{"id":395,"date":"2015-09-03T17:02:33","date_gmt":"2015-09-03T17:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/katanaswordreviews.com\/?p=395"},"modified":"2017-04-06T00:16:29","modified_gmt":"2017-04-06T00:16:29","slug":"find-a-dojo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/katanaswordreviews.com\/find-a-dojo\/","title":{"rendered":"Step 5: Where to Practice – Find A Dojo"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Step<\/p>\n

Time to Find a Dojo<\/h2>\n

The final step in our katana readiness guide is helping you find a dojo\u00a0where you can now use your newly purchased katana. If you already have a location to train then you are finished, no need to read this step!<\/p>\n

For those of you who are new katanas, other weaponized martial arts, or just martial arts in general, this final step will help you pin down a place where you can practice under the supervision of a trained sensei (which as I said in earlier steps that I highly<\/span> recommend).<\/p>\n

I guess before I get too far ahead of myself for those who are new to this and don’t know what a dojo is let me explain. A dojo is a place or large room used for training purposes in martial arts. They can range from a gym, to a smaller studio, to an entire complex focused on teaching the various martial arts.\u00a0Dojos can vary in the types of martial arts they perform there ranging from judo and karate to the more skilled iaido.<\/p>\n

The word comes from Japan and loosely translated means “a place of pursuit” the pursuit of which is your journey to mastering a martial art. The ‘Do’ means ‘way’ or ‘pursuit’ and the ‘Jo’ means ‘a place’. Combined they represent the term that is referred to today.<\/p>\n

\"Find
Source: 500.co<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why Find a Dojo?<\/h3>\n

The primary reason why everyone who is new to any martial art that involves swords, blades, or other weapons should find a local dojo is so that they learn how to use them. You don’t buy a car and try to take it out on the road before you know how to drive it…well I didn’t anyway.<\/p>\n

By going to a dojo you can practice under the supervision of a master sensei who will instruct you on the proper usage of your sword. Having this guidance is essential in remaining safe and actually understanding what you are trying to accomplish beyond just swinging a piece of sharp steel around.<\/p>\n

Training in a dojo will also allow you to understand the ways of the samurai, their ancient thought process, and their takes on various life situations. It’s not just a sport you are about to participate in, it’s an entire mindset.<\/p>\n

The final benefit of practicing in a dojo is that you’ll get to meet other people that share the same interest as you. You not only will train against them in the dojo, but you will bond with them outside of it. I’ve actually learned quite a bit from my friends who I practice with; they’ve let me experiment with their swords (hence some of my offered advice around katana reviews), given my advice on sword care, and even shared a few beers with me (not before using the katana\u00a0of course).<\/p>\n

How to Find a Dojo<\/h3>\n

Well you could do a simple search for “dojo’s near me” in Google, Bing, or whatever your preferred search engine of choice is. The only thing is that occasionally dojos may not be set up with the keyword “dojo” in the title, meaning you may be missing out on some.<\/p>\n

My preference is using a search engine specific to dojos. The site dojos.info is great resource for finding a place to practice by conducting a nationwide search for dojos near an address you select.<\/p>\n

I’ve taken some code from their site to allow you to search for a dojo near you right from here. Just enter your zip code in the search tool below to see what’s near you.<\/p>\n

Find\u00a0a Dojo Near You<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enter Zip<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Powered by\u00a0dojos.info<\/a><\/p>\n<\/form>\n

Once you have a selection of a few dojos you’re interested in the first step is to call them to find out if they even offer the martial arts training you are interested in as well as their membership costs. This may narrow down your list a bit.<\/p>\n

From there I’d suggest actually visiting each one and speaking with the sensei there and understanding the various katana training performed there. It is very important to work with a sensei you believe you’ll be comfortable with since at times you will become very frustrated. If you are practicing Iaido everything is extremely fluid and calculated, you can expect some struggles at first with getting the movements down.<\/p>\n

Here is the dojo search\u00a0process for your reference:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Search to find dojos close by<\/li>\n
  2. Call find out what is taught there<\/li>\n
  3. Obtain pricing and rule out anything too expensive<\/li>\n
  4. Visit each dojo to determine which sensei is the best fit for you<\/li>\n
  5. Chose a dojo and start katana training!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    New Dojos are opening up all the time; below is a live RSS feed I set up to let you know about any new dojo openings listed with Dojos.info, the top dojo search site. I’ve set it up to show the 5 most recent openings.<\/p>\n