The RKC was in the news again! Here is the original brief sent to the newspapers:
2022 is here and we have some exciting plans ahead at the newly re-banded, RYU KEN CHI DOJO (RKC DOJO)!
Our rebranding was necessary to reflect not only the 3 disciplines of martial arts tat we practise, but to also allow for geographic expansion of our dojo as we now have 2 venues from which we train at, namely at the Rivonia Sports Club (Paulshoff) and at the Observatory Sports Hall (Observatory, JHB).
Our goal this year is to further grow the 2 dojos and expose more people to the wonderful Japanese martial arts we practise and the benefits they would gain from regular practise in those arts.
Kendo, the art of the sword, uses bamboo swords (known as “shinai”) against each other in full contact sparring whilst wearing specialised armour called “Bogu”. This is suitable for children as young as 6 to as old as 77 (such is the age of our oldest active member at the dojo)! Our specialised children’s class (6-12 year olds) have a particular goal to achieve this year, namely, to get all the Kendo Kids in full uniform (known as hakama and kendo-gi), as well as getting at least 4 Kendo Kids in full, specialised children armour (bogu). We launched an initiative last year called the “DOMO (or “DO MORE”) Initiative”, in which to raise funds, seek donations and ultimately get our Kendo Kids kitted up in uniform and armour. Our equipment is costly, so the going has been slow for now, BUT, we are determined to get there this year!
One of the fund-raiser events that we are planning to help the “DOMO INITIATIVE” is to host an outdoor movies event! More details of this will follow soon.
Furthermore from the Kendo side, we wish to get some of our members into the South African National Kendo Team that will compete in Germany later in the year at the 31st European Kendo Championships (EKC). This will entail some hard training by all, as well as some internal and inter-dojo competitions to help fire up that competitive spirit once again! It has been over 2 years since South Africa has taken part in any international competitions due to the pandemic.
A delegation of 4x RKC members had intended to travel to Brussels, Belgium in December 2022 for an Iaido (the art of drawing, cutting and sheathing a sword) and Jodo (the art of the short staff) seminar and grading opportunity. Unfortunately, the omicron variant of the virus was announced a few weeks before and those dreaded travel bans were implemented very suddenly. This led to our trip being cancelled and the opportunities to move up a level in our training was missed. Therefore, one of the goals this year is again be able to travel abroad for these 2 disciples to not only attend international seminars again, but to also try and move up the grading system.
As always, our dojo is committed to our 3 foundational principles of committing to FOCUSED training, while still have plenty of FUN both in and out the dojo, and cultivating a sense of FAMILY amongst all our members.
2022 is going to be an amazing year, and with the Chinese zodiac sign of the Tiger coming in on 1 Feb 2022, it will call on all of us to be brave, competitive and confident! Perhaps this will be the restart that we have been waiting for the last 2 years since the pandemic.
Should you wish to start your martial arts journey with us, please visit www.rkcdojo.com, or contact Warren directly (or via WhatsApp) on 082 389 9098.
There is also an online version of this article:
Click on this link to view: https://sandtonchronicle.co.za/308327/local-dojo-hits-the-ground-running-2/ or the picture below!
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The Ryū Ken Chi Dojo (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/stick), that encourages the cultivation of the human character.
The RKC DOJO has 2 venues in Johannesburg where in-dojo training takes place - Rivonia and Observatory. Online training is also available.
Please follow us on our various social media platforms:
Website: www.rkcdojo.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RKCDojo
Instagram: @rkc_dojo
TikTok: @rkcdojo
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/RivoniaKendoClub