NB: The photos are not from the convention itself but only from the graduation session - but enjoy the life-affirming photos taken by David 🙂
The days have become brighter, spring is on the way, and according to tradition, Shindenkan invited to a spring meeting this past weekend.
Right from the beginning of the day, we could feel the mood of renewal that characterizes spring. There were a lot of new faces at the convention and Kimu Sensei announced that the day would feature a new way of training, where Kimu Sensei would take a more active part in the teaching so that students of all levels of Shindenkan could directly participate knowledge Kimu Sensei has gained through many years of training with his great masters.
The event was divided into several sessions over the day, where everyone – across all belt colors – trained the same, just with different areas of focus. The amazing thing is that no matter how long you have been training and how advanced you are, there is always more to learn from basic techniques and the very first Kata. It is simple and yet so complicated when new knowledge is added and everyone is challenged in a good way.
And it must be said that Kimu Sensei took part in the training to that extent. Many enjoyed receiving guidance, corrections and praise directly from Kimu Sensei for the first time. And the youngest especially enjoyed seeing that the techniques were demonstrated on Jens Hansi-dai, who is otherwise always the very best.
For some, the highlight of the day was the breaks with lovely cake. And for the many who attended the graduation, the highlight was certainly when they – after showing their skills – received well-deserved stripes or new belts.
For us – as part of the management of a local club and as long-standing members – it was fantastic to experience the fantastic atmosphere, the community and the coziness, but also the new knowledge and growth in our clubs.
So even though it was a new way of holding an event, we must state that it was a manifestation of Shindenkan's motto: "We meet you where you are and take you on a journey".
