Welcome to the University of Kent Kendo Club
Welcome to the University of Kent Kendo Club website. Keeping in mind that this website is a long term project to facilitate the internal and external communications of the club, while providing information on kendo, it still remains in a period of trial-and-error developing.
On the Club
The University of Kent Kendo Club, based at the Canterbury Campus, offers you the great to opportunity to join us in the “way of the sword”. We have two practice sessions a week in the on-campus sport centre. If you are new to the campus, you should be able to find your way by looking at the following map. (H5)
The main sessions are on Wednesdays from 20:00 to 22:00 in the small hall and Saturdays from 15:00 to 17:00 in the dance studio. Sessions are usually followed by drinks by one of the campus pubs/bars.
The University of Kent Kendo Club has been around for a while now, and has won a number of competitions. We did very well in the 2005 University Championship competition and in 2006 when President Dipak Choudry took the Gold medal in the kyu-grades category. We also did well in 2007 when President Samuel Bainbridge won Gold in the kyu-grades after a hard-fought final, and our Secretary, Spencer Taber, took Bronze. In 2008 the club also had some success with Secretary (Now President) Lee Dale taking kyu grade Bronze.
On Joining the Club
While we welcome beginners at any time of the academic year, we do encourage you to join early, as there are a lot of basics to learn, which we don’t want you to struggle with at a later stage. We will start running introductory classes from the beginning of term. For your first class please bring a track-suit or loose fitting light-weight clothing.
In the introductory classes, stretching until the end of this term, you will be introduced to Kendo etiquette, the basic posture, footwork and cut. By joining the University of Kent Kendo Club, you will also enter into a friendly environment where we drink, chat and have fun together after practice but also through a wide variety of socials.
Membership
Please note that only the first two weeks of term are free. After that all students will have to pay the £115 Sport Centre Membership fee, or £3 per session. To join the University of Kent Kendo Club you also need pay the £22 membership fee online here or in the Kent Union office. At a later stage you will have to join the British Kendo Association, but that will only happen once you have joined the University of Kent Kendo Club.