2025 Beginners’ Course

The Melbourne University Kendo Club (MUKEN) Beginners' Course is aimed at complete beginners with no previous experience with kendo. Student or non-student, all are welcome at MUKEN.

A free trial commences from Monday 3rd March 2025 for two weeks and ends on 13th March 2025. Training will be held every Mondays 5:30PM - 7:30PM and Thursdays 5:00PM - 6:30PM.

Following the free trial, lessons will be given twice a week in a group setting by experienced instructors for a further eight weeks.

For any enquiries regarding the beginners course feel free to email melunikendo@gmail.com or message us on Facebook or Instagram page.

For more details, please click here to download the 2025 Beginners Course Information Pack.

Course duration and course fees

The course runs for 10 weeks (2 weeks free trial + 8 weeks instructed beginners course, for both Monday and Thursday sessions), starting from 3rd March 2025.

For more details, please click here to download the 2025 Beginners Course Information Pack.

Cost Options

The costs for the beginner’s course are as shown below. The first 2 weeks of the beginners course is a free trial and everyone is welcome to attend at no cost.

Students:

  • Enrolment into the 8 week beginner course program (excl. trial weeks) $50

  • Shinai (bamboo sword) $45

  • Shinai Bag $10

  • Uniform Set (Navy Blue Gi and Hakama) estimated cost $120, to be confirmed toward end of course

Non-Students:

  • Enrolment into the 8 week beginner course program (excl. trial weeks) $70

  • Shinai (bamboo sword) $45

  • Shinai Bag $10

  • Uniform Set (Navy Blue Gi and Hakama) estimated cost $120, to be confirmed toward end of course

Location and Time

The course will be held in the Sports Centre, West Stadium - click here for a location map.

Beginner’s course will take place during our normal training times:
Monday 5:30-7:30pm and Thursday 5:00-6:30pm

What to wear

Comfortable, loose-fitting clothing is recommended. Upon arriving at the training hall, please take off your shoes and socks.

After the beginner’s course

If you are interested in continuing Kendo after the course, beginners will be gradually incorporated into the main class.

There is an increase in the difficulty level of Kendo after this point, particularly when you start wearing the armour. But Kendo will also start to feel more rewarding because of the challenge.

Uniform

You will eventually be required to purchase and wear the Kendo uniform, which consists of Keiko-gi (training jacket) and hakama (pleated pants). A set can be purchased for less than $100. We will help you purchase the uniform, including taking your measurements to ensure correct fit.

Armour

Because of the difficulty of Kendo, it usually takes about 3-4 months of consistent training to begin to wear kendogu (armour). It is quite an achievement getting to this point!

The club has used sets of armour that are available for hire. Because of the large upfront cost of purchasing armour (around $500), we do not recommend purchasing your own set until you feel comfortable to do so.

If you decide to purchase your own set of armour, we can give you advice on where to purchase it and also help you with measurements.