The more she joined keiko as the club progressed, the more she started to enjoy training and interacting with the beginners, Senpais and visiting Senseis. For a time, she was the youngest active member of Dumaken. When the club started to accept kids, she became their little Senpai and helped teach them also. It made the kids class atmosphere fun and comfortable right away for the other kids amidst the formalities of Kendo. She wishes to go back to the dojo soon to meet and train again with the other Dumaken kids. "Kendo is fun, like when I hold the shinai, it relieves your stress. It’s also fun to train and learn with others.

“When I was younger, I used to watch my dad play, so I wanted to copy him, so I joined & never regretted it. I feel like the anime character "Shinobu" every time I train. It’s also nice meeting new friends & getting into the kendo spirit. The food is always tastier after training."

- Maia Lezama


Kids learn quickly and not afraid to fail, that’s why we instill a little fun for them to enjoy while training, so they'll keep coming back as well as enjoyable to other kids they meet at the dojo. Kids like Maia are the future of Philippine Kendo.