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Improving hearing when in bogu

by Eumei
(Waterloo, Ontario, Canada)

I have been doing Kendo on and off for about 2 years now, but I have only gone to about 3 advanced bogu practices with the seniors in the club.

The biggest trouble I had was not being able to hear the instructions being given out (i.e. what movements to execute).

There were a few advanced techniques that I haven't learned yet so I wasn't able to keep up, and I think I might have gotten on their nerves (at least some of them). And I felt so bad for getting in the way after that last practice, so I stopped going for 4 months (one school term).

So I guess the question is what should I do so that I won't get in the way of their practice?

Sorry if this doesn't really sound like a technical question...

Answer: I am sorry to hear that. They should’ve explained you the techniques before and during the practice.

The followings are something you can do.

1. Pull out the men-dare: I am not sure people do this or not, but I recommend you should pull the men-dare (the fluffy parts of the men) out so it gives some space between your ears and the men. If you do not do it, it tends to hurt your eardrums. This may help your hearing too.

2. Make sure you get close to the speaker: It is OK to get close to the speaker. I am not too sure how big your dojo is, but unless it is too big, you should run to get closer to the speaker.

When the speaker is done with his/her explanation, run back to where you were. That is very common. So go ahead and do that. Of course, if your instructors tell you not to do that, then you cannot.

3. Learn from others: Look around and imitate what the others are doing. You may be too busy to remember the Japanese kendo terms but don’t worry about the terms. Just do what the others are doing.

Questions are good. They improve the instructors. And more importantly, you should know what you are supposed to do in training.

If you want to ask the purpose of each technique, you can ask it later. That may take a while to explain if your instructor/s are not used to explain.

Now go back to the dojo and practice, ok? The longer it takes to go back, the harder it gets to go back.

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Improving hearing when in bogu

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Jan 29, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Open your mouth
by: Johan Idstam

If you open your mouth and throat as if you were yawning you will let some sound come to the ear through the 'back door'.

It helps me a lot in kendo practice.

/johan/

Kendo-Guide.Com? Thank you for the great tip. That reminds me that I also open my mouth just to get confortable. Thanks!
Jan 27, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Sorry but what did you say?
by: Anonymous

Our dojo in Auckland is very different from the previous location, now situated in a much larger dojo it can be funny at times. When our sensei calls out instructions to us; we run close to listen and run back to our positions!! I thought this was funny at first but as the weeks went by I valued the times when our sensei spoke to us.

So don't fell discouraged, ask as many questions; as I do, it may feel embarrassing and foolish. But trust me your not the only one feeling the same!! And your sensei will know that your paying attention. This site is the best for my understanding, and continued enjoyment of Kendo. Ka kite ano

Kendo-Guide.Com: Kia Ora! Tena Koe? Thanks for the comment. I heard that Auckland, New Zealand, now has a really nice dojo. I was already nice, though.

Yeah, asking is good. You do not want to get into a huge discussion while training but ask questions when you have. If answers are going to be a long ones, your instructors will tell you later. At least, that is how I do.

As an instructor, I try not to talk for a long time since I do not want to make the students cold. After training, we can talk while changing or something.

It is good to ask, really. If you don?t ask, your instructors will never learn either. So please do not hesitate to ask.
Jan 26, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Concept of Kendo
by: Santiago B. Tejada

If you got on the nerves of some of them it means that they have never seen this words:
"...To hold in esteem human courtesy and honor,
To associate with others with sincerity..."

Kendo-Guide.Com: Thank you for your comment and bringing this to all of us. We, kendo practitioners, should remember the goals and purposes of kendo. Even Japanese people do not really pay attention to it, ey.

We all have to remember and practice the concept of kendo. This is why kendo is the way of life, isn?t it? Always look back and check what we did and what we did to others. It is a part of kendo, I think.
Jan 18, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		I used to have this problem before
by: Jatupol K.

Same as sensei said, I always move closer to hear what exactly they want to tell me. Sometime I asked my instructors and/or my kendo mates directly too. ^__^

Kendo-Guide.Com: Thank you for your comment. It is probably the best thing to do. If you think it is a bad idea to ask your instructor, ask and learn from your training partner. If your training partner cannot tell you, look around and see what others are doing. That helps too.

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