NB: The photos are not from the convention itself but only from the graduation session - but enjoy the life-affirming photos taken by David 🙂
My experience of Shindenkan since the mid-1990s - And where does it end?
If you ask me, it won't end 🙂 , but right now it's time for the spring convention 2023, which has by far been the most positive convention in a long time.
And what happened at the spring meeting?
There were a lot of happy Shindenkaners who had come out to train and enjoy the fellowship, along with all the other Shindenkaners. Quite a few had trained for graduation and were looking forward to it with excitement.
It was a fantastic training meeting, where the joy and togetherness were the most important of all, where all participants, big and small, young and old, could show the very best they had learned.
The Summer and X-Mas conventions have found their fixed appearance, but the Spring convention had not yet found its final form, but had to be polished and tested this time, on the way to the optimal form.
Kimu Sensei had devised a new form that is actually an old form as we return to our roots at the Spring Rally. It happened because Kimu Sensei had planned the theme of the training meeting, which was then introduced and demonstrated by Jens Hanshi-dai, and performed by all participants divided into belt groups.
From there, Kimu Sensei then went in and incubated! Or in other words, Kimu Sensei demonstrated and emphasized details and subtleties of the techniques, but also drew the broad lines.
The message was – if you understand what you are doing, and have a meaning and a goal with what you are doing, you will learn much faster and become skilled much faster.
Of course, you can just copy what the instructors and training buddies do. It's just MUCH more effective when you involve yourself, dare to take responsibility for yourself and offer your opinion and attitude. That way, you can use all of yourself, rather than just what you already know. You can see the common thread and try to follow it as best you can. You can step out of the shadows, show yourself, be recognized, and gain confidence. When you then perform the techniques with confidence, it gives much better results than when you do not believe in yourself, and the good results and the courage you have shown by daring to show yourself despite the possibility of failure, gives a joy and pride in yourself, and it gives better self-esteem.
All of which Kimu Sensei communicated as only he can, while talking about the joy of life and how amazing everyone is, including all of our JokoKidz, who signed off by showing courage and confidence and answering the questions that were asked, and when they experienced that who actually listened to them, the desire to dare to open their mouths, contribute and get involved spread like wildfire! – but primarily at JokoKidz 🙂
It was a clear upward curve, on the road with the common thread towards a clear goal.
Kimu Sensei told that the opportunities he had been given when he started training as a 7-8 year old, he thought EVERYONE should have, as we are all fantastic people, and have fantastic potential.
When I think back, it is the hallmark of my best experiences and memories in Shindenkan, and is the same thing I have experienced for many years when training in Shindenkan
• The ceiling is high, everyone can participate, and that you yourself set the limit for how good you can be long before Shindenkan sets limits for you.
In fact, Kimu Sensei spends a lot of time and energy telling and convincing everyone that EVERYONE, including you - yes YOU! - just you - is FANTASTIC and that you can do much more than you and others tell you. We believe in you, but you also have to believe in yourself and show it.
For Shindenkan is empowerment – we can tell you that you are fantastic and can do more than others tell you to. We can show you others like you who are amazing and show what they can do, we can show you what you can do through examples - But YOU have to do it and practice and prove yourself. We can't do that for you because Shindenkan are not curling parents. You have to learn to stand on your own two feet so you can take care of yourself, and Shindenkan teaches you that in small steps from scratch. Here one of the important building blocks is that rules apply to everyone, and through the graduations you get the opportunity to prove that you can stand on your own two feet and pass your graduation to the next belt or the next line yourself.
The same attitude and attitude, and the same values and mottos, apply all the way up through the grades. It is important to be a whole person – Shindenkan wants to create whole and happy people – and as part of that, you have to get to know yourself, step by step. It requires articulating topics such as feelings, self-confidence, self-esteem, empathy and taking responsibility for oneself and others.
And there is precisely the opportunity for that at Shindenkan, where we build a "safe space" where we make room for the bright energy and hope. These are beautiful thoughts that show the 1000-year history, including the philosophy that just gives room to grow and become whole and happy people.
I can recognize it from countless rallies, trainings, instructor camps and RRCamps over the years, where the inspiration gives the opportunity to start over, or to continue the good effort, all while having myself along.
I experienced it on the Japan trip in 1998, where, together with a small group of Shindenkaners, I had the opportunity to visit and experience Japan, and also see the traditional side, and experience how the Japanese in Jokokan trained, and train with them. An invitation to join and see what they could do, and show what I could do.
I have been part of Shindenkan since the mid-1990s, when it was an elite organization, with a lot of skills, a lot of knowledge, and really really a lot of training.
The organization has developed a lot since then. The training is still such that you can train at an elite level, but it is no longer elite. This has become possible with Shindenkan's new communication platform, the new curriculum structure, where the vast 1,000-year-old knowledge has been organized into courses so that it can be taught to today's people, with learning through courses that teach the essence, and do not require a full-time work week to work out.
There has thus been room for everyone, and Shindenkan has undergone rapid development.
Many rallies have been held over time, over most of Zealand, with Korsør, Slagelse, Skælskør and Greve as the primary ones for a number of years. When Tjørnelyskolen in Greve had to let its life be demolished, the main focus shifted to the Ballerup area, where Shindenkan has gathered all students for rallies for the last 20 years.
There have been very different periods, with training sessions in many ways. Including a sharp increase in the number of participants, with the advantages and challenges it has brought.
Throughout the entire period, I have experienced parents and children - JokoKidz, who in their own way have expressed their joy and gratitude at feeling that they or their children have grown. Many boundaries have been broken, many first steps have been taken – and followed by many more good steps in the right direction.
People have lost weight, completed their first graduation, done their first 1, 5, or 10 push-ups, or whatever—and gained confidence and self-esteem. The first step has given them the courage and confidence to show who they are - to answer questions at school, to step out of the shadows.
And the best victories are when there have been great challenges, and you – with advice and guidance – have fought through the long, tough journey to overcome the challenges yourself.
But what does this have to do with the spring meeting?
Yes, the spring meeting was a celebration of a meeting, where everyone was allowed to take up the same challenge. The challenge was to see and recognize the meaning and common thread of the training through Kihon, Senkai, Kumite and Kata, and try to crack the code to them.
There was a bright energy in the room. All the participants had brought that energy, and it was all the participants who lit up with their good energy. Here it is shown once again that it is the person behind it that makes the difference. The quality of the Shindenkans that makes the difference. And it was a pleasure to see the training enthusiasm and joy shining out of the many new members from the clubs.
As the participants plucked up the courage and took on the challenge of trying to crack the code - however the hell you do it (Hint: Maybe the previously demonstrated techniques could be used 🙂 ), the light in their eyes began to turn on and they began to radiate life and excitement and joy because they had gathered courage and taken up the fight.
We have attracted a large new group of white belts in the most recent recruitment period. Of course, it helps that the Corona Pandemic is now considered a bad flu - not something you wish on your worst enemy, but something we all know about and know we can handle. It helps that we are now out of that shadow, and see hope and normalcy ahead.
In the past 6 – 12 months, we have seen a new wave of light energy spread around the various karate schools.
We know that it is the person behind it that determines the quality, and can be happy that so many have been attracted by the energy, joy and skills in the Jokokan Karate schools.
This bright energy was part of the climax of the spring meeting, and during the graduation session, everyone could see and rejoice at what everyone else had learned and how much better they had all become, and there was joy at the successful graduations.
It was clear that spring is on its way, and with it - the hope and light that we have all been missing through the winter, now finally appears. It was a training party where all participants and spectators could see the very best that everyone else had learned. And it's great to share that experience with friends and training buddies in Shindenkan.
Thank you for a good spring meeting.
Kjeld Renshi
