[KENDO RANT] - Gyaku Jodan? Shouting Targets?

Hi Andy and others! a happy new year to all.

I’d like to confirm what Andy says about kendo for people with a disability of any kind: with some precautions that must be taken by both the instructor and the student with a disability, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be practised.
For the second year running, the disability section of the National Kendo Comittee of France has held a training course for instructors to prepare them for teaching to people with disabilities. I took it this Autumn, and I loved the experience, from a human(e) and martial point of view. As our National Comittee also involves iaido, naginata, jodo and chambara sport, several of these arts were represented among the students, which led to captivating exchanges.
The instructors were mostly people with disabilities, involved in several kinds of sport, some of them in our do. All types of disabilities were considered (senses, motion, mental, psychological…). A very deep and enjoyable experience.
For the exam, we were working in pairs, having to demonstrate how we had taught our charges a technique or two. We were given under an hour to meet them, understand the adaptations we’d have to introduce for their specific disability, and then we’d demonstrate the result with them. All of them were already handisport athletes, some even paralympians.
It’s changed my approach to my teaching of kendo in general, though having a sister with a disability had prepared me for some of the questionings you unavoidable encounter in this sort of circumstances.
Sorry I’ve been a wee bit long, but as I think it’s an innovative course, I thought I’d share this with you folks.