I started taking Kumdo lessons last night. Kumdo is the Korean version of Kendo, which means "the way of the sword." Unlike Kendo, though Kumdo encompasses work with a wooden sword, which (I believe) falls under the category of Kenjitsu in Japan. Also, the work with the wooden sword is only done alone, not with a partner. Kumdo forms are much flashier and acrobatic than the forms (kata) used in iaido, which is mainly focused on only drawing the sword, cutting the enemy down, and re-sheathing the sword. All these differences were just things that I observed watching yesterday. I'll keep updating as I learn more.
My dojang is great. There are only about five students in the adult class, and we can practice up to five nights a week (I'll practice every night but Friday, due to church choir practice). There is one other foreigner in my class, who I met through working at the English Village in Hogye, and her Korean is pretty good, so I'm sure she'll be of great help to me. The foreigner fee is only $20 a month too! You can't beat that, especially for four nights of training a week.
2 comments:
Well, I'm doing Kum Do for more than year and now I got my 1st Dan last December. What I'd like to tell you about Kum Do is, no matter what people call it, Kumdo, Kendo, Iaido, all martial art is about training the one inside of you, not just learning skill and technic. So, Welcome to Kumdo and hope you will find the ONE inside of you.(My master is 8th Dan Kumdo master)
Thanks for your comment! I totally agree with you--martial arts is all about controlling the mind, not just the body.
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