A new year and a new sod has begun in the strategic plan for Honbu dojo 2010-15. This strategic plan has, among other things, focus on leadership development and consolidation of Shindenkan. I am lucky enough to be a leader in Shindenkan and can participate when the "secret" company goes to RRCAMPs to learn new Ninja tricks J The purpose of these RRCAMPs is, as I said, leadership development, but also an exchange of knowledge among the participating parties, and above all personal teaching by Kimu Sensei. It may sound a bit strange, but regardless of the number of participants at RRCAMP, Kimu Sensei is able to focus minute by minute on and train each individual - impossible you think - no, it is possible, you "just" have to be a martial arts grandmaster . At this RRCAMP we could directly feel it on our body, but more on that later….

RRCAMP11.1 was a continuation of the two previous and quite successful RRCAMPs 10.1 & 10.2, but this time more focused on the "inner" chief instructor in the transition from leader to chief omote and ura. What does that mean, you might be thinking - yes, I will try my best to describe it to you in this article. The setting for this year's first RRCAMP was very luxurious as "grandfather" (Kimu Sensei ed.) had got us rooms at the Hilton at the airport at prices that will make even the most hardcore Jutland hawker envious and ready to cry with shame at his inability to get a better offer. I had arranged to work from home that day so that I could drive in good time from Slagelse, park the car near the Metro station at Amager beach park (It's free J) and from there take the Metro two stops to the airport, where we were supposed to meet in the lobby at the Hilton at 11.55.

I was actually in good time when I reached the Metro, but of course there were technical difficulties and it had to stop for 10 min between 2 stations so I rushed through the first part of the airport terminal and straight to the Hilton, which is connected by a corridor between the airport and the hotel. I was there at 11.56 so it was time for the beer, I met a smiling Jens Kyoshi and Søren Renshi in the lobby and could see Kimu Sensei standing at the counter checking us in, who just got a quick wave, which was returned with an appreciative smile as always. You have probably learned from the previous articles that we usually have a few more participants at RRCAMP, namely all chief instructors. Honbu-dojo and Kimu Sensei is a constant, constantly working in the tracks of martial arts, which can also be described as that life is fluid and without "notches".

In Shindenkan there is room for everyone and in Kaidenkan (martial art part of Shindenkan) there is only room for those who want all the time, but luckily for us we are invited to train on Kaidenkan terms if our life cycle can otherwise bear it. Precisely the life cycle can be decisive for whether the energy and focus are present to train at the edge of your mental ability and be challenged constantly. We all know that for a period of time you are stressed or challenged in some other way in your private life, but this is also what is decisive for whether you are a martial artist or martial arts aspirant. This RRCamp had, in continuation of the new Honbu strategy plan15, entailed a division into a Jikitai elite and Enshin masters team, as there is truly room for everyone in Shindenkan.

The first practical task was, as during the other RRCAMPS, to arrange an extra room for a mini auditorium also called a mental training arena. This was quickly managed by Søren Renshi and me and only a few minutes later the room phone rang and we were told that we should be in the hotel's fitness room, changed and ready for physical training in 5 minutes. As said, done and less than 5 minutes later, Søren Renshi and I stood excited and ready in the fairly compact fitness room, which fortunately was not so well visited at this time of the day. Kimu Sensei and Jens Kyoshi appeared shortly after and Kimu Sensei took a quick look around the room and said "Today you will be taught the correct use of cable pulls, but first we will just warm up for 5-6 minutes, you choose for yourself , there is the option of cycling or running or rotex - you just have to be warm", "It didn't matter damn", I thought, "it starts quietly", but that's how it always is with RRCAMPS, don't expect something, you know the meeting place and time for start and end, the rest you have to leave to the present. J

During that year and a half, Kimu Sensei has gained in-depth knowledge of all forms of fitness training as he has been through a rehabilitation course. This has taken place with the absolute top Danish specialists, who are also internationally recognized and often advisers in various media when it comes to questions about the latest in training principles. Kimu Sensei is a neat man, so he has painstakingly taken notes on all the training principles he has gone through, so that the rest of us can benefit from it. We got through two exercises, but with great thoroughness and an eye for detail that even the most seasoned pixie will never come close to. At the other two RRCAMPs, we have trained in ordinary weight machines, where the purpose is to work concentrated and directly on the large muscles in the body. Cable pulling, on the other hand, is training for core stability, which means the small muscles as well as the connective tissue and tendons that surround and support the muscles. This is of great benefit to martial arts/martial arts practitioners as it provides body awareness and attention to the small muscles, and above all cross tension (essential for correct base).

After this training, we had to meet in the "training arena", where we initially had to go through the results of the individual schools in connection with the latest campaign as well as the status of KPI etc., which some of you are familiar with, as you have a management role in the local school. The purpose of this session, where we each went through a presentation we had previously made at home, was to share knowledge, but also to get feedback on our abilities as chief instructor and leader, just like in the business world when management courses are held. It was a good and constructive training session which paid off all round and we could appropriately pat ourselves on the back in true Shindenkan spirit J

The rest of the theoretical training leading up to dinner, I won't go into too much, as it was very personal and really went one step deeper into each individual participant, which was also the theme of this RRCAMP. However, I would like to mention that we had a short meditation, which those of you who have attended the latest KI & Meditation 1 course will be able to nod in recognition of, where we were guided through a relaxation meditation by Kimu Sensei's calm voice. In short, you go through all the parts of the body in your thoughts and make them relax while holding the correct breath (same principle known from, among other things, mindfulness and other quickfix/here-and-now-benefit meditation forms). It works and you also lose track of time, where we shot in 5-7 minutes. it turned out that we had spent about 20 min. The participants at Ki & Meditation 1 also experienced the same thing.

We always try to keep costs to an absolute minimum when we go to Shindenkan RRCAMPS, so even though the Hilton sounds expensive, it is cheaper than anywhere else due to Kimu Sensei's personal discount schemes, which he has earned through his professional work. So when it was time for dinner, we wandered through the airport to Burger King, where all 4 of us ordered a menu, which was eaten with gusto, because we had become hungry after all that training. During dinner we continue to train mentally, after all, time should not be spent on pranks and jokes, so you have to be awake all the time and keep an eye on every finger. That is why it is important to get away from the home environment, the family and the mobile phone, so that you can stay focused and train according to the martial arts method, which is the focus 24 hours a day or as they say 7-24-365. As a martial arts aspirant, we only experience it for 27 hours at RRCAMP, then it's up to us how much we WANT it the rest of the time.

After dinner from around 8 p.m., we continued in the "training arena", where the last task was set at around 10 p.m. This task was one of the most difficult I have solved in my life so far, I can't divulge exactly what it entailed, but I can say that a lot of digging had to be done in the past and a lot of "reference points" had to be decided upon ” through life, but we had plenty of time, because it didn't have to be presented until the next morning at 8.00 J However, we were ordered not to work longer than until 3.00, as we had to have time for a proper night's sleep J It was a long and hard night for me, but in many ways also liberating to work both "omote" and "ura" with oneself.

Saturday morning at At 6.45 I got up and had a quick shower and when I came out of the room door, Søren Renshi also came out of his room, which was very convenient, as we could then be followed to the breakfast buffet at 7.00 and have a little chat about the night's task and at the same time complain to each other about the short night's sleep, but also rejoice that we actually needed the absolutely eminent beds, which can be highly recommended if you were stranded at the airport one day. During breakfast, the conversation continued with Kimu Sensei and Jens Kyoshi, although in a slightly more relaxed atmosphere, but it still had the character of training J

At approximately At 8.00 we started up again, as we were busy and could only train until 15.00, and this only because we had "late check-out". The training consisted of presenting the night's work to the others, which was quite interesting because we had gone through many of the same processes and Kimu Sensei had of course accompanied us all during the night - you wonder again, but you can do that when you is a martial arts grandmaster. Kimu Sensei's abilities as a martial arts grandmaster and also in ki and meditation (which he became at the age of 24, when he got his Memkyo/teaching license in ki and meditation) we had to feel when we had to have another meditation before lunch. The procedure was the same as the day before, but I noticed that it went faster and his voice was slightly different.

Afterwards, a good 7 minutes had passed, but we all felt that it was much more effective and we had relaxed more and got down to the relaxation stage faster. Kimu Sensei explained ”It is kotodama where I “tune in” to all three of you and pull you into the relaxation stage very quickly, but not faster than you can keep up with. There is no hocus pocus and it is something all martial arts masters can do”. I think it sounded a bit like hocus pocus, but also quite fantastic and something I would like to learn myself, as we could all feel that we were really being drawn into the relaxation stage and with greater benefit.

Lunch was taken in the lobby of the Hilton, where the price level allowed us to stay within the budget. It was nice that we didn't have to go on the big hike as we also had a tight schedule for the last few hours until around 15.00 when we had to be out of the hotel. The last few hours were spent gathering and focusing on what needs to happen in the local schools, as RRCAMPs also need to be implemented and implemented. There cannot be words and thoughts without action and especially not in Kaidenkan: "We do as we say and say as we do". Which is essential in the transition to martial arts as it truly shows who you are.

Another RRCAMP was over and the brain was both full and extremely tired, but at the same time I also felt a bit high and I was probably a bit annoying to my girlfriend for the rest of the day as I acted a bit like I was on drugs - about it was all the coffee and Red Bull or Kaiden drugs is debatable, but it was a cool feeling. It was with firm handshakes and meaningful glances that we parted in the lobby of the Hilton with our minds set on new adventures, future training experiences and consolidation of what was learned. I am looking forward to the next RRCAMP in August, if I am still invited ;-), where I will have the opportunity to get to know myself even better. A very happy Shindenkan year to you all and see you at training.