Course Report - June 2000

 

- Saturday -

 

As always, the Saturday is for the big (some of us bigger than we’d like to be) girls and boys. The day started with one of Stuart (Mr Motivator, complete with whistle and watch) Hendry’s warm-ups. Although it was one of his softer ones, by the end nobody had a dry karate suit.

Initially Hugh Hastings and Sanny Hunter, who are the chief instructors of the group, demonstrated the aims of the course. This was to be an abstract practice to enable people to "feel" if they could keep their energy moving forward without the need to physically move.

We practised kata in one group to get ourselves moving and start to pickup other people’s timings that would be used later. After a few runs through the kata (Heian Sandan) Hugh and Sanny split us into two lines and demonstrated again what the aims of the practise was. We practised extending our hand and making as fight a contact as possible to sense the direction our opponents were moving and, using our own energy, steal their balance. As Hugh pointed out on a few occasions, it’s not necessary for your opponent to fall crashing to the floor or bounce off the wall if you both practice honestly. You know yourself when it’s starting to go and should have the honesty to admit it to your partner. When it got a bit "scrappy" Hugh or Sanny would get us back into kata to work on the timing again, but also using what we’d been practising with a partner within the kata.

This was to be the sequence for three sessions: - kata, Ippon Kimite or Sanbon Kimite then back to kata. There were changes all through the day, moving from basic Sanbon to circular Sanbon and on to punching while your partner put up a little resistance to the retreating hand to allow you to see if you were stopping the energy. After the first session we were split into two groups of brown\black belts and kyu grades. The end of the final session found the two groups facing one another and each in turn performing a kata relevant to their grade (competition kata). I have to say in all fairness, the kyu grades won! Well done guys!

 

 

- Sunday -

 

Today is for the kids (the small adults). Some of the adult black belts that attended yesterday’s practise get to pass on what they learned along with the basics like form, technique and concentration. It was another warm day, so the practises were a bit broken by kids constantly going off for a drink or toilet. It’s a small price to pay for two hour and a half practises where nobody fainted. Although we have a resident doctor, we’d much rather not have to call on his services especially with the children.

After a very light warm-up conducted by Aileen Tait they performed a basic kata as a large group. The concept of letting people get settled and work on their timing applies equally to the kids as it does to the adults.

The group was then split into three white/red belts, yellow/orange belts and above. Each group were assigned two adult black belts to instruct them while Hugh and Sanny moved from group to group offering both kids and instructors assistance and correction.

The white/red belt group worked mainly on the first kata (Taikyoku Shodan) and the two movements from that interspersed with bits of abstract practise to keep the concentration of the younger ones.

The yellow/orange belts started with two of the slightly higher katas (Heian Shodan & Nidan) and then moved on to Kihon (basic techniques like punching, blocking, stances).

The higher grades started with all the Heian katas and quickly moved on to Tekki Shodan to put them under a bit of pressure.

The second session was basically very similar to the first except that Hugh and Sanny came around close to the end and got the kids to perform various techniques/katas in peer groups to actually grade them.

The white/red group again did kata and a very small practice of Ippon Kimite (one step sparring) conducted at a distance where they wouldn’t actually make contact. Kids have a more powerful punch than most people give them credit for and we don’t want any injuries. They finished with some relaxation to wind them down.

The yellow/orange group repeated what they’d being doing and moved on to "competition kata" the same as the adults did yesterday. Acording to the instructor of this group the best split was boys versus girls. I wonder why! I’m not saying who was best. They finished with a little Sanbon Kimite (three step sparring) at correct distance as they can control their attacks better.

The high grades did some more kata and moved to Sanbon Kimite fairly quickly. They then practised attacks from a group where one person is in the middle of a circle of opponents and each person attacks in rotation. This practise forces the person in the middle to constantly adapt to different opponent’s movements and puts them under a bit more pressure.

At the end of this session the grading results were read out by Edwin Tibbles (2nd Dan) assisted by Aileen Tait (1st Dan).

Finally, the adults had one more practise following on from yesterday. This group under the instruction of Andy Vallance (2nd Dan) had been working away all day in another room.

Thanks to all who attended and made it an enjoyable course and congratulations to those who moved up a grade. If you didn’t, don’t worry. Sanny or Hugh will have spotted something they need to help you change. If you work hard, you’ll get the grade next time.