Term 2 news

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Welcome back!
 

Term 2 starts tomorrow Saturday 24th April and goes until Saturday 26th June. This makes it a 10 week term.

For beginners it is a 9 week term because the first week is technically their last beginners' course class.

The number of weeks is just for calculating term fees. So for senior members, term 2 will be 10 x weekly fee (or 20x if you attend Wed night trainings as well). For beginners term 2 will cost 9 x weekly fee.

From now on, Wednesday classes will start after the first Saturday in each term, and the last one will be after the last Saturday in each term. That way there are the same number of Wednesday trainings in each term as Saturdays.

Waza

This term we will continue to look in depth at all forms of kaeshi waza, but as well, we will work on improving our suriage waza.

Other key points to work on are:

  • sliding on the balls of the feet when going both forwards and backwards, never rocking back onto the heels
  • eliminating any kind of pause in your swing, whether it is at the top of your swing or just before making contact; using the principle of jo-ha-kyu movement to do this
  • eliminating any small pre-movement or shuffle of the left foot before launching an attack
  • increasing wrist flexibility and softness of grip
  • improving posture: upright at all times, gaze level not downcast, moving from the hips
  • finishing cuts with both arms straight and reaching as far out as possible to maximise distance
  • ki ken tai itchi at all times and with every cut, especially under pressure during keiko

Membership

As you know Nanseikan doesn't charge a membership or joining fee, only training fees payable at the start of each term.

However we require all our members to join the VKR and AKR, the governing bodies for Kendo. This gives you insurance coverage and eligibility to take gradings, enter competitions and attend seminars. It also means you can train at any other Kendo club in Australia or around the world.

The VKR/AKR membership year follows the financial year, therefore membership renewal will be due soon for all Nanseikan members.

Also, the VKR is proposing a small fee increase at an upcoming Special General Meeting to be held via teleconference at 4pm on Sunday 16 May. All current VKR members are encouraged to attend. I believe this increase is reasonable as it is the first increase in probably over ten years. The one fee covers both VKR and AKR membership, and the insurance premium. The proposed fees are:

Senior $85.00/annum  Junior (under 16) $50.00/annum

More news about this to follow.


VKR Special General Meeting

As mentioned above. The new VKR President Michael Dunn has been working with other executive members and committee members to review the VKR's Rules of Association. He has circulated some documents outlining these proposed rule changes to all clubs. I will ask our Secretary to forward these via email to all senior members of the club for consideration. Any other interested members are welcome to read them as well. Please contact me or Andrew D. if you wish to receive copies.

These rules are only to do with how the VKR runs, they have nothing to do with the art of Kendo itself. Kendo will stay the same!

But is important to be informed about how the art is governed and how the organisation that you pay fees to is run. So please get involved.


Bonus for reading to the bottom... :)


Higashi Kazuyoshi sensei back in the final of the '87 All Japans doing a very rare waza. What would you call it? Put your answer in the comments.



More news to come...



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