Kang does Kendo

Many see senior Sophie Kang in the hallways always smiling, a friendly personality in the classroom. However, behind her innocent face is the heart of a samurai: Kang participates in the oriental martial art of Kendo.

Kendo is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional samurai swordsmanship. It is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.

Kang has had many years to refine her skill.

“I started in seventh grade, mostly because I was just tagging along with my older brother, so it’s been six years now and I’m a third degree black belt,” Kang said.

Kang has decided that she wants to continue practicing Kendo in college.

“While looking up colleges to apply to, I researched their Kendo clubs and since most of them do have pretty active clubs I’ll definitely be continuing with Kendo beyond high school,” Kang said.

Although the martial art itself requires great concentration, she says the practices are “fun and lighthearted.” She’s also one of the few females in her dojo in San Jose, a formal training place for martial arts.

“Everyone at the dojo knows each other really well; it’s like a family. Of course, there’s a really skewed gender ratio so I usually practice with guys but after a while you don’t even notice it,” Kang said.

Kendo, like other martial arts, requires discipline and a dedication to training. A new student begins with learning the basics such as: etiquette (known in Kendo as reigi), different postures and footwork and how to properly swing a sword. The student progresses through a series of skills preparing them to begin training with armor.

Competitions are naturally more high strung than her traditional practices.

“People are more tense and the dojo/area pride gets really strong, but after going to a lot of tournaments, you get to make friends with people from [Southern California] and the East Coast,” Kang said.

Kang must sometimes face what seems like unfair competition. Some competitions don’t have gender divisions so at times, she must face “six-foot tall guys who think they can push [her] out of the boundaries.”

Because Kendo is such a physical activity, Kang has sustained her fair share of injuries.

“I once got my big toenail torn off by my opponent. It was seriously tearing up for the last half of the match. Plus, I have some weird bruises,” Kang said.

Kang has also gained great life skills. An example is that she’s able to “meditate for long periods of time.”

“It’s actually a really practical skill to have; sometimes when I’m feeling stressed or confused or just plain [mad] I can meditate and let it all go,” Kang said.

But her favorite thing about Kendo?

“I get to hit people with sticks in a controlled environment,” Kang said. “What could be better than that?”