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This is a sort-of-follow-up to my last post.

What do you get when you pay for Kendo lessons?

You don’t get Kendo. It’s not a thing you can buy. So what is it?

It is what you choose to make it.

Some people come because they want to do something cool. To them, Kendo is something cool. When it’s no longer cool, they’ll stop.

Others enjoy the physical fitness elements. To them it’s primarily a great workout.

There will be some who think it is a way to improve self-discipline, self-respect, and overall improve the self. There will be some who don’t feel that way. Oh well.

Truthfully, Kendo is none of these things. It is an activity with a variety of performance and competition standards set in place by the International Kendo Federation. That’s about it.

There’s nothing mystical about Kendo or its instructors or its practitioners. They’re not superhuman, extra wise or super cool. Kendo won’t even necessarily make you a better person.

That being said, my opinions are irrelevant because it’s your perspective about Kendo that makes it what it is to you. You are welcome to feel you are cool or superhuman or a better person as a result of practicing Kendo. You are free to see your instructors as demigods if you’d like. It’s your choice.