Kendo is the Japanese martial art of sword fighting. Practitioners spar with each other using bamboo swords (shinai) and protective armor (bōgu).
Kendo’s origins lie in the days of the Samurai when sword fights were commonplace. Many Kenjutsu schools were established by successful swordsmen. As Japan’s warring states period ended, a competitive form of Kenjutsu became popular and eventually evolved into modern Kendo. Today Kendo is practiced world wide and is part of Japan’s physical education curriculum.
Kendo is a competitive martial art. Tournaments are held at local, regional, and national levels. The world championships are held every three years.
The Federation of International Kendo (FIK) manages and promotes kendo world wide. The All US Kendo federation (AUSKF) is the national Kendo federation of the United States. The Eastern US Kendo Federation (EUSKF) is one of the regional federations under AUSKF
Young Moo Kwan’s class structure
| 6:30 – 6:45 | |
| Stretching Exercises – these exercise limber up the body to get ready for practice and help prevent injuries | |
| ~6:45 – 7:00 | |
| Suburi – Suburi are repetitive cutting exercises that involve swinging a shinai or bokken with footwork for the typical kendo strikes to reinforce correct form. | |
| ~7:00- 7:15 | |
| Foot Work Drills – the basic footwork in Kendo are called “suri-ashi” (sliding feet) “fumikomi” (foot stamping)and are very different from other martial arts and sports and difficult to master. Drills reinforce correct form for Kendo practice |  |
| ~7:15-7:30 | |
| Dummy Practice – this allows the Kendo student to practice the strikes and foot work at the same time on a stationary dummy and perfect their swing and coordinate with their footwork. |  |
| ~7:30 – 7:45 | |
| Kihon Practice – Kihon is a practice of basic kendo techniques with a partner and performed with full armor on. Basic attacks and counter attacks are practiced. |  |
| ~7:45 – 8:30 | |
| Ji-Geiko Practice – this is live sparring with a partner to practice what you have learned and improve your technique and skill. Sparring lasts about 5 minutes and then rotates to another partner. | |
Young Moo Kwan 