Sensei Ohta Regional Courses 20th – 22nd November 2008
The weekend of 20th to 22nd November saw Sensei Ohta 6th Dan JKA visit JKA Karate Do Shotokan (Scotland) for our last series of regional courses for 2008. Over the three days courses were held in Musselburgh, Aberdeen and Saltcoats. As always many students took advantage of the opportunity to not only attend their own regional course but travel to attend the other courses held over the weekend. Each session varied with regard to Kihon, kumite drills and kata’s covered over the three days.
Regional Kyu gradings were also held over the three days. Congratulations to all students who passed a kyu grading.
Our 2009 regional courses are already being planned with the next being held over February and March.
JKA Scottish National Gasshuku October 2008 Photos and Report
Over the weekend of Friday 24th to Sunday 26th October JKA students from all over Scotland came together at the Scottish Police College in Tulliallan Fife for three days of instruction at the annual JKA Scottish October Gasshuku.
The instructors for this year’s course were the following:
Sensei Imamura 7th Dan JKA
Sensei Ohta 6th Dan JKA
Sensei Wood 6th Dan JKA
Sensei Imamura 7th Dan JKA: Sensei Imamura was the guest instructor from the JKA Honbu Dojo in Tokyo Japan. He is a former JKA World and All Japan kumite champion.
Sensei Ohta 6th Dan JKA: Sensei Ohta is a graduate of Takushoku University and is Chief instructor of JKA England.
Sensei Wood MBE 6th Dan JKA: Sensei Wood is a Scottish instructor now resident in Australia and is a senior instructor with JKA Australia.
The following is a brief report and photos of the weekend:
The Scottish Police College in Fife as a venue allowed for the course to be residential with many students staying on the campus over the duration of the course. This made for a friendly atmosphere as students were able to socialise out with training times. It also made for a very convenient short walk from the residential rooms to the Dojo.
Not only had many students travelled from all over Scotland to attend but there were also a numbers of visitors from other countries showing how popular this event has become.
Friday Training:
On the Friday following the usual registration and room allocation formalities the course started with a short opening ceremony and introductions of the instructors to all students in the main hall.
Introduction of the instructors in the main hall
The class was then split into three groups with each group being instructed by one of the instructors:
White to Purple Belt class
Brown Belt class
Dan Grade class
The Dan grade class then moved to a separate hall with the other two classes remaining in the main hall. Each three hour session was structured Kihon and Kumite first half and Kata second half with a rotation of instructor half way through the three hour session. The following briefly summarises what was covered in the Dan grade sessions.
The Friday session saw the Dan Grade class first being instructed by Sensei Wood on Kihon and Kumite. The initial emphasis of the class was on correct use of the hiki-te withdrawing hand and hips during the execution of various punching techniques. Correct attitude and awareness while training were also emphasised during the session. Mae-geri and Mawashi-geri kicking techniques were also covered with common faults being highlighted and identified. The session then moved on to Kumite with a range of attacks and defence being practiced with an opponent using the techniques and combinations covered during the first part of the session.
Friday session Sensei Wood
After a short break the second half was taken by Sensei Ohta who concentrated on Kata with Empi and Gankaku being practiced including application of some of the key techniques. Each Kata was then demonstrated to the class by Sensei Ohta at the end of each Kata session.
Kata Empi being demonstrated by Sensei Ohta
Kata Gankaku being demonstrated by Sensei Ohta
Application practice Gankaku
Saturday Training:
On the Saturday following the start and warm up of all the grades together in the main hall the class was then split as per the previous day.
The Dan grade session started with Sensei Imamura. As a former JKA World and All Japan Kumite champion that has had many classic competitive encounters over the years all were pleased to see him travel to Scotland from JKA Honbu dojo in Tokyo to attend the Gasshuku. Many of the lower grades up until then had only seen him in the classic video clips from his competitive days in the 80’s.
The session concentrated on Kihon and Kumite. The emphasis was on delivering attacking techniques and blocks from a relaxed but aware Shizen-tai position rather than from a tensed state. The object of this training was to help with the reaction time and speed of each technique being delivered and from one technique to the next.
Saturday training Sensei Imamura
The second half of the session was taken by Sensei Wood who concentrated on Kata Nijuu-shiho. Each section of the Kata was practiced with each technique explained in detail then the application was practiced with a partner until the entire kata was covered.
Saturday Evening:
Saturday night saw a party being held in the Police College bar and hall with a live band providing the music. This was a good chance for all on the course to relax and socialise with old friends and new.
Sunday Training:
Sunday training for the Dan Grade class started with Sensei Ohta. The session quickly got off to a brisk pace with various kihon kicking and punching combinations. Kumite practice followed which concentrated on a number of punching techniques and combinations but changing direction against two and three opponents. This certainly helped wake everyone up following the previous night’s party.
The second half was taken once more by Sensei Imamura who first identified the various kata’s being performed by students attempting a Dan grade later that afternoon. He then spent time on each Kata teaching the entire class then the students intending to perform the kata for their Dan grading were given further instruction and help. Although this was an added bit of pressure for those involved it was certainly worth while and of benefit.
Sunday Dan Grade class Kata training with Sensei Imamura
Following the conclusion of the Sunday class all groups got together in the main hall again for a short closing ceremony with a presentation to the instructors thanking them for their three days of excellent instruction.
JKA Dan Grading:
On Sunday afternoon in the main hall a JKA Dan grading was held up to 4th Dan with the grading panel consisting of all three instructors. Sensei Ohta and Sensei Wood took the Kihon while in the other half of the hall Sensei Imamura took the Kumite with all three examiners coming together for the Kata and final pass fail deliberation.
Sunday afternoon JKA Dan Grading in main hall
The following students from JKA Karate Do Shotokan (Scotland) passed Dan Grade and will receive their JKA certificate from JKA Honbu dojo Japan.
Pass 1st Dan JKA (Shodan):
Stephen MacLaughlan
John Lunn
Murdo Lunn
Craig Carse
Jade Hunter
Alicia Steele
Robert Morrisson
Ryan Conlan
Erland J Allen
Lorraine Dillon
Bobby Brown
Reza Safari
Stuart Black
Lynn Scott-Cockle
Stephen Farquharson
Fraser Stark
Pass 2nd Dan JKA (Nidan):
James Sinclair
James Campbell
Keith Moar
Pass 3rd Dan JKA (Sandan):
Graeme Esson
Pass 4th Dan JKA (Yondan)
Angela Baigrie
Martin Sommerville
JKA Karate Do Shotokan (Scotland) would also like to congratulate all students from JKAWFS who also passed Dan grade on the course.
The course was organised and held jointly by JKA Karate Do Shotokan (Scotland) and JKAWFS who work together to promote JKA Karate in Scotland. The three days of training were held in a friendly atmosphere and was enjoyed by all demonstrating the healthy position of JKA Karate in Scotland and what it has to offer its members. We look forward to more such events in 2009.
September 2008 Course and Kyu Grading Kirkwall Orkney
Friday 26th and Saturday 27th September saw the Kirkwall Orkney Dojo hold a course and Kyu grading with Sensei Alan Simpson 5th Dan JKA. The training over the 2 days included practice for correct hip rotation, body shifting and practice of the various types of Empi strikes both in Kihon and Kumite. Also covered were the various types of Kumite for Kyu grading including Gohon, Ippon and Jiyu Ippon kumite. Jitte Kata was also covered during the senior class.
Following the training session on Saturday a Kyu grading was held. Congratulations to all students who passed Kyu grade exam.
Previously JKA Karate Do Shotokan (Scotland) held their August Squad training session in Orkney see below for details.
August 2008 KDS Squad Training and course Kirkwall Orkney
KDS Squad Coach Sensei John Deans 4th Dan JKA and Squad Manager Sensei Bert Stewart 4th Dan JKA visited Orkney on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th August 2008 to hold a training course and squad training session. Friday night’s course was open to all students and concentrated on a variety of drills to help improve both technique and speed. The instructors gave tuition on all the Heian katas and Tekki Shodan.
A squad training session was held on Saturday from 10 am to 2pm. This included various partner drills, kata technique, sparring bouts and tuition on the correct etiquette for taking part in competition and judging. The Kata session included Heian Yondan, Jion and Gankaku, emphasising technique, power and timing.
KDS Instructors Training Course
Sensei Ohta 6th Dan JKA
14th September 2008
Our Musselburgh dojo was the venue for a special KDS Instructors Training Course held on Sunday 14th September. The instructor was Sensei Ohta 6th Dan JKA Chief Instructor of JKA England. KDS Dojo Instructors and Assistant Instructors were invited to attend this special course which was a follow up to the one held earlier in the year in January. KDS Instructors travelled from all over Scotland including MacDuff and Orkney to attend. The object of these special instructors courses which are organised by the KDS Technical Committee are to help develop our Dojo instructors not only with regard to their technical ability but also in their knowledge and understanding of the technical principles and fundamentals of the techniques they are teaching to their students at their own Dojos. The course ran from 10am to 5pm and covered instruction on both theory and practical. KDS would like to thank Sensei Ohta on behalf of our Instructors for an excellent day’s instruction which will not only benefit our Dojo Instructors but also their students.
Guildford London
22nd – 24th August 2008
Sensei Ueki 8th Dan JKA
Sensei Kurasako 7th Dan JKA
Sensei Ohta 6th Dan JKA
KDS members travelled to Guildford London for the JKA England JKA Summer Course which was held over the weekend of Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th August. Along with the JKA England May course this is a regular feature of our KDS Calendar. Special guest instructors from the JKA Honbu Dojo in Japan were Sensei Ueki 8th Dan JKA and Sensei Kurasako 7th Dan JKA along with Sensei Ohta 6th Dan JKA from JKA England. Although a very tiring but enjoyable weekend the 3 days of instruction were of a very high technical content which covered various aspects of Kihon, Kumite and Kata which everyone will have benefited from. As usual there were many participates from other countries who attend this course.
……and also previously in May
Guildford London
2nd – 5th May 2008
Sensei Osaka 8th Dan JKA
Sensei Omura 7th Dan JKA
Sensei Ohta 6th Dan JKA
Sensei Nakata 4th Dan JKA
KDS members also travelled to Guildford London in May to attend the JKA England Spring Course which was held over the weekend of Friday 2nd to Monday 5th May. Attending from JKA Honbu Dojo in Japan was Sensei Osaka 8th Dan JKA. Sensei Omura 7th Dan JKA Chief instructor of Thailand and former All Japan JKA Champion was also in attendance. Another guest instructor from Japan was Sensei Nakata 4th Dan JKA former ladies JKA World Kata champion. Sensei Ohta 6th Dan JKA Chief Instructor of England completed a very impressive line up of instructors. This is a very popular course and this year was no exception with a large turnout for the 4 days of quality instruction.
KDS Instructors visit the Dojo of Sensei Naka 6th Dan JKA
During a training trip to Japan earlier in the year by Dojo Instructors from KDS to train at the JKA Honbu Dojo in Tokyo they were given the opportunity to train at the Dojo of Sensei Naka 6th Dan JKA. Sensei Naka a former JKA All Japan Champion is a very popular instructor and has also recently co-stared in the Japanese movie Kuro-Obi. (See publicity photo’s below). There were also members of the Japan Team and All Japan JKA competitors in attendance at the Dojo training and helping to instruct alongside Sensei Naka
Sensei Naka (centre) in his Tokyo Dojo with visitors from JKA Karate Do Shotokan(Scotland)
Sensei Naka Publicity photos for film Kuro-Obi
Update: Sensei Ohta Courses 13th – 15th June 2008
Once more we were fortunate to have Sensei Ohta 6th Dan JKA visit our association on 13th, 14th and 15 th June. The courses were well attended with Sensei Ohta covering various aspects of Kihon, Kumite and Kata. As usual there were some innovative Kihon and Kumite exercises for us to practice which always makes for an enjoyable training session.
Kyu gradings were also held. Congratulations to all students who passed a kyu grade.
Sensei Ohta’s next visit to our association will be on 5th July.
Good Luck to the JKA Scottish Team for the JKA European Championships
in Belgrade 5th April 2008
We would like to wish good luck to the JKA
Scottish Team that is travelling to Belgrade Serbia for the upcoming JKA
European Championships on Saturday 5th April 2008.
The JKA Karate-Do Shotokan (Scotland) members that are
travelling as part of the Scotland party are: Craig Stewart, David
Bettley, Martin Sommerville, Jamie Stewart and Bert Stewart.
Good luck to all in Belgrade.
JKA European Championships
Belgrade
Serbia 5th April 2008
Karate Do-Shotokan Squad members are currently training hard for the upcoming championships where they will be representing Scotland as part of the JKA Scottish Team.
Sensei Osaka 8th Dan JKA Course and Dan Grading 18th and 19th March 2008 Report
The Queen Anne High School Dunfermline was
the venue for a Special Brown and Black Belt Grading Course and Dan
Grading with Sensei Osaka 8th Dan JKA with JKA students from all over
Scotland travelling to participate in this much anticipated event which
turned out to be one of the largest JKA Dan gradings held in Scotland
for quite some time. Dan Gradings were held for Shodan (1st Dan) up to
Yondan ( 4th Dan) with over 50 students attempting a Dan grading the
following day after the special course.
The following is a brief report of the event
Special Grading Training Course Tuesday 18th March:
The structure of this seminar was slightly different from normal in that it was geared specifically towards those that were sitting a Dan Grade examination the following day. After the introductions and warm up Sensei Osaka started with a few basic exercises that concentrated on correct use of the hips their correct rotation and timing while delivering various blocking and striking techniques and moving from one stance to the next. Correct footwork was also emphasised to ensure that both the technique and stance’s direction of power was in the same line and moving forward towards the target. Sensei Osaka’s slow motion demonstrations as he moved from one stance to the next showing correct use of hips, knees, legs etc. were quite amazing but also clearly showed what was required.
Next Sensei Osaka went over various basic combinations from the JKA Dan grading syllabus where he highlighted specific areas of note on each combination which also included points from the previous exercises.
The second half of the seminar concentrated on Kata. Everyone that was sitting a Dan grading identified their kata and were given time to practice with those not sitting a grading picking a favourite kata from the selection chosen. Sensei Osaka then spent time going over each of the Katas chosen again demonstrating specific important points on technique and timing etc. This proved to be very beneficial for quite a few of the students who were sitting a Dan examination the following day as Sensei Osaka spent time helping various individuals with some last minute instruction which was an opportunity that does not come around often.
After 3 hours of the highest quality instruction the class came to an end with all student s showing there appreciation.
The above photo (sighed by Sensei Osaka) shows the Brown and Black belt class many of whom were sitting a Dan grading the following day.
JKA Dan Grading Wednesday 19th March:
The day had finally arrived for those sitting
a Dan grading examination and you could feel the tension and nerves in
the dojo at the prospect of sitting a JKA Dan examination in front of
such a world renowned and esteemed instructor who is known for his
exceptional technical ability.
Once the grading got under way the
students went through their respective Kihon, Kata and Kumite. This was
done for each grade being attempted 1st Dan to 4th Dan. After just over 4
hours it was all over and all that was left to do was to announce the
results.
Congratulations all JKA students who
passed a Dan grading that evening and who can now look forward to
receiving a JKA diploma from JKAHQ signed by Sensei Osaka. It will
definitely be two days that many will remember for a long time.
We would like to thank Sensei Osaka for his time spent in Scotland.
The following are the JKA Karate-Do Shotokan (Scotland) students who passed:
Shodan (1st Dan):
Samantha James
Fiona MacKay
Stephen Shute
Ashley Gillies
Ronnie Gillies
Scott Gillies
Ann Wightman
Matthew Bushell
Andrew Reid
Jamie McDonald
Leigh Deans
Scott Black
Jordan Boyce
Nicholas Krsteff
Arun Khaira
Tara Shannon
Graeme Smith
Ryan Smith
William McGowan
Congratulation to all the above and also to the members of JKA WFS who also passed Dan grades that evening.
The JKA course and Dan grading was organised jointly by JKA Karate-Do Shotokan(Scotland) and JKA WFS. Both groups are now currently planning the October JKA Scottish Gasshuku.
Orkney March Course and Kyu Grading
Orkney March 2008 Course and Kyu Grading
On Friday 7th March 2008 Orkney karate was pleased to welcome back Sensei Alan Simpson 5th Dan JKA for our Spring Course and Grading
Nearly 60 karate students and instructors attended the course on Friday evening. This course concentrated on basic technique and partner work. This allowed all grades of students to participate in the class. A section of the class included work on Kihon kata with Sensei Simpson emphasising the importance of a strong stance and turning correctly. Sensei also concentrated on kicking exercises and emphasised the importance of setting the leg in the correct way before executing the kick. The class also included Kihon kata with a slight difference, as students were only allowed to use kicks
On Saturday morning the class from 10 am to 12 noon, was for purple white belt and above. This was well attended with the club now having a very healthy senior class. Once again Sensei Simpson concentrated on basic technique, running through the grading syllabus for Shodan. The second part of the class concentrated on kata, including Bassai Dai, Jion, Enpi and Nijushiho
In the afternoon the course was for white to purple belts. This class concentrated on hip rotation and mechanics, and using basic blocks to counter an attack by sanbon zuki, triple punch. The final section of the course worked on kata’s Kihon, Heian Shodan, Nidan, Sandan, Yondan and Godan
Following this course a grading was held with 46 students sitting an examination. Congratulations to all who passed their grade
Thank you once again to Sensei Simpson for a great course and grading
KDS Regional Courses with Sensei Ohta 6th Dan JKA. February 28th to March 2nd 2008
Thursday February 28th to Sunday 2nd March saw Sensei Ohta 6th Dan JKA visiting our association for our regional courses. These courses are always very popular and well attended and were spread over 4 venues Perth, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Saltcoats Ayrshire. As usual the standard of instruction from Sensei Ohta was not only of a high technical standard but also very enjoyable.
Kyu gradings were also held over the weekend. Congratulations to all KDS members who successfully passed a Kyu grading