All seasons in Shindenkan end with a party in the form of a summer convention with associated graduations at different levels.

The convention itself takes place from morning to afternoon with different themes that change every year. The 2018/2019 season has been characterized by multi-track combat sports. OBC has again proved to be a huge success and it has raised the level to new heights. Spring was characterized by Chinese martial arts and it also turned out to be something that to that extent created joy and success for all participants. So, with all this in the wagons, a bang of a multi-track summer rally was planned. It also meant that the audience would have an experience of a lifetime.

The chairman of the association gave a speech and informed about the year that had passed and presented the new website which will be launched at the beginning of the new season 2019/2020. It is a website that is innovative and visually very beautiful. That also made several of those present drop their jaws a little bit 🙂

All events in Shindenkan are divided into lessons with different content. The first lesson at this meeting was MBH performed by the 4 graduates in-spe who had to go up to 2nd kyu and 1st Dan. Part of a degree at that level is to teach at a national level. That is stand in front of more than 200-300 people and show what you're made of in a good way. It was a really good experience for everyone and it continued in the first lesson which consisted of JJ1-JJ3 distributed around the mat areas which were assigned to the different groups that were created according to which courses the individual participants had passed.

The graduates were each assigned their own area with Jens Hanshi-Dai as back-up. It is always exciting to see how the teaching is carried out and how the graduates cope with the kind of pressure it is to be in that situation. It is about meeting the participants at the convention and taking them on a journey that only the individual instructors can design according to the guidelines laid out - can they forget themselves and be there for the students? Yes, they could do that in their own way, but with a common goal, namely that the participants at the summer convention 2019 got off to a super good and exciting start.

The weather leading up to the summer meeting 2019 was a bit variable from bright sunshine to overcast. This Saturday began with sunshine and massive heat which could be felt in the new Måløv Hall. As the event got under way, the weather gods wanted to play along, so it turned into lightning and thunder. But the thunderstorm outside was drowned out by the kiai inside - so it developed into a battle about who could use the most energy and it must be said that the weather gods had a fight to the finish line and actually had to give up because the sun came through later in the day - which it also did inside the hall 🙂

The lessons that followed were some that really showed what multi-track martial arts is in Shindenkan. Normally, the lessons are divided with different teaching teams from the black belt team, but since there was now competence graduation in Shakua Sei and OBC KM 3 and 4, the structure was different, but still with a focus on wholeness in the event. In the first lesson after JJ1-JJ3, the hall was divided into Shakua Sei Hsingi – Kihon for 7 kyu-2 kyu students and kihon for 10th kyu-8.4 kyu students. This gave a palette of multi-tracks all over Måløv and already here the air began to ooze with excitement and concentration.

After this lesson, a party was planned by Shindenkan's friends. As always, there are an incredible number of Shindenkan members and their families who bake incredibly tasty cakes for this feature - you all have a huge thank you for your efforts - we are very grateful for that.

With a stomach full of some coffee and probably also cake, the next lessons began. Shakua Sei Bagua/Tai Chi and kumite divided into kyu groups. The weather gods had begun to make noise and the participants at the summer convention 2019 put in the tiled stove for the same thing - the battle could begin.

In the last lesson, it was the OBC KM 3 and 4 certifications that laid the foundation for a round of multi-track martial arts that really made the humidity rise to new heights. There were throws, joint locks, distance fighting and strangulations to a degree that would make even the best elite fighter shed a tear. In other words, they went to the steel and it spread to the other groups in the hall, so there was kiiaaaii to a degree that really brought the sun out from its hiding place behind the clouds.

Could it get any better, the weather gods retreated and left the energy to all the participants at the 2019 summer meeting with sun and a graduation in sight. Yes, the time had now come for what everyone has been waiting for – the joint picture. It's absolutely amazing how photogenic we are in Shindenkan and yes, some more than others, but in this selfie world there's nothing wrong with a good old fashioned photo 🙂

After a short break, it was time for graduation. First with a super nice Ken-jutsu 2 competence graduation where it was really shown that the OBC participants of the future were ready. After Ken 2, it was graduation in Yakami Shinsei-ryu Karate-do with Jokokidz, Jokoteens and adults and a super nice demonstration of how karate should be performed. A huge congratulations must go to everyone who was on the floor.

In the run-up to a summer meeting, graduations from the Brown and Black Belt teams are planned - this summer meeting was no exception. There were 4 graduates who were going to the degrees from 3rd kyu, 2nd kyu and 1st dan. Before the summer meeting, they had gone through several different stop tests, all of which were passed, and now the last test of them all was the Stamina test. By this time, the graduates had been busy all day teaching and training in Shakua Sei as well as OBC. They were tired but completely focused on the task at hand. A stamina test must show - yes, you guessed it - the graduate's stamina. And when is the best time to do it – yes, when fatigue has announced its arrival.

The graduates had aired the idea of breaking the record and Kimu Sensei had set the clock in that direction. It is not yet known whether any records were broken, but the fact is that the graduates gave it gas and the spectators present were cheered to a degree that could make any Roskilde Festival envious. It should also be mentioned that Shindenkan's fight song received competition from the Black Belt funny Moment group, who had created a song that added extra momentum to the party.

There is no doubt that this summer convention was a party and when the convention ended with the awarding of degrees incl. OBC KM 3 and 4 certification there were smiles on everyone's faces.