OSU!
Winter Camp 2012
was another in a long list of
memorable IKOK-C events.
One wonders why
going for a long drive in winter
conditions, sleeping in a cabin with
19 other guys (18 of them snore) and
getting up on your days off at 5:00
a.m. is so memorable and so appealing?
There must be a reason or two.
In fact there are
many reasons:
·
The
IKOK-C is an organization that strives
to train its members to the best of
our individual abilities by developing
and insisting on a high standard. One
only has to look at the quality of
instruction that we were exposed to at
this camp. The total effort by them to
ensure that the standard of our karate
will remain high is evident by the
conscious effort to ensure consistency
in our basics and kata is very much
appreciated.
·
The
only thanks they get is knowing that
they are doing their best to pass on
the years and decades of knowledge
they have acquired. It is then up to
us to thank them by training to the
best of our ability and to then pass
that on to our students.
·
I
would like to thank all of the
instructors for their training; Shihan
Don, Sensei’s Larry, Terry, Leo and
Brad. Shihan Stuart for making the
trip a priority so soon after surgery
and Sempai Kathy for all of the
organizational work.
·
The
atmosphere is one of friendship and
mutual respect and this is another
very important part of the appeal of
these events…. Making friends
After the hard
training, and for dan candidates, the
breaking, exams and interviews one can
feel pretty sore and tired…..but that
is a small price to pay for what we
get out of it.
Where else can you
stand and train with world class
instruction, on a frozen snow covered
lake in the predawn blackness under a
starlit sky with a crescent moon
lighting your path? Winter Camp…that’s
where.
Thanks to all who
participated, as we all learn
something from each other no matter
what belt grade, experience or age.
OSU!
Bill Stalker
Rocky Mountain Dojo
Winter camp report
The IKOK Canada winter
camp was once again held at Peachland
B.C on March 16th, 17th
and 18th.
This year the camp
registration filled up very quickly
and there was a large number of Dan
candidates in attendance.
Although the training
camp officially began on Friday March
16th, we were delayed by
bad weather and dangerous driving
conditions and we were not able to
arrive at camp until that Saturday
afternoon.
When we did arrive at
the camp, we quickly joined everyone
for dinner and then it was time to do
the written test and the interview for
all Dan candidates. After the tests
and interviews were completed, there
was some time in the later evening for
conversation and some time to relax
before heading back to the cabins.
Sunday morning training
came quickly, and it was great to be
out early in the morning training in
the fresh, cold, mountain air.
As I had missed the
tameshiwari earlier on the Saturday, I
was re-scheduled to complete it at the
end of the Sunday morning early
training session. With the support of
the entire group, I was able to
successfully break all of the boards
which I was required to break.
After the early morning
training was complete, it was time for
breakfast. We had a very nice meal,
and cleaned up and, unfortunately, had
to get ready for the drive back to
Victoria before the next training
session began.
Although it was a
shorter camp experience, training with
all of the wonderful people at
Kyokushin Canada's events always
leaves me with new knowledge, a
positive experience, and new goals to
work on.
I want to thank IKOK
Canada for hosting another wonderful
winter camp this year, and all of the
hard work and organization put into
making it another great success!
Osu
Mike McDougall
Victoria Dojo
WINTER CAMP 2012
We arrived at
Silver Lake winter camp after a long
drive through both good and difficult
road conditions. Once the drive was
over I was excited to return to my
favorite camp as the focus of winter
camp is on karate training and karate
relationships.
I really
appreciated that the camp instructors
concentrated on the standardization of
the basics and of the kata. All of
the instructors Shihan Don, Sensei’s
Larry, Leo, Terry & Brad worked hard
to ensure that we were given the best
possible information and assistance in
all of the sessions offered.
Shihan Stuart
demonstrated the true meaning of Osu
which is to persevere under pressure.
I was so impressed that he came to
camp so soon after major surgery on
his back. That was truly inspiring.
All of the training
sessions kata, self-defense & fighting
were great. I was reminded as always
at how much more there is to learn as
Kyokushin Karate provides for lifelong
learning. In the self-defense and
fighting sessions a few simple
techniques were taught but putting the
combinations together was more of a
challenge than most people expected.
I was delighted to hear how excited
and inspired the younger students were
after each session.
Training in the
dark outside in the cold at 6 am might
sound unpleasant but on Sunday morning
nothing could be further from the
truth. The lake was frozen at a depth
that made it safe for us to train on
the ice. Above the lake the late
night sky was clear and dark laced
with twinkling stars and a crescent
moon that hung over the mountains in
the distance.
In all it was
another well organized camp where so
much was offered and we can only hope
that we trained hard enough to repay
the instructors for all of their
planning and hard work.
Osu,
Maxine: Rocky
Mountain Dojo
Osu All:
Just back from the
IKOK(C) winter training camp at Silver
Lake Camp outside of Summerland in the
beautiful Okanagan Valley.
After a 7 hour
drive over snow covered roads we
arrived, unloaded our Dojo’s
contribution to the weekend, mats,
kicking shields and various other bits
of fighting paraphernalia and then
proceeded to make up our beds in the
camps sleeping quarters. Once fully
encamped we changed into our gi’s and
headed for our first training. At the
start of the session Shihan Don
Corrigal gave us the camp rules and
then outlined the weekends focus. This
weekend theme was a standardization of
execution in techniques and Kata for
Dojo’s and Dojo instructors, this has
been a recurring theme and one that is
extremely important for an
organisation covering such a number of
Dojo’s with a variety of students.
Friday night we
covered off a basics warm up to get
the joints going and then on to Kata
to cover execution, timing and some
bunkai. Supper was cooked by the YMCA
staff who have recently taken over
operations of the camp…then off to bed
at 10 P.M.
Oh look! Its 5:00
A.M. and time to get up for second
training at 6:00 A.M., gi’s on and
away we go for a nice run along the
winter roads with the snow crunching
happily beneath our feet, then down to
the lake to run basics and some
combinations while we watch the snow
fall around us. Very cool! Back to the
training hall to work on Kata with a
focus on correct execution and timing
though out the Dojo operators and
assistant instructors. Each 2 hour
class on Saturday had a different
theme with a different Sensei or
Shihan, Sensei Brad from Calgary ran
us through the 1st Taikyoku
using a different stance or
combination of stance with every step
and then starting from the opposite
side. Sensei Larry of Armstrong and
Sensei Leo from Langley took us
through several kata covering off the
correct execution of techniques and
their actual bunkai as it would be
used in actual self defense.
Shihan Don from
Cranbrook presented a vigorous class
on self defense and with only a few
basic techniques covered managed to
have us a big sweaty mess at the end
of it Thanks to Kaylene for being my
partner, the bruises are healing
nicely.
Saturday also saw
the Dan Candidates do the board
breaking component of their grading
process…the applicants made every
effort to turn their boards into
kindling and were for the most part
successful, a couple of candidates
will have to take another try at it at
Summer camp in August and I have no
doubt they will prevail…practice your
hearts out!
Supper was followed
by a meeting for the Black Belts where
Shihan Stuart covered the new website
information, lots of changes to come
and they look very exciting. On line
event and camp applications with on
line payment optionsJ,
up to date dojo information, on line
purchasing of equipment and gi’s, a
members section and instruction
section. Watch for these and more
changes as they come.
Then it was time
for the Dan applicants to do their
written tests and go through the
interview process. My best wishes for
success in your grading it’s a great
bunch of people who are taking an
exciting step forward in their
Kyokushin journey.
Sunday morning
rolled around as expected, on the lake
at 6 A.M. with clear blue sky and a
partial moon to illuminate us as
Sempai Hiro from Victoria led us
through our warm up. Push ups in the
snow were a nice touch and Shihan Don
led us through basics followed by some
fighting combinations and then back to
the lodge for some advanced Kata and
explanation of some of the fine
points.
Breakfast was
followed by our last work out for the
weekend. Four 15 minutes sessions with
a different focus to get us all ready
for the drive home, Shihan Don warmed
us with rolls, breakfalls and the ever
popular “shrimps” on the mats. Sensei
Leo led us through the classic Happo
no Kawashi with a partner while Sensei
Larry did the same thing with a self
defense application for each
move…thanks to Anthony for being my
partner, great fun but your blinding
speed is a little disconcerting. The
last 15 minutes was Sensei Terry
leading us through basic fighting
combinations and foot work …by the end
of 15 minutes we were all sweating
bullets and ready for more but it was
time to go…goodbyes and hugs to
friends old and new and plans made for
next camp or tournament we all went on
separate ways with the memory of
another excellent event to put in our
journals.
Special thanks to
Shihan Don, Shihan Stuart, Sensei’s
Brad, Leo, Terry and Larry for the
excellent training and to Sempai Kathy
for all the work done in making it
such a success. To the staff at the
YMCA and Silver lake camp for feeding
80 starving Karateka...no easy task.
OSU: Jerry. Rocky
Mountain Dojo
