Beginners welcome at UCLA Kendo Club
In late 2006, the floor shook and determined voices rang through the air. No, this was no natural disaster ““ this was my first day at UCLA’s Kendo Club.
I joined out of intrigue initially inspired at the activities fair just a week earlier, and I now faced exactly what I was getting myself into: something which seemed impossible for me at the time. The shaking floor was a result of a loud stomp, synchronized precisely with a shout and a decisive strike against an invisible opponent. It wasn’t just a routine attack movement that had impressed me ““ it was the artfulness of execution, the ease of movement. I knew from day one that this was something I wanted to get into, even if I was culturally out of place.
Formally speaking, kendo is the discipline of improving the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana. Informally, and perhaps less accurately, you could call it the Japanese equivalent of European fencing. Unlike fencing, however, the strikes are not usually stabbing motions, but instead cutting motions. With a sword made from four slats of bamboo bounded by a leather handle and tip, the objective is to strike ““ with full confidence and spirit ““ your opponent’s head, forearm or side. When footwork, striking and shouting are executed in perfect union, a point is given. Now consider how complex and elegant this sport and art becomes when you have two competitors, or kenshi, with the exact same goal: to cut each other down with three minutes to do so.
When you put kendo and UCLA together, what you’re looking at is three national championship titles within the five years UCLA has competed at the national intercollegiate level. This accomplishment alone tells you not only of the success UCLA Kendo has had in growing longtime practitioners, but also of the success the club has had in training beginners like myself. UCLA Kendo Club is under the instruction of Masaharu Makino, a seventh degree dan (black belt) who also happens to be the president of the Southern California Kendo Organization. Trickle that down through our multitude of experienced kenshi, and what you see is a kendo club that is in the best hands of perhaps any collegiate kendo club in the nation. If you have any interest at all in starting or practicing kendo in college, this is the place. UCLA Kendo Club meets every Monday and Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. in the John Wooden Center’s Gold Room, and beginners are always welcome to join.
As for me, two years with the kendo club at UCLA has been nothing short of fulfilling, both mentally and physically. Thanks to the inspiration I get from the people around me during practice, I can always continue to do my best. What was once a spectacular sight to behold is now just a simple push forward, a mere stepping stone.
Michael Siedlecki
External vice president
UCLA Kendo Club