By Matthis Isaksen, Member until 2017

On December 14, close to 4 p.m., I was ready at Måløvhallen, fully equipped with karate equipment and supplies. It was time for me to participate in SBTLUS - Black Belt Leadership Development Convention. A training camp held in connection with the big Christmas event, aimed at those who are already black belts and those who hope to become one!

Of these, I belong to the second category. As a 2nd kyu, this was my first opportunity to participate in such a convention. And as you can probably imagine, the excitement was slowly creeping up on me. Butterflies in the stomach as they say. The company around me, in addition to other brown and black belts with whom I have trained over the years, was also the group of chief instructors with whom I now had to train on an equal footing. And with Kimu Sensei as a teacher, one could well have expectations that there was something to live up to.

But honestly, it actually went by pretty quickly. The black belt group, as I will henceforth call us, is a cozy and open gathering. We all know each other, and at the camp you are met wherever you are! What is expected of you is that you are open and do your best! It's not about jaw, step and direction, or that you have to be able to kick circle kicks exactly like this. It is about fulfilling your potential and getting the maximum learning benefit from the teaching.

Before the camp, we had all been given the opportunity to send Kimu Sensei questions directly. We had been told that we could ask about anything between heaven and earth, but preferably related to Shindenkan. The first part of the camp was therefore spent with Kimu Sensei answering some of these questions. Over 70 questions had been asked, so of course not everyone could be reached. However, I was lucky enough to get both of mine answered during the day, so it couldn't be better.

After this theory session, it was time for a tour of the dojo. A pretty good one of the kind, I must say hello and say! The theme was the Naihanchi katas. D. 14 Naihanchi shodan and D. 15 Naihanchi nidan. An ancient and important kata, said by some to contain the basis of all karate. All participants had previous experience with Naihanchi, some to a greater extent than others. I myself knew that this was an important kata, and therefore I myself was in doubt as to how many things should be done exactly. It is therefore wonderful to have Kimu Sensei as a teacher. He shows the movements exactly as they should be performed. Simple and logical, you can follow what needs to be done, and you don't have to be in any doubt about small details. For us, it was just a matter of programming our bodies to do the same. Something that for me was a huge 'kick' that night. It was all served on a silver platter, and it was just about taking care of the dishes. Not because I was able to get all the details in the short time, but because they were there and I could feel how it all made sense. As some may remember, the theme of the winter camp was that 'You might as well learn it right from the start', and this was exactly what was expressed in the demonstrations.

When Kimu Sensei's teaching was finished, we all had an hour to train ourselves and try to collect the things we had learned.

After an intense training session, it was now evening, and a group of black belts, which of course had not lost their spirit, now moved on to dinner, as well as the evening's theoretical task. Again, the atmosphere and the community spread, and the supplies brought by the participants were eagerly shared and exchanged (And Jens Hanshi-dai picked up pizzas).

The evening's theoretical task consisted of us trying to express 'the optimal annual training process for myself and the others' on a 1-page powerpoint slide. In other words, we had time to think about how we could best organize our training over the course of a year. Both so that we can progress, and so that it works in relation to our everyday life. However, I can reveal that there was no desire for major changes, and the overall impression was therefore the status quo. Which can be said to be a good thing.

December 14th ended close to midnight at home in my own bed, where the body had to recover so that it could be ready for the next day's challenges.

The 15th of December started with me impatiently taking the train to Måløv and standing at the hall approx. 7.00, 45 minutes before agreed. Fortunately, I was wearing warm outerwear, and could therefore make time to build a snowman (which, due to the freezing weather, had unfortunately turned into a lump on the ground at the beginning of the winter camp).

We started the day again in the 'theory room' where we briefly talked about the evening's assignment. As mentioned earlier, the conclusion was that the status quo was reported. There was therefore time to answer several of our questions, and Kimu Sensei shared some of his training experiences with Soké Sensei Tonegawa. The latter can be quite a mouthful to swallow sometimes 🙂

Before long, however, we were ready in the dojo again. We started by picking up on yesterday's practice and were asked to perform Naihanchi shodan. Kimu Sensei, sounding slightly disappointed, had to note that it took us a few tries before we were back to yesterday's performance (which he had praised, it should be noted). As you might expect, we had not managed to fully program the body and deliver our full performance for this morning's training. One could perhaps also notice the participants' own frustration, since, in contrast to the day before, loud and expressive kiai were shouted, in an attempt to reawaken the energy.

Calmness and concentration returned to us, however, and as promised we had to work with Naihanchi nidan. Before this, however, Kimu Sensei had to say that he thought we were far too serious. Kimu Sensei therefore asked us to stand in a circle, after which he began to walk around us and cluck like a hen. In fact, we were all allowed to do one round and then we were ready for Naihanchi nidan. However, this icebreaker was not completely accidental, as the first movement in Naihanchi nidan can be compared to a hen having to wriggle out of a snake's grip.

However, it was the day before that the actual lesson was given I felt, and Naihanchi nidan therefore continued in the same style of programming the correct movements. After this training session it was now time for the big winter training meeting, and we therefore had to switch back to our usual roles as instructors and assistant instructors. A situation we are all familiar with.

As I mentioned to start with, this was my first SBTLUS. And I was actually really pleasantly surprised! I was met by a community that I have not seen before at other training meetings, and the training spirit was at its best. After I got home and rested, it dawned on me that I had received a huge inspiration to keep going. There had been clear and meaningful teaching, as well as a commitment that is clearly worth supporting. I know that I will therefore certainly be looking forward to more of these camps and that they will be a future highlight of the training year. As I mentioned earlier, you are met where you are, and therefore I can only say that there is something to look forward to!