Summer and sunshine are upon us, and a new and even more life-affirming season is just around the corner. I hope that you have all had a wonderful summer and that your batteries are well charged so that your eyes once again reflect your joy in life and that you are ready for more - but I will just dwell on our fantastic traditional Shindenkan Summer Convention, what a party .
There were many participants and spectators present on the day and everyone was determined that it would be a good and exciting day to end the season. It was an absolutely fantastic well-planned summer meeting with high positivity, a lot of intensity with smiles, sweat, laughter and not least the joy of anticipation and a strong unity across schools and grades. Yes, I just have to emphasize that it was the best Summer Convention in 3 years 🙂 with the coolest atmosphere.
Shindenkan is the optimal training place for anyone who wants to develop, both in terms of competence and personally. Development through self-esteem and self-confidence for all age groups - for everyone who wants to give it everything they have 🙂
But who are we really in Shindenkan? Well, aren't we a collection of very positive members who have chosen to train together to develop as people with martial arts as the tool? That is why it is also completely unique that we - as members of Shindenkan - can train a genuine multi-track Japanese cultural tradition in Denmark according to the original overall system as it has been trained in Japan for more than 1,000 years.
In Shindenkan, we are also those who celebrate diversity, togetherness across ages, schools, cities and mutual respect and acceptance of each other with positivity and joy. And we see it as a colossal strength that so many families train at the same time on the same team and stick to their life cycle throughout their lives, even though there may be different times when the activity level drops and rises again.
Just to meet and feel at home with others who practice the coolest leisure activity there is 🙂 - makes it so that we can all make extraordinary achievements - this applies to both our cool JokoKidz, our really cool JokoTeens and not least the adults practitioners who have given it all it can take!
Yakami Shinsei-Ryu is a complete martial arts education that is adapted to our busy everyday life and which is therefore also reflected in the Shindenkan motto: Space for everyone, the Elite as the exerciser and all the cycles of life.
I'm super proud that there are whole families who train at all levels of belt color 🙂 to see them grow together and their joy in training together - that's the real "Shindenkan way". Just as I am proud that Shindenkan is a unique martial arts organization, both nationally and internationally, because we have both local and national to international instructors who can teach from 10th Kyu, white belt to 10th Dan, grandmaster. There are not many internationally recognized martial arts organizations in the world that can do that.
The planning of the summer meeting was, as usual, carried out perfectly down to the smallest detail by Yamana-Itotani Sensei, but not everyone knows that it all already started by planning a fantastic calendar full of activities for everyone who wanted to get back to the cool level! Because the plan for the whole season was that we all had to make an extraordinary effort to get back together to our very high multi-track martial arts level. And it has been a fantastic season and we have completed 18 competence courses, all 6 Kyu curriculum competitions, 10 Brown Belt leadership seminars, 15 Black Belt leadership seminars and not least the entire OBC flow, which has reunited us and our Shindenkan spirit, our desire to train Yakami Shinsei- Ryu Karate-do - and it all came together at the summer convention 2022.
Summer meeting 2022.
The summer meeting is always incredibly exciting and inspiring to watch, also because this is where graduations to the higher degrees take place, and where the super cool OBC KM 1-4 certifications are completed. Here, Shindenkan's members show their high level of competence and how well they really know the multi-track competences.
There were many who took up the challenge and went for a full graduation in season 2021-2022 and no one should have any doubts that ALL of us instructors at Shindenkan are very happy and incredibly proud of all your fantastic achievements.
The OBC was created to draw the future and reflects the competence level of all the members for one year at a time and is therefore also scalable over time in relation to the different and changing life cycles of all the members.
Because the OBC is the continuous development spiral that maintains and gradually increases the level of competence, year by year - with teaching from Yamana-Itotani Sensei, so that Shindenkan members can train throughout their lives, with the interruptions and breaks that may occur along the way; exams, secondment, longer journeys, illness, injuries, career, education, etc.
True to tradition, at the summer meeting 2022 OBC certification was carried out with both unarmed and armed skills, as well as Japanese and Chinese systems. It was a fantastic display by the Shindenkan members, where they really showed their high level and their multi-track competence level in front of Yamana-Itotani Sensei and the many spectators present.
And it was clear that the level of competence has never been higher in Shindenkan than it is right now.
Summer graduations
The summer graduation 2022 was a fantastic experience and I must emphasize that the graduation also showed that right from white belt up to black belt, the level has never been higher than it is right now in Shindenkan. It was fantastic to see the spirit and energy put into the graduation from each individual.
It's been 3 years since we last got new brown belts and I'm very proud of those who make up the core of Shindenkan right now, because we just completed the most amazing summer convention, with both Kotachi and Jojutsu competency graduations, with OBC certifications, Kyu graduations, brown belt graduations and not least a black belt Densho graduation 
- it was just super cool and a fantastic end to the summer convention - I couldn't have wished for better for Shindenkan.
The goal was successful for a lot of people - It went very well and I am incredibly proud of you! I would therefore like to wish everyone a huge congratulations on both your well-completed OBC KM certifications and your new and well-deserved degrees.
We have persevered - because we are actually really good!
Have we encountered challenges along the way – yes, we have! Have we met them as decent people – yes we have! Because we have believed in ourselves throughout the season, we have believed in Shindenkan – Because in Shindenkan there we have a high level both as martial artists and as people. We are positive, we see opportunities and Yes, we stand strong together. That is why we also put everything into getting back up to par in the 2021 – 2022 season, and we have succeeded!
Because in Shindenkan, we have a standardized common minimum level which is described in our curriculum handbook and applies to everyone. It shows the way and it is actually the case that everyone who wants it and wants to fulfill the common curriculum handbook – which of course applies to everyone – can and will pass the brown or black belt degree at some point.
The new season is going to be even more amazing 🙂
My wish for the coming season is to have many new white belts join the local associations – both JokoKidz, JokoTeens and adults. We have to because new white belts give all of us who are already members in Shindenkan an opportunity to show the way, a new fantastic energy for them and for us, an opportunity to show Shindenkan's value set in its very best version and where we can be that very best version of ourselves.
It is a goal for us at Shindenkan that we benefit the society around us, for other people and for ourselves as people who want to develop and passionately want to make a difference.
Come and join the new structure and make your mark, because there are no limits to what we can achieve if we honestly strive to go all the way.
It is a fantastic summer now in Denmark and the sun is shining from a cloudless blue sky, the days have become longer and my heart feels an increasing light of joy.
That's why everyone who wants to is invited, because EVERYONE is welcome - We are already taking in new members from 15 August 2022.
I am looking forward to the coming season together with ALL of you - Because in Shindenkan and in all the local schools there is room for everyone - the elite as the exerciser.
