There is usually no good reason to get up at 3am, unless its August and time for the annual Shikukai course at Mumei Juku in Breton. So it was that people travelled by sea, rail and road to venture into the French countryside for three days of training under the meticulous instruction and guidance from Sugasawa Sensei and Steve Chamberlain Sensei at his beautiful dojo.
The benefits of training in a small group with Sensei allows there to be a strong focus on the principles and details that he is teaching. It provided us the opportunity to go beyond the basic understanding of the principles and to focus on what Sensei strives for us to understand.
The course focussed on correct body movement and elimination of waza no san aku (the three elements that corrupt technique): mudana chikara (unnecessary force), mudana ugoki (unnecessary movement) and mudana waza – (unnecessary technique). These are familiar concepts, but do we really achieve them in practice?
With this in mind throughout the three days Sensei built up the importance of the initial movement. We concentrated on where the initial movement should come from, the effect it has and then what it leads to.
Working initially in Naihanchi dachi gave us the opportunity to explore and feel if we were truly grounded and enabled us to pay attention to our hiki action and to feel the effect that this has on the complete movement.
Kihon Kumite Ipponme was then used to explore and enhance our use ma-ai (distance and timing), san-mi-itta (thinking about correct and meaningful absorption, rotation and execution) whilst being ever mindful of our hara (energy centre but also vital for stability). How lucky we were to have be under the scrutiny of both Sugasawa Sensei and Steve Chamberlain Sensei.
Moving on to Kumite Kata and working with different partners provided an opportunity to observe each other (mitori geiko), hear Sensei’s feedback and even have a chance to experience his movements and generation of energy. An enlightening experience.
Sensei is a master of tailoring the training session to those in the dojo. The balance of the training was just perfect. During the training we were acutely aware of the fundamentals that Sensei had laid out, and how good it feels, on the rare occasions and under his guidance, when everything clicks together, even just for a moment. As always Sensei encouraged us to question the training and understand the fine details of why we practice the way we do in Shikukai.
This was not only an inspiring course, but one that really embodied the essence of the Shikukai family. It is always a privilege to train at this dojo, and Steve and Mary were the perfect hosts, plying us with much needed refreshments after training.
Meal times were a real team effort with everyone pulling together as one – just as in the dojo. And as you may see in the photos, there was plenty of time to enjoy the surrounding areas, the beach, lovely towns, local bars and restaurant and the excellent company of the Shikukai family. Everything you might want for an ideal break away.
Sue Dodd
Richard Barham
Shikukai Karate-Do International 