Stevens MRT Kendo Dojo With S$200 Beginner Courses: Tanglin

Tanglin Kendo Club trains in the dance studio of Tanglin Community Club, 245 Whitley Road, Singapore 297829, the white building with a clock tower a short walk from Stevens MRT. It is one of the few kendo groups in Singapore that sells beginner courses openly through onePA, the People's Association booking site. The next four-session course runs on Sunday evenings from 1 to 29 November 2026, from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm, and costs S$200 for PAssion card members or S$210 for everyone else.

The club's trainer is David Yeo Hock Kee, 7th Dan, a grade awarded by the All Japan Kendo Federation. His onePA profile says he has practised kendo for more than 25 years, represented Singapore at many regional tournaments and at four World Kendo Championships, and has coached everyone from 12-year-olds to the national training squad. On every course listing, students call him Sensei David.

Yeo founded the club himself. A visiting kendoka from overseas who trained there in October 2013 described it on his blog as a new club created by his friend Yeo sensei, and noted how many Europeans were training there. The club's old website still introduces it as newly formed. It is affiliated to the Singapore Kendo Club, the national body, alongside the university clubs and Joushinkan.

Tanglin's classes are sold as onePA courses with codes rather than as a monthly membership. The beginner course starting on 1 November, code C027251691, has four Sunday sessions of three hours each and 30 places, and online registration closes on the day it starts. The October intakes have also included eight-session courses at S$120 for PAssion members and S$130 for non-members.

Every Tanglin listing carries the same instruction: new students must check with Sensei David before registering. That matters because the course remarks have sometimes listed different days for the same class. The current notes give a kids' session on Sunday from 3 pm to 4:30 pm and an adult session on Thursday from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm, so agree your slot with the trainer by email when you sign up. Message tanglinkendo@gmail.com a few days before registration closes, giving your age and any previous martial arts experience, so he can place you in the right group.

The course description lays out a set structure. Each session starts with about 15 minutes of warm-up. The trainer then reviews basic kendo movements and cuts, before moving on to faster, more dynamic drills that build quick footwork and end with students practising cuts on partners wearing full armour. Even in a beginner course, you will strike a real target early on.

The dance studio setting is a little unusual. Instead of a wooden dojo with a shrine shelf, you train on a sprung studio floor in front of mirrors, which turn out to be useful for checking posture and the line of a cut. Community club rooms are booked by many groups, so arrive on time and leave the room as you found it.

Students are expected to wear a full blue kendo training jacket and trousers, the keikogi and hakama. Armour comes later. The course notes say it will be required as students progress, so beginners do not need to buy bogu before starting. Ask Sensei David about where to buy a shinai and uniform locally, since sizes and quality vary a great deal between suppliers.

Kids train in their own Sunday afternoon session, and the trainer's profile mentions coaching children from 12 years old. No minimum age is published, so parents of younger children should ask before booking. Adults of any age can start in the beginner course, and the course content assumes no previous martial arts experience. Many people who join in their thirties or forties find kendo kinder to the body than contact sports, because strikes land on padded armour and practice is built around controlled footwork rather than throws or falls.

The kendo club's home has stood in the neighbourhood since 1974. The People's Association describes Tanglin Community Club as a local landmark, recognisable by its clock tower and white façade, with music studios and dance rooms inside. It sits in a quiet residential district of private houses and schools between Dunearn Road and Stevens Road. On a typical evening the building is shared by dance classes, choirs and interest groups, so the sound of shinai and kiai drifting from the studio is part of the community club's mix.

Getting there is straightforward. Stevens MRT station, on the Downtown and Thomson-East Coast lines, is roughly a five-minute walk away. Buses 105, 132, 151, 153, 154, 156, 186, 190 and 960 serve the club.

Arrive early for a Sunday course and you can take a short bus or taxi ride down to Newton Food Centre for satay, chicken wings and sambal stingray, a popular pre-training meal for anyone who wants something light but filling. Thursday evening trainees heading home along Bukit Timah Road will pass the long row of shophouses and restaurants around Coronation Plaza and Sixth Avenue.

For something greener, the Singapore Botanic Gardens are a short bus ride west along Bukit Timah Road, and entry is free. A slow walk around Swan Lake or through the rainforest section is a good way to loosen stiff calves the morning after a three-hour Sunday session.

Address: Tanglin Kendo Club, Dance Studio, Tanglin Community Club, 245 Whitley Road, Singapore 297829. Email: tanglinkendo@gmail.com. Nearest MRT: Stevens, Downtown and Thomson-East Coast lines. Trainer: David Yeo Hock Kee, 7th Dan.

Next beginner course: C027251691, Sundays 1 to 29 November 2026, 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm, four sessions, S$200 with a PAssion card or S$210 without, booked on onePA. Eight-session courses have been priced at S$120 or S$130. Wear a blue kendo jacket and trousers. Check with Sensei David before registering.