Shindenkan's black and brown belt competition is a seminar for all students on their way to their brown and black belt graduation. Here, they are taught in a targeted manner in their curriculum. This applies to both Ryuha – the technical training, and especially Ryugi – training in philosophy and attitude.

It is one of the many steps students who train in Shindenkan are taken through, on the way to the final goal, namely that everyone who wants to can achieve a brown belt and black belt in Yakami Shinsei-ryu Karate-do. Everyone who wants to work towards a long-term goal, embrace learning, adjust, work through their challenges, and be good to themselves.

On May 21, this season's black and brown belt competition was held, and 24 participants were ready on the day.

We met from the early hours of the morning in the Højagerhallen, where the Race Manager and his team had prepared everything for an exciting and intense day.

We started with a little coziness with breakfast and coffee/tea, while Kimu Sensei asked all the participants with interest and set the stage for today's upcoming classes. Good advice and pointers were given for the physical tests that had to be carried out later in the day.

Ryugi Presentation – Shindenkan 5.0 Moving Forward

Then we moved over in front of the large projector where Kimu Sensei reviewed the history of Shindenkan. Facts from Shindenkan's history in Denmark were presented, and how the organization has developed, who have been constant forces that have contributed to the community throughout the period, and who have enjoyed. Challenges that the organization has faced and that the leading forces, with Kimu Sensei and Jens Hanshi-dai as the main forces, have had to deal with were reviewed.

The focus was on the experience gained over time, lessons learned, and adaptations and optimizations that are continuously introduced, because what is knowledge worth if you don't apply it.

It was an exciting review of how to best learn from the past, prepare for the future, but live in the present.

And the present is Shindenkan 5.0 – Moving Forward. The newest concept for how the 1,000-year-old knowledge, our Martial Arts DNA, structured by Kimu Sensei, is best taught throughout the organization, intact and undiluted. This is done through full control and optimization of competence flow, standardization and constancy, towards the goal of whole and happy people.

This knowledge is taught at the highest national competence level through national learning circles to local learning circles in the local schools. In this way, there is consistency and a clear red thread in the teaching at all times.

This happens at the Honbu curriculum meetings, where in Shindenkan 5.0 there is a maximum focus on learning circles between the groups and the connection from SB to BB to Kyu to local and back to Honbu. There is room for everyone, and you can switch between the groups, depending entirely on your efforts, according to your attitude and life cycle – throughout your life.

There is room for everyone, at their right level, as we all know that those who are not correctly placed in relation to their effort and attitude are bored and make trouble. This is how it is at school, at work and in association life.

Ayame stop test

After this, it was time for the Ayame stop test, and the graduates and the controllers drove towards Fitness World to complete their individual stop tests.

Ayame stop test trains and ensures that you have the willpower and physique to complete a preparation course of 6-12 months, which is the optimal course for training for the physical test and to complete the physical test. It takes persistence, planning and self-discipline to pull it off, and only YOU can do it! But there is plenty of experience and advice to be gained from Shindenkan's syllabus and guides, from the instructors, as well as from those who have gone before and completed it before - if you want to accept good advice and guidance.

Minimum requirements depend on belt grade and age, but are 100% measurable and apply to all without exception.

It is never easy to complete a physical test, but if you have prepared to the best of your ability and followed optimal guidance, it can be a good experience, a "YES, I did it!" experience :-) that strengthens self-confidence and self-esteem.

Preparations were made and the last nerves were put aside. And then there was running, cycling and rowing as practiced many times. All participants gave everything they had in them and all participants completed their tests. Dripping with sweat, we returned to the Højager hall, where there was immediately a KataFIT 5S test. It is the 2nd part of the physical test for the applicants, which must be completed at the correct time and in the correct quality. All other participants jointly completed a KataFIT at their own level together with those nominated. Again there was full focus, and everyone with correct time and at least the required quality.

But then most were also ready for a breather and a bite to eat. Fortunately, it was lunchtime, and here the convention participants who had not been to the graduation test presented their group work problem solving.

Ryuha Honbu curriculum concept Learning circles for BB-SB leadership seminars in the coming season 22/23

After lunch it was time for a review of the concept of learning circles for use at the joint brown belt and black belt curriculum competitions in the coming season.

Curriculum training

The training took place according to a clear red thread planned by Kimu Sensei:

Brown belts were divided into 3 subgroups, as were Black belts. The distribution of maintenance was according to belt grade, but also according to attitude, effort and track record. There is room for everyone, at their right level.

You train in the same room but separately, so you can see and be inspired by each other.

First, there was joint curriculum training under the leadership of Jens Hanshi-dai, where Kimu Sensei had the opportunity to act as an incubator - to adapt where necessary, and to raise the teaching to the level of his inputs.

Next, the division started with learning circles, where Kimu Sensei teaches the black belt team as well as all the 2 most experienced subgroups of the Brown Belt team, and the last brown belt group starts teaching with Jens Hanshi-dai.

For each module that is completed, the least experienced brown belt group moves on to Jens Hanshi-dai until the teams are divided into a pure brown belt group and a pure black belt group.

In this way, the level is adapted and raised all the time, and knowledge and new experience come over with the students who change groups, and knowledge is spread out with the learning circles.

Throughout the convention, Kimu Sensei pointed out that now the Corona time is over, and the considerations that have been shown are no longer relevant. Now we are again striving for the highest common denominator - but still with room for everyone. The new concept Shindenkan 5.0 – Moving Forward, is just the right tool to achieve that. It will be fantastic again to go after the very best that is in all of us.

Here at the convention, the graduates showed that they could complete. They did it! They completed their physical tests. It required a strong performance from them, but they were prepared, they gave everything they had in them and carried it out – They did it!

We have an environment in Shindenkan where we can all see and inspire each other, and are inspired by each other and by the opportunities in our curriculum. Remember "you can do much more than you and others tell you". Shindenkan's structured curriculum helps you move up through the learning circles, shows you the right attitude, and you have role models who say what they do and do what they say.

And when you let yourself go, be your best, and do your best, YOU can do it too.

And just look at the graduates after their Cardio test. The way you look when you have given 100%, and couldn't do better 🙂