Q: What is an appropriate age to start kendo practice?
A: Generally, kids can begin at a very young age. More importantly also for training success is that your child feels comfortable in the group and has fun. At the moment, members of our youth group are between 9 and 15 years of age.
Q: Is there a test training?
A: Sometimes, we offer special trial courses for children. They will be announced on our website. Apart from that, you are always welcome to come by and watch the training. If your child should then be interested, he or she can test train for a couple of weeks. You won’t have to pay any fees for the duration of the test training, nor buy any kendo equipment. Normal sportswear is sufficient. If you and your child should decide to continue training with us, you can simply register using our membership application form.
Q: What is the risk of injury when doing kendo?
A: It’s very small thanks to the protective armor. Furthermore, there are special rules for kendo youth championships. Bruises and tripping during training are probably the worst things that can happen.
Q: Where can I buy kendo equipment and how much is it?
A: Our young members are specially funded by our association, so that each child who wants to can practice kendo. The whole equipment can be rented from us. There is a small deposit of 30€ for kendo wear (gi and hakama) and a monthly fee for the protective armor of 10€. A new children’s armor costs around 300€. The shinai can be borrowed during the first couple of weeks. Later, about one or two new shinai per year should be bought, depending on training intensity. A new shinai costs about 20-30€.
Q: I liked the training a lot! How can my child become a member and how much is the membership fee? Which other costs will arise?
A: You can find our membership application form here:
Just fill in the first pages of this form and hand it to the trainer during the next training. Also bring a passport photo of your child so that we can issue the kendo pass. The monthly membership fee for children and adolescents is 6€ per month. Another 40€ per year have to be paid to the German National Kendo Federation, so your child can participate in exams and tournaments.
In a nutshell, you can plan on expenses of about 20-25€ per month (incl. protective armor, shinai and all fees)