A new beginning?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where things sometime things just happen?  It's as if an external player is rolling the dice and you're a piece being moved on a huge board.

That's how I see the events of the last few months.  Some of it has been very stressful ... some of it painful - emotionally and physically.

After achieving Shodan (the first degree of Black Belt in Shotokan Karate) last year with the Karate Union of Great Britain (KUGB), I had no designs on anything other than starting a gentle journey towards Nidan (the next Dan grade).  I was being encouraged by my former Sensei to push forward in two other directions:  To gain my Instructor's Qualification and to become a Judge for KUGB Karate competitions.  I didn't object to either suggestion and followed my Sensei's recommendations.

I thought about both of the options and weighed the cost and commitment concerned to both.  Being an Instructor is beneficial because teaching helps me in a few ways:  It helps to keep the Kata and basics from 9th Kyu to 1st Dan fresh in my mind ... which will help me cope with my memory disability and it will help me to continually examine and break down those basic techniques of Karate that we should always be practising and improving upon.  As for being a judge, my former Sensei suggested it as a way of staying connected to the KUGB should my physical injuries make it impossible for me to continue training in the future.

I passed my Instructor's qualification in December 2012 and have started to train people.  I decided on a model of operation that would help local communities generate some income into local projects and cut out the pressure of meeting a financial target for myself with regards to hiring a venue.  Meiyo SKC is a Not-for-Profit company and has started operating in Bestwood Estate and Bulwell, Nottingham.  Originally we had started training at a venue that was closer to the City but the venue had heating problems that undermined Health & Safety guidelines.

Last night, on the 29 March 2013, we started our first committee meeting and we now have a ratified constitution, elected officers and warm venues.  It's a good start.

If you have an interest in Karate or are curious as to whether you'd enjoy the experience, please come along to one of our training sessions and have a go.

It's all systems go ... at Meiyo.

Villayat 'Wolf' Sunkmanitu