2000, 2009, 2017-2022 major strategy changes – purpose clause, competence organization, breadth.

Everyone knows that the higher the requirements, the fewer people get through and the fewer members.

Shindenkan consists of two superseding and overlapping competency organizations; Shindenkan martial arts and Kaidenkan Martial Arts. The transition between the two is marked by the 600+ year old traditional multi-track competency degree; Menkyo – Master of all the Martial arts (6th dan YSTK & 8th dan BKK-GK). In modern martial arts organizations this is a fairly high degree. In Shindenkan this is marked on the belt with 5 gold stripes (Densho grade Menkyo), 6 silver stripes (6th dan YSTK) and 8 white stripes (8th dan BKK-GK)

It is Kaidenkan as a multi-track martial arts competency organization that ensures the multi-track competency level in Shindenkan Martial Arts; Yakami Shinsei-ryu Taijutsu & Karate-do. These are the original and unchanged competency requirements for more than 1000 years. The requirements are the same in 2025 as they were in the year 1867, 1600, 1473, 1281 or the year 999 – there is no difference. But there is the difference that many have a certain sense of the degree requirements in modern martial arts, but the opposite is the case within the ancient martial arts. In Shindenkan, Kaidenkan degrees are marked on the belt with 5-10 gold stripes (ancient Densho degree), 6-10 silver stripes (YSTK) and 8-10 white stripes (BKK-GK).

The challenge has been that since 1994, there have been no more members in Kaidenkan – than one; Honbu Chief Instructor. This means that the Shindenkan organization's purpose clause and statutes have only just been fulfilled for the last 32+ years. So the calculation in 2025 is that 1 in 50-60,000 in the period 1965-2025 Denmark – Scandinavia has become densho degree Menkyo or higher. The unofficial statistics from Japan and China say that 1 in 1,000,000 becomes Menkyo Kaiden, which is two densho degrees above Menkyo, and which means "Initiated Grandmaster of all the Martial arts".

All measures have been tried throughout the years, but without results.

What have we done to change this in democratic Shindenkan, voluntary and unpaid association work?

Before the year 2000, our 3rd kyu brown belts easily beat two newly crowned double World Championship Japan Karate bronze medalists. We were 45 members in Shindenkan.

The 2000 paradigm shift in strategy with a good opening to the wider community resulted in a membership increase of almost 1400 % – from 45 to 665 in 2009.

The 2009 paradigm shift in strategy with a 67/33 focus between the broad and the elite, led to a membership increase of almost 3000 % – from 45 to 1400 in 2015.

The 2020 Strategic Plan projected that Shindenkan would reach around 4,000 members in 2020 – that is, almost 8,800 % increase in membership in 20 years.

But in 2015, the revelations were in a queue. Illusions and reality. It is absolutely not good for a multi-track competence organization in the short or long term.

It was good in the short term for the primarily democratic politicians, but definitely not good in the long term for Shindenkan's purpose clause, statutes, and as a multi-track competence organization.

The democracy in Shindenkan decided that the local member associations, with national support, would bring order to their own penitentiary in the period 2015-2017. This did not succeed, quite the opposite.

From 2017-2022 we therefore had a clean-up process when 60 % of all members in Shindenkan did not comply with Shindenkan's statutes, guidelines or curriculum manual. AND the democratically elected leaders had decided to deliberately lie about it - as long as they got something in return, which was self-interest as "Sokér" (self-determining for competence level determination outside the curriculum manual applicable to everyone else).

2009-2017 the focus was primarily on the breadth, which also includes the so-called merchant motionists and secondarily on the purpose clause and the multi-track competencies. The workload was HUGE for the supporting forces and especially the two main forces since 1988. There were fires to be put out constantly, political fights to be stopped constantly – and there was NO future in that for Shindenkan. At the same time, KS had to mainly finance GF's adopting investments and so did Shihan-kai, although to a much lesser extent.

KS put its foot down, the rowan berries turned sour, but democracy prevailed in Shindenkan, when it was recognized that Shindenkan was nothing outside Denmark, without KS in Kaidenkan. The turnaround process lasted an extra 2 years due to Covid19. In 2022, the new Strat26 was adopted – there should now be a balance between the merchant motionists and the competencies. 

This was democratically adopted, knowing that higher demands would lead to fewer members. This was reinforced by two years of Corona shutdowns, where in the 2019/20 and 2020/2021 seasons, 21 % of the members left each year, so that in the Corona years we lost approx. 42 % of the members, despite all the active measures we had taken online, outdoor training in all kinds of weather, walks with face masks, etc.

But we were not alone in these membership losses. It also happened to most of the associations in DGI and DIF outside the main sports. And with the retention of the purpose clause and statutes, we lost a further approx. 21 % in the years 2017-2022.

It was very challenging to run a Turn-around process, at the same time as a global and national ON-OFF Corona shutdown in the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons. But we fought a brave fight, thought outside the box and actually ended up being a First Mover and a source of inspiration with active contact and cooperation in Denmark with municipalities, DGI, DIF and other associations. We can and are proud of that. Strat26 now fulfilled Shindenkan's purpose clause, statutes and curriculum manual.

From 2009-2015-2017/2022, we therefore raised the competency level by one belt grade every 3-4 years.

We learned the hard way that control functions must be in place, and unfortunately, are far better than trust in the voluntary and unpaid Scandinavian “Grundtvigian – We learn not for school, but for life.” democratic association work.

We learned the hard way the negative side of democracy's own exploitation during a thunderous international success – we quickly became adults. But the 2015 revelations, compared to the “2009 competency standard”, meant that for about 40 % the competency level was raised by 3-5 belt grades and for about 60 % who had cheated, only 0-1 belt grade. An “A & B team” and a large “F team” were effectively created. That was the opposite of the intention and purpose.

It should be noted that what was changed were the requirements for the level of competence and not the training time per week which was the same after the year 2000 and the changed requirements were from 5th kyu YSTK. This means that the first 3-5 years of the members' training in Shindenkan from 10th kyu to 5th kyu, were still reasonably flexible and forgiving. But to a gradually lesser extent from 5th kyu – it was no longer the “lowest common denominator setting”, but in the upper half.

The Black and Brown Belt team was now seriously challenged in terms of their attitude, willingness and deep interest in learning a 1000-year-old cultural tradition. Otherwise, they simply would not be able to keep up with the others on the team if they did not change their attitude to being the best version of themselves and learning. The POMW – Project Old Modern Warrior toolbox is a very revealing tool to test this attitude – and it can be quite brutal and revealing.

Before the year 2000, the training time was a minimum of 15-25 hours per week for the Black and Brown Belt team. The level of competence and toughness was very high, but there is probably also a reason why we never reached more than 45 members.

Most who have achieved the 4th kyu YSTK degree (typically 4-7 years of training) have exercised their right to take all or most of the multi-track competency courses leading to black belt with due diligence.

Therefore, training time after the year 2000 has been almost constant, also partly from 4th kyu YSTK and up.

Twice locally with 1½-2½ hours per lesson per week and approx. 4 hours monthly nationally. In addition typically 1-2 times weekly cardio and KataFIT/SKK training and maintenance of typically 1-1½ hours duration at self-selected times. This is the typical training effort for half of the season (Aug-Dec)

In the second half, there will typically be one more training lesson every week or two.

So that's half the year a typical minimum training effort of about 5+ hours per week and the other half up to 5-12 hours per week. If you're in the graduation process it's typically 8-15+ hours and if you're not, it's still around the 5-7 hours per week. There's truly room for everyone, the elite as well as the exerciser.

It is clear that before In the year 2000, the training effort with 15-25 hours per week, it was not abnormal to be able to "skip grades" before 1st dan YSTK, then this is considerably more difficult with 33%-67 % of the training hour effort after the year 2000. This can only be done by each member of the Black and Brown Belt team changing their attitude to learning - Markedly.

Failure rates are directly derived from the fact that prospective graduates have not met one or more of the stopping tests according to the curriculum handbook, which are common to all. These are minimum levels.

Most who fail fail due to insufficient attitude, Ayame physical stop tests and Ryugi (ready knowledge) Stop test. All stop tests that the graduate in spe himself manages 100 %, has 100 % control over, and which are objective for everyone during the graduation process. These are data and numbers.

With Strat26 during GF22, it was democratically decided to catch up and set a goal of raising the competency level by one belt grade every 2 years. It also went super well!

But not in 2022, after two years of shutdown and ad hoc training online and outdoors; The failure rates were of course very high with 90 % for black belts and 80 % for brown belts. But already in 2023 the failure rates had fallen to the lowest level since 2009; 20 % for black belts and 0 % for brown belts. In 2024 this increased to the normal failure rate levels in the years 2000-2014 for black belts; 50-60 % and Brown belts 45-50 %. But the failure rates were within the normal adopting limits.

Multi-track graduations in Shindenkan are not easy for brown and black. That is why Shindenkan also has a soft sorting process during the season. All brown and black belts can actively grossly register for a graduation course during the season. There is no guarantee, but it ensures the right attention and alignment of expectations from the beginning.

The graduation process with all final exams typically opens 4-5 weeks before the final graduation day.

It is typically mid-May. But before that, there have been three pre-placement graduations; typically in December, February and April. It is the long, tough pull, placement and multi-track competency learning over a 10-month period that is crucial.

Pre-settings – abort or continue – have the advantage of being relatively gentle in weeding out people or encouraging people to continue. But still – people fail or pass the three pre-settings, but it still happens behind closed doors. The main graduation does not – it happens in front of 200-500+ people. It is merciless and definitely not gentle.

It is NEVER nice to dump people, but it is ALSO Yamana-Itotani Sensei's (KS) task and responsibility, as Honbu's chief instructor, and it is about the entire integrity of Shindenkan with the same rules for everyone and meeting minimum requirements that increase with the degree - it is, after all, 1000 years of cultural tradition.

It's not so bad to give the benefit of the doubt from 10th kyu-5th kyu – it's a building phase. But from 4th-2nd kyu everyone MUST meet the same rules and requirements that apply to everyone. And THE ATTITUDE TO WANT to 1st kyu-1st dan Sr. MUST be in place – EVERYONE knows that.

But not everyone believes that it should necessarily apply to them and their special interests – when THEY fail.

The ceiling is hit – the example of the 2024-2025 season

BEFORE the 2024-2025 season, KS, as he always does every year, asked the entire SB-BB team whether the competency training was now too high, based on the failure rates in 2024. Everyone replied that it was difficult, but appropriate and that they just needed to step up after Strat26!

The graduation result in 2025 is historic, but the failure result has hit the ceiling, with up to black; 50 % and up to brown; 67 %. It is very clear that the ceiling has been reached and “the sheep are being separated from the goats”.

Failing always hits hard and people react very differently. Shindenkan's values are that we BIGLY pay tribute to our heroes and heroines for their achievements – and those who didn't make it are only mentioned in the failure percentage, because that's proper and fair.

In Shindenkan you actively register for the Gross list BEFORE the start of the season whether you want to be a graduate in Spe or not. Registration is not binding and no guarantee that you will be graduated – you MUST meet the same rules as everyone else. Everyone knows that, but when the rowanberries are s…

• The A-team; This season this is MARKANT with the competence work since 2022 – for the first time in 25 years! THERE WERE 4 who could get 1 + HO or 1 + 1.
• The B-team; Those who failed this graduation, but all could have passed IF they changed their attitude and looked at themselves during the season. It is very difficult to go up to brown and black belt graduation and expect to pass when you do not meet or intend to meet all the minimum requirements, which of course apply to everyone and thus the same for everyone in Shindenkan.
• BA team; It is not necessary to pursue the graduation track all the time. It is perfectly fine in Shindenkan to take your own pace and develop when it suits you or just enjoy the training and the community. But you must always behave properly and honestly and not sabotage others who want to graduate.