Japan

If anyone is interested in going to Japan next year please speak to Joe.

BKA events

For those interested there are two taikai coming up. The British Open is on Saturday 16th October at Cranford Community College for individuals and Mumeishi 3s on Saturday 20th November for 3 person teams. Please check the BKA website for further details. Unfortunately we won't be putting in a team for the Northern Open this weekend as it was moved to Glasgow.

Beginner's nights all right for fighting.

Thanks to all the guys and girls who turned up for the beginner's night. It was a massive turn out of 15, only three short of our all time record. Hopefully we'll see you all back at the club next Wednesday, where it'll only get better and more confusing. If things go to plan there'll be two senior grades taking you next week so it should be altogether a different experience, with a bit of luck we'll get you moving more and getting more involved so you begin to understand what it's all about.

Just a reminder to all that next week will be the first Wednesday of the month, which is 'fees night', £20 for the gainfully employed, £10 concessions. This includes all the Wednesday practices and the two Monday kata sessions. Details of all these are updated on the calendar so please keep an eye on it or add it to your RSS readers [details on the forum on how to do this, feed link below].
Liverpool Kendo Club Training Calendar RSS Feed

The next kata session is on Monday, so any beginners wishing to attend feel free. Some clubs find it can be difficult to grasp but Sensei believes there is a lot a beginner can learn which can help with the Wednesday night sessions, so come along to Chesterfield High School in Crosby, details in the Training section.
Lastly, anyone who missed Beginner's Night and still wishes to attend next week is your 'last chance to dance' in 2010, we won't take any new beginners until around the end of January 2011. Anyone who wants to try kendo can do so but after next week, for the benefit of all the beginners, you will have to wait till our next Beginner's Night. Thanks for your understanding.

Last Beginner's Night of 2010

Don't forget it's the last Beginner's Night of 2010 tonight. Start 7:30pm, finish 9:30pm. Arrival no later than 7:10pm to give time to chat. Good luck to all the beginners who are considering coming, I hope you enjoy it and stick around for more of the same for years to come.

If any current members have any spare shinai, just in case we have a lot turning up, please bring them along.

Test

Dave has added me for the purpose of adding any information to the RS feeds etc. Please be prepared for information and kendo related events coming up.

Liverpool Kendo Club Threads

Just a reminder that we have a Spreadshirt Shop, in case you want T-shirts or Hoodies with your favorite kendo club's logo on them. It's here

http://liverpoolkendo.spreadshirt.co.uk/

We do not make any profit on the sale of these items but a few people have bought them and we can confirm the quality is top notch. So, if you wish to be a living advert for the club then please shop away. Occassionally I can get codes for savings on your purchase, currently if you spend £40 there's a code to get a free laptop sleeve. If you're that keen to represent let me know and I'll post it online.

Needham Sensei

A note of thanks goes out to Mark Needham Sensei [5th dan] who attended practice last night. Needham Sensei runs the Bolton Kendo Club which practices on a Sunday between 10am and 12pm. His instruction is extremely valuable to us. As a kyu grade he came 2nd in the Kyusha taikai in 1995, just like our own Johnnie Boswell did this year.

Today he represents one of the highest grades in the North of England, so it's a lesson to us that with time, practice and effort we could all reach his level. Hopefully everyone got to take away some advice from Needham sensei but as practice was particularly well attended last night you may not have got the chance, in which case, ensure you're first in line next time he visits.

A number of Liverpool members regularly travel to Bolton to practice. If you wish to attend ask around, there may be a lift available, however please check with Sensei beforehand if this is OK. Sometimes it can be detrimental in the beginning of your kendo training to take instruction from too many instructors, Sensei will know best regarding your ability.

Can do Kendo Kata

Last night's kendo kata session in Crosby was really well attended by beginners and experienced members alike. 13 club members turned up for practice and I think a great deal was learned by all throughout the night. If any beginners wish to share their thoughts on their first ever kata and how they think it helps with their Wednesday night sessions then feel free to write something on the forum.

Kata is a big deal for the Liverpool club, we always strive to do the best kata possible and on occassion our members have been praised for their high level of kata. Kata sessions are always included for free within your monthly club fees, despite the cost of hiring the venue to the club. We will continue to subsidise our members exploration of kata so please continue to make the effort to attend the available two hour sessions twice a month. As evidenced last night a good turn out is a huge benefit to all. We also welcome guests from other clubs who wish to 'cram' before a grading, details are on the google calendar.