It will teach you discipline, patience and focus. It is not just wailing mindlessly away.
No age is too old to start a martial art.
Arthritis would not be so much of a problem as Lupus is because of the bruising. It is a contact sport. So you really need to check with your doctor there.
It will help you with being able to move out of the way of a strike but that's just about it. Much more goes into self defense than just moving out of the way. It's better than nothing at all and you'd fare better if you had a stick when the attack occurred. Hitting without any weapons is very different than striking with a weapon. It is easier to learn fighting without weapons and then switch to a weapon in a self defense situation than it is the other way around.
Your Karate training should not affect it in any way.
I only dabbled with Kendo and it was so long ago I remember very little but I do remember that it was definitely fun.
Depending on how toned you are already will depend on how much of a difference in toning you will notice. It is a whole body workout though.
'Good' is relative and this question is impossible to answer as 'good' means something different to everybody.
All martial arts are male dominated so you better get used to this. It's not a social club so don't worry. Yes, some guys look down on females in martial arts, in sports in general and in the work place and you still go to work and then there are females who look down on males too. Welcome to the real world. Don't get hung up on small things already. You may end up in a dojo where the guys are great and if you have a really good teacher the guys will be great because a good teacher will not allow anybody to look down on anybody for any reason. Courtesy is a big part of Japanese martial art.
There is a certain amount of strength and stamina involved. Obviously you have to have enough strength to hold your 'sword' and do the movements but the techniques themselves do not use more strength if you do them correctly. In the beginning you will muscle your way through everything because you lack technique. But as you get better and figure more efficient ways for the movement the techniques come easier and use less strength.
Don't feel really qualified to answer this one as I think I probably didn't have the best teacher myself and didn't stick with it long enough to determine what would have made a better teacher but a more knowledgeable teacher would have probably been better. As with all martial arts I think it is important that you look at where the person teaching you trained. My teacher had no real Kendo background and his knowledge was very limited.
I know it's already answered but here's my two cents.
"Will Kendo cause me to grow large muscles?"
No, though maybe your forearms will starting out. At the start people tend to muscle through the exercise and the forearm is usually the victim for right handed people, left handed people get their shoulders instead.. But as your technique continues to develop you'll find that you need to do exercises outside of class because your cutting will become 'so efficient' that a lot of your muscles will actually atrophy!
Basically you'll go from hard muscles to softer and softer muscles.. The muscle is still there but only as much as necessary.. you'll find yourself doing push-ups to make up for it.
"Will Kendo help tone my core? I am fairly skinny already but I've always wanted a nice but not overly toned stomach...sounds lame but I think it looks nice in a swim suit "
This it will do.. but only if you're constantly working at it.. You'll notice the largest change when you start fighting as the cardio required is insane.
"How will Kendo help me mentally?"
You will be able to control and direct split-second focused aggression. You will become open to learning and advice. You will learn how to challenge ideas when they are wrong. Kendo doesn't pretend to be more than it is. It isn't Japanese swordsmanship. It is fencing based on Japanese swordsmanship.
"Is 20 too old to start Kendo?"
Not at all. I know successful Kendoka who started in their 30s and even some Kyu's in their 70s.
"If I have arthritis, technically Lupus, would Kendo hurt me more than help me? If you cant answer this its fine, I know yall are not doctors, lol."
I'm afraid I don't know much about Lupus.. The health risks you're looking at will be related to heavy bruising and broken toes/fingers.(though the latter is rare.)
The heavy bruising is due to the weapon used the "Shinai" is made in such a way that it causes the force of the strike to be spread out. This prevents serious skeletal/muscular injury but leaves huge bruises instead. Naturally precautions are taken to limit the bruising as well.
"Will Kendo help with self defense, I am well aware it is not a self defense sport/art but will it aid in anyway."
Absolutely, Kendo teaches two important skills of striking arts.
1. Focus split second aggression with accuracy.
2. Timing
"Will knowing a basic level of Karate help or hinder?"
Only when starting off. You'll have to get used to having both feet straight at all times. It's very awkward for newcomers but even the most stubborn angled feet can bed fixed in about a month.
"Is Kendo fun to learn, I love challenges and I know Kendo is tough so no worries there, I just want to know if you enjoyed learning it?"
Kendo is the most fun. As amusing as practicing sword drawing, cutting, or actual swordsmanship can be.. nothing quite beats the feeling of crashing into eachother or only striking air because of that perfect dodge. Or the shinai's crashing into eachother. It is absolutely thrilling and by the end I am exhausted my inner-warmongerer satisfied. It's intense.
"What muscles does Kendo tone?"
Mostly the legs. You'll get skinnier but muscle wont magically show up on your tummy.. you'll have to put the extra work there. Same for your upper body. It'll get skinnier as well unless you work on it separately. At the very least Kendo burns a lot of fat.
"How long (if I am dedicated) will it take me to get good at Kendo?"
Eh, good is relative. I know some national players and I see them and think "Man they're good." but then I look at the Hachidans and I'm like "They're amazing." But for different reasons.. I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are different ways of enjoying Kendo and you can be good in different ways.. I know this part is an awful answer but.. uhm.. There is no "good?" only "better?"
"I know it is a male dominant sport but are females looked down upon for doing Kendo?"
There are actually quite a lot of girls that practice Kendo.. though you're right that there are more guys.
Female practitioners are not looked down upon at all.. In fact the scariest Kiai i've ever heard was from a female Kendoka. I kid you not, every time she shouted every single judge fought the urge to look to see what was causing that echo across the hall.
"Does strength play a big factor in Kendo, because I'm fairly small, short and not very strong...I am not a weakling, just average lol."
Like I answered earlier you become more efficient so you don't need as much strength.
"How do I know it is a good Kendo dojo?"
This is the tricky one... Well they should be a part of a federation endorsed by the AJKF. Additionally they shouldn't have a negative attitude towards new students.. that's just awful budo attitude. Third their training should be fairly intense even as you improve.
Kendo is kind of like pasta.. It's a bit difficult to screw up. Due to its' rule set and limitations the curriculum should be about the same everywhere. There will be differences between dojos of course.. but if the federation is AJKF endorsed then it should be fine.
Martial arts exercises don't build muscles like isometric weight lifting does. It compresses muscles instead.
For arthritis check out Scott Sonnon's flow fit and tac fits for joint health.
Obviously you are too old if you want to compete in kendo tournaments for juniors. But there are other tournaments. As a personal hobby, there's no age limit for that.
If you want to learn the sword for something other than killing people, then kendo is the way to go.
I am very curious in learning the art of the sword and have always had a strong interest in all martial arts formal and informal...I just have a few questions :)
-Will Kendo cause me to grow large muscles? I am trying to tone up my slightly flabby arms lol...but don't want more muscle than I have already got...
-Will Kendo help tone my core? I am fairly skinny already but I've always wanted a nice but not overly toned stomach...sounds lame but I think it looks nice in a swim suit
-How will Kendo help me mentally?
-Is 20 too old to start Kendo?
-If I have arthritis, technically Lupus, would Kendo hurt me more than help me? If you cant answer this its fine, I know yall are not doctors, lol.
-Will Kendo help with self defense, I am well aware it is not a self defense sport/art but will it aid in anyway.
-Will knowing a basic level of Karate help or hinder?
-Is Kendo fun to learn, I love challenges and I know Kendo is tough so no worries there, I just want to know if you enjoyed learning it?
-What muscles does Kendo tone?
-How long (if I am dedicated) will it take me to get good at Kendo?
-I know it is a male dominant sport but are females looked down upon for doing Kendo?
-Does strength play a big factor in Kendo, because I'm fairly small, short and not very strong...I am not a weakling, just average lol
-How do I know it is a good Kendo dojo?
If you can answer most of these questions, I would appreciate it :)! Thank you so much in advance!!
