The English Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Association (EGKA) hosted a spring training camp (Gasshuku) with guest instructor Nakamura Tetsuji this weekend. The event was the 1st opportunity for Nakamura Sensei to teach in England since being installed as the Chief instructor for the International Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Federation, the IOGKF.
The seminar consisted of 3 days of training and was a well attended course. The 1st session, held on Friday 15th March, was an evening class for black belt level students. The two following session, on the weekend of March 15-16, was available for karateka of all grades. The event was instructed not only by Nakamura Sensei but also by EGKA Chief Instructor Ernie Molyneux Sensei, plus a handful of other English karate instructors associated through the EGKA. It is also worth noting that the event was attended by IOGKF students from other countries, including Norway and Belgium.
Many thanks to Nakamura Sensei for his expertise and to the EGKA for arranging a great training camp.
(Photos to follow.)
Monday, March 18, 2013
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Liverpool Training 04 Feb 2013
Good session at Sensei Roy Flatt's Childwall Dojo last night. I think there were 15 black belts and 10 kyu grades in attendance.
The class was pretty much split into three sections: Junbi Undo/Kihon, then kata (Seiyunchin) and finally chi'ishi/padwork. There were a few other things thrown in there too.
This class was dominated by kata practice, specifically Seiyunchin kata. Sensei had the class perform sections of the kata again and again, with emphasis on stancework. I recall being in shiko dachi (box stance) for a lot of this session. It was good. All in all we spent about 90 minutes going through the intricacies of Seiyunchin, a brown belt level kata, although if you go into detail it can seem like an exercise in correct form and keeping the body and mind still whilst moving between stances, then focusing before performing a block or strike. Sensei also explained that we must change a particular strike in the kata, which we have been doing wrong. He has just returned from 2 weeks training with Higaonna Sensei in Okinawa, along with about another dozen 6th/7th dan instructors, and they were all given corrections (if needed) regarding small details in kata.
Later in the class we spent some time playing with chi'ishi. We were guided through 5 "basic" chi'ishi exercises which need to be memorised for future grading examinations. Sensei Roy calls these "Chi'ishi kata", though the phrase "Chi'ishi basics" might also fit the bill. (I won't go into the details of the 5 basic exercises here today, but I'll try to recall them for you another time.)
The class ended with some slow continuous sparring, Goju style. This was referred to as the slowest of four different styles of Goju-Ryu sparring, as explained by Higaonna Sensei. I was happy to practice sparring with my good friend Sensei Damion Wood on this occasion.
The class was pretty much split into three sections: Junbi Undo/Kihon, then kata (Seiyunchin) and finally chi'ishi/padwork. There were a few other things thrown in there too.
This class was dominated by kata practice, specifically Seiyunchin kata. Sensei had the class perform sections of the kata again and again, with emphasis on stancework. I recall being in shiko dachi (box stance) for a lot of this session. It was good. All in all we spent about 90 minutes going through the intricacies of Seiyunchin, a brown belt level kata, although if you go into detail it can seem like an exercise in correct form and keeping the body and mind still whilst moving between stances, then focusing before performing a block or strike. Sensei also explained that we must change a particular strike in the kata, which we have been doing wrong. He has just returned from 2 weeks training with Higaonna Sensei in Okinawa, along with about another dozen 6th/7th dan instructors, and they were all given corrections (if needed) regarding small details in kata.
Later in the class we spent some time playing with chi'ishi. We were guided through 5 "basic" chi'ishi exercises which need to be memorised for future grading examinations. Sensei Roy calls these "Chi'ishi kata", though the phrase "Chi'ishi basics" might also fit the bill. (I won't go into the details of the 5 basic exercises here today, but I'll try to recall them for you another time.)
The class ended with some slow continuous sparring, Goju style. This was referred to as the slowest of four different styles of Goju-Ryu sparring, as explained by Higaonna Sensei. I was happy to practice sparring with my good friend Sensei Damion Wood on this occasion.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Norway Trip, January 2013
Last weekend I went across the North Sea (via airplane) with 2 training partners to go to Norway for a small karate seminar in a town called Tønsberg. This was a 2-day course covering all aspects of Goju-Ryu karate, including expertly taught Goju style groundwork basics from the most knowledgeable Sensei Damion Wood.
Many thanks to all who were at the course, a great turn-out. Special thanks to Sensei Hans Frydenberg for organising the event, and to Joseph Murray for braving the cold and joining us in our adventure!
Many thanks to all who were at the course, a great turn-out. Special thanks to Sensei Hans Frydenberg for organising the event, and to Joseph Murray for braving the cold and joining us in our adventure!
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Happy Birthday to Higaonna Sensei
Merry Christmas to everyone, and many happy returns to Morio Higaonna Sensei. Today is his 74th birthday and I have just been reminded to perform 74 press-ups to celebrate this anniversary.
Have a good day one and all!
(Photo taken from the Morio Higaonna fan page on Facebook.)
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
About the Importance of Pausing
I am training in London this week with Sensei Nigel Thomas (IOGKF 6 Dan) at EGKA Hanwell Dojo. Yesterday the dojo held a children's grading, with roughly 15 or so kids taking part. The students who attend the Hanwell children's karate club are aged between 7 and 13, and they range from white belt to green belt, so the grading mainly looked at getting the children to demonstrate basic techniques and maintain focus. It can be difficult for children that are so young to keep their minds from wandering, so this has to be taken into account. But that is not to say that an instructor should allow the kids to act like they please! I am glad to report that the grading went well, Sensei even fitted in a spot of light sparring at the end of the test with children being asked to demonstrate their fighting spirit against adult opponents. (Note: This was pretty easy going from the adult's point of view, it was the children who did all of the attacking and they were not put under any pressure to defend themselves from any undue overly-strong attacks. Adults sparring with children must always be strictly controlled!)
After the children's grading the adult class began. Hanwell Dojo is preparing for a senior grading later this week, so at present the training is toward that end. Sensei Nige likes to begin his sessions with a fast-style warm-up, starting at the toes and working his way through the kinetic chain to the neck and head. He always adds in some Cat Curls ("Neko Undo", or "Goju push-ups" as I've sometimes heard them referred to) and leg raises / heel stamps / squats. Next the class moves onto practicing kihon (karate basic techniques), then straight into some "moving" basics, which is the same as above but with stancework. This session's moving basics came in the form of San Dan Gi - three step sparring, which we worked on for quite some time. The general purpose of San Dan Gi is to get the student accustomed to stepping into a stance, pausing for a beat, then performing the hand technique (whether it is a block or an attack). So the chain of movement is improved by removing old reflexes that amount over time, keeping the action to a crisp minimum: Step, Stop, Action.
When practicing basic karate technique, I find that it is important to remember not to step and perform the block (or attack) both at the same time - this fosters poor technique execution. Always step first, then a pause followed by the action. The crucial element here is that pause - it really is key - especially for a beginner karateka. After a while, some months maybe, once this flow of movement has been repeated maybe 2 or 3 thousand times and is etched into one's muscle memory, the pause can be minimized and so it becomes a flowing movement followed by attack or block. Sorry to dwell on this point for so long, but it really is an important lesson to learn. It sounds strange to hear someone telling you to pause when you are performing a fast set of techniques, but that's how you get better. Later on in your training career that pause will be replaced by an instant of focus.
After San Dan gi we practiced Renzoku Bunkai - Straight line Gekisai kata, or "Chokusen Gekisai" as it is also called. This practice also carried on for some time. The lesson ended with kata practice - the class was split into sections and students were instructed separately. My section went over the movements from Seiyunchin kata, broken into individual techniques and repeated several times each with practical explanations of each of the movements.
After the children's grading the adult class began. Hanwell Dojo is preparing for a senior grading later this week, so at present the training is toward that end. Sensei Nige likes to begin his sessions with a fast-style warm-up, starting at the toes and working his way through the kinetic chain to the neck and head. He always adds in some Cat Curls ("Neko Undo", or "Goju push-ups" as I've sometimes heard them referred to) and leg raises / heel stamps / squats. Next the class moves onto practicing kihon (karate basic techniques), then straight into some "moving" basics, which is the same as above but with stancework. This session's moving basics came in the form of San Dan Gi - three step sparring, which we worked on for quite some time. The general purpose of San Dan Gi is to get the student accustomed to stepping into a stance, pausing for a beat, then performing the hand technique (whether it is a block or an attack). So the chain of movement is improved by removing old reflexes that amount over time, keeping the action to a crisp minimum: Step, Stop, Action.
When practicing basic karate technique, I find that it is important to remember not to step and perform the block (or attack) both at the same time - this fosters poor technique execution. Always step first, then a pause followed by the action. The crucial element here is that pause - it really is key - especially for a beginner karateka. After a while, some months maybe, once this flow of movement has been repeated maybe 2 or 3 thousand times and is etched into one's muscle memory, the pause can be minimized and so it becomes a flowing movement followed by attack or block. Sorry to dwell on this point for so long, but it really is an important lesson to learn. It sounds strange to hear someone telling you to pause when you are performing a fast set of techniques, but that's how you get better. Later on in your training career that pause will be replaced by an instant of focus.
After San Dan gi we practiced Renzoku Bunkai - Straight line Gekisai kata, or "Chokusen Gekisai" as it is also called. This practice also carried on for some time. The lesson ended with kata practice - the class was split into sections and students were instructed separately. My section went over the movements from Seiyunchin kata, broken into individual techniques and repeated several times each with practical explanations of each of the movements.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Yoga
Another great video from YouTube.
In karate we perform an exercise called Neko Undo. That is a Japanese/Okinawan term that translates into English as "Cat exercises", though they are commonly known as Cat Curls. Watching this video makes me appreciate the yoga roots of this karate exercise, though I couldn't say explicitly that one style borrowed it from the other. The likelihood is that is probably was borrowed, or copied, or the styles have an original root form somewhere way back in the past. It is said that all martial arts came from India, where Buddhism also originates from. Ironically most Buddhism has now been taken to China and the East now, away from where it started. The same for Martial Arts. Yoga is still as a discipline that is known for it sub-continental origin. Still, it all ties in together.
This video is very beautiful. The performer is flexible, like a gymnast. Notice how the soles of her feet are flat on the floor during the stretch. That is not really the first thing that you would tell people about the performance in this video, but it is certainly not an easy thing to do.
I feel inspired just watching this clip. Time to go and do some Cat Curls.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Monday Night Training, Liverpool
Training at EGKA Childwall Dojo with Sensei Roy Flatt, IOGKF 7 Dan
This particular session was very well attended, with somewhere in the region of 20 black belts taking part plus several kyu grade students.
Warm Up
IOGKF junbi undo "warm up" exercises.
Followed by 50 push-ups, 50 crunch sit-ups, 50 "reverse cycle thrust" heel kicks, 50 straight leg swings and finally 50 squat thrusts.
Kihon (Basic technique practice)
Practicing punches, blocks kicks and various other strikes on the stop and to a count. Sensei keeps the count and gives tips on technique and posture.
Moving Basics
Sensei Roy gave great emphasis on this section of the session. There is a grading examination on the horizon, so this type of training with be very beneficial to all who plan to test. Goju Ryu "moving basics" involves stepping in stances whilst performing combinations of punches, kicks and other strikes, several times in quick succession. The whole class of students moves across from on side of the training hall to the other side, and then back again, and so on, for as long as the instructor deems neccessary for everyonr to get benefit from the activity. Most of the time the exercise will begin from a long forward stance (zenkutsu dachi) and then step, often with a kick on the way, then land in another stance and perform a series of punches. If stepping backwards the attacking techniques may be replaced by blocking techniques, although it is not uncommon to use blocks when stepping forward (or indeed attacks when stepping backwards). There are also side stepping movements using stances such as neko ashi dachi (cat stance).
Example:
From long stance, roundhouse kick (mawashi geri) with the rear leg, landing it in front in another long stance. After the kick (and as the kicking leg lands in stance) attack at head height using the leading arm with a "circular backfist strike" (mawashi uraken uchi) followed up with a reverse punch (gyaku zuki) off the trailing arm.
Kata
Senior grades (4th dan and above) focussed on Suparinpai kata during this class. The kata was broken into sections and each section repeated several times, with corrections from Sensei. Black belt students graded from shodan (1st degree black belt) to Sandan (3rd degree black belt) practiced Kururunfa kata. Kyu grade students practiced Seiyunchin kata. White belt students practiced Saifa kata. Sensei Roy spent some time with each of these groups, one at a time, offering instruction on the section of the kata currently being practiced. He moved from group to group, spending about 5 minutes with each talking about the movement and embusen (pattern) of the kata in question, then moved on to the next section of the class.
This particular session was very well attended, with somewhere in the region of 20 black belts taking part plus several kyu grade students.
Warm Up
IOGKF junbi undo "warm up" exercises.
Followed by 50 push-ups, 50 crunch sit-ups, 50 "reverse cycle thrust" heel kicks, 50 straight leg swings and finally 50 squat thrusts.
Kihon (Basic technique practice)
Practicing punches, blocks kicks and various other strikes on the stop and to a count. Sensei keeps the count and gives tips on technique and posture.
Moving Basics
Sensei Roy gave great emphasis on this section of the session. There is a grading examination on the horizon, so this type of training with be very beneficial to all who plan to test. Goju Ryu "moving basics" involves stepping in stances whilst performing combinations of punches, kicks and other strikes, several times in quick succession. The whole class of students moves across from on side of the training hall to the other side, and then back again, and so on, for as long as the instructor deems neccessary for everyonr to get benefit from the activity. Most of the time the exercise will begin from a long forward stance (zenkutsu dachi) and then step, often with a kick on the way, then land in another stance and perform a series of punches. If stepping backwards the attacking techniques may be replaced by blocking techniques, although it is not uncommon to use blocks when stepping forward (or indeed attacks when stepping backwards). There are also side stepping movements using stances such as neko ashi dachi (cat stance).
Example:
From long stance, roundhouse kick (mawashi geri) with the rear leg, landing it in front in another long stance. After the kick (and as the kicking leg lands in stance) attack at head height using the leading arm with a "circular backfist strike" (mawashi uraken uchi) followed up with a reverse punch (gyaku zuki) off the trailing arm.
Kata
Senior grades (4th dan and above) focussed on Suparinpai kata during this class. The kata was broken into sections and each section repeated several times, with corrections from Sensei. Black belt students graded from shodan (1st degree black belt) to Sandan (3rd degree black belt) practiced Kururunfa kata. Kyu grade students practiced Seiyunchin kata. White belt students practiced Saifa kata. Sensei Roy spent some time with each of these groups, one at a time, offering instruction on the section of the kata currently being practiced. He moved from group to group, spending about 5 minutes with each talking about the movement and embusen (pattern) of the kata in question, then moved on to the next section of the class.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
London Training - EGKA Hanwell Dojo
Training this morning at EGKA Hanwell dojo in West London (Ealing) with Sensei Nigel Thomas, IOGKF 6th dan. I have been training regularly with Sensei Nigel for about 3 months now. He is a fine karate exponent.
The class involved kata bunkai - the fighting applications of movements from karate kata (forms). The kata bunkai practiced in this session were taken from the 1st three kata in the IOGKF Goju-Ryu syllabus. Namely: Gekisai Dai Ichi, Gekisai Dai Ni and Saifa.
Sensei Nigel also had everyone in the class get with a training partner for some light and fast kumite sparring. 4 bouts, each one minute in length and non-stop but with lots of control - not trying to injure your training partner. The class in Hanwell on a Sunday begins at 9am, so lots of early morning fighting going on in London!
This is a great dojo in my opinion, Sensei Nigel teaches traditional Goju karate as seen at Higaonna Dojo in Okinawa.
The class involved kata bunkai - the fighting applications of movements from karate kata (forms). The kata bunkai practiced in this session were taken from the 1st three kata in the IOGKF Goju-Ryu syllabus. Namely: Gekisai Dai Ichi, Gekisai Dai Ni and Saifa.
Sensei Nigel also had everyone in the class get with a training partner for some light and fast kumite sparring. 4 bouts, each one minute in length and non-stop but with lots of control - not trying to injure your training partner. The class in Hanwell on a Sunday begins at 9am, so lots of early morning fighting going on in London!
This is a great dojo in my opinion, Sensei Nigel teaches traditional Goju karate as seen at Higaonna Dojo in Okinawa.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Pre-Grading Mock Test, Liverpool
Earlier this week I trained with Sensei Roy Flatt at his dojo in Liverpool.
The class plan was organised to include lots of pre-grading preparation work - there is a national black belt =examination on the horizon here in England and so students are being "tested before the test" in many EGKA/IOGKF dojos, to make sure that everyone is up to a particular standard, to preclude their chances of grading successfully. Sensei Roy's class during this session was very well attended and everyone appeared to me as though they were working hard and focussing on each of the tasks that Sensei put to them.
The session began with a full Goju-Ryu style warm-up (junbi undo) with exercises isolating each body part, beginning with the toes, feet and then up through the body's kinetic chain right up to the neck and head. This section of the class was then finished with push-ups (60), sit-ups (50), straight leg raises (50) and "reverse cycle thrust" kicks (50), all performed by each student. White belt students are given a concession for the push-ups, but everyone else is expected to complete each repetition.
Basics (Kihon)
As this was an advanced class Sensei cycled through a set of fast paced basic karate punching and kicking exercises without much in the way of explanations. The objective here, I believe, was to simulate a karate examination and thus assumed that each student was aware of what was expected of them. However Sensei still gave words of advice regarding mindset and technique execution (if needed).
Moving basics
A karate grading test involves a whole stack of step/stop/action technique combinations. On this occasion Sensei had the class stepping from left to right when performing these moving exercises - students in real grading conditions can also expect their moving basics to be performed whilst stepping forwards or backwards many times in succession.
All moving basics begin from relaxed heiko dachi stance, with the feet parallel and body facing to the front of the dojo (shomen).
An example of Goju moving basics:
Step to the left, turn the body (torso, hips and shoulders) on a 45 degree angle, facing inward toward the direction one has just moved from. Land in Sanchin dachi stance. Perform jodan age uke (head height raising block) with the same arm as the leading leg, then kick with the leading leg chudan mawashi geri (roundhouse kick). After executing the kick land the foot forward into zenkutsu dachi (long stance). Perform gyaku zuki (reverse punch). Step back to sanchin dachi, same 45 degree angle as described earlier, ready to perform the next repetition of this combination.
There were several different combinations of moving basics practiced during this class with Sensei Roy.
Note: The Goju system incorporates elbows and knees into grading-style moving basics.
The class plan was organised to include lots of pre-grading preparation work - there is a national black belt =examination on the horizon here in England and so students are being "tested before the test" in many EGKA/IOGKF dojos, to make sure that everyone is up to a particular standard, to preclude their chances of grading successfully. Sensei Roy's class during this session was very well attended and everyone appeared to me as though they were working hard and focussing on each of the tasks that Sensei put to them.
The session began with a full Goju-Ryu style warm-up (junbi undo) with exercises isolating each body part, beginning with the toes, feet and then up through the body's kinetic chain right up to the neck and head. This section of the class was then finished with push-ups (60), sit-ups (50), straight leg raises (50) and "reverse cycle thrust" kicks (50), all performed by each student. White belt students are given a concession for the push-ups, but everyone else is expected to complete each repetition.
Basics (Kihon)
As this was an advanced class Sensei cycled through a set of fast paced basic karate punching and kicking exercises without much in the way of explanations. The objective here, I believe, was to simulate a karate examination and thus assumed that each student was aware of what was expected of them. However Sensei still gave words of advice regarding mindset and technique execution (if needed).
Moving basics
A karate grading test involves a whole stack of step/stop/action technique combinations. On this occasion Sensei had the class stepping from left to right when performing these moving exercises - students in real grading conditions can also expect their moving basics to be performed whilst stepping forwards or backwards many times in succession.
All moving basics begin from relaxed heiko dachi stance, with the feet parallel and body facing to the front of the dojo (shomen).
An example of Goju moving basics:
Step to the left, turn the body (torso, hips and shoulders) on a 45 degree angle, facing inward toward the direction one has just moved from. Land in Sanchin dachi stance. Perform jodan age uke (head height raising block) with the same arm as the leading leg, then kick with the leading leg chudan mawashi geri (roundhouse kick). After executing the kick land the foot forward into zenkutsu dachi (long stance). Perform gyaku zuki (reverse punch). Step back to sanchin dachi, same 45 degree angle as described earlier, ready to perform the next repetition of this combination.
There were several different combinations of moving basics practiced during this class with Sensei Roy.
Note: The Goju system incorporates elbows and knees into grading-style moving basics.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Morio Higaonna Sensei received "The Order of Honour" from the President of Moldova
On October 12th during Euro Asia Gasshuku in Moldova, Higaonna Sensei was invited to the Moldavian President Office and received special award from the President of Moldova Nicolae Timofti for his many years of contribution to spread traditional karate and its' value to the country as well as building friendship between Moldova and Japan. It was the highest award that foreigners can receive in the country. After the ceremony, Higaonna Sensei commented "It is a great honour to receive such an award. However this award was not just for me, but also for the all the members of IOGKF Moldova and Sensei Viktor Panasiuk, Chief Instructor of IOGKF Moldova". Higaonna Sensei was also invited to meet with the President of Moldavian Parliament Mr. Marian Lupu same morning
As originaly seen on IOGKF.com
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