Despite the cold in March, the sun still managed to shine from a cloudless sky on this bitterly cold Saturday morning, where 144 registered for the spring meeting 2018 had an absolutely fantastic day to look forward to.

The team for this Spring meeting was: "Use the knowledge you have and get, because what is knowledge worth that is not used". A theme that made it so that all those registered had to look inside themselves and find out how much they really showed about the multi-track martial arts system Yakami Shinsei Ryu Karate Do. And as they also found out, you can do much more than you and others tell you - which is a fantastic thing to discover.

The cold could not keep the 144 registrants back, but the third round of nationwide flu had put some down and despite this, the spring meeting 2018 still had a fantastic atmosphere about it. At this spring meeting, everyone started with ukemi and it was clear to see that the unarmed tracks ju-Jutsu 1 and 2 had had their effect through the OBC course, which had its entrance in September 2017 and which since then had been maintained every two weeks . Those registered who had never tried Ju-jutsu before got an experience of a lifetime and they can look forward to the upcoming Ju-Jutsu 1 course in June 2018.

After the Ukemi lesson, it was about training and understanding the foundations, so that you could build on with kumite and finally give an understanding of Kata. It's all tied together with messages and a fantastic and very clear common thread. That's what it's like to be part of Shindenkan, nothing is random and everything is connected, which is very clear if you look at it instead of just looking at it.

The foundation is Kihon, which means basic training - oops, that sounds boring. Yes, that's what many people think at first, but when the basic training is carried over to kumite, where there can now be a consequence, it provides learning in the good way. This means that instead of just making some movements in the air, you as a participant suddenly find out that your basic training is actually alpha and omega if you have to learn to defend yourself. If it is not solid, there will be a consequence when you use it in kumite.

Hhhmm, it sounds a bit like building a house - if the foundation isn't solid, you can't build walls on it and not even a roof. Namely - because at Shindenkan we build the best houses you can build and using the best tools you can use, since the experience with these tools has been gathered over more than 1000 years.

And if you use the tools and knowledge correctly, you get a fantastic experience when training and performing Kata. Many students say that through KataFit they get a meditative experience and that through that they can see that if KataFit is trained correctly, it gives results. Now wondering if it is very different with kihon-kumite and kata? I wonder if it is connected, so that kata can go from being movements to being something that makes sense and which to that extent can provide a meditative experience and perhaps even insight into oneself 🙂

Shindenkan has room for everyone. And it is clear that Yakami Shinsei Ryu karate Do is extremely popular with families who train together. However, it also became clear at this spring meeting that there is more to it than just family friendliness. Måløv Hall radiated an energy which had its center in the brown and black belt group in the middle of the hall. This energy spread like a wave to all sides and there were more among the spectators who saw that Yakami Shinsei Ryu Karate Do is reality and a martial arts system that is really effective.

There was a break between the lessons, which has gradually become an event that everyone looks forward to. Not because it is a break, but because the support association Shindenkans Venner has gradually prepared a very strong competitor to the famous South Jutland cake table - we should probably call this event "Shindenkan's cornucopia of delicious cakes" and it has gradually become as famous as its South Jutland counterpart.

After these treats and after the last lesson, it was time for the graduation. This is something everyone is looking forward to with excitement and which can attract family and friends to that extent. It is incomparable to see how children as adults give it gas and it is absolutely fantastic to see the smile on their whole face when they can feel that they have done their very best - they have used the knowledge they had and the the knowledge they have gained during the convention - see it is "The Shindenkan Way".

When the graduation was over and when it was time to vote, the brown and black belt team had the pleasure of being the driving force in a massive round of Tai Chi for everyone present. This means that participants and spectators all now had the opportunity to gain practical insight into a fantastic multi-track world of martial arts. And it was also a completely unique spectacle to see how children and young people with their parents, and some with their grandparents, got Tai Chi completely into their bodies.

Before the graduation results were announced, a tribute was performed to Soke Sensei Tonegawa – also known as SST. As many may know, SST has a special place in the Danish martial arts hearts. He is the martial art grandmaster who introduced Gensei-Ryu in Denmark back in 1967. This meant that a lot of karate practitioners got a different picture of what karate can be or should we just say what karate really is.

There is no doubt that with SST's background in the old Samurai times, he has a huge insight into real martial arts and martial arts. SST turned 80 in 2018 and he has 31 March 2018 elected to retire. This does not mean that he does not want to train more, but simply that he now only wants to train and not much else. In the Shindenkan, Soke Sensei Tonegawa has a very special place and it was therefore a presentation of SST with an 80-second standing ovation and tribute from everyone in the hall.

After this tribute to an absolutely fantastic martial arts practitioner, it was time for the presentation of those who had passed the OBC certification 2 weeks before the spring meeting.

The presentation took place in such a way that the first brand was presented on a huge screen with associated fanfare and Taiko drums. Simultaneously with this, all those who had passed the mark came on stage. It must be said that the new OBC marks are so beautiful that they bring tears to the eyes of even the most hardcore practitioners of Yakami Shinsei Ryu Karate Do 🙂

The same was true for brand no. 2, because here too a celebration and presentation of a brand that everyone who gets it can wear with pride was planned. There is no doubt that everyone is looking forward to the brands coming to prominence and can be displayed with pride, humility and gratitude.

In the end, the great tension was unleashed – who had been graduated and what degrees had they received? It is always great to see the joy that arises when the participants are informed of their new degrees.

Thanks must go to Yamana-Itotani-Sensei for an absolutely fantastic presentation for the convention. To that extent, a thank you must also go to all the incredibly talented cake bakers who really make a difference to all of us with the delicacies that are dished up. And a big thank you to those who helped with all the practical things, because there were quite a few newcomers who made it fantastic.

So, all in all, it can be safely said that at this spring meeting everyone used the knowledge they had and got - because otherwise we would not be able to create the success that the spring meeting 2018 was and we are looking forward to it being summer, so that summer convention 2018 can be an even bigger party.