Prince George Kyokushin Karate Seminar
Osu
At regular Thursday class prior to the training camp we got to have an extra class with Shihan Don Corrigal as he was in town early. This gave us a heads up as to what the camp would be like. Tough.
The camp was excellent, combining Ido Geiko, sparring, higher-end kata, Kihon and Goshinjitsu. Main focus of the camp was the circle and point basics in everything we do and that Kyokushin is ultimately about fighting.
Some things that stuck with me were to focus on the exact part of the body I am either striking or blocking with. One word that sticks in my mind is the pisiform bone in the hand when using shuto. Easy Pisi.
Remembering the bone`s name makes it easier to remember the exact part of the hand to strike with.
I thought, as most of the students in the room did, that I knew Taikyoku ichi, but after completing some of the extra Taikyoku training I quickly realized I have a lot to learn.
Shihad Don also showed us the bunkai for Tekki ichi, which was nice to see.
Warm up exercises on the mats killed the abs, but were a great way to get the blood flowing.
I have a little background in Aikido so I thoroughly enjoyed the Goshinjitsu. It was nice to see everyone smiling during this part of the camp and it was a nice way to finish up.
Amazed at how much knowledge Shihan Don has in his head and he never hesitated when asked a question and always explained so even the youngest could understand.
Took lots of notes as I knew I would forget stuff, as I did, and am looking forward to the next camp.
Having the food at the training facility turned our quite well providing an opportunity to chat with students in a more informal setting.
A big thank you to everyone who attended the camp especially those who travelled from out of town, without you it wouldn`t have been nearly as much fun.
Mick Kearns, Prince George Dojo
Some things that stuck with me were; the connection & progression from basics all the way to fighting and different levels of Goshin Jitsu. He also stressed circle point in virtually all his instruction, which I found very interesting. I’m looking forward to exploring these new skills/information and being able to provide my students with a higher level of instruction.
What was especially interesting for me was the last class on Sunday. Shihan taught self-defense designed specifically for children & youths in school. Later, when I asked the juniors what their favorite part of the training was, they all said the Goshin Jitsu. Even though it was designed for children, all of the adults I spoke to had a great time and found it very valuable as well.
A big thanks to the out of town guests who traveled and help make this a great event… The Cranbrook Dojo, Dawson Creek Dojo, Ladysmith Dojo, Stony Plain Dojo & Calgary Dojo. I really enjoyed training and visiting with everyone.
Also, I would like to thank my wife for her support, involvement in planning the event and for designing the t-shirts. Thanks to all my students who attended the training and thanks to those who volunteered their time to help organize. Can’t wait for next year’s seminar.
Osu!
Jarvis Thompson
Head Instructor
Prince George Kyokushin Karate Dojo
2013 Prince George Seminar
This past weekend I was fortunate to attend the 2013 Prince George Training Seminar hosted by Sensei Jarvis and guest instructor Shihan Don Corrigal. Driving up to Prince George from Calgary for the first time turned out to be a pleasant experience. The roads were in great shape, the scenery spectacular and the company of fellow club member Gary Swift accompanying me made the driving time fly by.
Training this weekend included; fitness, kihon, ido geiko, kumite, goshin jitsu and katas as do most seminars, but as I saw it, with two very valuable approaches on the subjects; a back to the basics philosophy and an emphasis on pre planning training lessons when instructing at a dojo.
Shihan Don stressed a back to the proper basics philosophy, meaning that properly executed kihon is of utmost importance in all aspects of our Kyokushin training. For example all of our kata and goshin jitsu techniques must reflect the use of proper Kihon basics in order to be timely and effective. The same is required of Kumite practices, if ones Kihon is properly executed in training then the power of an intended strike or block delivered during a fight reaches its full potential. Properly executed Kihon results in maximum effectiveness of any technique performed sums it all best.
The second approach related to lesson planning when instructing at a dojo. Shihan Don reminded us that when teaching a session a lesson plan should be done before hand. Think about what you want the students to learn in that session. Talk to the students and let them know what the plan is and what your expectations are for that session. Also plan ahead by developing a progressive lesson plan, starting out simple at first and building on it to eventually meet the goals you set out to achieve. A little preparation goes a long way in helping students perform to the best of their abilities.
Thank you to Sensei Jarvis and your students for organizing such a great seminar. Thank you to Shihan Don for the great training and insights this weekend. Thank you to all the new friends Gary and I met from the Prince George, Dawson Creek and Ladysmith dojos we look forward to train with you again soon.
OSU,
Denis Forget
Calgary Kyokushin
Prince George Seminar 2013
Prince George training camp was, in my mind a huge success! As a dojo operator and head instructor it is always nice to be the student for a while especially, under the instruction of Shihan Don Corrigal.
I would like to sum up the training by saying that the training was hard, great warm ups, lots of sweat and great food ! As an instructor I took away many things from the camp and some of highlights for me were: Looking at the relationships between basic techniques and then linking them to more advanced theories on movement and how that related to kumite. The sessions on Goshin Jitsu, from Shihan Don was at such a high level and he was able to break it down into the key elements of understanding so that it could be replicated and practiced by anyone. I learned many different applications of pressure points and kansetsu waza. Definitely something I will be practicing and bringing back to the students of my dojo.
One of the major highlights for me was the opportunity to talk with other IKOKC instructors from; Calgary , Sony Plain, Ladysmith, and Prince George and share knowledge of teaching methods and drills used in each of our dojos. I especially enjoyed the discussions on kid’s classes with regard to drills and games to play as well as they seen how Kyokushin Karate impacts our youth in positive ways. It was refreshing to hear new perspectives on teaching karate and reinforced existing ones.
I can’t wait for next year !
Osu !!
Mark Fonda
Senior Sempai / Dojo Operator
Dawson Creek Kyokushin Karate
OSU!
This past weekend in Prince George training with Shihan Don was excellent. If I could summarize best a motto for the camp it would be to “Forge Steel and to maintain the Blade”.
Shihan emphasized the importance of developing the Kyokushin Spirit with a loud OSU, loud Kiai, good posture and eye contact. This was reinforced throughout the weekend’s kihon, ido geko, kata, goshin jutsu, fight training and when Shihan spoke of the value of being assertive in self defence for children. Everything that we trained would build on the previous class – the addition of another layer. We were shown that developing different areas of strength; muscular, movement and mental all have invaluable benefits to one’s training and that in the end it comes down to fighting. That we must temper the finest blade in the hottest fires of our youth and sharpen the blade in our later years.
We worked through the basics and more advanced techniques but one of the highlights for me was the kumite based Taikyoku, an excellent teaching tool as well as a test of one’s familiarity with Taikyoku sono ichi.
There was a great sense of camaraderie throughout all the training. I caught up with old friends and made new ones. The meals provided for the participants were excellent and the social at the end was ‘magical’….thanks to Sempai Chris Gowan. Thanks to all the other out of town guests for making the effort to come, Sempai Steve from Stony Plain, Sempai Denis from Calgary, Sempai Mark from Dawson Creek they all helped to make it a great event. Special thanks to Sensei Jarvis who organized the event. He made sure that no participant wanted for anything, from the meals, sleeping arrangements to the refreshments, everyone was made to feel like family. I would highly recommend this camp to all. Shihan Don and Sensei Jarvis had put together a great agenda for the weekend; the camp only gets better every year.
OSU!
Brad Cromwell
Ladysmith Dojo
IKOK-C Osu!!
Steve Doyle
Head Instructor ,Stony Plain Kyokushin Karate
Osu!
The Prince George seminar was an absolutely terrific time of training, thank you so much to everyone who attended, and in particular all those who helped to organize and help out with the camp as it progressed. It was a pleasure to see everyone from the different dojos again, and to meet some new people as well. A great time of socializing and catching up, although, in my mind , participating in hard training of such a high calibre together builds an unbreakable and honest bond between people.
To summarize the parts of the training that I personally found to be the greatest ‘aha!’ moments; in general, the camp was about applying basics of directional ido geiko and happo movements to fighting. Shihan Don provided marvellous instruction and presented very practical exercises that outlined this so well.
A special thank you to Sempai Steve Doyle for his invaluable kata instruction; getting past the formality of it and into practicality, both mentally and physically; thank you for that, sempai Steve.
We did a lot go shin-jitsu training, very good, usefu techniques , and the mat exercises were new to us and very valuable. In particular, we did a lot of breakfalls, which I really enjoy doing.
Again, a huge thanks to Shihan Don, all those who attended, and a special thank you to our own sensei Jarvis, for organizing this seminar; when I think of the commitment and work put into these training opportunities, I feel all the more that I can do no less than work very hard at my own personal training.
Osu!
Steve Weinard, 4th kyu, Prince George dojo
Wow what a great weekend. Just finished my second camp here in Prince George.
I have only been training for 4 years and being 41 years of age my mind and body may not work as fast as my son Blake who is 11 and has been training for 5 years. I fine that it may take me longer to remember a Kata then it does Blake but not to let that discourage my training. Everyone learns at a different pace and that is okay.
One thing that really suck with me this weekend was the fighting training, only because before this weekend I was so scared when it came to the kumite part of a grading or even sparring in class. I totally get it now and the fear is gone. Yes I may get hurt but that is okay because if I have the right focus it probably won’t hurt until later. Karate is about fighting and that is what we train for. How I train in the dojo and outside the dojo is up to me. Shihan Don said this a lot on the weekend, “It takes 1000 days to be good at one thing, and 10000 days to master it.”
So my goal is to start keeping a log book on how many times I do a Kata, or just basic movements. I am really looking forward to next year and hope to attend the fall camp in Stony Plain this fall.
Special thanks to Shihan Don Corrigal for inspiring us all with new ways of thinking or just adjusting the way we think. It is always a pleasure to have you in our dojo.
Thanks to Sempai’s Mark, Steve, Denis and Brad for supporting us here in Prince George.
A huge thanks to Sensei Jarvis for dedicating his time every week to keep the dojo going and for organizing a great camp.
Osu!
Darcy Schaus, 6th kyu, Prince George
