Yokota Kendo Club

Is it possible to have too much practice?

In short, yes. At any level it is possible to overdo even a good thing. Assume my statement is true. That leads to the next logical question, how much is too much? The answer here is a bit more complicated and depends on the level you are currently at.

Dan holders: Too much is any amount that causes you discomfort or injury. We all want to get better, want to improve our technique, speed, spirit, and strength and this is a good thing. However, if we push ourselves too hard, we are likely to do two things.

First, we will very possibly suffer an injury. Granted most injuries are minor and heal quickly, but should we be unfortunate enough to have a more severe injury, we will set our improvements back by months, years, or possibly even impose new limits that effectively cap our potential.

Second, when we strive for more and more practice, we are likely to lost focus on the quality of our practice. If practice is in preparation for a match or test this is especially important, remember a match is usually only 3 minutes and tests 90 seconds or less. Managing to do 2 or 3 or more hours of practice every day is pointless if its full of mediocrity or peaks somewhere down the road. Endurance, while admirable must be balanced. In kendo, our first attack should give everything we have and so should the last; and they should be the same in every quality and character.

Beginners/Kyu ranks: Just like Dan holders, we can overdo it as well. The same pitfalls exist for us at this level plus one more that is very, possible even more risky. This is the risk that comes from attending practice in too many dojo or with too many sensei. This is a potential problem for # reasons.

First, every dojo and every sensei has their own way of doing things and their own emphasis especially when it comes to teaching/learning the basics. The instructors in a given dojo all tend to be similar and defer to the head instructor, but even among them there will be some differences. This means that what you learn from one the next may demand you unlearn or modify. While none of them are necessarily wrong, sorting out their different requirements will slow our progress.

Second, we are likely to become confused. How can both or all of them be correct after all? Not to mention that if you learn things one way in a given dojo and then try to take them back to your home dojo you might very well step on the instructors toes and insult him. Remember, we are not yet Dan holders. That means we are not proficient with the basics, we are still learning them. We should take what our sensei teaches and hold it to be gospel until the day comes when we are proficient enough to incorporate the teaching of others and even later begin to form our own path through kendo.

Third, we might be viewed as disloyal or fickle. Here in Japan, we are lucky enough to have many dojo to practice at. Failure to follow the strict etiquette applied to kendo, will lead us to show ourselves in a bad light and insult quite a few people. Schedules, jobs, family commitments all make getting to a regular practice difficult, but we always have to remember where our home dojo is and demonstrate our loyalty to it. Enduring a slow down in our progress is far preferable to falling victim to the other pitfalls listed here. While it is fine to observe practice at another dojo if invited, always be sure to let your head instructor know so that he can make a mention of it to the other dojo and thank them.