Dear Fellow Seido Karate Ka

A letter from Hanshi Andy. 10 December 2009

I just wanted to thank you all for you wonderful training in 2009 and to wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas and New Year break.

Just one of the many benefits of our time at the Dojo is being able to enjoy our increasing health and fitness during our leisure time.

As a group and individually we have much to celebrate due to our practise at the Dojo in 2009.

We had a strong start at the beginning of the year with the students coming back to the Dojo with the interior having been repainted and the floor freshly oiled.

Kagami Baraki (traditional Dojo New year opening) and shared breakfast was well attended with everybody enjoying a short, powerful class followed by a cuppa and a catch-up.

Our camp at Teapot Valley was one of the best attended yet and again we were blessed with great training, students and building of Kizuna( relationships) .Not to mention the great weather and Sensei David’s food!
We have had consistent training and attendance throughout the whole year even though we have had the worse winter I can remember. This has been reflected in the standard and achievement in promotions from our most junior’s right through the grades and ages to our most senior students who recently achieved Sensei and Kyoshi level.

Much of the last 3 months of 2009 was preparation for our National Benefit Tournament. Again I would like to congratulate all students who contributed, just by their participation, and the tournament ‘team’ who produced a well run, well organized event. It was also fantastic to have Hanshi Charles and Hanshi Renzie present. The standard of Karate was exceptional but Kaicho has always said that training in Seido Karate is not just about taking care of oneself, but being holistically strong enough to take care of others. In raising nearly $20,000 for the Fifeshire Foundation Charitable Trust we can all feel proud that, in this instance, we really achieved that.

Training can be hard, and the goals not always clear. However, perseverance and hard work allow the student to push their boundaries and nurture respect for themselves and others. Seido Karate is a form of character development and this is what makes it a ‘do’ or ‘way’ of life for the students. The goal of Karate do is not to practise for satisfying ones ego, but to overcome ones shortcomings and to live in harmony with others.

Thank you Jun Shihan Jane for your ongoing love and support.

Happy New Year
We are all special, lucky people.
Take care, OSU,
Hanshi Andy