IKOK-C Black Belt Training Camp
Armstrong Dojo
June 12,13,14 Armstrong, BC

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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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