News of the JINR Cultural Centre "Mir"

Path of the sword - mastery of body, mind and spirit

For almost two years, members of the Japanese kendo fencing club "Dubna" have been training in the ballet hall of the JINR Cultural Centre "Mir", gathering everyone interested in this amazing Japanese art. Head of the club Pavel NEKHOROSHKOV told us about this amazing form of art and sport at the same time.

Kendo, a Japanese traditional swordsmanship, is practiced all over the world today. Even in African and American countries there are many clubs studying and practicing this art. In Russia, interest in Japan spanned centuries of difficult relations. Today, there are several million practitioners with degrees alone, including children, women and the elderly. This is because kendo attracts people with a variety of goals: some want to develop their physical skills, others are interested in the Japanese characteristics of historical fencing and others are immersed in the characteristics of their personality and strengthen their spirit in full-contact fights.

Yury Gorshkov, Nikolay Geraksiev, Pavel Nekhoroshkov

Question: is it art or sport? Kendo today balances between these two peaks, born from many traditional fencing schools, absorbing the most effective from each. Over time, a comprehensive system of training the human spirit has developed that aims to educate it for the benefit of society. Does it sound too pretentious? But this is the purpose of kendo from the generally accepted concept established 50 years ago. By studying this art seriously and with full dedication, a person becomes more attentive to himself and others, because he believes that any careless movement and disrespect can result in irreparable consequences. From here arises strong friendship between practitioners, freedom of thought and perseverance of character.

Kendo training is a special physical exercise aimed at increasing the strength of the arms and legs, developing a straight posture and smooth gait, sharp powerful lunges, as well as endless practice of strikes. It seems monotonous and boring. But over time, acquired skills allow you to feel any person by his movements, move quickly and naturally, know your limit and dangerous distance. Psychologically, anyone receives a kind of hardening: they are not afraid of loud screams and blows of swords, of an angry person, but the main thing is that the practitioner can reduce his aggression, manage his emotions and find his true calm. Recently, our club members have been practicing in a mixed way: part of the group masters basic movements of the body and sword, while already experienced kendoka focus on practicing subtle aspects of interaction, such as anticipating movements, using counterattack techniques, pressure and concentration. Over the past year, representatives of our club took part in an on-site general open training session, as well as several exams and competitions among Moscow clubs. Such trips are very enriching for anyone, but not everyone can afford it.

After the renovation of the ballet hall, classes at the JINR Cultural Centre "Mir" became much better. In kendo, it is very important to feel the grip of your feet on the surface, so everyone should get used to moving barefoot. We trained 5-7 years ago in the small, large and ballet halls of the Cultural Centre. These activities were of an extreme nature, since each time one had to fight with splinters. Nowadays, in the ballet hall you don't have to worry about this and besides, there are mirrors that club members use to evaluate themselves from the outside: it allows one to see distortions in technique and stance. We have recently taken part in the festival "Klever", where a variety of groups were presented, uniting adults with similar interests. After all, it is so important to find leisure time and to break out of the circle of everyday routine into the world of unusual experience and to feel truly alive. At the festival we demonstrated the basic forms of interact between opponents in kendo without armor and with them. The club was warmly received by the audience; many were surprised that in Dubna they practice this type of martial arts and one can try completely free of charge as a person walking the Path of the Sword. The club is always open to beginners, because in order to try, you do not need any equipment or special skills, but only desire. But in recent times, it has become a scarce resource in the world, so we just keep busy and wait for everyone interested!

Eleonora Yamaleeva