Learning Kyudo

Thank you for your interest in Kyudo and Sydney Kyudo Kai (SKK). We are excited to help you get started.

 

If you are interested in learning Kyudo, please take the time to read all of this information. It is very important to be aware of some essential truths which may help set your expectations about your Kyudo journey.

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Learn Kyudo with the SKK Beginner's Course

If you do not have any prior Kyudo experience, then you must take our four-week SKK Beginner’s Course.  The course consists of four sessions, occurring over consecutive Sunday mornings, with each session lasting approximately two hours.  The course is designed to introduce you to the basic Kyudo form and movements, dojo etiquette and rituals, and, most importantly, our safety procedures.

 

Please be aware that there is significant demand for our Beginner's Course. We run three courses a year, with an intake of 18 people per course, so please be proactive if you wish to get involve.  We are sorry that we cannot run our Beginner’s Course more often, but there are logistical constraints and various annual events in the Kyudo calendar which restrict how frequently we can run the course.

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SKK Beginner's Course Signup Process

For those who are keen to Learn Kyudo to get on our Beginner's Course, you must: 

• Step 1 – Complete our Expression of Interest (EOI) form (see below) so that your details are noted for our record and to streamline future signups.  You will be informed of upcoming Open Days and Beginner's Course dates through the form and by reference to the Training Calendar.

• Step 2 – Attend an Open Day.  The purpose of our Open Days is to provide an understanding of Kyudo and answer any questions before you proceed to our Beginner’s Course. By attending, you’ll get a feel for what Kyudo actually involves and a sense of how SKK operates.

• Step 3 – After attending an Open Day, you will be eligible for the Beginner's Course.  You will receive details of Beginner's Course dates and, importantly the date and time when registration opens.  Due to demand, registration is on a first-come, first-served basis and only the first 18 submissions will be accepted. Payment is also due at this time. Enrollments without payment will regrettably be cancelled. 

If you miss out on being in the first 18 for a Beginner's Course, you will be presented with a form asking if you wish to continue receiving information for future courses – you must confirm if you do.  If you no longer wish to, then simply ignore it and we will no longer contact you.  

 

 

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Prior Kyudo Experience

If you have previously undertaken any Kyudo training, then you are welcome to attend one of our training sessions after emailing the club at sydneykyudokai@gmail.com.  If you have an IKYF Membership number, please include that in your email. 

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When you attend, you will need to sign a Temporary Insurance form.  One of our senior members or club instructors will assess your level of experience at the makiwara. Based on their assessment, you may be invited to join SKK without the need for the Beginner’s Course, and you may also be invited to use the full range.  To begin with, this is likely to be under supervision.   

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If you are invited to join SKK, you will need to complete this process within four training sessions as the temporary insurance only covers you for the first four training sessions.

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SKK Open Day

We are to hold three Open Days each year, as noted on the Training Calendar, in advance of scheduled Beginner’s Courses. The remaining Open Day dates within the current calendar year will be advised on your Expression of Interest form, and you get to select an option that suits you.  These could be as soon as within the week of your filling out the EOI form, or as far away as five months. We try to space these out over the year but, as noted previously, we have lots of things on the annual kyudo calendar.

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The purpose of the Open Day is to help you begin your Kyudo journey before you sign up for a Beginner’s Course through ‘mitori geiko’, or ‘training by watching’. There will be brief instructions, demonstrations of shooting form, observation of the flow of a normal training session, meet and greet with club instructors and members, as well as ample opportunity for questions and answers.

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It is expected that everyone on the mailing list who has submitted an EOI form attends at least one Open Day.  Should extenuating circumstances arise and all three Open Day dates are unsuitable for you, please arrange to be a visitor on another day by contactin the Club Secretary.

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Visitors to SKK

We welcome visitors to come along and watch one of our Kyudo training sessions to view for enjoyment, to get a feel for Kyudo, and/or to see if it is an activity you would like to undertake, via our Beginner’s Course.

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Please ask the NCIE reception to let you past the gates, letting them know you are with the Kyudo / archery club.  Please wait at the gym door and do not enter while shooting is in progress.  Once the shooting has paused, you may enter the dojo and sign-in at the table. Someone will come and greet you and will direct you to a viewing spot or to a member who can answer your questions.

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Summary

If you are interested in learning Kyudo, please complete our Expression of Interest form and check out the dates for our Open Days.  If you have no prior experience of Kyudo, then you cannot attend SKK training sessions and shoot on our range.  You must undertake the Beginner's Course, before becoming an SKK Member.  Once you are a member, and only when the senior members of the club judge that the time is appropriate, will you be permitted to shoot on the range at distance.

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