Ottawa Summer Camp 2012 Coming Soon
This year, Ryusei Karate-Do Canada will hold its annual summer camp on the weekend of August 25-26. As always, the camp will be hosted by Ottawa Ryusei instructors Rick Going and Kam Miranbigi, on the beautiful country property in the Quebec countryside, owned by Rick and his wife, Basia.
After Sakamoto-Sensei came to Canada last year to teach clinics, we have a lot to work on. This year, we will concentrate on the proper use of hips, trying to understand the concept of shime goshi. We will study this vibration of the hips in the kata Naihanchi, and then seek to apply it other ways. I am finding in my own training that all techniques require a hip vibration. A simple rotation is not enough at a high level. So as one of our practices we will perform basic techniques but with advanced hip vibration.
One of the keys to doing the right hip vibration is to have a soft and fluid body. With a soft body it is also easier to sink your weight and root your stance – a key concept in many martial arts. We will work on this at the camp.
And I will also like to look at the concept of kime. Right now the focus of energy always seems to come with a contraction of the body at the moment of impact. I am wondering if it is possible to get greater energy by relaxing at the moment of contact.
I am also planning to do some selected bunkai or kaisetsu from Niseishi, Henshuho and Nage no Kata. With these I intend to do a more advanced approach. Rather than using go no sen timing, I’d like to explore sen no sen counterattacks, so you defeat the attacker as they are moving towards you. As soon as you touch the attacker, they should begin to be unbalanced.
So, for example, in the first six moves of Niseishi kaisestsu, instead of doing morote-uke, we would use the two hands to attack the attacker as they are launching their punch. In No. 1, for example, instead of blocking the attacker’s punch you would use your right hand to punch straight down the centre line, deflecting the attack and striking your opponent in the head.
On Saturday and Sunday I also intend to run early morning meditation sessions, for those who are interested, to try to achieve the right frame of mind for the day’s training.
As always, the clinics will be open to anyone with a Chito-ryu background and not just Ryusei members. We hope to get some members of the Canadian Chito-ryu attending.
Over the past few years, the summer camp has been attended by the United States members of Koshin-ha Chito-ryu, from Terry Valentino’s dojo in Pittsburgh. They will be coming again this year and Valentino-Sensei will teach a session at the summer camp, so we can exchange ideas. Valentino-Sensei has some strong bunkai concepts and has also studied Chinese martial arts, which influence his practice.
This year’s summer camp should be a great learning experience for everyone.
