Mountain Tae Kwon Do School

This highly stylized sport is derived from ancient Japanese sword-fighting. In contests players use a shinai (a bamboo sword bound with leather and held with both hands). For training and practice a bokken (wooden sword) is used. Technique is limited to a few actions executed in a formal manner. Points are scored by calling out and striking a target area: the head, the side of the body, the throat, or the wrists. Protective clothing and equipment and the rules of contest prevent injury. Kendo is practiced on a wooden floor; players wear a lightweight cotton jacket, a hakama (loose, flowing, full-cut pants), and head, throat, chest, and wrist protectors. Kata forms of kendo are practiced using the bokken and a shorter, one-hand sword.