While on the topic of seminars there is an additionally point I would like to raise. Although the recent event was well attended (as normal), the seminars have an added effect of showing the character of the students. Not only does it reveal which students are the most determined, but shows who is a ‘dreamer’ and who is serious. Many students proclaim their intention to become masters, but it is through the seminars that the truth becomes apparent. The seminar programme is intense, so only those that really have the ‘inner steel’ are present at all (and in all my time as a student I only missed 1). There are many reasons why a person cannot do something but those that really desire something always find a way. Lethargy and laziness is often at the forefront of being human, but determination, no matter the odds, is the characteristic of a martial artist. It is good to remember that in life ...

Today I would like to write a few words about the seminars in general. While I have written about this before (and there is a page on the website) I believe this is of interest, not least to the large number of students that have joined the schools this year.

 

The purpose of the seminars themselves is essentially twofold: firstly to provide knowledge and training on material not normally available in the classes; secondly to give those that attend a substantial boost to their ability. The knife defence seminar is an excellent example of this. A number of the attendees were beginners who had only recently joined the school; however, by the end of the trai ...