Anyone had any experience with the Goshindo (Sports Chanbara group) ? There is a guy at my wifes work who heard I did Kali in the Philippines, and he was keen to get me started in Chanbara.
I have done some net surfing on various websites and BBSs, and come up with the following (for those interested).
Goshindo consists of 3 parts -
Sport Chanabra (whacking each other with air weapons)
Toyama Ryu Iaido
Tameshigiri (test cutting)
Most Kendo guys seem to be offended by Sports Chanbara, although one did have a good point, that the rigidity of Kendo and limited scoring zones caused him many problems when trying out Chanbara. He was not used to protecting his legs for example. Kendo is very back and forth, whereas Chanbara was more of a chaotic scramble. Closer to real life ?
The fact that the weapons are so flexible leads to being unable to maintain control of the center, as you could with a shinai/sword. And obviously the weapons are very light, so impossible techniques can be performed with your "sword", "staff", etc
So does Sports Chanbara have any value in "real-life" ?