The Army Martial Arts Association (AMAA) celebrated a major milestone last week by welcoming its first kendo 4th grade black belt.
Army Kendo leader Major Chris Jones successfully passed the ‘4th Dan’ examination, the first time for a member of the association.
Major Jones said: “4th Dan was a real challenge and I have been preparing for over a year. The success rate is around 10%, and I had to change my whole approach to kendo to pass.
It is a transition point in kendo when we learn to control our opponent as showing technical proficiency. I hope to use what I have learned to develop the next generation of Army kendo practitioners.”
Kendo is open to anyone, of any age, and men and women train together and fight each other. Anyone interested in starting kendo is encouraged to contact Major Jones through the AMAA: https://martialarts.britisharmysport.com/kendo/.