By Jokokan Honbu

On the first spring day of the year according to the calendar, 56 Shindenkaners stood with sleep in their eyes on an early Sunday morning ready for fall training.

An increasing demand among Shindenkan members was met by Shindenkan's course organization: Honbu dojo. Although all participants at Shindenkan's spring and summer events come through a quick refresher in fall technique based on the local teaching, there was a growing need for a formalized and realistic fall technique course. A course where there was time for immersion with optimal and correct fall technique through many repetitions according to each individual participant's pace and confidence level.

The Ukemi (fall technique) course is compulsory for 6.kyu. Since the course has not been completed before, there was a large enrollment from the group after 6.kyu. This was also taken into account when Kimu Sensei, as responsible course instructor, ran the course. However, Kimu Sensei has designed the course for the target group before 6.kyu, which will be the main focus group for next year. Here, the course will be run with a participant limit of approx. 40 per course with the honbu instructor team, who are now subsequently responsible for the Jujutsu 1 Ukemi course according to Kimu Sensei's design, content and guidelines.

Kimu Sensei reviewed the rationale for the "division of work" between Honbu's curriculum and competence courses and the local Shindenkan school training, and precisely this course's connection to the entire curriculum - the "common thread". As martial arts is originally a self-defense system, this was done through a popular demonstration of the Shindenkan's structure and thorough preparation of its students for free combat, as written on the website and in the new curriculum manual, which is about to be printed.

Pad and punching glove training for Task fighting courses through to freestyle courses with both long-range and floor combat with and without protective equipment. When the demonstration, which was carried out by very experienced instructors from 4.dan to 6.dan, reached MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) (which under Shindenkan auspices has no rules from 2.dan), ended with cash knock-out, lock and strangulation to fainting, there were many of the participants who became very restless, insecure, scared and shocked by the violence and the cash settlement they had just witnessed.

This was also indicated by the spokeswomen and spokesmen on behalf of their groups, who were asked to discuss and take a position, attitude, moral and message for the demonstration.

The demonstration was built according to the common thread in Shindenkan's curriculum from illusion through safety and protection to reality, which was very wild, violent, direct and, as one participant said, "totally animalistic". The main message and the moral was, of course, that should you be unlucky enough to get into a fight, which by its nature is wild and merciless, then it is important that you are clear about this in advance, and as far as possible prepare and train with this setting with full benefit, when "you're training anyway".

Incidentally, the demonstration also received the highest praise for realism and truthfulness, as some exclaimed "that this was much better than on film!".

Then all the participants were divided into Shindenkan's TG (Team Groups), so that everyone could get the most out of the Jujutsu 1 course, and Kimu Sensei demonstrated in detail the various fall techniques, with explanations why, why not and knowledge sharing from the old Bujutsu fall training tools. Then these techniques were trained in each TG group, each with their own team of instructors, who taught exactly the level adapted to the respective TG group, so that all individual participants had the opportunity to get the most out of the course and the instruction.

It was absolutely a pleasure to see the rapid and progressive development of almost all participants, and the subsequent spontaneous joy and form of expression that many simply had to express after the course. Which is always a pleasure on top of the many hours of preparatory work with the course preparation and design, as well as the subsequent practical work with the course itself.

Almost everyone had to admit that there is a big difference in fall technique when you have full control yourself – until you lose this control in whole or in part. And this risk can only be reduced through clarity, optimal setting and technique with many repetitions and fine maintenance.