Training with Alan Campbell 5th Dan JKS

Today Helen,Rebecca, Dave, Daniel, Sam, myself and Simon (from Haxby dojo) travelled to Nottingham to train on Sensei Alan Campbell's Black and Brown belt course.
The 90 minute drive there for the three hour training session was well worth it.

I was especially pleased that Sam and Daniel joined us, at 11 & 12 years old it is quite a massive leap to B&B trg.

Daniel told me that he was expecting a full cooked breakfast and a nap on his B&B trg, no bed and breakfast, but there was a great course pitched at karateka that need to start thinking for themselves. Jion and its application was yet another leap for Sam and Daniel.

Sam and Daniel, I was very proud of your efforts today and surprised to see you again training at our dojo tonight, that was 6 hours of Karate in the one day!

Next weekend, Sensei Kato's B&B course at Whitchurch, any club members that would like to attend please let me know asap.

Sensei Alan, many thanks for your hospitality again, we hope to be back soon, Osu!

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New Slideshow

I thought it was about time to update the slide show, it is now in the sidebar just below the "about" section.
You can click on the tab below the slide show to take you to photobucket to view full size or download for your own use.

Karate Kihon

This Sunday a few of us are travelling down to Sensei Alan Campbell's dojo in Nottingham, Chairman of the JKS GB and Ireland. The videos below are Sensei Campbell's Sensei, Kagawa Shihan.

I was talking to Dom yesterday (a keen brass band fanatic) : Why when you are learning a musical instrument you would do a few hours personal practice each week between lessons, but most karateka just turn up each week and can't understand why it takes so long to progress?

Below are some awesome karate tutiorials from Kagawa Shihan 8th Dan JKS to help with that little bit of extra practice at home, Osu!


Above: Oi Zuki Chudan


Above: Gyaku Zuki Chudan


Above: Zenkutsu-dachi


Above: Kokutsu-dachi


Above: Shuto Uke


Above: Uchi Uke


Above: Soto Uke


Above: Age Uke


Above: Haito Uchi


Above: Uraken Uchi


Above: Mae Geri Keage


Above: Mawashi Geri


Above: Yoko Geri Keagae


Above: Yoko Geri Kekomi


Above: Ushiro Geri

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Embeded Karate

I have two levels of Karate heros that inspire me:

1st - the technically brilliant, the natural karateka (Sensei Asai / Kato etc) and
2nd - normal karateka that have struggled to progress for years ( Sensei Trevor Jinks / Sensei Mireille Clark)

It is easy to maintain drive and commitment if you have natural ability and success. What I find more inspiring are those Karateka that just steadily worked away trying to improve their karate, they will probably never be a high dan grade / senior instructor. They will not have success in national competition or have international acclaim, but they strive to be the best they can.

Sensei Trevor who is now in his seventies, he attends as many classes as possible and it is obvious that he also follows a personal training regime outside the dojo.

Sensei Mireille (a fellow blogger) is a "Mom of 7" and is always looking for additional karate training opportunities. Follow the link in the sidebar to her walk up Shotokan Mountain to learn more.

Sensei Mireille will try and adapt every day activities into her personal training to aid improvement in her karate, where and when can I get in some extra training in?

The penny dropped when I was talking to my Sister in law, in law, she was talking about her mother (a very sweet lady who is a devout christian) . "Mum enjoys washing up and driving, these are her main times for talking to Jesus".

I do like to consider myself as a Christian, but I don't take time out communicating, it tends to be when something has gone very wrong in life...anyway. I thought what a great idea, I can train while I drive... On my way home from Aldershot and the AMAA competition I managed to do over three hours of kata training. Karate while driving seems to be best suited to clear motorway driving, not busy roads. I think it is more difficult to perform kata in your head than physically. It is all good training though.

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Dom's Bassai Dai

They reckon one of the best ways to improve your kata is to video it and see what it looks like from the other side.

Dom, your kata has improved a lot over the last few months, excellent work in progress. The next area to concentrate on is heels, you seem to have most of your weight on the ball of the foot, even when you should be driving from the heel. If you can improve this one point it will improve your kata 100%.

Osu!

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AMAA Competition 15th March 2008

Above: Tetley Gym - Fox Lines - Army School of Physical Training

The Army Martial Arts Assocation competition was last Saturday, a fair trip from North Yorkshire but well worth the 450 mile round trip.

In the photo above you see Karate in the foreground, Kendo to the centre and Taekwondo on the far mat, a true celebration of martial arts.

The karate was to WKF rules, under the direction of Washinkai's founder and chairman Shihan Chris Thompson 8th Dan. It was nice to see so many competitors this year, I hope this is a contuining trend.

I was dissappointed with my overall performance, but I did benefit a great deal from attending. By competting I have come away with some clear challanges for the future:

1. Prepare, prepare and prepare to prevent piss poor performance.


2. Loose some of that excess weight, WKF rules to 8 points in kumite nearly killed me.


3. Focus on the Karate core kata and park the "nice to haves", I must concentrate on Bassai, Jion, Kanku, Empi and just one advanced kata (at the moment).
   

I have started to work on Nijushiho, still needs loads and loads of work but is slowly progressing. I thaught I would have a go but then found out that there would be two rounds of personal selected kata for Dan grades, I selected Bassai Dai and managed to freeze half way through. Not quite sure why, lack of concentration, too much concentration?

My string on Karate Underground "TheFrozen Kata" has proved quite popular. I hope you find it interesting.

I am sure that you will find that I will introduce a few of the replies into our training shortly. If your interested please follow the link below:

The frozen Kata

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Sunday Training - 9th March 2008

This Sunday my theme of training was movement and turning, general rules of when to turn on the ball of the foot and when to turn on the heel. We also looked at examples of turning on a ball/heel combination.

We explored the need for use of the hips in movement and the transfer of weight to a position directly above the pivot point of the turns.

Most Karateka had few problems with 90 and 180 degree turns but 360 degree spins did cause problems for most, a little more work required I think?

We then went onto Kata the class divided into two groups side by side.

I taught the beginners Di-Ichi and the coloured belts Mawari-No-Kata, I believe the Di katas were devised by Asai Shihan and Mawari-No-Kata was devised as a training Kata by Koller Shihan, you can see the strong influences of Asai Shihan within the kata, in the turning and spinning movements.

I have always liked to teach Di-Ichi to beginners because it is straight forward with little to confuse them. I also like it because of the power that you can develop in stepping forward punching Gyaku-Zuki rather than Oi-Zuki, perhaps it is just my personal preference.

I found that by teaching the beginners one move one count and the coloured belts two punches to each count (except on turns) that the katas were the same length. Quite handy when you are teaching two kata at the same time to two groups. At least the first four moves of both Kata are the same.

I was trying to explain principles of movement rather than say this is how you do this move in this kata, I hope that it gave you all something to think about?

After the beginners had finished, I quickly ran through both Di-Ni and Di-San, two kata that I have not done for quite a while. Just a quick introduction to a couple of kata outside the normal grading kata but very useful in our development. I hope you enjoyed the departure from the norm?

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Bowling with Haxby Club

On Monday Rebecca, Claire and I went bowling with Haxby Club.

A great night out, many thanks to Lorraine for organising us all, see you on Thursday.

More details on Haxby's web site, follow the link in the side bar.

Kato Shihan - 8th Dan IJKA

Above: Kato Shihan in Bulgaria

This is the first Video that I have seen of Sensei on you tube, only recently posted. I hope there are more to follow.

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Asai Shihan - Makiwara Training

Above : Asai Shihan Makiwara Training

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Facing Africa online donation link updated

Facing Africa have set up an online donation page for me.
I have updated the link in the sidebar so it will take you straight there.
Payments can be made securely and you can make a gift aid declaration, so the charity get that important little bonus courtesy of the tax man.