Its been a busy time at Satomi Kai Aikido, as much of this month has been spent on grading exams. Almost all the club members took exams this time around, across a whole range of levels.

For some members it was their first time grading, while others have been working towards some of the more senior grades for very long time.

The members have put in a great deal of effort building to this over the last month, and it really paid off.  The standard was excellent, and we are pleased to see people proudly wearing their new coloured belts.

As Autumn approaches, it becomes a busy time of the year for seminars, and this month was no exception. Students of Satomi Kai joined Stowmarket’s Scorpion & Taipan members in visiting the Jushinkan Dojo in Ipswich to train swordwork together.

Jushinkan hosted a sword masterclass with Sensei John Maki Evans (7th Dan) and his student Sensei Chris Barron. As well as learning form and technique, we were told about his life and background including living in Japan and training with some great and now past masters.

Attending courses outside our own club is always a great way to broaden our horizons, and also to meet and train different people who share the same love of martial arts. In addition to upcoming aikido seminars, we are also looking forward to a KAPAP/Krav Maga seminar, and an Eskrima seminar in the coming weeks.