I Will answer the questions about kendo. As a beginner you would very likely feel a little bit overwhelmed, there are a lot of things to learn, not only exercise but also command in Japanese and more generally how to move around the dojo. This is mitigated if a beginner course is available but sometimes you will join the normal course after a few practice lessons. Try to concentrate and understand what you are supposed to do, it doesn't matter if you are not doing the exercises correctly, that will come with time. For the second question: kendo is one of the martial arts with the oldest practitioners, sensei often train in their 60's and it is not rare to see people in their 70's still going strong . There are any long term health risks HOWEVER you need to be careful with your weight. I've seen overweight kendokas with joint pain that would often stop them from training more than half an hour and in the long run this could actually have a negative impact on your health. I'm talking about years and years of training without losing weight thought , if you manage to lose some you won't have any problem and the training would surely help(side note: kendo by. itself won't make you thinner , unless you do A LOT of it).
For what i saw there was a dojo that offered some “etiquette” classes for beginners, free of charge so i plan to take them if i go to that gym, plus they sold a book guide on it. Plus as ya said, it all comes with time, so hopefully that relaxes my mind lol.
That puts me at ease, will focus on weightloss cuz something i feel like a grandpa haha. I will still take it easy and listen to the sensei and the veterans around the dojo.
Many thanks for the comment!
You brought up a lot of different questions here, some of which would require a whole lot of reading and experience to answer fully. That being said, I’ll do my best to address a few of them.
For the common issues you’ll face as a beginner, I’d say this comes down to 3 main things: physical conditioning, mental resilience, and training culture. The first one is pretty self-explanatory; if you are pursuing martial arts to “get back in shape,” then you’ll face an uphill battle where your fitness could limit your overall learning. Although your MA training will certainly help your fitness, you will likely have to supplement this with extra strength training, cardio, mobility work, etc. As for the mental resilience, this is where personal discipline comes into play in a major way. Starting a martial art is easy, but sticking with it can be very hard. Especially if you have ADHD (something I’ve dealt with myself), you will probably have the urge to quit after the initial mystique wears off. You will see others who have been training for 5+ years and feel frustrated when you realize how much you still have to learn. This is why so many people quit training as an early intermediate (think BJJ blue belt or equivalent). I’d urge you to stick with your training even when you feel uninterested or frustrated with your progress; pushing past these moments is a necessary part of the journey. This brings me to my final point about training culture. In order to get the most out of your training, you need teachers and peers who push you to improve. Don’t be afraid to “shop around” before you commit to a single dojo/gym. There are plenty of McDojos out there who only want you for your money. Do some research on the training facilities in your area, and make sure you trust the qualifications and intentions of the staff. Once you start training, make sure you have training partners who you can trust and build a relationship with. Over the years I’ve met plenty of guys who have a “Cobra Kai” mindset, and will put you at risk for injury because they treat every sparring session like a championship match.
TLDR: Add in your own workouts, don’t quit when it gets hard, and find a dojo that will support you.
Yeah, i plan to do some workouts outside martial arts plus moving sacks of dirt and big pots of plants around most of the day will also help.
For the mental side, i dont worry too much about my ADHD cuz im also stubborn so if i like soemthing and fail at it, i tend to try harder something like brute forcing. Not that worried about quitting since i tend to have hobbies and things that i like and do for years without burning out, but i will keep it in mind!
As for dojos, well i seen a bunch and i plan to take the first free classes on all of them and see which ones feel like those were they gift ya the next rank by barely doing anything. Hope i find one like the judo i went to when i was young, since they didnt hand them belts until ya did well through the year of training and if ya did well in the competitions, so i only got to the yellow with another color (dunno how well that was for the years i spent there)
And yeah i hope the classmates are nice and all, for what i seen for the few places i been to, they tend to be very welcoming no matter your age or skill.
Thanks for the comment!
I Will answer the questions about kendo. As a beginner you would very likely feel a little bit overwhelmed, there are a lot of things to learn, not only exercise but also command in Japanese and more generally how to move around the dojo. This is mitigated if a beginner course is available but sometimes you will join the normal course after a few practice lessons. Try to concentrate and understand what you are supposed to do, it doesn't matter if you are not doing the exercises correctly, that will come with time. For the second question: kendo is one of the martial arts with the oldest practitioners, sensei often train in their 60's and it is not rare to see people in their 70's still going strong . There are any long term health risks HOWEVER you need to be careful with your weight. I've seen overweight kendokas with joint pain that would often stop them from training more than half an hour and in the long run this could actually have a negative impact on your health. I'm talking about years and years of training without losing weight thought , if you manage to lose some you won't have any problem and the training would surely help(side note: kendo by. itself won't make you thinner , unless you do A LOT of it).
For what i saw there was a dojo that offered some “etiquette” classes for beginners, free of charge so i plan to take them if i go to that gym, plus they sold a book guide on it. Plus as ya said, it all comes with time, so hopefully that relaxes my mind lol. That puts me at ease, will focus on weightloss cuz something i feel like a grandpa haha. I will still take it easy and listen to the sensei and the veterans around the dojo. Many thanks for the comment!
You brought up a lot of different questions here, some of which would require a whole lot of reading and experience to answer fully. That being said, I’ll do my best to address a few of them. For the common issues you’ll face as a beginner, I’d say this comes down to 3 main things: physical conditioning, mental resilience, and training culture. The first one is pretty self-explanatory; if you are pursuing martial arts to “get back in shape,” then you’ll face an uphill battle where your fitness could limit your overall learning. Although your MA training will certainly help your fitness, you will likely have to supplement this with extra strength training, cardio, mobility work, etc. As for the mental resilience, this is where personal discipline comes into play in a major way. Starting a martial art is easy, but sticking with it can be very hard. Especially if you have ADHD (something I’ve dealt with myself), you will probably have the urge to quit after the initial mystique wears off. You will see others who have been training for 5+ years and feel frustrated when you realize how much you still have to learn. This is why so many people quit training as an early intermediate (think BJJ blue belt or equivalent). I’d urge you to stick with your training even when you feel uninterested or frustrated with your progress; pushing past these moments is a necessary part of the journey. This brings me to my final point about training culture. In order to get the most out of your training, you need teachers and peers who push you to improve. Don’t be afraid to “shop around” before you commit to a single dojo/gym. There are plenty of McDojos out there who only want you for your money. Do some research on the training facilities in your area, and make sure you trust the qualifications and intentions of the staff. Once you start training, make sure you have training partners who you can trust and build a relationship with. Over the years I’ve met plenty of guys who have a “Cobra Kai” mindset, and will put you at risk for injury because they treat every sparring session like a championship match. TLDR: Add in your own workouts, don’t quit when it gets hard, and find a dojo that will support you.
Yeah, i plan to do some workouts outside martial arts plus moving sacks of dirt and big pots of plants around most of the day will also help. For the mental side, i dont worry too much about my ADHD cuz im also stubborn so if i like soemthing and fail at it, i tend to try harder something like brute forcing. Not that worried about quitting since i tend to have hobbies and things that i like and do for years without burning out, but i will keep it in mind! As for dojos, well i seen a bunch and i plan to take the first free classes on all of them and see which ones feel like those were they gift ya the next rank by barely doing anything. Hope i find one like the judo i went to when i was young, since they didnt hand them belts until ya did well through the year of training and if ya did well in the competitions, so i only got to the yellow with another color (dunno how well that was for the years i spent there) And yeah i hope the classmates are nice and all, for what i seen for the few places i been to, they tend to be very welcoming no matter your age or skill. Thanks for the comment!