kendo training camp

2016 Interhigh Kendo Training Camp

Ben Sheppard

Kendo Sensei

On the weekend of September 10-11, six students from the BSC Kendo Cocurricular Program attended the annual Interhigh Kendo Training Camp at the Kenshikan Dojo, West Melbourne.

Over two days Eric Chapman, Matias Garcia Arce​, Isabella Munoz, Flynn Ryan, Archer Treloar and Syed Farzad Zarif joined with students from five other high schools to train hard in the martial art of Kendo, sleeping overnight in the dojo on tatami mats like samurai of the Tokugawa era. The students also got to an introduction to a related art, Naginata (halberd) - traditionally the art of samurai women.

In the art of  Kendo, they were instructed by some of Australia's very best teachers including Mr Yoichi Yano - who at 7th dan is the highest ranked sensei in Australia.

The culmination of the weekend was taking part in an official grading exam where our students were among 150 nervous kenshi  (kendo students) demonstrating their skills and knowledge in front of a panel of judges.

All of our BSC warriors passed their exam.

We congratulate them all on their skill, effort and tenacity as they aim for excellence in Kendo.

About Kendo

Kendo (剣道) means "Way of The Sword". It is the Japanese martial art of sword-fighting which was derived from traditional swordsmanship (kenjutsu). The concept of Kendo is to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the katana (Japanese sword).

About Naginata

Naginata-do is the Japanese martial art based on wielding the Naginata. A Naginata is a bladed pole weapon with a long wooden shaft. Modern naginata practice involves a weapon made from a wooden halberd (staff) with a curved bamboo substitute blade in place of the steel blade.

Isabella Munoz

Year 8

At Kendo camp I learned about how far my body can go stamina-wise and how tired I can get when I train really hard.  It was interesting, and I learned that I am stronger than I thought I was. I got a blister from doing the 1000 Suburi!  It was also interesting to spar against more experienced kendo students.

Archer  Treloar

Year 7

I enjoyed camp – it was a lot of fun and very challenging too.  It was good to train with other high school students and see new faces.

I got a lot out of camp – I learned that you shouldn’t doubt yourself, even if you are not very good at something, because with training you will get better. A lot of the others we trained with were older and had more experience which made me nervous, so I found it hard at first. I think the 1000 suburi was the hardest exercise of all.

Matias Garcia Arce

Year 7

My body was very sore after the camp,  so I must have worked very hard at exercise. The 1000 Suburi (practising swinging the kendo sword one thousand times) was a really hard exercise.