Okazaki Shihan

The Shotokan way have just published the September issue of their online magazine.
It includes an interview with Okazaki Sensei and also Kihon by Yahara Sensei, it celebrates three years of hard work by Shaun and Emma.

I know how much time is spent keeping on top of a small blog, but writing a free magazine must be a hell of an undertaking.

Many thanks to you both for all your efforts, OSU!

To view "The Shotokan Way" you can click on the Links button in the sidebar to find the shortcut.

Click on the yellow button below to return to the "HOME" page

Home

Thank You Mytum and Selby

Mytum and Selby Waste recycling Ltd have very kindly provided the SSKC with £250 sponsorship to assist the club entering competitions. We will be using some of the money to contribute to the costs of Rebecca and Michael competing in the Irish Open in Fermoy in October and the balance to help to pay for team events in the JKS Open in Nottingham.

This is not the first time that Mytum and Selby have supported the SSKC, they provided some sponsorship when the club moved from Selby out to Barlby Hilltop school in 2004.

Click on the yellow button below to return to the "HOME" page

Home

New Asai Ryu Videos posted

I have added a few kata videos into the blog from Lativa. Koller Shihan's - Mawari no kata and Asai Shihan's Roshu, Shotei dai, Jo no kata, Hikioshi no kata, plus the open hand technique kata, Kaishu no kata. Enjoy, Osu!

Click on the yellow buttons below to return to the "HOME" or "Kata" pages to view "Asai Ryu"kata.

Home

Shotokan & IJKA Kata

Kaminari Arashi - Thunderous Storm

I have posted a copy of Bertel Sensei performing "Kaminari Arashi".

I have known of this kata for a while but have never seen it before. It is posted on u-Tube with tomorrows date, it confused me for a minute, but then I remembered it is already tomorrow in Japan. Sensei many thanks in sharing this very dynamic footage, Osu!

Click on the yellow buttons below to return to the "HOME" or "Kata" pages to view "Kaminari Arashi"kata.

Home

Shotokan & IJKA Kata

Irish Open Shotokan Championships 2009

Irish Open

Sunday 4th October 2009

Fermoy, Co.Cork

If anyone is interested in competing in the Irish Open in October please contact me ASAP. We are looking at flying out on Sat 3rd and back on Monday afternoon. Please phone or drop me a mail by Monday night 24th August.

Click on the yellow button below to return to the "HOME" page

Home

Hooper Sensei in York

We were kindly invited to join our friends from York Kenshinkan today to train with Sensei Dave Hooper - JKA. As expected it was better than ever, or it may be that as you train year on year, you understand a little more and can take a little more in of what Sensei is explaining.

Sensei explained towards the end of the three hour session that he did not believe that karateka were even a good kumite karateka or a good kata karateka. He explained if you are good at one you must be good at the other. I don't know if I entirely agree, but if like Sensei you have such strong roots in Kihon you will probably be proficient at both Kata and Kumite.

The Kihon session was built around the foundations of Oi Zuki, Gyaku Zuki, Age Uke, Soto uke, Gedan Bari, Mae Geri, Mawashi Geri, Yoko Geri Kekomi, Usherio Geri etc.

We drilled a lot in Gohon kumite, focusing on a different aspect every time we changed.

We drilled in Heian Shodan, kihon, mirrored, backward, mirrored backwards, partnered one doing standard the other mirrored and evasion on block and attacking on punches.

We finished the session with some Bassai Dai, before some well earned refreshment at a local pub.

Sensei-ne-rei, O-tagnari-rei, Osu!

Click on the yellow button below to return to the "HOME" page

Home

Kagawa Interview

Another great interview by Shaun in "The Shotokan Way" and Emma took some great photos with a few people that you will recognise.

Above : Langley Sensei & Kagawa Shihan

(Sempai Helen 2nd Left and Sempai Rebecca Middle)

Click on the yellow buttons below to return to the "HOME" or "The Shotokan Way"

Home

Kagawa Shihan Interview

Sensei Dave Hooper JKA

Hooper Sensei is teaching in York on Saturday, always a session not to be missed. Many thanks to our friends at York Kenshinkan for the invite, Osu!

Above : Training with Hooper Sensei in 2008

Click on the yellow button below to return to the "HOME" page

Home

O' waza, Chu waza and Ko waza @ Hambleton

Thank you to all the karateka that found their way out of Barlby and a few miles down the road to Hambleton on Sunday. (Don't forget were there for 2 more weeks)

The focus of Sensei Andy's session was O'WAZA, CHU WAZA and KO WAZA.

O means great or large and Ko means Minor or small and Chu half way in between, waza of course means technique.

Sensei Andy explained it as , All basic Kihon in a full step is where we all start, these techniques are classed as O' waza. After we have developed our basics it is time to move on and we learn to half step or step back and step in, this is Chu waza.
Ko waza is the advanced technique of developing power from a forward position, a short but still powerful technique. If you took Ko waza to the extreme you would have the famous one inch punch.

Sensei Andy had us perform Ko waza from a close Shomen position. Dom and myself found ourselves naturally wanting to make hamni first rather than attacking from where Sensei had placed us. Still loads to learn as always.

Sensei Andy explained that the aim of this type of training is to produce the same impact with every technique regardless of where the movement starts from and where it ends. In basics we learn just to contact the gi, later maybe one inch in, if we need to fight, our target will be still further. Sensei explained that in a real life situation you need "Ko waza", it is not much use stepping back gedan bari in the pub is it?

Sensei Andy finished the session with drilling us with nine closed hand and nine open hand blocks, we will build on this training in the next few weeks but eighteen blocks will give us a strong foundation for Ippon kumite or Jiyu Ippon Kumite.

Hope as many Karateka as possible on the new Wednesday sessions at Hambleton where we will be concentrating on more of this type of essential but non-core syllabus work.

Click on the yellow button below to return to the "HOME" page

Home

Three years have past.

Above : Asai Shihan 10th Dan - IJKA/JKS

On 15th August 2006 Asai Shihan sadly passed, but his karate lives on all over the world. I only had the honour to train with Sensei once (briefly) and will leave further comment to those for whom he was truly Sensei.

Bertel Sensei - 6th Dan has written an article for the Shotokan way on this anniversary, as always well worth a read.

Click on the yellow buttons below to return to the "HOME" or "The Shotokan Way"

Home

Asai Ryu Kata Article

A steady week, even if it is the holidays.

It was a quite Sunday for the SSKC, the last training session at Barlby for August (the next 3 Sundays are at Hambleton). Just myself and fourteen kyu grades, Sensei Andy was away enjoying the Scottish cuisine.

There was a fairly even mix of low grades and 5th kyu and greater, no mid grades so I decided after Kihoon training to do "Gohon Kumite". After drilling in kihon form for the lower grades each partnered with a higher grade. Jodan attack, Ichi........Go, attack change, then change partners, seven sets jodan each low grade with each high grade. Then onto chudan, then onto full Gohon kumite. With seven sets I could start slow to count and gradually build up in speed until no count speed and power, (control for the higher grades). 45 minutes of Gohon kumite went quickly and the session was over.
The second session just left myself and Dom, Dom is preparing for Shodan. I ran through all the Kihon that Kato Sensei did for the Shodan gradings in Budapest a few years ago. I knew that note book would come in handy. It is amazing how Sensei can put a short string of basic techniques into such difficult combinations. We also worked on Jion and a little Kanku Sho.

Wednesday at Hambleton was very quite, Sensei Andy was back from his hols and when he asked what were we going to do I requested Heian Nidan. Sensei drilled us in Kihon, application and Kata. Julie and Amy were doing fairly basic form and Rebecca and I were set with all sorts of challenges all around H2. A great session for all four of us, Sensei ne rei, Osu!

Tonight, I went to train with Sensei Mike at Haxby, training starts at 19.00hrs, but I can sometimes sneak into the hall at 18.00hrs when they open the door to "fat fighters" in the adjacent room. I had been sitting in my car flicking through my note book and found some scribblings of two kata that I hadn't done for a couple of years.

Above : Koller Shihan

The first was Mawari No Kata, this was devised by Koller Shihan and the second was the Asai ryu kata, kokutsu-dachi No Kata. I spent an hour trying to remember them, with Mawari No Kata I was ok until the last few moves, the Gyaku Zukis didn't seem quite right and my scribblings weren't helping.

Above : Asai Shihan

Kokutsu-dachi-No-Kata, I had tried to remember about a year ago and again my notes had failed me when I couldn't remember the transitions or which way to turn, a couple of notes didn't make much sense. However I was still trying to figure it out when Sensei Mike turned up. Then suddenly, a couple of pennies dropped, I could remember Sensei teaching it and little details of half steps and spinning. I think I nearly have it now.
Sensei Mike had to leave early so I was Instructing for about the last hour. We started with back stance, starting with just the feet. Then I had the white belts just stepping blocking shuto and all the purple belts and above eventually doing the kata. I found myself really enjoying this kata, perhaps it has changed for me now I have a basic knowledge of Bassai Sho and Kanku Sho, I can appreciate better what I am meant to be doing. I finished with the Brown belts and above focusing on when to turn on the ball and when the heel for smooth transition. I hope everyone enjoyed learning it as much as I did teaching it, Osu!

If anyone knows where I can find any video of these kata I would greatly appreciate an E-mail.

Click on the yellow button below to return to the "HOME" page

Home

In at the deep end.

I had to be in Lancaster over the weekend and thought that while I was over the West side of the country I would check if it was OK to pay Alsager Shotokan Karate Club a visit.

Many of the "Whitchurch Mafia" train at ASKC with their instructor Sensei George Cheshire - 5th Dan. Sensei Steve met me in the car park and showed me where they train. Nobody had blown my water wings up and I felt that I had just jumped in the deep end and was more than a little out of my depth.

At the end of the training I said to Sensei Mark that we had not done anything that I had done before, he replied by saying we had done gyaku zuki. Sensei Steve had taken the warm ups and Sensei Mark had run us through some kihon drills. It was then over to Sensei Dave and Alan who ran through "Kaze no te" - Fushu (Wind Hands). I believe it is from the series of elemental kata that includes"Hi no te" - Kashu (Fire), "Nami no te" - Roshu and "Mizu no te" - Suishu (Water).
I was glad when they chose to stay with Fushu, each running through different parts and explaining bunkai etc. I am never very good at remembering Kata so I tried to just relax and try and get the feel and flow of the kata. I have always liked Kashu and with a lot, lot more training and practice am sure that Fushu will hold the same appeal for me.

Sensei George Cheshire then ran through Unsu. I have of course seen Unsu a few times and been through parts of it with Sensei Mike Gude at Haxby dojo, but it is not a kata that I have ever learnt. I will have a go at running through the kata, but I am consciously trying to avoid the higher grade katas until I am happier with ones that I should already know at Shodan.

There was time for a quick beer in the bar, where Sensei Mark was kind enough to put me right on a few points of Meikyo Nidan before I headed North up the M6. It is a shame ASKC is not a little closer to home, Sensei many thanks for your hospitality and hopefully I will be passing your way again sometime soon, Osu!

Click on the yellow button below to return to the "HOME" page

Home

Night out in York

Many thanks to Haxby dojo for hosting the night out in York last night. A couple of beers followed by a curry and another couple of beers.

Thanks for the invite and see you for training next week.

Click on the yellow button below to return to the "HOME" page

Home