The joys of Christmas are many, which applies to both adults and children. One of the joys we have in Shindenkan in the run-up to Christmas is the fantastic X-mas event. An event that really creates joy and good training for the year that has passed, and at the same time motivation for the year that comes after New Year - X-mas 2021 was absolutely no exception.
It was clear from all Shindenkan's members that the X-mas convention was awaited, like a gift is awaited on Christmas Eve. The registrations flew in at high speed and it was really planned for a blast of a Christmas party with Christmas decorations, singing and a super positive atmosphere across the board. But then came restrictions, the flu epidemic and Omicron's massive spread, which resulted in a very large dropout on the day. It was not the will to support around X-mas and THANKS for that, - but illness is hard to avoid in these times, - here the responsibility for others and oneself weighs heaviest.
Regardless of what we are up against in Shindenkan, we always make sure to look at it with positive eyes and at the same time get the best out of it so that we can create a safe and secure environment. This creates trust and unity in the organization across members and local schools, and the X-mas convention clearly showed that this trust is in place and has created the foundation for 2022.
The mood of the participants was already before the start of the event at a level where neither Corona nor Influenza could create chaos - because when it's Christmas, it's Cool and then we have to have fun together 🙂
An X-mas meeting always creates joy and it gives all members a super good experience - both new and old. X-mas 2021 was an event where many new participants had a great experience they will never forget - at the same time, all the experienced ones, especially from the BB and SB team, got something exciting to look forward to if they are prepared for the graduations at the summer event - which all of us at Shindenkan hope will happen to many.
Although there were restrictions leading up to the event that did not affect indoor sports, we always do it at Shindenkan to create a safe and secure environment for our members. That is we think about and act on the basis of plans to minimize the risk of infection - and this is done based on KISS common sense and with room for everyone. The X-mas convention 2021 was absolutely no exception and many of the spectators also indicated that their children were in a safe and secure environment.
A meeting is always divided into lessons, each with its own topic, but with a thick red line between them all so that they hang together like a piece of Christmas decoration that creates traditions throughout a lifetime. Since it is winter time, it is also ice time and the risk of falling is present. Therefore, Jujutsu 1-3 was the competence in the first lesson with a focus on good atmosphere and exciting training. With this competence, everyone could train both falls, throws and floor combat - yes, the Shindenkan is multi-track, because what if you fell and fell over a Christmas tree that had fallen and at the same time got entangled in the string of lights - yes, then is there a need for the Jujutsu 1-3 skills 🙂
Fall techniques were performed, throws were performed and joints were locked to the extent that showed that all Shindenkan members have a broad and multi-track palette of skills to draw on. It may well be that many outside Shindenkan do not fully understand the multi-track thinking and the multi-track competencies. But once you have participated and felt the coherence of the multi-track competences, you actually find out that life is shaped in exactly the same way, which makes a lot of sense - because you also become prepared and strong for life by training in Shindenkan - both physically and mentally.
There is no doubt that everyone was challenged in lesson 1 and that feeling was carried over to lesson 2, which took place just on the other side of the meeting break, which was reserved for Shindenkan's friends, who are Shindenkan's always positive and atmosphere-creating support association, how many volunteer supporters always lend a helping hand with fantastic cakes and super good coffee.
Lesson 2 was a blast with hard-hitting elf aspirants who had to help Santa take care of Christmas. Of course, it was under safe and secure conditions for the whole lesson 2 was about Shindenkan's cushion training concept where the principles THANK-MY-CT were reviewed on static and dynamic exercises - at the same time it was really done with common messages where Christmas really became COOL.
It's always fantastic to see how new participants at the conventions throw away their inhibitions and just give it gas in the best possible way - it's so life-affirming to feel the joy the participants find in the kind of normality that an X-mas convention can create. The practiced team, which consisted of SB-BB and many from the 9-5 kyu curriculum, also had to admit that space had been given for the frustrations from the Corona period to come out - they were challenged to that extent with pillow training, ending with Stamina training for the benefit of everyone and all with a huge smile on your face 🙂
After a fruitful and instructive lesson 2, what most had been waiting for came, namely graduation. A graduation is a celebration for everyone, because it is always carried out to give the candidates a good and educational experience. That is also say that nothing is given in advance and there is absolutely no one who gets anything as a gift - you have to do your best because you can't do anything else.
When members have gone through one or more of the essential competence courses, they must also go through a competence graduation. One of these courses is Iaijutsu which is always super exciting. Iaijutsu is fantastic to train because here you learn to draw your weapon in a flow and with a pace that just creates consistency - in the same way as when you do KataFIT or StretchKiKata.
Iaijutsu is performed with an Iaito, which is a metal sword that absolutely cannot be sharpened, but it can also be performed with a wooden sword and a plastic saya, and this is where the inner samurai really comes out - this applies to both men and women 🙂 Iaijutsu is beautiful to look at and really exciting to train. The team that carried out the competence graduation also passed with flying colors and it was clear to see the admiration of all the spectators present who sat in the decorated Corona boxes.
After the Iaijutsu competence graduation, speed came over the field with graduation in Yakami Shinsei-ryu Karate-do, where they went to the Christmas waffles and where the Christmas joy spread to all corners of the hall. After the successful graduation session, there was voting and distribution of stripes and new belts. But before we got that far, it was also time for a brand new and exciting Shindenkan Christmas tradition.
Most of the participants had seen that there had been a rope lying on the floor and many had wondered where it had ended up. One end lay ahead, but the other end led for unknown reasons to a place where the new Christmas tradition was tied up on the rope. The new Christmas tradition was a Shindenkan tug-of-war between the X-mas participants and all the instructors who gave loud cheers every time the participants won - it's always nice when there can be joy and cheers and especially when there has been a party all day.
It is Kimu Sensei who decides who will be graduated and when he mentioned the results during the distribution of the results, cheers erupted throughout the hall. Everyone had done their best and the results spoke for themselves. A graduation setting is not a matter of course to pass – it is an invitation to show your best both to those who have to grade, but also to a large extent to yourself.
X-mas 2021 was a huge success and it has really created motivation, normalcy and a joy towards 2022. There is no doubt that all participants and members are looking forward to the coming year, because plans have really been made for a time when must look ahead and where we must all give it gas. In the new season, work must be done towards the Summer's graduations and there is no doubt that we are all looking forward to seeing the results at the summer meeting 2022.
The spring of 2022 will definitely show that in Shindenkan - we stand even stronger together, but right now it's Christmas and it's Cool and we're all looking forward to charging the batteries so we can give it gas in 2022, with super exciting training and an OBC season that will create joy and happiness for the future.
Shindenkan wishes all our members and their families a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
