A report by Warren HO:
A fantastic weekend (30 Nov - 1 Dec 2024) of Kendo at this year's SAKF Summer Seminar, Dan Grading and Junior Championships!
On the first day, I had the honour to instruct alongside former Japanese National Team member, Hinano TOMINAGA, and her delegation of 2 other Tokyo University Kendo Club members, Yuji ISHIZAKI and Kota KOJIMA!
What a fantastic experience for some of our members who got to see some quality Japanese Kendo in person!
Special thanks to Wendy Kyle sensei who had made the initial contact with Yo TABUCHI, Head of the Japanese delegation, that led to us to this point!
The day ended with a dan grade examination, of which 10 of our RKC Dojo members successfully passed their respective shodan (1st dan), nidan (2nd dan) and sandan (3rd dan) grade! This was our largest number of dan candidates to date, of which I am so proud of! As a teacher, this is one of the greatest rewards one can receive as it affirms that I am doing an ok job. 😊
I am especially proud of my 2 Kendo Kids who, both at age of 13, have now achieved their shodan (as a international kendo ruling, 13 is the youngest age of which one can acheive shodan)! Caden HOWELL and Jamie LEWIS have put alot of effort into this grading: from spending hours perfecting their kata performances, to the 2x fights they had to undergo. They displayed the skill that has been honed through years of training, despite their young age!
Special mention to Jamie who will forever hold the title from now on as the "Youngest female Kendoka in South Africa to achieve Shodan"! Well done, Jamie and Caden!🥳
Special mention also to Aura NAIDOO who achieved her sandan (3rd dan) at this grading! As a child, she used to come with her father to watch him do Kendo. However, it was inevitable that she would eventually join in for practise! She has grown into an amazing young woman and I am in awe of her development and accomplishments in Kendo. I look forward to seeing her achieve even greater success in the future.🔥
Aura also performed exceptionally well at the Junior Championships the next day: She and her team got 1st place in the Team competition, and she finished a joint 3rd place in the Individuals competition!
Day 2 was the Junior Championships that consisted of a Kids competing, Junior Team Competition and Junior Individual Competition.
First up, our Kendo Kids put on a magnificent display of kids Kendo and cleaning the floor with a sweeping victory for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place! Hahaha... ok, given there were only 5 competitors, it was still impressive to see these under 12 year olds do kendo the way they were doing it! Sooooo good (and very cute 😍)! Perhaps something to keep in mind in future, is that this young influential age, ALL participants should receive some acknowledged of their efforts. This crucial time of their kendo journey can make or break their future decision on doing Kendo or not. Let's be more mindful, please. 🙏🏼
I had safely concerns about the Junior Teams and Individuals age range initially. The rules allowed for competitors to be between 12 and 18 year of age (in even 19 years old if within a 3 month period of the competition date). As one of the few dojos that has members spread across a wide age group, my concern was that the power-differential between a 12 year and a 18 year old would be too vast. This concern became a reality when I was (ironically) the head referee of a match between 2 team players at opposite ends of that age range. Ironically again, they were both my students 😩! During a rather intense match, my young 12 year old burst into tears after being painfully struck in the thigh (twice) by a recently matriculated 18 year old! However, the incident was quickly dealt with the rest of the competition went by smoothly. The nice thing about team competitions is that strength and skill can be offset by (team) strategy!
The Individual competition showcased some impressive ippons by our youngsters! JUST WOW! It's been a long time coming, but the work that's been put into our Juniors are finally starting to show! Although, the title of Junior Champion was snatched out of the hands of our dojo member, Charles Sun, he still was able to do good Kendo throughout the tournament. I was particularly impressed with his fights with the younger kenshi, using just enough power to win the match but still encouraging them to do their best - A sign of Kendo maturity and humility. There will be greater accomplishment to be had by this young man, and whom I will be proud to say I was his sensei for a part of his journey. 🔥
All in all, a very fruitful and enjoyable weekend of Kendo. Getting to spend so much time doing what one enjoys, with the people I like, is a blessing! Thanks to all who made this possible. 🙏🏼
Until our swords cross again, let's keep training hard! 🔥🔥🔥"
Video 1: Video Summary of 2024 SAKF Summer Seminar and Grading
Video 2: Video Summary of 2024 SAKF Junior Championships
Let's keep training hard together! 💪🔥
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The Ryū Ken Chi (RKC) Dojo train the traditional Japanese martial arts of Kendo and Iaido (sword-based martial arts), as well as Jodo (the art of the short staff), that encourages the cultivation of the human character.
Kendo Kid is also available for children aged 6-13 years old.
RKC DOJO has 2 training venues within Johannesburg - RIVONIA and OBSERVATORY.
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