En artikkel fra the cyber dojo som forklarer litt om at kendo ser brutalt ut.

If you see kendo for the first time, you will find it very brutal. Two people start yelling at each other and suddenly hitting each other. Hitting may not describe what you see. Maybe bludgeoning each other is the best description.


Does it really hurt?

It does. While you are not experienced, it hurts a lot. That is because you cannot control your strength. So you hit others really hard. However, if you become more experienced and advanced, you will be able to control your strength. Thus, you won't hurt others.


Kendo involves hitting your training partners. Your kendo mates. Do you want to hurt your friends every time you train with them? NO!! You must learn how to control your strength first so you will not lose your kendo mates.


Kendo is not about hitting your opponent. Kendo is about how you control yourself. That is why you must do a lot of suburi (empty cut) to learn how you can control your sword. It is all about your self-control.


Yes, some people choose to be brutal. This guy started headbutting me in shiai (match). After shiai, I told him that he should not have headbutted me. He said, "Oh, no?". This is very sad thing to hear. It is not his fault. Probably his teacher told him that it was ok to headbutt his opponent, because kendo was a martial art. I heard such things a lot. I do not disagree with having a fighting spirit in shiai. However, headbutting is not a technique of kendo. If you want to hurt others, please do not do martial arts. Just go out streets and pick a fight. Do not come to the world of martial arts.

"This article is reproduced with the permission of http://kendo.imafuji.info".