The 6th annual Brown Belt
Black Belt camp held in Armstrong, B.
C., June 12-14, was the first camp I
have been to that has consisted just
of Black & Brown belt students. Since
I was the newbie on the block and
Kohai to all who attended, it was just
right that I was elected to write
about my experience during the
training this weekend.
Training started promptly at 7:00pm in
Sensei Larry Robinsonfs dojo, arriving
just on time, it was Sempai Terri
Fredlund who greeted me first, she
made me feel welcomed to this event
just by her smile and greeting, which
then opened others to introduce
themselves to me.
This is the one thing I have noticed
during my years of training and mostly
of late and by reaching my current
belt level and being able to attend
these functions, the IKOK-C, is a
very friendly group of students that
welcome you regardless of who you are
and what rank you hold. Everyone
seems to take the initiative to find
out about you and they also have the
ability to have patience and
understanding when training with
them.
So, I went along with this vein of
introductions and introduced myself to
some of these polished students, also
said hello to the Sensei Larry and his
students who had spent time one Monday
night helping me clean up details on
my katas. Before the training session
started, Sensei did inform us that the
Shihans were unable to make it for the
weekend, which was disappointing but I
knew that Sensei Larry would be able
to entertain us with so much that it
would take our minds off the fact that
the Shihans were not able to be there.
I
was not disappointed. Friday night we
covered all the lower level katas that
I needed to work on, which gave me the
opportunity to utilize the pointers
that Sensei gave me from that last
visit I had in his club. Honestly,
this was like the first time working
on these katas since that visit but I
tried to remember as many of these
details and to work them in. They all
seemed very proficient in these and I
hope that one day I will be as good, I
just need to practice more to progress
and get better.
My
instructor, Sempai Ed, called me a
gliferh when I was awarded my last
belt and this weekend I was among just
a small group of glifersh that I will
always look up to because there is a
lot of commitment involved in doing
what they do. There are many of these
dedicated people whom I have not had
the pleasure to train with and learn
from but by having the opportunity to
attend these functions only widens the
scope to pick up even more of the
philosophy of what Kyokushin leads us
to and the path we choose to take.
Two hours at 28 degrees was enough to
bring out the sweat, along with the
stress and tension one feels when
among the elite. After those two
hours, we were all invited to join in
to relax with the Sensei. Some
stayed, some left for personal and
family reasons, but I stayed and I am
glad I did. Firstly, in a relaxed
atmosphere you have time to have
conversations and find out about your
partner you just trained with or what
plans that other girl has in the near
future. One subject was an upcoming
wedding in July, it sounded so
exciting. Subjects varied from what
guys talk about and what girls
discuss, but as soon as the
boardbreaking subject came up we were
all paying attention. Sensei had a
box of boards in the club plus the
plastic breakable ones that could be
broken over and over. I had never
seen these re-breakable boards before,
this was new to me among many other
things. So this box full of wood
boards was brought out and we all
proceeded to try this strike or that
kick just to see if we could do it. I
watched the sempaifs using a tsuki
strike and asked many questions about
the safest, effective way to break
this way. Finding the confidence to
try it in front so many of my sempsifs
was hard but you just have to think
will I ever get this opportunity again
and just jump in. Success happens
from good instruction and guidance, so
I was successful in trying the tsuki
strike even though I did not feel
confident to begin with. Everyone who
wanted to try these had the same
chance as I did and I hope that they
felt as good as I did by the end of
the night. That full box of boards
was completely finished and everyone
felt just as good as I did. What a
great way to end the night on such a
high note.
Our next day consisted of two
sessions of training starting at 9am,
we were able to sleep in, but who
could sleep when I was still trying to
remember what we covered yesterday and
writing things down. So, just as
nervous as the day before, we bowed in
and today we were working on the
higher katas that I didnft know well
or at all, and goshin jitsu from the
Happo-No-Kawashi in the afternoon. If
this wasnft intimidating enough, I
donft know what is. This group worked
hard on their own progress and they
were not watching or staring at me
bumbling my way through. Not one
person showed any impatience at my
lack of knowledge and this is a
reflection of what Kyokushin is. We
are not judged by the organization
negatively, we are encouraged to do
the best we can do and guidance is
what is offered to us instead of
condescension. It becomes more of a
family with support than any other
group or sport I have ever
participated in before. This is where
I want to be and now I know where I
want to go so that I can be part of
this incredible society that in
essence gpays it forwardh. This was
not anything I had experienced before
among people, I donft really know that
well, but I am learning that this is
the way it is for these committed and
dedicated people.
As the day went on, after the lunch
break, we worked on goshin jitsu from
happo-no-kawashi. Here I was not in
my element. Self-defense should be
what we are training for, as well as
fighting because you have to fight to
defend yourself. It took me a bit to
catch onto Sensei telling us about
move 5, or this is from move 7 and you
could be doing this. My mind doesnft
work like most I guess, when I learned
kata I learned the movement and
pattern but not why we were doing it.
Sensei told us why we were doing this
strike and that block. I have to say,
I have never thought of why I was
striking tettsui here but shotei
there. When you see why, because he
showed us, only then can you start to
envision all the movement and the
purpose of it. I still am not real
good at imagining what I am doing to
an imaginary opponent but by learning
to envision these things will help me
to anticipate movement if ever I am in
a real situation to ensure that I am
able to protect myself or others
around me. Actually, I really hope
that this is a test I wonft be part of
in real life, but it is always better
to be prepared than not.
Wow, what a day it was. I made the
mistake of socializing instead of
making my notes but it was well worth
it to relax and continue questioning
and finding out more about the group I
was among. Dinner was to be held at
Sempai Patfs and his wife Maryfs house
in the country. They have a lovely
home and farm that they opened up to
all of us, again, this is amazing in
itself not just the home but the
gesture to offer this hospitality.
Steak was on the menu, and of all the
people I was among, it should have
been the kohai that barbecued, but I
am so relieved that Sensei Larry did
the cooking because those steaks were
to die for. Imagine, plastic forks
and knives, to cut the meat, and those
knives melted through it. Dinner was
delicious. Sempai Kathy graciously
supplied the birthday cake for Sempai
Terri and Mary, made a delectable
tiramisu for dessert. When you train
hard, I think, you deserve to treat
yourself and relish in the sweets,
which we did. Lots of laughs ensued
throughout the night as more stories
came out of all who celebrated with
Sempai Terri.
Almost made it to the end, Sunday, was
more goshin jitsu , higher kata, and
lastly bow kata, mainly the third
one. I think I can now go back to my
club and demonstrate bow kata and to
also teach the other katas to my kohai
now that I have a better understanding
of them. Those kids better watch out
because I am on the loose with so much
information that they will be blasted
with it so that they can imagine those
invisible opponents and see what they
are doing and what affects it will
have on our invisible friends.
Kyokushin karate is a way of life, a
philosophy that slowly changes those
who embrace it. I t induces a family
and a supportive atmosphere wherever
and whenever you participate. I guess
that I am a gLiferh and I do want to
continue my journey to Shodan. I will
be selfish in finding out and using
what I learn from all of those I come
into contact with through it all. It
may take me a while to get there but
life is a slow journey with bumps and
dips that will only make me a better
person and kohai because of them. It
was mentioned to me, that I should be
selfish when I can, to learn as much
as I can, but this is hard thing to do
most times. So I will try to do this
until someone is asking me to share
what I have learned. Then I will gpay
it forwardh, to that individual, to
repay all the people who have helped
me on my journey.
Thank you Sensei Larry, for allowing
me the opportunity to join the Black
Belt Camp and to participate in the
truly remarkable time spent among the
elite and to experience the
unrelenting teacher and leader you
are.
Osu,
Meg Black
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