A report from ISKF Master Camp 2001

by Paul Willoughby

The Camp

The ISKF held its annual summer camp from 8-15 June 2001 at Camp Green Lane, PA USA. Camp Green Lane is located in the Pennsylvania countryside approximately 45 minutes North of Philadelphia and consists of a combination of cabins and training and recreational facilities. Master Camp is headed by ISKF Chief Instructor Teruyuki Okazaki and this year’s guest instructors included sensei’s Takayuki Mikami, Yutaka Yaguchi, Shigeru Takashina and Shojiro Koyama. A typical day at camp consists of rising at 0600 for training from 0630 to 0800, optional training from 1100 to 1200 and evening training from 1630 to 1800. The morning and evening training is divided by rank while the optional training is open to all ranks. There are also special activities such as lectures, dan exams, a bonfire and talent show and tournaments at various times throughout the week. Additionally, there are tennis courts, basketball courts and a swimming pool for those that have ample energy left over after training.

My brother and I arrived on Sunday afternoon and by the luck of the draw we were placed in a cabin with three other individuals. One from sensei James Field’s dojo in California, one from sensei Nihei’s dojo in St. Louis and one from sensei Steve Pohle’s dojo in Newport News, Virginia. While at camp, I also met people from as far away as Israel, Nigeria and the British Virgin Islands. It was nice to get a feel for the international flavor of Shotokan.

The Training

For Sunday evening training, I was assigned to the Okazaki Dome, a covered outdoor training facility with a wooden floor. Apparently the black belts are divided into two groups for evening training so that the classes are not too large. Our class was lead by Mr. Takashina from the South Atlantic region of the ISKF. The subject of the class was Kata and applications. The class was fairly large with between 75 and 100 black belts. We began with some simple kihon combinations for warm-up. Once we all broke a sweat, we covered Jion and Bassai Sho. After several repetitions of each kata we got partners and practiced applying the rhythm elements from the kata in a kumite situation. Although a very basic level application, it was quickly apparent how useful it can be during kumite. Various attack and defense combinations were used with ample repetitions. At the end of class, Mr. Takashina opened the floor for questions. One student asked about what the circular foot motions that move you into neko ashi dachi at the end of Bassai Sho are used for. Mr. Takashina demonstrated several ways in which they can be used as a foot sweep.

Sunday evening, I attended a lecture by sensei Koyama from ISKF Western region. The subject of the lecture was making karate lifelong exercise. Although I had some difficulty understanding Mr. Koyama’s spoken English, he provided a very well written handout for everyone who attended. Some key points that sensei Koyama stressed were that we should strive to maintain balance not just in our training but also in all aspects of our life. Secondly, we should strive to remain humble and recognize that we can learn from all of our fellows and instructors should especially realize that they should learn from their students as much as their students learn from them. He also said that we should try to keep our bodies flexible "like a baby". He said that young karateka tend to rely too much on muscular strength for technique and that this will not be possible as we age.

Monday morning began with the 0600 wake up call after which all camp attendees assembled on the tennis courts for the daily opening ceremony with a few words from Mr. Okazaki followed by a group warm-up. After warming up, we lined up by rank and jogged off to our assigned training location. For the morning sessions, all black belts trained together in a large outdoor covered basketball court known as the Shoto Dome. This was possibly the largest class I have ever trained in and would estimate that there were upwards of 300 people all training at once making for a thunderous kiai. The subject of the class was body shifting with applications and was led by sensei Takashina. We practiced several different combinations utilizing sliding in and out in conjunction with stepping to make distance. Both hand and foot techniques were covered. After ample repetitions, we practiced applying the defensive and offensive combinations with partners. One particular combination that I enjoyed was a counter to a sliding in jab followed a stepping punch. The counter was to slide back out of range of the jab, then use a half step while blocking the stepping punch with the offside hand and then immediately reversing direction and lunging in on the opponent to counterattack just as they complete their attack. While demonstrating this, Mr. Takashina stressed allowing the rear foot to roll up on the ball while lunging back at the opponent for this particular application.

After breakfast and some rest, I attended the optional mid-day training. This class was open to all ranks and was led by sensei Maynard Minor from New York. This class was well attended but not quite as crowded as the early morning session. More body shifting was covered with an emphasis on inserting a technique on the half step. For example, one drill consisted of sliding in with the right foot executing a jab followed by a step, punching at the half way point of the step, and then continuing with the step and ending with reverse punch. We performed similar drills with kicking techniques. Shifting and counter attacking at various angles was also covered. There was no evening training on Monday as the instructors were busy for the entire afternoon administering dan examinations for for 5^th and 6^th dan candidates.

Tuesday morning began as Monday with the 0600 wake up call, assembly at the tennis courts, warm up and then a jog off to training. The subject of this class was striking techniques with applications and was led by sensei Yutaka Yaguchi from the ISKF Mountain States region. I had a hard time getting the lead out for this class but once we got going it was thoroughly enjoyable. Knife hand, elbow and back fist striking techniques were covered with combinations. Once again, after performing a generous amount of repetitions, we did partner drills. All the drills consisted of each person stepping toward their opponent and executing a strike simultaneously – stressing matching the opponent’s timing. After plenty of repetitions, sensei Yaguchi took as through Tekki shodan, nidan and sandan with both slow and fast repetitions; often stopping in the middle of the kata to explain a point while we remained in kiba dachi – ouch!

Tuesday’s optional training was led by sensei James Field from Santa Monica, California. Again, this session was open to all ranks and was well attended. During this class we covered body shifting and partner drills for rhythm, timing and distance. At the beginning of class sensei Field stressed that for basic oizuki and gyaku-zuki, keep the heel down on the floor. I assume this was to contrast the difference between the normal basic way of executing these techniques and the way the Mr. Takashina had us performing it the morning before. Mr. Field kept things fun by having us do various different drills. For example, one drill had partners facing each other sliding in and out while changing feet to a 1-2-3 rhythm. The object was to match our partners timing. This seemed to build upon the theme of Mr. Yaguchi’s morning class. Another enjoyable drill was to utilize a sliding step to drive into the opponent while executing a jab followed by a hooking close punch with the same fist. At the end of class Mr. Field left us with some important wisdom. He stated that we must all work on our foundation – ie. Stance. He said many of us did not have the ability to drive in to the opponent and that working on our foundation will help us with that.

By this time it was Tuesday afternoon and time for me to head back the real world. This was my first visit to camp and I was not disappointed. I will definitely return each year and stay as long as possible. Now that Master Camp is open to all Shotokan practitioners regardless of affiliation, I recommend it to all. Whether you stay for a weekend or the whole week, you will not be disappointed with the training, lectures and activities. I especially recommend this for kyu ranks. The majority of people at camp were dan level so the black belt classes were huge compared to the kyu level classes. My brother trained in the brown belt classes that had only about 40 students so he actually got some one on one instruction. What a great opportunity for a kyu ranked individual to learn from such high level instructors.

FYI

Most of the information regarding camp can be found with the registration materials at http://www.iskf.com but I wanted to include a couple of points that may not be obvious. The breakfasts and dinners at the dining hall were not bad but the two lunches I had were not so good. Bring some snacks if you can just in case you cannot stomach a particular meal. I also recommend bringing your favorite remedy for stomach ailments such as Pepto Bismol and an extra roll of soft toilet paper in case the food does not agree with you. It can get pretty cool at night so make sure you bring a warm blanket and a comfortable pillow. Don’t forget your swimsuit and any extra athletic gear or games you might want to use during your free time.