Report on seminar for WSKO and website

Submitted by Chris Lloyd

With the international taikai in Japan scheduled for October 2005, BSKF decided at the beginning of the year not to hold any residential courses this year, but instead to run a number of single day courses the main one being scheduled for Sunday 10th July at a sports centre in west London which we have used for a number of large events, most recently the BSKF 25th anniversary Taikai in October 2004. About eighty kenshi booked their places in advance for this event, with a few more expected to turn up on the day if they were able. Most of the BSKF senior instructors also committed to teaching at the event.
	Three days before the event terrorist bombs exploded on tube trains and buses in the capital. The tube and bus transport systems ware immediately closed down and remained so until the next day. Most of the surface rail network re-opened before the end of the day and was able to transport people to homes outside the capital. Official advice given to the public throughout Thursday was not to travel into London unless absolutely necessary. By Friday morning all the tube system except for the stations and track directly affected by the bombs had been re-opened and the impression given on the news that day was that Londoners were going about their business in the spirit of getting back to normal as quickly as possible. At this time the BSKF organisers contacted the sports centre to confirm that they were able to host the event and did not wish for us to postpone it. After further discussions amongst the senior BSKF instructors it was agreed that most people would be able to travel to the seminar and that we too should embrace the spirit of ‘business as usual’. The event would go ahead.
		The seminar began at 10am with a short ceremony consisting of one minutes silence observed for the victims of the attack. As far as we have learned to date no BSKF members or their families were injured by the bombs. The morning sessions then proceeded as normal with warm-up lead by Cailey Barker Sensei, Kihon lead by Maehara Sensei, and a workshop on Embu preparation lead by Mizuno Sensei. A light lunch was provided for those who had booked in advance, giving time for the kenshi to mix and talk to people from other branches they only meet at the larger training events. In the afternoon Mizuno Sensei gave a Howa in which he talked about the events of the last week and made particular reference to the messages of support he had received from Japan and elsewhere enquiring after himself and the BSKF members. The group, by this time numbering about one hundred were then divided up according to grade to take advantage of the number of senior instructors present, and taught syllabus techniques in goho and juho catagories for most of the remaining time. Finally Peter Moore Sensei lead a session on stretching to ease the effects of the day’s exertions.