Kendo: Losing can help you

Last weekend I went to my very first competition in my Kendo career, the result was obvious: I lost hard, not making it out of the pools for individuals and not scoring a point the whole weekend.

But this wasn't so bad for me! It helped me see what other people outside my dojo could do, what was legal and what fun things are allowed, and just how awesome kendo can look when it comes to skillful players.

All this has helped me put my journey into perspective again, after having lost my goals and my interest slightly with kendo after a year. Now I feel refreshed and ready to treat kendo as once again my favourite hobby of mine.

If you're into a hobby but feel that you've lost where you are and your interest in waning, perhaps try and enter a competition of some kind and see how it goes, you never know, it might even get you a prize!