BSKF London Branches, U.K. / March 2007 Contributor: Sami El-Khalifa, Mayfair Branch

Joint Training Session

On Saturday, March 10th, a special training session was held at Imperial College in London. The occasion was a visit to the UK by Yoshinaga sensei, Akashi Kosen Branch Master and five students from Akashi Kosen (Akashi National College of Technology). Yoshinaga sensei is an old friend of Mizuno sensei (BSKF Chief Instructor) and this was his fourth visit to the UK. Previously, Yoshinaga sensei had come alone; this time, however, he brought his kenshi with him. A number of London-based kenshi provided homestays for the Akashi Kosen students, who were very grateful.

The session was attended by over forty kenshi from Imperial College (IC), University College London (UCL), University of London Union (ULU) and, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) dojos and a number of others. Everyone enjoyed the session very much especially Mizuno Sensei's demonstration on the importance of the body being relaxed when executing Shorinji Kempo techniques. At the end of the session, the visiting Japanese kenshi treated the London kenshi to an Embu demonstration. Everyone was very impressed with the excellent effort and strong determination.

After the session, kenshi were able to relax in the sunshine, make friends over refreshments, exchange addresses and presents, and help the Japanese kenshi practice speaking English. In the evening, the kenshi were invited to a Fish & Chips dinner at a local restaurant. By the end, everyone was quite tired but very happy to have taken part in this unique training and friendship experience.

 

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