Cloverdale

Friday Classes - Nidan and over, Cloverdale dojo

Friday night, Cloverdale dojo from 8 -10pm., begun on October 20th and running until November 30.
Those are the dates and times that a group of senior belts, Nidan and over, have been gathering to train together, reviewing the copious amount of information gathered at the BBC in Banff and refreshing their memories on advanced kata as well. Also included in the training are exercises devoted to hip flexibility and strengthening.

Looking forward there will also be time spent on reviewing some of the teachings of Shihan Lowe and perhaps even a review of the eight kumites as trained in the days before the IKOK-C was formed. Talk about going back to our roots! That was the theme Shihan Stuart chose to set in motion at this years BBC and this continuation of that idea really makes us realize just how much variety and volume there is in the historical record of the IKOK-C. I'm beginning to realize there is no such thing as a 'quick' review.

All senior belts are invited to come out and take this opportunity to train some of the aspects of kyokushin karate not normally available in a regular class or to those involved with teaching a lot. I look forward to seeing you there.

Osu,

Friday Classes - Nidan and over, Cloverdale dojo

Another friday night session was held at the Cloverdale dojo with the following subjects covered.
Class began as usual with a session of ritsuzen, or standing meditation.This was followed by exercises in slow motion with movements similar to some found in various kyokushin kata, such as tensho. We then performed a series of directional footwork combinations at regular speed,  engaging our tanden and exerting the ki to improve the performance of the movements.

These exercises are designed to strengthen the ki and to make that natural force immediately available to us when necessary. Kyokushin students already display a strong force of ki by way of our regular training but knowledge of, and control of this vital life force makes our karate that much more effective. This is important whether we are competing in a tournament ,defending ourselves on the street or dealing with other difficult situations so common in life.

Having previously reviewed Garyu, Sienchin and Bassai Dai kata, we moved on to Kanku and Sushiho. Part of the discussion of kata in general included the importance of training mogore in order to develop the correct cadence, tempo, breath control and understanding of bunkai. With that in mind we engaged ourselves fully in the inticacies of these advanced kata.

Next week we continue as usual, and will include tonfa kata and whatever else comes to our collective mind.

As our group photographer was in Nelson for training, please consider this mental picture while looking at last weeks photo. The same people, the same room, slightly different poses. We hope to see you there too.

Osu,