Date saver: Monday 10 April

With school holidays almost on us, it is the time of year to have a proper spring clean of the Dojo and held out with a more thorough clean of the MEAC floor.  

The Club has been asked to assist on Monday 10 April with moving some of the heavy objects such as the piano so that all the nooks and crannies can be dealt with. If you are available from 9 am, we will also be doing a spot scrub and removing as many of the built up cobwebs as we can too. This is good timing for the seminars we have coming up over the Easter long weekend. 

Please let Michael know ASAP so that we can roster accordingly. 

Jodo inter-dojo training 18 March

Hello All,

This past Saturday was the inter-dojo training with Chushinkan Dojo of Brisbane. Glen Henry Sensei with five of his students came to the MEAC to guide us through a 2 1/2 hour training session concentrating on the jo and with a 1/2 hour demonstration of kenjutsu kata, omote jo kata, and chudan jo kata.

I found the session very helpful, with not only Sensei Glen's informative instruction but also with paired practice with advanced practitioners of the art. I hope I speak for everyone in thanking everybody who came up from Brisbane to help out with the day, and especially to Sensei Glen Henry for helping to organise our periodic get togethers.

The next mixed dojo training day is expected to occur in late April. Keep an eye out for announcements.

Eric

Late posting for Jodo

Hello All,

Apologies for the late posting, but due to communication issues scheduling couldn't be finalised until now.

Jodo inter-dojo training will take place this Saturday (18 March) at the MEAC (yes, in Toowoomba) starting at 09:30 hrs (9:30 am). It would be good to see all Jodo practitioners there. I would suggest to show up before 09:30 in order to make yourselves ready for training by start time. Bring your uniform (dogi & hakama if you have one, or a Karate or Jujutsu gi would be fine), jo, and bokken (both long & short version if you have them).

I will be at the MEAC at 09:00 to give the Dojo a bit of a spruce up, I would greatly appreciate any assistance with this.

Training will follow with a demonstration in various flavours of Jodo.

See you there.

Eric

Jujutsu etiquette: what to do if you are running late to class

 A large part of what we do in the martial art is concerned with the practice of mindfulness and commitment to act. This is expressed through every act we engage with within the training space, and should be reflected in all aspects of your lives. A very small outward sign of this is manifested in being clear with your sensei when you have commitments that take you away from your regular training habits, and always trying to be punctual to class so that it can commence on time.

Despite best intentions, at times you will be caught up and inevitably run late. The question then becomes how to integrate yourself into the class without causing too much disruption.

For most Japanese martial arts, the protocol is to get yourself dressed and equipment prepared as quickly as possible, position yourself in the far corner/low seat of the training area, and wait for acknowledgement by the sensei to then enter the training space and slot in with what the rest of the class are doing. This is often done when there is a small pause between specific exercises so as not to interrupt the flow of the class. Usually this is done in the seiza kneeling posture, unless you are physically unable to do so. Before entering the training space, you perform rei (bow) to both the sensei and to shomen, then take your place at the nearest available opening — not necessarily where you might "usually" position yourself due to considerations of rank or habit. Again, it is about minimising the disruption to the class.

Sitting in seiza till you are invited to join provides you with the opportunity to engage with zazen  — the meditative aspect of our training that mentally prepares you for the session ahead. However, the question often asked is in regard to the physical aspect of preparation for a class. This is because when folk do arrive late, they usually do so part way through jumbi-undo (the physical warm up). Generally it is assumed that you do a brief, relevant warm up before you sit in seiza. Obviously this will depend on the activity you are about to commence.

In Jujutsu we will be instituting a new protocol from this week for completing the physical part of the warm up should you find yourself late. We will be setting up the two "spare" tatami as a warm-up zone. You will be expected to do ten "bridge" exercises, ten "shrimp" exercises, and ten forward rolls (5 right and 5 left handed) before taking position in seiza. If there are a few of you running late, you will have to wait for the previous person to finish their set of exercises before starting yours. After this, please follow the protocol set out above, and wait to be invited to join in the class. 

I hope that this makes the procedure more clear. I will be reminding everyone over the next few weeks so that it becomes embedded in what you do without having to think too long about it. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Bon voyage Greg Nicholas sensei

On behalf of the Club, I would like to extend best wishes to Greg Nicholas sensei for his imminent relocation south of the border. 

Greg sensei has been a constant throughout my time learning Kendo, and has been immensely important to the development of many kendoka in Queensland over many years.  His wit, warmth, clarity of explanation, brilliance of technique and generosity will be missed by the whole Queensland kendo community, and can only be an asset to New South Wales. We hope to catch up with him at upcoming national level events, and extend an open invitation to visit Toowoomba at any time. 

Date saver: Saturday 15 April Kurt Graham seminar

I just wanted to make sure that everyone in the wider circle of BBRD members and supporters knows that we have locked in the date for the next Kurt Graham seminar.  

Toowoomba will be hosting Kurt sensei on Saturday 15 April for a morning of martial arts excellence. Those who know Kurt sensei is one of the finest martial arts practitioners I have ever had the privilege to train with and under. His personal training history speaks for itself and those that have been to previous seminars will attest that he is an erudite and entertaining teacher, and that everyone comes away with a new appreciation and understanding of what we practice.  

Details will be finalized this week, including cost, duration and focus. We are likely to organise 3-4 hours of session with two or three foci — definitely jujutsu and self defense applications and possibly Arnis Escrima, depending on levels of interest.   

This will be an open seminar, with BBRD members, friends and the general Toowoomba martial arts community most welcome to attend. Look for the confirmed details in next week's bulletin! 

O-week wrap up

I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who turned up and helped out with Orientation Week activities. It was a very successful time or the Club, with nearly 40 folk providing us with contact details on Market day and another half dozen making independent enquiries regarding the Club over the week. We even had a couple of new folk come along last week to train, and I am looking forward to seeing even more new faces over the coming weeks. 

Market day was perfect weather again this year, and shifting the position of the mat and being prepared with cleaning equipment made it far easier to protect the demonstration surface. The addition of a new 9x9 m tarpaulin laid underneath the mats also ensured that we had the least amount of "mat drift" for a public demonstration, making the day more enjoyable and safer than in previous years. We even dragged out Mr J Tamishigiri at the end of the day for some test cutting, which was large amounts of fun!

I want to especially thank Dave Johnson and his Kyokushin students for this demonstration, Eric Tavener for a run through with Jodo, and Maaike Stehouwer for sticking around the extra few days in town to once again spruik the Club to the University community. And of course to Brady, Ray, Jack, Tracy, Matt G, Sean C, Jonn, Rob C, Sian and Tomoko for their contributions on the day. 

So I'd like to wish everyone a great start to the academic year, with regular classes commencing this week, and hope to build on the Club's solid start throughout the year!

Welcome to O-Week!

Welcome everyone to the start of the new academic year at USQ. I hope that everyone enrolled in courses this year, whether at USQ or other institutions, have a smooth and productive year ahead.  

O-week allows for a refocus and recommitment to activities, even for the "old hands" among us, and I am looking forward to the year ahead, which promises many great opportunities both inside and outside the Club. 

To kick things off, the Club will again be participating in the O Week market day, which will be on Thursday 23 February. We will be in our usual spot in the Quad, just opposite C Block (near Heritage Bank). 

I would love to see as many of you as can make it along to help out on the day, or even to simply say "hi". We are scheduled to be there from 8.30 am till 3.30 pm, but will require some assistance setting up at 8 am and help through to around 4 pm to "bump out". We could also use some assistance on Wednesday 5.30 at the MEAC to help pack equipment into Brady's ute and my wagon. 

Tuesday night training will be spent refining some of our demonstration "set pieces", so please make sure that you can come along  that night. Also please make sure that all of your personal equipment and uniforms are clean and in good order, so that we are puttin forward our best to the public. I will look forward to seeing everyone there! 

Taste Tester is back!

At the meeting yesterday, the Club Executive discussed the running of a "taste tester" this semester in a similar vein to courses that the Club has run in previous years. 

What the taste tester provides is an opportunity for new folk or members who have been away from the Club for more than two years to come and get a weekly sample of the activities and disciplines that the Club supports.  

After a very constructive discussion, we decided that a once a week format, with sessions to be held Saturday afternoons from 2.30–4 pm will be the best way to ensure that folk are able to attend without disrupting usual training schedules, and to maximise the chances of inviting senior practitioners from outside Toowoomba to come and support what we do, particularly for newer activities such as Kyudo and Taiko drumming where we are still very reliant on outside guidance. 

We will be firm in up details this week in the next week, and will be providing more information on Thursday at the market day. There will be a number of "packages" for the taste tester, for instance the "Full Taste", "Pick and Mix", "Weapons disciplines", "Unarmed disciplines", and "Activities only" that will be set at various prices. As in previous years, the cost of the course will cover annual membership, but not insurance/activity fees for 2017. 

When the final details are confirmed, I would ask that everyone push out the notification to your wider networks (social media and otherwise) so as to maximise the reach and encourage as many folks as possible to come and join us! 

Cleaning of the MEAC

At the Executive meeting we held on Sunday afternoon, we spend some time discussing the arrangements for cleaning the dojo of a Saturday and the general usability of the dojo during the school week.  

As you are probably aware, the Club is in an arrangement to give the MEAC a thorough cleaning, including the toilets/bathroom on a Saturday afternoon before Jujutsu training. The Club offers "dojo dollars" for participating, which can be offset against training contributions. However, attendance has been variable to poor, and it is falling onto the same one or two folk to take on the lion's share of the work. 

We have also been noticing that by mid-week, the floor of the MEAC is becoming particularly grotty, to the point where we are coming home from iaido on a Thursday night with very dirty feet. This dirt is, of course, tracked onto the mats if we are not very careful about wearing foot ware appropriately. 

As a result of this, we have undertaken to implement a few changes and reinforce a few practices that have tended to lapse over the past few months.  

First, could everyone please bring a dedicated pair of thongs or other easy slip on/slip off foot ware to the dojo. These are to be different from your street shoes you wear to the dojo, and must be worn anywhere off the mat, especially if popping outside for a drink or going to the bathroom. In addition, please minimise walking across the keiko jo, or practice area, which is defined by the red line in the MEAC. If there is sufficient interest, we can investigate whether it might be viable to get some "official" BBRD thongs made up. In addition, please check the state of your feet before you come in, and clean them with the tap outside if needs be before training. 

Second, I am establishing a new expectations that all BBRD members turn up to a Saturday clean at least once per University semester (i.e. three times per year) . This is part of your service obligation back to the Club and will not be eligible for consideration of dojo dollars.  

Third, We will formally be making Tracy Campbell the coordinator for Saturday cleans. If you wish to be considered for dojo dollars, you must sign up with her before the end of training on Thursday night. 

Fourth, we will be asking the school and Extend After School Care if we could get into the MEAC around 5.40 pm of a Wednesday to give the MEAC floor a wet mop down before FlexiFit, just to keep the level of filth down somewhat.  

Hopefully, with these tweaks, we can maintain the space to a level that we are more comfortable with.