Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Sensei asked me to pass on his wishes that you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This year has been quite a big one for the club. We have entered more competitions than ever before and been out and about with the kendo community, making friends and building on the previous years foundations for good kendo.

We held three beginner's nights and managed to keep some of those eager to start the long kendo journey. We lost quite a few members for one reason or another but a few returned from absences which brought vital skills and spirit back to the club.

We also held our first seminar and Kyusha Taikai on behalf of the BKA, inviting Howell Sensei to impart some of his vast knowledge into our training. The event went with only a few hitches, to be expected considering it was our first time, but overall it was a great success with around 40 people attending the weekend and 8 of the 24 kyusha competitors being home-grown and one of these coming 3rd.

2012 will be very different no doubt. We will still be holding the BKA Seminar and Kyusha Taikai on 31st March/1st April 2012 but whether we can field the same numbers as last year is hard to say. A number of us will be attempting gradings, ranging from ikkyu to sandan and your continued input and support will be invaluable in helping us be successful.

A reminder also that some may need to renew their BKA membership. If you have had problems recently it's because the dojo has also had to renew it's membership, this includes the insurance cover for both Sensei and those of us with the Coaching level. If you've had problems then they should be sorted by the end of the week [or next] so please try again, it should be OK.

And lastly a reminder of the training dates over the festive period and beyond, please try and make Wednesday's last practice of 2011:

Monday 19th December [kata] CLOSED
Wednesday 21st December, last practice of 2011
Wednesday 28th December CLOSED

2012
Wednesday 4th January, first practice of 2012 [Winter Training, tracksuits, no bogu required]Wednesday 11th January [Winter Training, tracksuits, no bogu required]
Monday 16th January [kata]
Wednesday 18th January [Club photograph]
Wednesday 25th January [beginner's night]

Thank you once again for your efforts over 2011.

CLOSED - Monday 19th December, Kata

Just to let you know that the Kata night of 19th December has been cancelled, as the school will be closed. Here's a reminder of the training dates over the festive period and beyond:

Monday 19th December [kata] CLOSED
Wednesday 21st December, last practice of 2011
Wednesday 28th December CLOSED

2012
Wednesday 4th January, first practice of 2012 [Winter Training, tracksuits, no bogu required]Wednesday 11th January [Winter Training, tracksuits, no bogu required]
Monday 16th January [kata]
Wednesday 18th January [Club photograph]
Wednesday 25th January [beginner's night]

CLOSED - Wednesday 30 November

Just to remind everyone that we will be closed on Wednesday 30 November, as millions of public workers stand up for their rights in a bid to protect their pension. Please do not turn up as the Egg wil not be open and you will be disappointed. Next practice is Kata on Monday 5th December or next Wednesday 7th December.

Christmas/New Year Training Dates

Some club dates for your diary, though I'll update the Calendar too. If the situation changes we'll let you know.

Wednesday 30th November CLOSED 

Monday 5th December [kata]
Monday 19th December [kata]
Wednesday 21st December, last practice of 2011
Wednesday 28th December CLOSED
2012
Wednesday 4th January, first practice of 2012 [Winter Training, tracksuits, no bogu required]Wednesday 11th January [Winter Training, tracksuits, no bogu required]
Monday 16th January [kata]
Wednesday 18th January [Club photograph]
Wednesday 25th January [beginner's night]

Kata night

Thanks go out to the seven guys who turned up to kata last night. Sensei sent his apologies as he has been ill over the weekend. I really appreciate your turning up, your efforts and your patience with my tuition. Hopefully you were able to get some greater understanding through last nights practice.

At Liverpool Kendo Club we practice, on average, twice a month for two hours each session. Very few clubs nationwide will devote so much time to kata and certainly not in such detail. The club pays for the venue, and at £36 a session the more people that turn up the better value it is all round. Because we believe so strongly in the importance of kata and the benefits it has shown in the beginners who have attended for club members this lesson is FREE! The cost of practice is included in your monthly fees so the only thing stopping you going is getting there.

We will continue to subsidise kata sessions this but it's down to the individual to turn up, without this knowledge you will not be able to attend gradings both within the club and further down the line for National gradings.

If this was not enough to convince you of the importance of kata just remember it was only through kata that 'Daniel-san' wins in Karate Kid 3. Go on, do it for Mr Miyagi! ;)

Bogu care

Just a bit of information to those members who have recently started to get into club armour. Please ensure that after practice you keep the bogu in a space at home that is warm, dry and ventilated. Ideally the armour should be out of the bag, at the least the bag should be rolled down. Failure to look after your bogu this way WILL result in mould growing, particularly if you can't attend practice for a couple of weeks, or over the holiday period when we are not training.

Due to having a new kitchen fitted I've not been able to attend to my bogu in the usual fashion and my spare kote have mould growth on them and that's been just a couple of weeks! It just goes to show it can happen to anyone and it can happen very quick, so please take care of the armour on loan to you.

Should the worst happen don't panic. I've used cleaning products such as Oxi Clean and an old toothbrush to remove any mould without any harm to the bogu. Don't use bleach cleaning products under any circumstances. Any questions or tips just ask us, either on practice night or the forum.

Beginner's Nights all right for fighting.

Thanks to everyone who turned up for the Beginner's Night. I think there were eleven, hopefully we'll see you all back at the club next Wednesday, where it'll only get better and more confusing. 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 any kata sessions.  Details of all practice dates 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


There is also kata on Monday, beginners welcome too. Some clubs find it can be difficult to grasp kata early on, but Sensei believes there is a lot a beginner can learn which can help with the Wednesday night sessions. We've also noticed those Beginners who attend kata progress much quicker than those that don't and as it's included in your fees anyway there's little excuse to not be there. So come along to Chesterfield High School in Crosby, details in the Training section.


Anyone who missed Beginner's Night and still wishes to attend, next week is your 'last chance to dance' until January 2012. 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. Oh some links for our new friends:


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