Edinburgh University Kendo Club

Boxing and Martial Arts in Edinburgh

About the club

Kendo is a Japanese Martial Art concerned with the principles of the sword. Kendoka are armed with shinai (bamboo swords) and bogu (armour). A great workout for discipline and adrenaline. There is no kicking punching or throwing, just emphasis on the sword – meaning it is suitable for everyone, regardless of gender, as everyone trains together.

In kendo, physical contact is an essential element, but it is controlled to ensure safety and respect. Practitioners use a bamboo sword (shinai) to strike target areas while wearing protective gear (bogu) that absorbs impacts. Contact can also occur through grappling or unbalancing maneuvers, incidental footwork interactions, and deflecting strikes.

We hold beginner sessions on Wednesdays (20:30-22:00) and Saturdays (16:00-18:30). The advanced sessions take place on Thursdays (14:00-16:30) and Sundays (15:00-18:00).

We recruit new participants in September and in January where we organise free taster sessions. We cannot accept new participants outside of these two months. Keep a look on our social media for updates.

Our beginners course is very well structured and the vast majority of people starting kendo at University have no prior experience. You will be taken all the way from basic footwork to free sparring and competitions within the first year.

We also have a sister club called the Edinburgh City Kendo Club (EKC) where the majority will be non-University students.

Cost

To attend, you will need three memberships: Pleasance Gym membership: around £200; Kendo Club membership: around £40-50; and the Sports Union membership: £9.5. There are multiple types of memberships: Student/Non-Student; Full-Year/One Semester Only/Academic Year. Please refer to the following links for more information: https://www.eusu.ed.ac.uk/organisation/committeemembers/ ; https://sport-exercise.ed.ac.uk/gym-memberships ; https://www.eusu.ed.ac.uk/organisation/kendo/