Kenjutsu workshop

Hello All,

On Saturday 7 July there was held the second kenjutsu workshop for the year.  There was a good turnout of participants, mainly practitioners of kendo and iaido, with a nice even number so that nobody was left out when paired up (always a bonus).  We covered a good range of basic techniques with a dash of more advanced paired cutting practice, with enough cutting from left stances (hidari kamai) to challenge the kendo practitioners.

I do hope that everyone present at the workshop learned something new, were challenged and had an enjoyable time.

The next workshop will be in approximately three months time with the exact date, time and place to be announced, so stay tuned.

Eric

Classes this week

Just to let everyone know that we will be making some alterations to the regular training schedule for this week still.  

Michael S has notified us that he is unable to come in on Tuesday, so fencing shall recommence next week. I am feeling a little poorly, and will not be able to conduct tonight’s Jujutsu class, and so will get confirmation later today whether Brady will be able to cover for it.  

Wednesday night will see Kendo and Iaido restart at Gin Gin, and I will be looking forward to seeing everyone back there after the past few weeks of break.  

Weekend wrap up: QKR winter seminar 2018

We are back in chilly Toowoomba this morning after another highly successful excursion to participate in the QKR winter seminar, grading opportunity, and State Championships. As always, it has been a challenging, fun and rewarding experience for everyone involved who made the trip down to the Gold Coast. 

This year we had six participants from Toowoomba and two from our sister Club in Gin Gin. For Hernan, Ivan, and Tamara it was their first experience of the broader Kendo and Iaido community here in Queensland, and it was wonderful to welcome them into the fold. I will look forward to seeing them participate at future events. Everyone there commented on how useful the seminar was to their personal practice, and how welcoming everyone was to folk just starting their kendo and iaido journey.  

The Club did itself proud in the State Championship. In the Open Kyu competition, Sean T was 2nd placed, and Kateena third placed (Jack Dye from Kenshinkai managing to pip them for first place). Both played well above the level that is often expected at their grade, and this drew many compliments from senior sensei. Minty and I were knocked out at the pool level by the eventual winner of the Open Dan competition, and friend of the Club, Atsushi Sataka. In the Open Dan, Sorin Pienaru was 2nd place (Kenshinkai), and Ryo Atsumi 3rd. 

Sean T and Kateena were the only Club members challenging for grades this weekend, and both were successful— Sean managing to double grade to 3KYU and Kateena being awarded 4KYU despite suffering from a horrendous migraine. Both did themselves and the Club proud with their performance. 

The next major event on the QKR calendar will be the Australian University Championships, which the Club will be going down to support, and then the Summer Seminar. We will post details for both when they become available. 

The insanity begins early this year: QKR seminar and the month ahead

2018 has so far been a year where the “normal” has been a little out of kilter. Late summer, odd cold snaps, and of course my own personal adjustment to the rhythms of a new university’s timetable. 

CQUniversity goes back to class this week, so I will be making the trip north on Tuesday afternoon in order to do the face-to-face classes Wednesday and Thursday. This will mean that I can often come back of a Thursday afternoon/evening, which will come in handy, especially for the next few weekends. 

As the regular readership will know, August is usually the busiest time of year for the Club, and for me personally. However, this year, in keeping with the theme, the insanity starts a little earlier. This weekend is the QKR winter seminar and grading opportunity.  This year, there will also be a Kendo State Championship run on the Sunday morning. At least eight of us (six from Toowoomba, two from Gin Gin) will be participating across Kendo, Iaido and Jodo, with Kateena and Sean T. attempting to grade in Kendo. 

We will be leaving Friday late morning from Toowoomba, and I am both glad that I do not have to do the drive direct from Bundaberg, and indeed Kateena shall be doing the driving from Toowoomba, which will also be a relief for me.  

Next weekend, Brady and I will be in Brisbane to do our four-yearly NCAS coaching accreditation for Jujutsu. Two long days are scheduled (7.30 am – 4.30 pm) with follow up sessions afterwards to observe our teaching in action.  

The weekend after is a break (yay), but the following week there is a visit by both Ramon Lawrence sensei from Perth, and Nagayama sensei from Japan. We are hoping to get some high-level Iaido and Kyudo instruction while they are here, and there has been some talk of doing so up here in Toowoomba. In addition, Sunday 5 August is the IBF training day, which the Club has participated in for the past few years. 

The weekend after that, the Club is double booked. There is both the Gin Gin Judo seminar and tournament, and the Toowoomba Languages and Cultures Festival. We will have to plan carefully for both events, as obviously I would like to see us supporting both adequately. And beyond that, we have Eric T off to the Jodo gasshuku in Brisbane, a commitment for Carnival of Flowers this year (which we will provide more details of in next week’s bulletin), and we are scheduled for a Dojo open/training day. 

So stay tuned everyone, strap yourselves in, and enjoy the ride (and opportunities) for the next couple of months!

Dojo times this week

It is second week of school holidays, and as a conseqence, there will be a number of changes to the timetable. 

Wednesday night Jujutsu is cancelled, as I will be up in Bundaberg, and Brady is taking a break up North. As a result, we will have to pack up the mats tonight after class.  

Fencing will return next Tuesday when Michael S is back from Italy. Likewise Gin Gin classes will commence next week once school is back. And a reminder that there will be no Tuesday night Systema until Tuesday 21 August, when Michael C is back from Canada. 

I will be coming onto Campus today at 12.30, if anyone is interested in a game of Go. Monday lunch will be the new time for Go to accomodate my changed timetable for the coming months.  

Dylan will advise directly if he is able to run Systema and Arnis classes this week, so please keep an eye out for that. However, there will be no Jujutsu or Kendo this Saturday as we shall be on the Gold Coast for the QKR seminar. 

Stay warm and safe everyone, and I hope to catch up in the coming weeks! 

Admin updates

Just so you don’t think that “holiday” periods mean that we are any less busy, I will be taking the opportunity provided by time this before I start back at CQU classes next week to give the various policy documents for the Club a going over. In particular we will be updating the Club’s risk assessment and management protocols (RAMP), position descriptions for the executive members, critical incident decision trees, and by-laws. 

In part this is to ensure that we are a step closer to a smooth transition for incorporating later this year, and so help meet requirements that Brady and I need to tick off in relation to the upcoming NCAS reaccreditation for Jujutsu.  

I will be ably assisted by both Jack and Brady this week. If anyone else has a burning desire to help with that process, please let me know as in this instance it will be very much a case of many hands making light work.  

School holiday times and opportunities

With school holidays starting today and University committments at both USQ and CQU in hiatus before the new term, I hope that we see some folk returning to regular classes at the dojo. 

At the MEAC, the tatami are down and won’t have to be packed away till next Wednesday night to allow for the hall to have a sluice down by the School’s cleaning contractors (which will theoretically happen either Friday 13th or Saturday 14th July). In the interim, we ought to do our own mop of the keiko-jo (i.e. the area inside the red border, including the tatami), just so the iaido and kendo folk have the benefit of a relatively clean surface on which to train. I would also like for us to take the opportunity to do a stocktake/audit/tidy of the Club’s equipment so that we can go into the second half of this year with some decorum. I will be putting out a call via the Club’s Facebook channels later today once we have a time sorted, so please keep an eye out for that.  

Given that we are without Tuesday night Fencing and Systema this week, I am going to propose that we run an Iaido class 6–8 pm in its place. This will hopefully make up for the fact that we have had a somewhat disrupted time of training the past several weeks. Additionally, I am intending to go down Wednesday morning to Pine Mountain to do some Kyudo taihai and Iaido practice with Rob Doncaster, so if anyone is interested and available, let me know if you would like to join us. I am also trying to arrange for Thursday this week a training opportunity with Tom Johnson sensei. We might travel down to Pine Mountain dojo again to save him from having to come up to Toowoomba, but again, I will post an update on the Kendo & Iaido @BBRD Facebook group once we have that sorted. 

Coming up this Saturday we have the Club’s quarterly kenjutsu workshop, with this session being run by Eric. I would actively encourage everyone interested to come and train. As a result, we shall be cancelling Saturday afternoon sessions this week.  

I’ll look forward to seeing you at the dojo in the coming days!

Congratulations Tom Johnson, sensei

While in the congratulatory mode, I just wanted to make mention of Tom Johnson sensei’s success this weekend in Japan for having passed his Godan examination in Jodo.  

Tom sensei was one of two Australians to pass the Godan exam this weekend. The exam often has a pass rate of less than 25 percent. Success in a first attempt is unusual, and Tom’s result is a clear validation of the extensive work he has done in preparation and frequent trips to receive high level instruction. 

I will look forward to catching up with him in a fortnight! 

Success for Club Members and friends at the Ohori Judo comp

It was great to hear yesterday evening of the success that members and friends of BBRD had at this weekend’s judo competition hosted by the Ohori Club in Pine Rivers.  

Jack Baker won Gold in the Senior men’s U81Kg division, Wooram Choi taking a Bronze in the Masters men’s open division and Craig Hindmarsh taking two silvers (Masters men’s open and the Senior men’s). Kudos to all the crew who train out at Pittsworth, and we shall look forward to Jack’s performance at this year’s University Nationals!

Timetable changes for the next few weeks (or “Tales of the travelling Michaels”)

With school holidays fast approaching there are going to be some changes to the timetable for the next few Tuesdays. 

First, fencing will be taking a three week break while Michael S is visiting Italy. We wish him all the best and hope that he comes back with many a tale of fine food and experiences! 

Second, this Tuesday will be the last Systema session run by Michael C before he heads off to Canada to visit family and to attend the Systema summer camp run by Vladimir Vasilliev. Likewise, I hope Michael returns injury free and with plenty to share once he gets back at the end of August.