KENDO PRACTICE AT UNIVERSITY: AN EXPERIENCE REPORT

Abstract

Kendo is a Japanese martial art that has been spreading in the Western world. With features similar to fencing, it provides combat between two opponents in which the objective is to strike your opponent with a bamboo sword, in specific places that are protected by armor. The university environment, in addition to being a space for the production and exchange of academic and scientific knowledge, is also a place for professional and personal training. In this sense, we understand that formation is a broad process that involves different human dimensions, which at the University are developed in activities with different characteristics: in classrooms, in field classes, in laboratories, in student bodies, in involvement in projects (artistic, cultural and sports, for example), among others. This experience report aims to describe actions taken to develop a project aimed at beginners in the university environment, as well as share some challenges encountered throughout this endeavor. The project was developed at the School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities of the University of São Paulo, in different formats in the various editions held between 2015 and 2019. It had the participation of people from the internal and external community and promoted exchanges between subscribers and practitioners from other locations. The challenges that stood out the most, observing the period considered, were the provision of the necessary equipment for the practice and the heterogeneity of the classes regarding the level of practice.