While the UK sweltered in yet another heatwave the Hungarians carried on with business as usual. In fact, the temperatures over there were quite benign compared the ‘Phew wot a scorcher’ Brits have been living through. All of this was good news for a demanding training programme across four days.
The course has been deliberately scheduled so that if anyone just fancies a weekend away, sightseeing in Budapest, and some training, it’s ideal.
The Genki Dojo.
Based in Isaszeg (which is around 40km East of Budapest and easily connectable by road and rail) this is a family run enterprise with a real emphasis on youth. They have great successes in competition and hold the line in the balance between sport karate and a deep traditional study of the complexities of the Wado system. An act not easy to achieve in the current climate of specialisation.
The training course is actually their summer camp, but for us visitors and instructors the focus is on the training from Saturday to Tuesday. For the rest of the week the youngsters continue to work hard towards final grading examinations conducted by the instruction team. It all runs like clockwork.
Training itinerary.
The training programme was designed entirely to reflect the needs of the students at all levels. This year I had put together an agenda constructed to hit these key priorities:
- Training themes and patterns were intended to be differentiated so that lesser experienced junior grades could work alongside the more complex versions that the seniors were subjected to.
- Key points and concepts that our chief instructor Sugasawa Sensei has been emphasising were underlined and explained in ways that were accessible to students at all levels.
- The training reflected the most recent agenda items put forward by our chief instructor, in both face-to-face training and through his rather excellent regular Zoom sessions (available to Shikukai members).
With the exception of the first day (Saturday) the training all happened before the midday heat kicks in, with each class being three hours duration, with a break in the middle.
Brits.
Apart from myself, the course was attended by three Shikukai senior instructors; Richard Barham, Mark Gillis and Mark Troman, as well as Shikukai kyu grade Jan Crossman for whom this was his first visit to one of the Shikukai events in Europe.
The Genki Dojo team were impeccable hosts and made sure everything ran so smoothly.
As usual, they surprised us with amazing restaurant experiences, saving the real joy for the final night.
This was a place tucked away in a district of Budapest not really visited by tourists. It was a high-tech Asian-Fusion buffet, that had a close resemblance to what I would image you might find on a luxury cruise liner. It had the length of an Amazon warehouse with an impossible array of delicacies all beautifully presented, even food cooked to order in front of you, Teppanyaki-style. Nearly forgot to mention… included in the set price is your own beer tap! (other drinks available). Not something I could ever see working in the UK.
Visit to Buda.
On the Sunday evening our hosts took us into Budapest, up to the high part of the city, Buda, with sweeping views of the Danube, but crucially, for me, the location of the newly refurbed Hungarian National Gallery. I had been keen to visit the collection for a long time, this for me was the cultural cherry on the top. If you are an Art enthusiast like me, this is for you.
This turned into another restaurant evening, where we had the chance to experience delicacies that only the Hungarian imagination can bring together.
All finished rather too quickly.
The course wrapped up for us on the Tuesday, when the weather changed from a comfortable 28 degrees to a baking 35 degrees. But, we were getting used to it.
As a final word…
The Shikukai Hungary team at the Genki Dojo are really keen to encourage Wado practitioners of all affiliation to come along and experience the Shikukai model of Wado karate, and really want to build on the continuing success. These courses just keep getting better and better.
UK contingent and the Genki team.
Next years dates are already set at the 10th to the 13th July. Put it in your 2027 calendar.
My immense gratitude to the Genki team for yet another triumph and being amazingly generous hosts. I am also grateful to the Brits who came over, who were keen to work alongside the senior team and share their vast knowledge.
Tim Shaw
Shikukai Karate-Do International 