04/24/2020
UPDATE:
Hi all,
I hope all of you and your families are doing well. As of this week, we have officially been in a state of stay-at-home isolation for one month.
While I haven't posted much here on FaceBook, for the past month the Jinenkan Ottawa Dojo has delivered training through the ZOOM (https://zoom.us/) platform. Our friend Coach Dwayne Desloges, an excellent personal trainer and founder of bemoreawesome.ninja, has made this possible.
We run 60-minute group lessons, from 7-8PM on Tuesdays evenings. For the time being, I'm offering this still as a free service. Depending on personal factors, I may start charging for distance lessons. I will give ample warning.
Please feel free to reach out to me confidentially if you're interested in joining us. I want to be accommodating, though that may mean I have to take into account what will serve the largest number of people.
WE ARE DOING: solo training drawing from the individual ryu-ha, combined with calisthenics. This is going to focus on Kamae (stances) Atemi (unarmed striking techniques), and Keri (kicking techniques). We also do a portion on Jinen Ryu Kenjutsu (sword technique). Because many of you won't have anything TO hit, I'm going to be taking that into account. But there will also be a calisthenics component. We're all going to be basement ninjas for a while. Might as well get used to it.
YOU WILL NEED: exercise clothes, EITHER a Daito Bokken, Fukuro Shinai, or even a straight stick about 36 inches/90 cm in length; and EITHER a Kodachi Bokken, Kodachi Fukuro Shinai, or even a straight stick about 18 inches/45 cm in length. I want to add Jo in the future, so you will also need EITHER a Jo or a straight stick about 48-60 inches/120-150cm in length; enough space to stand up in and move approximately 3-5 walking paces in any direction. A yoga mat will certainly help if you are on a hard surface. Also, have a water bottle handy.
Thank you all for staying strong through this. We'll get through this.