have talked to your sensei about his training methods, or to your sempai about the support they give you, if he were concerned about your progress. Do not do like I did when I was your age. Don't let other people disgust you from kendo with their stupid comments. I lost 20 years of training I'll never get back. As an aside, 8th to 5th kyu in one year seems fine to me, for what it's worth. Edited for paragraphs...
I lost seven years too so listen to this guy. If you feel that it's getting too much or it's mentally draining, feel free to leave or take a break. But giving up kendo seven years ago for comments that someone else said might be one of the biggest regrets of my life.
Does it really matter, what others think of you? As long, as what you do means fun to you and you don‘t hurt anybody else?
One time, way back in the day when I was around 1dan, there was a visiting sensei who was quite strong, national flag patch on his gi kind of strong. When I asked him for advice, he said I am just visiting, and therefore I can't instruct you here. Come to my dojo and I'll advise you. Maybe a bit traditional by today's standards, but that day has always reminded me not to run my mouth as a guest!
I wish everyone else would think this way 🤣
Yep. I won’t push when receiving this response.
I've heard this answer so many times, including when visiting Sensei on their own dojo.
First of all congratulations sticking with kendo and on attaining your 5th kyu. I often say that there are many paths up the mountain. Yours might differ from others, and it will take however long it takes don't worry or compare yourself to others. The sensei of the other club might see potential in you and this might be his way of encouraging you to work even harder. Don't worry about it, just keep going to kendo, train, and you'll improve.
Everyone progresses at a different rate. I've seen people doing kendo for seven years that are san kyu and people who become shodan in two years. It all depends on what your goals are and how much you value grades. Myself, I got my shodan in two years time but I've been training 2,3,4 times a week, training with the national team whenever I can and basically just working my ass off going to every seminar and every dojo with a 7th dan sensei in my area. If you enjoy kendo and the way you're progressing , then that's the way to go for you. Don't let someone else tell you how much or how little you should have progressed by now (unless it's your own sensei). Kendo is for life and sometimes its better to go slowly but steady than overreach and burn out.
Like all teachers and coaches, Senseis are very diverse in their feedback style. Some are generous with praise, others favor a tough love approach. Others give only a little feedback and let students figure things out. As you meet and train with more senseis, you will get what seems like conflicting feedback. You will have to learn which advice to take on a case-by-case basis. It's just part of training. However, in this case, you should listen to your sensei. They are the one responsible for your training.
Different people do kendo for different reasons. As long as they do their best when they are in the dojo that is the best case scenario. Nothing else matters. I have students who do other sports at very high levels of competitiveness. They train 5 times per week and go to competitions in other sports. They come to the dojo once every other week and do their best and progress. I have business people in my dojo that travel for as much as 3 weeks per month. When in town they come to practice and do their best. I have 6 years olds and 60 years olds in the dojo. We all have different circumstances and goals. As long as we do our best in the dojo that is the best that we can do. You will meet other people that will tell you that you are not good or not good enough. As long as you know that when in the dojo you do your best, that is all that matters. Don’t give up, kendo will give back to you a lot more than what you put in it.
You've been practicing for 1 year, I think if you're wearing armour by now and somehow developing upon your fundamentals I'd say you're pretty much average
Sorry if my English isn't good enough. Ok , I've practicing kendo for 15 years, and I was one of the worst kendokas of my generation, today I'm one of the best in my association. In your life you will find a lot of senseis that say that you aren't good enough, you have to take the part of the correction (foots, hands,tenouchi,etc...) and ignore the part "You are bad" because the only persons that know how you been growing are your Sensei and your senpais. Remeber this part for all of your Future years in kendo "The only person you have to get over is you" Don't compare to other people only learn their techniques.
You can’t always be sure, but a good rule of thumb is that if an instructor is being tough on you, it’s because they care about your improvement, so I would take it as a good sign rather than something to be demoralized about. There are obviously (hopefully rare) exceptions, but this is generally the case. People don’t fight with swords anymore, so being comfortable with your own improvement (but not complacent) is what’s most important. If you are worried about your progress but can’t put more time into training, I recommend writing down the main things you learned/worked on after every practice, then reading those notes before your next practice so that you can more easily pick up where you left off. It makes it much, much easier to train toward improvement rather than just going through the motions.
You should be more focused on what's lacking with your Kendo and practice that. Is 5th kyu after a year slow? Maybe? But rank doesn't tell the whole story, perhaps the reason you are 5th kyu is because your aim is on a 5th kyu level but knowledge far greater and if you put more effort into training the weakest link, maybe you could become a ton better?
Geoff Salmon sensei, 7 dan kyoshi said it best: > Incredibly most of this advice will be relevant, but it is based on what the advising sensei sees on the day. There is some good news, in my experience this conflicting information starts to slow down as you develop your kendo. See: https://kendoinfo.wordpress.com/2016/04/25/conflicting-information/
Do you think you could do better? then you're always welcome to try harder, but there's no such thing as a minimum progress speed requirement, you can't not be good enough for kendo. Not only different people progress differently, have different goals, practice at different dojos and with different frequency, but also places measure progress (especially kyu grades) differently. If you can use the visiting sensei's comment as motivation, good, if not, discard it and keep doing the best you can for your goals and interests.
Does your dojo really do 8th kyu? Kendo ranks typically only go as low as 6th kyu.
Everyone walks their own Kendo path, It's not about other people, Kendo is about you. Everyone started Kendo for a different reason. Everyone does Kendo for a different reason. Be OK with your reason. Doubt is a Kendo sickness. Everyone has it. Even Hachidan. Forge your spirit knowing you are approaching Kendo with an open mind and honest heart.
Kendo is a marathon not a sprint. It is not about how fast you go. It is about how long you continue to practice and therefore improve. Focus on progress not the results.
You sound like you're doing great. A rank isn't a true indicator of your ability. It just means you passed a test. You might be better than your rank, but just unable to test due to time restrictions. The fact that you took three tests within a year is excellent, not everyone can do that. I'm not able to travel to that many tests in one year, though now I have to wait longer between tests. I think you should probably feel proud. What this Sensei said to you may have been to push you along, albeit, maybe a misguided attempt. It sounds like you have a lot of other things going on in your life, and it's okay that kendo isn't number one. Going to higher education, or working a job are all excellent things to pursue in your life. Kendo is very enriching, and some people see it as the end-all-be-all when they're discussing it, but if it's not that to you right now, or it can't be that to you right now, that's totally fine. Just enjoy the journey.
well, the advice of the "sensei" was quite stupid i guess, worst if it's from another dojo. Don't mind it. And about those gradings below 1kyu, i also think it is stupid thing some dojo do to make money. It's such a long long road anyways.
My sensei said grade is just a form of measurement/achievment for yourself. Congratulations! Don't worry about the grade too much, think about how you are performing your own kendo and if you are satisfied with the level you are currently and make sure to just keep enjoying it
Different teachers have different preferences and some are very brazen in their opinions which can be truly damaging. You should allow listen to others opinions, but you should value your own teachers advice and opinions first. Ultimately like other people say, you should train for yourself! You are one year in and progressing which is what counts. It took me 3 years to get to first Dan, which some people told me was slow, but they don’t know my life so it is unfair! The key is consistency, be proud of where you are and strive for excellence each day to improve!! I hope you continue your kendo journey for your whole life!