Summer Camp 2014

Summer Camp 2014 was yet another great event that was attended by many and enjoyed by all.

As is previous years there was always the excitement and anticipation of what was to come over the 4 day camp. As always there was the opportunity to reconnect with friends we haven’t seen in a while, and the chance to make some memories with some new friends. And of course let’s not forget the real reason we all come to this camp, to train. And train we did.

Friday. Our very first class Shihan Stuart led us through a true “Kyokushin Spirit” class. “One thousand strikes and One thousand kicks.” Though I’m sure that statement may have surprised more than a few of us, each and every person pushed themselves as hard as they could and we all made it through together. Shihan Don then led us through the kumite portion of the session with the focus on being able to be versatile in your fighting and not striking the same area over and over.

Saturday morning, as 6 a.m. rolled around 150 sleepy eyed campers made their way into the field to line up in our groups for the first morning run and training session. After the run we were led through some basics and ido geiko. Throughout the rest of the day campers were able to choose from several different trainings, kata, goshin jitsu, ido geiko and kumite training. Unlike last year’s camp, for those of us who remember, the rain decided to take a break and let the sun come out, and come out it did. Although it was hot, we all sweat, trained hard, and enjoyed lots of water. Saturday afternoon also brought the excitement of the famous Summer Camp Water training and river float. Lots of fun was had by all during this training as we were once again given the chance to learn some of Sensei Terry’s famous secret ancient Scoopy-kai techniques. If you’re wondering what these are all about, you will just have to attend next year, as we are all sworn to secrecy.

Sunday, the anticipation of the Dan Candidate fighting was in the air. This was to be a different year for me, as I was going to be on the other side of the fight line up. The testing side. If you have never attended camp, and have never experienced the energy of a room full of people cheering it is really quite an event. By the end of the day there were 2 Shodan, 1 Nidan, and 2 Sandan promotions. Congratulations to Sempai Mark, Sempai Adrian, Sensei Alex and Sensei Irek.

Sunday night brought the Sayonara Dinner and for the second year, the “Kyokushins Got Talent” talent show. The show featured many different acts, and a good time and great laughs were had by all of us.

Lastly, I would like Sensei Larry and Sensei Leo, as well as everyone else who has helped me throughout my years of training to get me to this point in my karate career. As well, I would like to thank Shihan Stuart and the IKOK-C for allowing me the opportunity to test for and achieve the goal of earing my Nidan. As well, thank you to the IKOK-C for putting on the camp, and all of the camp instructors for making the camp what it is.

Osu,

Ryan Desrochers

Armstrong Dojo

Summer Camp 2014

I had been looking forward to Summer Camp 2014.  Some good weather, a cool river and a chance to get together with friends old and new.

Training as always was a little bit different from the year before.  Starting and ending with a hot sweaty 1000 kicks and 1000 punches.  Saturday as always is a very long day which was extended this year with a surprise training, which actually came as a surprise this year.  The most enjoyable class for me was Sensei Terry’s Bo and Tonfa class, learning some bo and tonfa  kihon techniques.  Water training was a much needed blessing too.

The format of the fitness challenge was the best yet.  It has changed lots over the last few years and I think this year worked very well for everyone.

Obviously the highlight of the weekend was our rendition of the classic YMCA at the talent show which I think this year went very well.

Congratulations to all the Dan candidates for your hard work and perseverance. It was a pleasure training with you.

OSU

Adrian Di Paola

Summer Camp 2014

How Far?? 13 hour drive …….. Osu !! lets go.

This was the gist of the conversation I had with my wife before deciding to go to winter camp. By the way that was her that said that. Unfortunately she could not go and I was lucky enough to carpool with three of my students and make the trek to my first summer camp.

I had heard a few things from various people I have met in the IKO about summer camp and those opinions were highly variable. Some said it was the best time you will ever have at a camp, some say it is the hardest camp you will ever do, there were horror stories of training tekki san for hours in the rain, and the surprise of midnight training sessions, grueling fitness challenges and of course the kumite sessions for the dan candidates.

My first impression of the camp was quite… daunting. I say that because on the side of Sensei Steves trailer was the schedule.  I quickly noticed that some of the sessions did not have “end times” I knew I was in for something great. We arrived about 2:30 pm on Friday, and quickly found friends and settled in, and quickly set up tents. A quick float from the beach under the bridge refreshed me and washed the sleepiness away from the long drive.

The training began that night with kihon and fight training…. One thousand strikes, and one thousand kicks ! and then free sparring.  I will not lie, I was absolutely gassed at the end of it.  That daunting feeling came back as I looked to Saturday.  6 am came so fast I felt like I never slept.  Running, stretching, kihon, ido geiko, kumite, goshin jitsu …. the list goes on and on…. but there we all stood.  shoulder to shoulder, in the heat, training all day.  Short breaks were a blessing where we could cool off in the river and freshen up before the next session. As Saturday went on there were so many moments of clarity and laughter as well as pain and frustration that i could not even begin to count them all.  Spirited sessions of collaboration and note taking with other sempais and students filled the breaks sessions.

and as strange as it sounds , it was over as quickly as it began…. or so I thought until the surprise midnight training horn !! of which I was very glad I read Chapter 26, page 331 of “This is Karate.”

Sunday began like Saturday .. Early ! and the daunting feeling of the all day sessions was still prevalent in my mind as we suited up for the run, however when I checked the schedule on Sensei’s trailer …. we were mostly done ! Training took on a different flavor among the group; there were high fives flying around and smiles on everyone’s face as we went through the training and all finished strong.

I would have to sum up my first experience of summer camp as “Absolutely Amazing !!”   The sense of ‘family’ that I experienced was second to none.  I literally felt like I was at a family reunion, where everyone was laughing and sharing stories and experiences.  The karate instruction was amazing and I took many things away that I will share with my dojo.

Osu … See you next year !

Sempai Mark Fonda, Dawson Creek dojo

My name is Brad Cromwell. This past August I had the privilege to attend the Summer Camp in Ashton Creek.  Being that this was my first Summer Camp I had no idea what to expect. I had heard so many stories, perhaps more aptly put, legends of previous camps and the intensity of trainings and the revelry had by all. I must say that the camp lived up to all the expectations and more.

I arrived at the camp mid afternoon Friday and it was hot. Suddenly I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough water for the weekend. I met up with Sensei Steve Doyle and waited for my good friend Mark Fonda to arrive. After having set up camp we reminisced and got ready for the evening training session.

All of the participants lined the hall, everyone was nervously excited.

We saluted in and had a quick stretch. Shihan Stuart asked Sensei Tats about the type of training that they had done in Japan? (My apologies if I didn’t get the quote right.) I was pretty sure that I had heard “ San-bon Kihon” I thought awesome a great way to start camp…not realizing that the word was “Sen” not “San”…One thousand techniques! The response, a resounding, “Osu! “ and we began, we finished the night with kumite led by Shihan Don, paying special attention to speed of movement and multiple techniques.

Saturday was even better. A morning jog, greeting cows and llamas then kihon and Ido geko. All participants went through a fitness challenge and it was amazing to see some of the younger students reach some fantastic numbers.  The afternoon was completed with the IKOKC AGM and more fight training.

Later in the day I had the chance to be shown Kanku by Senseis Tats and Dean. An awesome paring! Sensei Tats also included a little history about it’s origins to the Okinawans from Kusanku. I concluded my day’s trainings with Ido Geko from Sensei Terry.

This was a bit of an eye opener as well. We started with the basic movements and we all had things to work on. Given the amount of students, no small detail escaped Sensei Terry’s eye. He fine tuned the turns and then we started with the four basic blocks finishing with each performed with gedan barai. I have always enjoyed Ido Geko and sensei’s combinations gave me lots to take back to the Ladysmith Dojo.

The Sunday classes began much the same as Saturday’s but I think everyone in the back of their minds were thinking of the Dan Candidate’s kumite later that afternoon. We went for the morning jog and then I chose to go for more kata training. This was an intermediate class but learned just as much as if I was doing the advanced class. We reviewed Gekisai Dai and Tskui no Kata. After the class we had a break until the kumite portion of the dan gradings.

As the hall filled with students, friends and family you could really feel the energy. All the candidates seemed fresh and well prepared.  When the kumite started the hall was filled with shouts and cheers and kiais. I can’t really begin to describe what an honour it was to help these people achieve their goals. Everyone fought hard, challenging the candidates and no serious injuries that I could see. When it was over there were three new Sempais and two new Senseis. Congratulations to them all.

The evening’s festivities started off with a excellent supper of roast pig, salmon and all the trimmings by Sensei Larry and his kitchen crew and finished with Kyokushin’s Got Talent. A very fitting title as there were so many talented people performing in front of their peers.  There were Air bands, magic, concert piano and even a wee poet it was an excellent way to celebrate the day’s exertions.

I did not have the opportunity to attend the Monday’s class as I had an early boat to catch. I think in some-ways however my body thanked me. I had suffered a little with legs cramps throughout the weekend, I thought that I had hydrated enough before the classes but I really should have started the week before. Thank you to Sensei Larry for the Mag-Phos and Sempai Daymon for the bananas and Enduro, life savers both.

Thank you to the Shihan’s for putting on such a great camp. Thank you for everyone the helped behind the scenes.

Overall what I experienced this weekend outweighs any karate experience I had before. The amount of camaraderie and teamwork was amazing. (At all levels)  The safety and the well being of all the participants was at the forefront allowing everyone to learn as much as possible and to train as hard as possible.

Thank you for the chance to write this small synopsis. I have missed much in my descriptions but I would need many more pages to describe the enormity of the camp. I am already looking forward to next years’ camp with my family and I would highly recommend this to everyone and their families.

OSU

Brad Cromwell

Ladysmith Dojo

The 2014 IKOKC summer camp was a special one. Not only that the number of attendees from our club has been of the highest compared to the previous years but also in addition to my Sandan grading finally, it was also the first ever camping trip for my older daughter Maja. The first training on Friday night pretty much set the tone for the rest of the camp and definitely tested everyone’s fitness level. I am sure that everyone felt the one thousand kicks and punches routine followed by short kumite.

The overall camp schedule was quite vast with variety of options to accommodate a diverse group of attendees of all grades and ages. Contrary to previous years, this time, I have decided to stay away from fighting training and focus more on Ido Geiko, Ido Kihon and Kata as there is always room for improvement in this area. As for my daughter Maja, apart from attending training, she particularly enjoyed swimming in the river and catching her first fish under the guidance of my long term friend Pawel.

As always the camp was very well organized and the weather definitely complied. It was great to see the familiar faces, make new friends and hone my skills the Kyokushin Way Style. Having successfully completed my Sandan grading, I also would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all my fellow Dan Candidates on their achievement and wish all of them best of luck in their future training. As for myself having the dan grading behind me I have many things to reflect on.

Finally, I would like to thank Shihan Stuart, all instructors and organizers for their efforts in making the 2014 IKOKC Summer Camp memorable.

OSU!

Sensei Irek Slobodzian

Edmonton Kyokushin Karate Club

Osu everyone,

Being a part of Kyokushin karate for 5 years, we have decided to participate in this year’s summer Karate camp. This was an exciting event for us and was one that we have been looking forward to for a while. We knew that this event was going to be one to remember and in which would benefit us as we further our training and extend our knowledge of Kyokushin Karate.

Upon arriving on the first day of camp, it was safe to say that we were all very nervous and shy as we did not know many people. However, we immediately received a warm welcome from Shihan Stuart, and other students and sempai‘s who showed us around the area and who made us feel a sense of belonging.  Shortly after getting ready, we then got changed into our dogi’s and got prepared for our first training session.

Coming to the first training class, we felt very hesitant and anxious; however, as we started to practice kihon , instantly, all of our nerves had flushed away and we felt like we were training in our dojo. Already learning new hand and kicking techniques, we also picked up some tips and advice from new friends. As training went on, every time we Kai, we were motivated to keep going and to train harder! We were training our hardest to not just improve ourselves but to represent our dojo and to make Sensei Tats proud. Especially during the first class, we learned to discipline ourselves and to always push and lay out our best techniques at the dojo, no matter how tired we may be, to continue to strive foreword.

Waking up on Saturday morning, we knew that we had a long day ahead. Starting with a nice warm up, we were prepared for the training to come. The day was quite hot which made the classes all the more challenging, but we made sure to stay hydrated so we could always give our best performance. We started off with kihon for around 30 Minutes before the real challenge began. As classes went on, we picked up many techniques and skills that hopefully with practice, we will master so we could put it to use for the future. Further in the day, we had water practice which was a fun experience. Changing up the techniques was quite was enjoyable, and the swim down the river was a great treat after a long day of practice.

On Sunday morning, Shihan Stuart started off with separating us into 2 groups, but we were unsure why. One group went for the morning run and the other (our group) did kihon. Because we weren’t able to attend the midnight training, we were to do it that morning which was a surprise. We were clueless. We learnt to fold our dogi traditionally and the significance behind it. Practice on Sunday was pretty much similar to Saturday’s practice except that it was cut short since this was also the day of the big event held at camp, the black belt testing. Watching the candidates do their fight was an unforgettable moment. We witnessed great spirit and energy in the room as the candidates were fighting for their black belts, 2^nd, and 3^rd dan. It was fantastic to see and cheer on everyone there but especially to the two candidates from our local dojos, Sensei Alex and Sempai Mark. That night we also had the Sayonara BBQ and “Kyokushin’s got Talent”. We had a blast getting to know people there and seeing the great talents that everyone had to offer.

Monday was the last day of camp. We were all disappointed to have to say goodbye to camp and to all of the many friends that we have come to know. Overall, we can genuinely say that Summer Camp was one of our favorite experiences. We have learnt so much of not only the martial art but also about ourselves and of what we were capable of doing. We do not regret a single moment at the camp and are looking forward to the years of training to come. We would like to extend a great thank you to everyone at the camp for making the experience for us like one no other. Especially to Shihan Stuart, Shihan Don, and to all the Sensei’s who have helped to put together the camp and instruct. And to all the new friends that we have gotten to know thank you for all the great memories that we will forever treasure.

We cannot wait for next summer camp, see you all soon.

Osu ,

Nhi, Nhan, Jeremy, and Jesse.
Vancouver Kyokushin Karate
Killarney Children’s Class

2014 Summer Camp report

Kyokushin Summer Camp has almost become a family tradition for us. We train hard, we have fun, we learn something new, but most importantly–we meet new people and get to know each other better.

To me this camp was special–I had to undergo the final portion of my Dan grading–30 man kumite. Although, to my own surprise, I was less nervous than I expected, the thought of it was always in the back of my mind.

The theme of the first class was 1000 punches, 1000 kicks. The main objective of such training is to stay focused all the way to the end: start strong, finish stronger. We ended the class with a few sparring sessions–the Kyokushin way to say “Hello” to old buddies and to meet new ones.

The next day brought a variety of classes: ido geko, katas, bo/tonfa, kumite, self-defence, and of course water training. That’s where we mastered some of the best techniques of the secret ancient style Scoopikai. Thanks for sharing, Sensei Terry.

Sunday was my D-day–30 man kumite. This kind of test is not as much for your fighting skills as it is for your character, your spirit and your inner core. Sooner or later you get to the point when your body is utterly exhausted and can’t take it anymore. Would you stop and live with the thought that you did well enough, or would you find a way to carry on? The highlight of the day for me was Sempai Neil’s 20 man kumite. At the age of 56 he finished them all. Way to go, Sempai!

After my last fight I could finally take a deep breath. But my troubles were far from over. I had to face yet another challenge–stage fright. As a Dan candidate I was required to participate at the Kyokushin’s Got Talent concert. I loved last year’s performance, but it’s one thing to enjoy the show, and another to be a part of it. At the end I just had to steady my shaking knees, ignore the goose bumps on my skin and follow the camp’s motto: Just say OSU and do it. And I’m glad I did. I’d never imagined it would be so much fun. The fact that I had no clue what I was doing made our skit even more hilarious. I’d like to say many thanks to all the Dan candidates for being great teammates, especially to Sempai Ryan for putting it together. Overall, the concert was a huge success. I’m sure the phrases like “I want more tonfa!” and “Sinsay, I wanna be Sosai!” are going to live for many years to come.

In conclusion, I’d like to express my gratitude to Shihans Stuart and Don–you are the heart and soul of this organization. Many thanks to all the Senseis and Sempais and to all the instructors who helped to make this camp another great success. I’m deeply grateful to my first Canadian instructor Shihan Les Banas–I will never forget your lessons. And finally I want to bow to Sensei Tats and to say: Arigato gozai mashita! Your hard work and perseverance are a great source of inspiration to me.

Many thanks to all the good people of the Kyokushin family who stood by my side in training and fighting. Your support made it less difficult.

Yours in Kyokushin,

Alex Kleschelsky.

Summer Camp is an event to look forward to every year. It has all the great training and instruction that you could ask for, but with a great fun element added that always makes it a pleasure to attend. This year proved no different, with lots of different classes being offered.

Summer camp started off with a bang, the spirit training of 1000 punches and 1000 kicks to get everyone’s spirit up, preparing us for the rest of the camp, followed training by an excellent kumite class. We were then given time to unwind, play some guitar and enjoy ourselves. The next morning’s training started at 6AM sharp with a run and ido geiko, the training sessions every couple of hours after. The weather held this year, giving us nice sunny days to train under, which made the secret scoopy-kai water training even more enjoyable! The Saturday evening brought us back the surprise midnight training where many, (including myself) learned that you should always sleep in gi pants!

Sunday came, and with it the dan candidate fights. This time I found myself on the side being tested, which gives a very different feel. The fights went well, and all of the Dan candidates were successful, achieving their dan upgrade! Many congratulations to Sempai Adrian, Sempai Ryan, Sensei Irek and Sensei Alex! This was followed by the second year of the Kyokushin’s “Got Talent” show, which showed some amazing abilities, as well as some skits that made me laugh hard enough that it hurt!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the camp, and special thanks to those who helped organize and run the event.

Osu!

Mark Berg