Thursday, December 22, 2011
2nd NUS Kendo Championships Series 4
By Jia Hui and Nella
As we work towards another new year ahead, the 2nd NUS Kendo Championships concludes with Series 4 on 16th December! On the final lap of the internal series, here comes another round of awesome matches as our participants get to face a new group of opponents again!
The event lineup is as follows:
Opening Ceremony
Ladies Elimination
Mens Elimination
Finals
Closing and Prize Presentation
Here are some snapshots before the tournament!
The classic men shot
Opening of Series 4
Series 4 medals and trophies
Without further ado, let's hear a short reflection from Jiahui!
"When I submitted my name for this tournament, I was pretty much just jumping on the bandwagon and not having any expectations of myself, especially after my prior poor performance during LKC. Paradoxically, it was this “come what may” attitude that dissipated the jittery feelings that I usually get right before tournaments, and thus I was able to enter the matches without any pressure or tension.
Shimpans for the day
Our fellow kendokas on duty!
Start of the Shiai
Ladies Match
My matches during this tournament were against Melissa and Nella, and here I am thankful for the shiai experiences gained through fighting these matches. Both matches entered encho, the state of “sudden death”, which made these shiai experiences particularly important, as I learnt the importance of staying focused even if the matches becomes long-drawn.
Nasution vs Jingyang
Closing of Series 4 and Prize Presentation
Overall, taking part in the intra-club series, which had spanned 9 months, has been an invaluable part of my kendo journey. And I am grateful for the opportunity to learn about my weaknesses, so that I may try to correct them before the next tournament comes up! :)"
Congratulations to Jiahui and all winners of the series, and thank you to
Senseis and all those who have helped to make this tournament possible! :)
Inter-Club Tournament 2012
[Announcement]
SMU Kendo Club cordially invites you to the inaugural
Inter-Club Tournament 2012.
It will be held over a period of two days for individual and team matches from the respective clubs nationwide. Be sure to catch this exciting event at SMU coming up next month!
For more information, please visit
http://www.wix.com/kendo_smu/home.
We will be looking forward to see you there too!
23rd Lim Kwa Chwee Memorial Tournament 2011
By Nella
The 23rd Lim Kwa Chwee Memorial Tournament took place on the morning of 11th December. It was an event to commemorate the late Lim Kwa Chwee
Sensei, who founded the Singapore Kendo Club in 1972.
Fellow kendokas on duty
Anticipating a battle
The categories for the tournament are as follows:
Non-Bogu,
Primary School,
Ladies' Junior,
Men's Junior,
Ladies' Senior and
Men's Senior
Junior categories are for all
kyu grades while senior categories are for
dan grades. Of course, not forgetting the Non-Bogu category, there is no
shiai involved in these matches. Participants are only required to perform twenty
suburis and
hayasuburis each for the judges!
Men's Junior category
Jingyang getting ready for a good match XD
Shimpan's point of view
Point scored!
This year, we also had a special
nana-dan guest, Holt
Sensei, who knew the late Lim Kwa Chwee
Sensei. It was an honour for some of us to spar with him when he stayed on for
ji-geiko after the tournament!
Holt Sensei (left) at the panel
This tournament was a challenging one especially for the seniors. Most of them in the Senior category were faced by our
senseis right at the very first round! After many series of matches, Jingyang did us proud by scoring his way into the finals, clinching the 1st Runner Up for the Men's Junior category! :D
Jingyang brings the silver home!
Final shot of the day with Peter Sensei!
All in all, we had a great time despite the long day of matches. It was yet another shiai experience 'banked in' as we prepare for our upcoming internal tournament (and the Inter-Club Tournament further ahead)! Well done everyone! :)
For NUSKK members, selected videos on LKC matches are already up on the
video archives. Please look for our archive manager, Jiahui, if you were to experience any problems with the website.
Till next time!
Year-End Grading
By Nella
Our Year-End Grading examination was held at the Changi Japanese School
dojo on the 4th of December.
This examination process is conducted twice annually. As some of us had decided to challenge ourselves in the final round of grading this year, we gathered in Changi on this Sunday morning all prepared for a day of kendo. It was an anxious event for many since it may well mark yet another milestone in our journey.
Grading at Changi
dojo
For our juniors, they were the first to be tested on this day. After about 3 months of training from our Sensei and captains, it is time for them to demonstrate their skills in front of the grading panel! They were required to perform basic kendo footwork known as ashi-sabaki, followed by their cuts (suburi and hayasuburi). The strong emphasis on kihon serves as a constant reminder that our fundamentals are of utmost importance as we ascend in the hierarchy of grades.
Last batch of Non-Bogu Category
Next was the Bogu Category. The grading syllabus includes essential cuts used regularly during practice (kiri kaeshi and niidanwaza). Kata and ji-geiko are also required at higher levels of kyu grades. For those who have attained a higher level of proficiency during their kyu grades, they move on to contest for shodan and above.
Bogu Category
The lineup for grading
Close-up shot on our fellow kendokas
Closing of grading examinations by our Senseis
Finally, we wrapped up the day with
ji-geiko. After the decisions were made by our grading panel, we are proud to present the following:
NUSKK Year-End Grading Results 2011
Non-Bogu
Sun Qingxia - 8th Kyu
Borkar Swarnim - 7th Kyu
Li Siyu - 7th Kyu
Huang Rui Zhe - 7th Kyu
Li Zhe - 7th Kyu
Wen Xia - 7th Kyu
Zechy Wong - 7th Kyu
Ng Wei Lun - 7th Kyu
Brendan - 7th Kyu
Darren Koh - 7th Kyu
Bogu
Anthea Lee - 5th Kyu
Teo Jia Hui - 3rd Kyu
Tan Teck Seng - 3rd Kyu
Yip Hai Hsian - Shodan
Sean Nasution - Shodan
Ng Yong He - Niidan
Kitt Cheung - Niidan
Group photo! :)
Congratulations to all grading participants once again! Let's work hard for the next grading to come! :)