There was a question yesterday at the seminar about networking. Should one do it.
I know folks who were quite isolated beings until they joined the martial arts, and so they gained friends. This is good.
I know some in the martial arts who excluded others, this is very Japanese school kids. I’m not sure this is what it means to understand Japanese culture, yet I’ve had senior teachers tell me that I had to exclude various people from the May seminar. I did not, preferring instead to welcome people.
Advertising is networking, getting the word out to various people about what you’re doing. Yesterday was “Art in the Street” in Guelph and my daughter was manning a booth for the Suzuki String School. There, yes we have a very good school in Guelph, tell your friends. One in Waterloo too.
They had buttons with the website on them. Perhaps found in the thrift store. We talked about where folks find out about a school/dojo and the answer is, we don’t know. Word of mouth can go many people away from the advertisement. That’s networking. It’s not, strictly, making friends, but rather getting the world out. Still, nothing wrong with making friends.
What’s the point? Simply, you can’t join something you don’t know exists. No networking/advertising/word of mouth, no students. Yet, there is a deep habit of thought in the martial arts that students should find us. Maybe three or four over a lifetime will stumble on yourself swinging your sword in your backyard and ask for instruction. More will call the police.
Advertising has been refused many times in our organization, yet they have banners up in Toronto now for the National Kendo championships. Good, new blood maybe. Networking, get the word out there.
There wouldn’t be a May seminar if I hadn’t produced a “Zine” that connected enough isolated folks to have that first seminar. None of them were in a big organization because there were no organizations to join.
There are many levels of networking, find the big organization and make some friends, advertise your dojo, make a buddy half way around the world on the internet.
Write essays for facebook.
SEMINARS:
June 24, Guelph Youth Dance Studio 9:30am-4:30pm, $30
July 8, Peterborough Niten Ichiryu
July 15-16, Colin Watkin, Niten and Kage place tba
Aug 12, Jodo demo, CKF kendo champs.
Sept 15-17 Calgary Jodo and Iaido
Sei Do Kai dojo Guelph:
Contact pam.sdk@gmail.com or https://www.thepamurai.com/ for details on live and zoom classes, for zoom classes, click the link at:
Zoom classes: [Tuesday Jodo at 7:30pm, Wednesday jodo, and Thursday iaido, Friday Jodo Canada Book Club (ZNKR book, check Jodo Canada events calendar), all at 7pm Eastern time, Sunday Niten Ichiryu at 11am Eastern time]
Live classes: (check with Pam during the summer): [Tuesday 9pm-10:30pm, Thursday 9-10:30pm Sunday 1:30pm-3:30pm]
Seito Bugei Juku 