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IJKA Christmas Course - 5th & 6th December 2009
| 'Do not forget the employment or withdrawal of power. The extension or contraction of the body. The swift or leisurely application of technique' Principle 19 of karate-do |
| HAXBY SHOTOKAN KARATE CLUB |
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| It was at least.... This big! IJKA Meikyo Sandan (or the Fish Kata) |
8 hours of training, and at least as many drinking, in 2 days. Welcome to the
infamous IJKA Christmas Course
They came from far and wide this year to sample the special, sweat ridden, beer
soaked atmosphere of the Christmas Course. I normally attend these courses with
the sole responsibility of flying the flag, or dropping it in some cases, for Haxby
Karate Club. However, this year was different as I had some support from Tom and
Jim, two excellent brown belts from the club. For both, it was their first experience of
such a course and I think they both relished the challenge that faced them.
Standing face-to-face with an enemy, be it real or from within, is what karateka do
best. Congratulations to both who did the club a tremendous credit and acted
impeccably all weekend. It is this caliber of karateka that Haxby karate Club
encourages and expects. Well done guys!
The course was fairly evenly divided between kihon drills, Kumite techniques
and Kata practice. There was also, just for good measure, some self-defence. I
personally felt an energy and vigour from Sensei Kato that exceeded a level I hadn't
seen before. He is always, as you would expect, supremely precise, capable and
driven but this weekend I saw a man who looked like he was out to achieve
something. He seemed focused in a way that was inspiring and encouraging.
Sensei was well aware, from the beginning, that there were to be several gradings
at the end of the course and much of the training reflected this. On the Saturday,
there was a lot of focus on distancing and movement. I am learning quickly that in
kumite, it is not the technique that matters so much, but the distance from which
the technique is delivered. A perfect mawashi geri, although technically brilliant, will
never score (in competition) or immobilise an opponent (in real life) if delivered
from 8ft away. How you get yourself in position to deliver the mawashi geri will
determine it's success. Equally, as a defender, being able to position yourself just
out of range of your opponent but just in range for your strikes will make all the
difference. Food for thought when practicing kumite.
infamous IJKA Christmas Course
They came from far and wide this year to sample the special, sweat ridden, beer
soaked atmosphere of the Christmas Course. I normally attend these courses with
the sole responsibility of flying the flag, or dropping it in some cases, for Haxby
Karate Club. However, this year was different as I had some support from Tom and
Jim, two excellent brown belts from the club. For both, it was their first experience of
such a course and I think they both relished the challenge that faced them.
Standing face-to-face with an enemy, be it real or from within, is what karateka do
best. Congratulations to both who did the club a tremendous credit and acted
impeccably all weekend. It is this caliber of karateka that Haxby karate Club
encourages and expects. Well done guys!
The course was fairly evenly divided between kihon drills, Kumite techniques
and Kata practice. There was also, just for good measure, some self-defence. I
personally felt an energy and vigour from Sensei Kato that exceeded a level I hadn't
seen before. He is always, as you would expect, supremely precise, capable and
driven but this weekend I saw a man who looked like he was out to achieve
something. He seemed focused in a way that was inspiring and encouraging.
Sensei was well aware, from the beginning, that there were to be several gradings
at the end of the course and much of the training reflected this. On the Saturday,
there was a lot of focus on distancing and movement. I am learning quickly that in
kumite, it is not the technique that matters so much, but the distance from which
the technique is delivered. A perfect mawashi geri, although technically brilliant, will
never score (in competition) or immobilise an opponent (in real life) if delivered
from 8ft away. How you get yourself in position to deliver the mawashi geri will
determine it's success. Equally, as a defender, being able to position yourself just
out of range of your opponent but just in range for your strikes will make all the
difference. Food for thought when practicing kumite.
| Jim getting stuck in on his first Christmas course, doing his best superman impression. |
As far as kata was concerned, Sensei
Kato delved deep into the kata Meikyo.
He went into detail about the origin of
the kata and explaining how the kata
has developed over the years with
Meijin Sokon Matsumura, Meijin Itosu
Yasutsune, Shihan Funakoshi,
Shihan Nakayama, Shihan Asai and
finally, Sensei Kato. Unfortunately, I
struggled to understand the details of
the history and remember the katas at
the same time. However, Meikyo
[shodan], Meikyo Nidan and Meikyo
Sandan (an IJKA shotokan version),
were the katas that stuck in my mind.
They are strong, powerful kata that
look at techniques for defending ones
self against an attack by Bo or large
stick.
Kato delved deep into the kata Meikyo.
He went into detail about the origin of
the kata and explaining how the kata
has developed over the years with
Meijin Sokon Matsumura, Meijin Itosu
Yasutsune, Shihan Funakoshi,
Shihan Nakayama, Shihan Asai and
finally, Sensei Kato. Unfortunately, I
struggled to understand the details of
the history and remember the katas at
the same time. However, Meikyo
[shodan], Meikyo Nidan and Meikyo
Sandan (an IJKA shotokan version),
were the katas that stuck in my mind.
They are strong, powerful kata that
look at techniques for defending ones
self against an attack by Bo or large
stick.
The self defence aspect of training was
interesting for me as it is not something
we spend much time on. We practiced
an array of techniques from getting out of
all kinds of holds and restraints. With
this kind of training, although the initial
setup is somewhat artificial the
understanding you gain for how the
human body works, or doesn't work, is
vital information that can be applied to
your regular training. To know that the
elbow moves in such and such a
direction helps to give meaning to Heian
Nidan. An understanding of the limiting
movements of the wrist will enable you to
see the application for Bassai Dai. A
good karateka knows how to use his
body to his advantage and how to use
his opponents to his disadvantage (that
must be some kind of ancient Japanese
proverb or something).
interesting for me as it is not something
we spend much time on. We practiced
an array of techniques from getting out of
all kinds of holds and restraints. With
this kind of training, although the initial
setup is somewhat artificial the
understanding you gain for how the
human body works, or doesn't work, is
vital information that can be applied to
your regular training. To know that the
elbow moves in such and such a
direction helps to give meaning to Heian
Nidan. An understanding of the limiting
movements of the wrist will enable you to
see the application for Bassai Dai. A
good karateka knows how to use his
body to his advantage and how to use
his opponents to his disadvantage (that
must be some kind of ancient Japanese
proverb or something).
| Sesnei Kato trying, with patience, to show us the technique |
The Christmas course is always about more than just the training, it is also about
friendship, happiness and being merry. There was certainly no shortage of
entertainment provided by all who were present (witnessing Sensei Kato doing
karaoke is especially rewarding!).
Congratulations to Tom who passed his 1st Kyu grading. I've seen the video and
you certainly put everything you could into it. Your spirit and desire is second to
none, Tom. Keep up the hard work and you will soon reach the goal, the dream,
you've always wanted.
Thank you to Rebecca for taking all the photographs and videos (hope you are
back training soon) and to all who made it a memorable course. With vodka in my
hand i say to Sensei Kato, the IJKA, and all true karateka worldwide...
Merry Christmas.
Simon, December 2009
friendship, happiness and being merry. There was certainly no shortage of
entertainment provided by all who were present (witnessing Sensei Kato doing
karaoke is especially rewarding!).
Congratulations to Tom who passed his 1st Kyu grading. I've seen the video and
you certainly put everything you could into it. Your spirit and desire is second to
none, Tom. Keep up the hard work and you will soon reach the goal, the dream,
you've always wanted.
Thank you to Rebecca for taking all the photographs and videos (hope you are
back training soon) and to all who made it a memorable course. With vodka in my
hand i say to Sensei Kato, the IJKA, and all true karateka worldwide...
Merry Christmas.
Simon, December 2009