Keeping up practice

[Leelanau]

I haven't told my own sensei about this yet (I'm prolonging it), but I'm going to be transferring to a college that is several hours from the nearest Shorinji Kempo branch. I'll only have two years there so I have no business setting up a club or branch, no matter how intriguing it sounds. I'll be transferring with my boyfriend, who also practices, but he's only san kyu and wouldn't be able to provide too much guidance for my technique. I've been practicing since I was six and I don't want to stop for this.

Does anyone know how to keep up Shorinji Kempo practice without a branch to train at?

[ken70]

What is your level, in SK?

Your boyfriend is 3 kyu, and you can pratice with him on the 2 kyu curriculum, the first year, and on the 1 kyu curriculum, the second year : so you will review those techniques, or work also on a "kyukenshi" embu... And he can help you as a partner for your curriculum.

Also, you can make all the training camps of your branch, and the training sessions of the other branchs...

[Leelanau]

I'm sho dan, soon to be testing for ni dan at the end of the month. At this time I'm working fairly hard to improve my techniques, though I have a history of dawdling quite a bit. I guess I'll have some time to study between when I'm ni dan and when I transfer, but it takes a lot of time for it to finally sink in.

I definitely can teach my man, but he has a very... 'peculiar' physique that will make my practice with him somewhat incomplete. But I'm definitely looking forward to bettering his technique.

Oh yes, training sessions! There's talk that my home branch will be hosting one in the coming years. I'll definitely attend as many as possible.

[Ewok]

I was out for two years - just keep your fitness up and try and do as much goho as possible seemed to be a good policy for me. I took the chance to try something different (hapkido) and had a good time training with different people for a while.

[luar]

I know of two "clubs" in the US that are run by shodans because there is no one else so as far as I'm concern you can do it if you really wanted to. You can get a branch master to give you sponsorship. Also there is nothing from stopping you outside of economics to continue attending seminars. As Shorinji Kempo is not so popular here in the US, this type of thing happens a lot.

[Leelanau]

I know of two "clubs" in the US that are run by shodans because there is no one else so as far as I'm concern you can do it if you really wanted to. You can get a branch master to give you sponsorship. Also there is nothing from stopping you outside of economics to continue attending seminars. As Shorinji Kempo is not so popular here in the US, this type of thing happens a lot.

Hm, presuming that I'll be ni dan by that time, would it be responsible of me to only run the club for 2 years?

Edit: And if I did start a club, it'd be the Humboldt State University Club, which would be awfully confusing with the Humboldt University Branch.

Oooo, thanks Leon, maybe I can out Aikido for once.

[satsukikorin]

I agree with the others: try something else for a while (fun!), attend seminars, and start a training group. On the latter point, I suggest you talk to Nicole Heath, who is already in exactly the situation you face. She's nidan, from Spokane Branch and currently a grad student in Pocatello, ID (aka Wheretheheckisthat, USA), a place where she does not intend to stay long-term.

Attend seminars whenever possible and just try to get to a branch once in a while, say every 3 months.

Also, I recommend a bit of structured randori practice with your BF: only tsuki attacks, only keri attacks, only jodan, only chudan, only sleeve grabs, only one attack at a time, only two, etc. ad nauseum. Rather than continuing to learn new techniques, practice applying them randomly and (fairly) correctly, and experiment with things like the atemi and renhanko (bye-bye, jo-chu-keri!).

I definitely can teach my man, but he has a very... 'peculiar' physique that will make my practice with him somewhat incomplete. But I'm definitely looking forward to bettering his technique.

{DESPERATELY suppressing a whole fountain questionably inappropriate jokes here}

[JL.]

Gassho!

[…]Edit: And if I did start a club, it'd be the Humboldt State University Club, which would be awfully confusing with the Humboldt University Branch.[…]

Oooh, does that mean we're invited for the opening ceremony of the new branch?
I can sense a new Dojo partnership coming.

Kesshu,
______ Jan.

[Leelanau]

Gassho!

Oooh, does that mean we're invited for the opening ceremony of the new branch?
I can sense a new Dojo partnership coming.

Kesshu,
______ Jan.

This might be the case if I decide to stay there! Maybe I could stay there for graduate studies for the soul purpose of keeping up the branch. ...Who knows? Hot damn, it'd be cool to start the second 'Humboldt' branch.

Interesting feedback, Colin! Having done a bit of research, I realize that I've seen Nicole Heath at almost every seminar that I've gone to. What you're suggesting is exactly the kind of practice that my own sensei keeps up, so I think I can get a bit creative on my own (which all comes back to the fountain of questionably inappropriate jokes).

[luar]

Interesting feedback, Colin! Having done a bit of research, I realize that I've seen Nicole Heath at almost every seminar that I've gone to. What you're suggesting is exactly the kind of practice that my own sensei keeps up, so I think I can get a bit creative on my own (which all comes back to the fountain of questionably inappropriate jokes).

I don't know if she went this year because I didn't go but Nicole has attended the Cornell Camp seminar in Ithaca, NY two years in a row. And if I recall correctly she flew into Ann Arbor Michigan and caught a ride with Gary Dolce Sensei and his band of ruffians for what I think is a 7 hour drive.

So I'll see you at camp next year