Am I not doing enough?
by Robert
(Canada)
I have been in Kendo for 6 months. I have already gotten my men, and all of the protective gear.
But when I am talking to my sensei he tells me about other dojo where they go very hard, or at least harder than me.
I only do 90 (men, kote, do) each for two step and 90 each for (men, side men, kote, and do) and finally 50-100 hayasuburi, and then of course we finish off with sparring.
But what I wanted to know was if I am doing too little. We have started doing 500 hayasuburi and it takes me a very long time, so I was wondering is it just because I am too weak and I should have been working harder, or am I just not accustomed to doing 500 yet?
Answer: Thanks for your question. Your sensei probably tries to encourage you by telling you that others do harder/more. The important question to ask is this. Are you trying hard?
You only have being doing kendo for 6 months so 500 hayasuburi should be hard for you. And you will get used to it if you try harder every day than a previous day.
Training with others will help you motivate but after all it is your body so you should train as your body can take. Train harder little by little. You will get stronger.