Report – 2025 Autumn Course Chippenham.

The Shikukai Autumn Course took place on 1-2 November, with Sensei Carol Chatterton 6th Dan and members of Kiku Wa Jyuku in Chippenham welcoming more than 30 students to a somewhat wet and windy Wiltshire. We were fortunate to have Sensei F Sugasawa with us to direct and supervise on both days, and to have Senseis Pam and Steve Rawson 7th Dans to lead training with assistance from other Shikukai instructors.

In the first session on Saturday, the group practised basic techniques, with instructors and Sensei demonstrating Tsuki and Kette from Junzuki, Gyakuzuki, Junzuki no Tsukkomi and Gyakuzuki no Tsukkomi stances. Students planning to take 1st Dan or higher Dan grades in the next 12-18 months received particular scrutiny, which was much appreciated even though a few pieces of Sensei’s advice had to be repeated due to being unwittingly aimed at Andrew Skelton’s bad ear. (He wasn’t ignoring you, Sensei – honest!)

For all students, Sensei emphasised the importance of the origin of the movement, Okori Taru Tokoro, as well as the need to keep the palm side of the fist facing upwards until the final moment. During much of the session, students performed these techniques at low speed, making it possible to focus on form and giving instructors the opportunity to correct improper positioning of body, hands and feet and advise students on how to eliminate unnecessary movement, Mudana Ugoki.

In the second session on Saturday, the group split so that students could practise paired kumite techniques appropriate to their grades. The final session was a moving tribute to our dear friend and fellow karateka, the late Tim Dixon, who sadly passed away in 2023. Tim’s favourite party piece at Shikukai gatherings was always to sing “Great Balls of Fire” and so everyone paired up and delivered Gyakuzuki one for one, without stopping and with Ki-ai throughout the entirety of the song (3 minutes!)  Once training was finished and the obligatory group photo was taken, many of us headed to what used to be a pub called The Bear, and is now an Italian restaurant called La Vecchia Orsa (look it up on Google Translate se non parli Italiano). There we enjoyed pizza, birra, wine, pasta, bruschetta, wine, tiramisu and possibly a bit more wine, before heading off to the nearby Waverley Pub to round off an enjoyable and educational first day of the course.

On Sunday, the first training session was led by Sugasawa Sensei. After a short but necessary reminder of how to make a fist in the correct way (with the thumb over the index and part of the middle fingers), this session focused on the concept of Koshi wo Kiru, which is the hip/core movement used to generate energy for techniques. Sensei emphasised that this movement is different from the movement used to initiate turns, or Mawasu. While Kiru is smaller in terms of the range of movement it produces, it is much more concentrated and forceful. Sensei also explained the connection between breathing, Kiru and the all-important Hikite movement, which balances the action of the striking hand and is therefore a key ingredient in making techniques sharp and fast (as demonstrated by Sensei Gary Ockwell).

The second part of Sunday’s training again saw the group split into Dan grades, brown belts and lower kyu grades. The Dan grades initially practiced Jion kata under the guidance of Sensei Pam Rawson. Her take-home message was that although most of the individual movements in Jion are also present in more junior katas and should therefore not be especially challenging to students at this level, there are nevertheless many fine points to remember and many opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding of the Kiru, Hikite and Okori Taru Tokoro principles discussed in the rest of the course. Meanwhile, the brown belts received instruction in Kushanku from Sensei Steve Rawson while Sugasawa Sensei supervised the junior kyu grades. Always best to correct bad habits before they take hold!

For the last part of Sunday’s training, Sensei continued to work with the junior kyu grades while the brown belts joined the Dan grades for a session with Senseis Pam and Steve Rawson. This session focused on Kihon Kumite, with Pam and Steve demonstrating a sequence of nine paired attacks and defences based on parts of the 10 Kihons. Whilst we often perform the Kihons in full when training – as Steve Sensei noted, they take an afternoon to learn and a lifetime to master – it is sometimes beneficial to break out of this routine and look at each move as a component that can be modified and used in different ways.

At the end of the course, Sensei officially presented Archie Warren and Lewis Higginson (Weymouth Ken Bu Jyuku) with their certificates for the 1st Dan grades they obtained at the May course.

A kyu grading was also held in which all three students passed, with Edward Wong receiving 2nd kyu while Kelly Cavaciuti and Jenny Clarke both received 4th kyu. Congratulations to all for a successful end to a very enjoyable course!

Margaret Harris
1st Dan

Report – 2025 Weekend Course in the Netherlands with Tim Shaw Sensei.

Travelling on Friday 10th October to Eindhoven, I had to pinch myself; no queues at Stansted, no queue at the gate and on the plane, and settled in my seat 40 mins before take-off, which happened ahead of time. Ryanair, what is going on?

Add to that, I luckily ended up sat next to a most interesting chap with some very entertaining anecdotes; so, the wheels were touching down before I even blinked. What can possibly go wrong?…. Answer; nothing. The weekend ran like a dream, thanks in large parts to Martijn and Astrid De Vries Schelen, who pulled everything together perfectly.

Friday training.

Responding to requests from my hosts, the content of the training on the Friday evening consisted of core techniques and Wado principles, all leading to Ohyo Henka Dosa. I had introduced this training on a previous course and it was clear that the regulars wanted to dig into this further. This is training that leads into free-form movement by controllable increments, which are essential to establish the rules and prevents the practice degrading into a free-for-all.

Saturday training.

I wanted to hold over to the Saturday a few words I felt were necessary to be said to offer our heartfelt commiserations and sympathies for those affected by the recent passing of KBN Wado stalwart, Gertjan Martens. I had met him on many occasions and attest to the fact that Gertjan always set a solid example of a dedicated Budoka and had touched the lives of all who knew him. A very sad and profound loss.

Content.

Earlier, I had introduced the theme I wanted to explore across the weekend. I presented a physical example of the Sphere and the Cube. I used these to examine the dichotomy of the qualities of fluid movement and solid form. I kept coming back to this, particularly through the paired kata.

I also took this opportunity to share with the Dutch students the most recent updates from Sugasawa Sensei; not ‘changes’ but instead more granular explorations of aspects embedded in the kata.

We did some work on the concept that ‘attack and defence are not just interchangeable but one and the same’. This came through nagashizuki and then working it with a partner.

Social opportunities.

It was really good to have the chance to talk to people outside of the Dojo setting. This time we were booked into a rather excellent Greek style Mediterranean cuisine restaurant, where the staff just kept rolling out delicacy after delicacy (I must get round to giving them a glowing review on TripAdvisor). Great to catch up, and the conversations were not primarily about karate.

Sunday training.

For this day I had a few agenda items lined up, with specific focus on prospective Dan grading candidates (I had previously shared a bunch of notes I had put together, based upon the numerous Dan panels I had sat upon; intended to avoid the typical pitfalls). Part of this was an emphasis on the sometimes-troublesome Kihon Gumite Sanbonme. It’s all in the timing. To get this across I had to detour into physics. While not my strong point, I thought it was necessary to get the point across.

Missing from this time was solo kata training, but the plan is to factor that in for my next visit early in 2026.

As is usual on these courses, I am always running dangerously close to over-planning, but we did manage to get such a lot in, fortunately the logic was all held together by the Sphere and the Cube.

In conclusion; these courses always provide a superb opportunity for like-minded people to get together and reinforce the special bond in the Shikukai family. Add to that the openness that Martijn and Astrid show in inviting the wider Wado community in the Netherlands, who seem to enjoy the opportunity of working shoulder to shoulder with other Wadoka, regardless of their affiliations.

The Kenkokai team always appreciate the presence of other Wado students from further afield. Any Brits who fancy a trip across next time, contact Martijn or myself and we can make it happen.

At the time of writing this I am preparing a set of support notes to reinforce some of the ideas explored over the weekend (including the physics). This will be published on Substack; web address: www.budojourneyman.substack.com

Keep an eye on the Shikukai calendar for the next course in 2026.

Tim Shaw

Report – Norway course with Steve and Pam Rawson September 2025.

As I drove to our ‘local’ airport to collect the Rawson Senseis for their annual instructing
weekend of Norway’s Hoku Sei Jyuku, I was hoping that the weather forecasts were wrong
and our recent warm and sunny spell would continue. Alas, we would not be quite that
lucky but it was positively Caribbean compared to last year when the course (in
November) had to be quickly adjusted due to heavy snow and ‘difficult’ driving conditions.
All was not lost then though, as those who could make it from the adult contingent of the
club were able to enjoy a reduced training schedule in my home dojo, the Denshinkan;
with the curtailed weekend ending with Marianne Vik Wymer gaining her Shodan under the local assessment of the Rawsons and our Association’s Chief Instructor via Zoom.
Congratulations Marianne!
This year’s more appropriately timed September course ran more smoothly with us
securing the exclusive use of our routine training location, the local community hall
(Grendahus) for the duration, and our routine Thursday night matted sessions allowing us
to set up for the weekend. We have a fairly consistent 10:00-14:00 Saturday and
12:00-15:00 Sunday routine for these courses and when in the Grendahus, any timing
overruns are not an issue.
The first 1.5 hours of the Saturday is for juniors and in this case a dad also, from a parent
and junior class (see image and please note that his youngest son in the picture whilst not
yet age appropriate to join his brothers to train, just had to have a gi…).

The junior session is always a more light hearted event, with the aim of encouraging participation and issuing praise when students do their best. Marianne and I were on hand when individual needs required some management but all attendees enjoyed the full group instruction where Pam and Steve covered a number of basics (some of which would appear later for the adults) and a period featuring a 1-to-1 punching and kicking speed competition. Then the group was split into Kihon kata instruction under Sensei Steve and Pinan Nidan instruction under Sensei Pam.


All performed well and enjoyed the experience as can be seen by the photographs, mostly
taken by our resident professional photographer, Per. For the reader that is unaware, Per
is the senior, white haired gentlemen on the right of the group image whose face does not
appear to have changed in any picture he has produced over the last 10 years…
The adult session was soon enough upon us and it was not long before we were all
enjoying the Rawson basics drills that the juniors had experienced. The drills were
focussed on basic stances with repeating stance changes aimed at reenforcing the
transition requirements, as well as understanding what the body is required to do to
maintain and get into the stances, properly.

The remainder of the session introduced a movement sequence drill aimed at the body
moving smoothly and under control, followed by a period of pair work activity where Sen
No Sen was explained, in particular the technical and timing requirements and how they
differ to Go No Sen and Sente.
Saturday evening saw the routine social gathering at the Wymer household and apart from
there being too much food and a family ‘taxi’ slipping off the road next to the Denshinkan,
the evening can rightly be described as a successful one. Of course, no pending birthdays
were discussed, although a couple of gift presentations were made and there was a
rendition of Happy Birthday Norwegian style, should their relevance appear at any time.
Sunday’s session was planned to start at 12:00, which it did for most… Isn’t Seiza a
wonderful reminder of the need to be punctual?
This session was a real mixed bag as was the plan. The instructing Senseis repeated and
built upon some of the basic stance transition instruction from the Saturday session, with a
number of the students commenting on the importance of understanding the Hiki hand,
almost as if it has never been mentioned before!
We then moved onto Jitte Kata for a period before the Senseis introduced a 12 move pair
work sequence, teaching 3 moves to each of the attending 4 pairs. The pairs then passed
on their moves to each adjoining pair, building up to the final sequence where everybody
went through the full sequence, carefully.
The session closed all too quickly (despite the 1/2 hour overrun) after a demonstration of
kneeling defence (Idori 1,2 and 7) and a brief walkthrough / talk through of knife defence
(Tanto Dori).
This was yet another very enjoyable weekend under the experienced instruction of Pam
and Steve Rawson, 7th Dan Senseis. Their repeated visits to Norway are always
welcomed and if any member of the Shikukai Association would like to join them on their
next visit or perhaps on another occasion, don’t hesitate to make contact.
Bob Wymer
5th Dan
Hoku Sei Jyuku

Report – Tim Shaw Sensei, Doncaster 2025.

‘How am I benefitting from this?’
‘What am I getting from this?’ 

This was the theme that ran in the background of the seminar delivered by Tim Shaw 7th Dan Sensei, (The Budo Journeyman), hosted by Andrew Genery Sensei and Kishinkai Wado Ryu.

Sensei promised 2 deep dives:

(1) Wado Ryu basics Junzuki and Junzuki No Tsukkomi, moving on to the Wado Ryu staple, Nagashizuki. This was tied in with the end of Pinan Nidan and using body rotation as a revolving door. The key principles of Meoto te and Kobo no Ichi were highlighted while performing Nagashizuki.

(2) Pinan Sandan – each part of the kata was broken down and investigated to understand the key principles.

Thanks to Tim for making the journey north to share his vast depth of knowledge. Watch this space for next time!

Andrew Genery 8th Dan
Kishinkai Wado Ryu

Report – Sugasawa Sensei, Instructor’s course 2025 Brittany.

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.

kumite gata

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.

Relaxing

Sue Dodd
Richard Barham

Report – Hungarian Summer Course 2025.

This year the jump from an English summer to a Hungarian summer was not such a big one. While parts of the UK cooked up to around 33 degrees, Hungary was enjoying temperatures that were very much like a better version of the typical Brit summer.

For training this made things rather more comfortable.

The Genki Dojo in the town of Isaszeg in the Budapest metropolitan area has been the location for our Shikukai Summer training for quite a few years now. The organisers are really skilled in their hospitality and, as hosts, are second to none.

As the popularity of the course is growing this has meant that the UK contingent has expanded and we were joined this year by Yuri Bregoli from Italy, who I had met earlier in the year on our course in the Netherlands.

I was fortunate to have a solid representation of UK Shikukai seniors come over to work and train alongside the Genki Dojo instructor team and their students. My thanks to Richard Barham, Mark Gillis, Sue Dodd and Mark Troman.

The training was organised to start on the Saturday and go through to Tuesday. The thinking behind this was that if anyone was only able to do the weekend, then it would work well for them. The British (and Italian) contingents actually planned it the other way round; arriving in Budapest earlier to do the City tourist thing and then on to the training for the remaining days. It proved to be an excellent idea.

The training.

I will be honest, I have been planning the content of the training for months; determined to get the balance right and to squeeze as much out of the time available as possible. Included in this was Sugasawa Sensei’s ‘updates’, not changes as such, more refined detail, including very precise body mechanics relating to Kihon.

As with the previous year, I engineered it so that I could have some time to work exclusively with the instructors; we did this on each of the first three days. This enabled me to give very detailed observations and directions to the team.

Some of the main themes were inspired by Sugasawa Sensei’s recent directions. A couple of key phrases; when looking at solo of paired kata, ask the question, ‘what does this give you?’ and in paired kata, when finding yourself at a particular point, ‘where can this go from here?’ I suppose the driving mindset is to avoid blithely blundering through your formal training, and instead to apply your intelligence and question everything.

We worked on only two solo kata; Pinan Nidan and Pinan Sandan, which I kept coming back to, showing the connections with more freeform, less formal, examples of the usage of the principles extracted from the kata. The plan was to underline the connectedness of what we do in Wado training.

In the paired kata, particularly for the junior grades, they were encouraged to always stay close to their core kihon references and to give meaning to their kata, understanding timing, distance and application. We looked at Kuzushi in some detail and students were encouraged to avoid only thinking about what was happening with their bodies, but also considering what was occurring with the other person’s structure, balance and connection.

Now for the tourist brochure part.

It has to be said that Budapest and Hungary in general is full of delights, some of it hidden and some of it on full spectacular display.

For ‘spectacular’ our hosts booked us in for a guided tour of the Hungarian Parliament building, proudly positioned on the banks of the Danube, this wonderful piece of architecture (based in part on the Vienna City Hall and the Palace of Westminster) had a real ‘wow’ factor.

But inside, the Hungarians know how to do opulence. Gold, glitter, glass and statuary all completed in seventeen years. It was a real surprise to us.

I have to say that one of the many ‘hidden’ aspects, is the restaurants. Do not assume that Hungarian cuisine is all goulash, paprikash, and stuffed cabbage. The Hungarian restaurateurs are not shy of fusion menus and always have a surprising spin on dishes you thought you knew, plus many you had never encountered before. Also, pounds sterling and the euro go a long way in Hungary. So dining is always a delight.

A massive thanks to the Jakab family, who gave support and advice throughout and made our stay totally frictionless. Our accommodation was ideally situated in comfortable apartments with all the comforts you would need.

In conclusion.

The Genki Dojo within Shikukai is a shining light of teamwork and dedication, with an exceptionally high standard. The plan is for this course to grow and to bring on board more Wado students from near and far. And yes, next year’s dates are already fixed – July 11th to 14th 2026.

Tim Shaw

Report – Shikukai Spring Course 2025 Osprey Leisure Centre, Portland.

After three weeks of lovely hot sunshine we knew the weather would probably break
before the course, but luckily we had a mixed bag of sun/cloud and wind, with the
rain mostly overnight.
Sensei, Julie and Steve Chamberlain brought the sun with them when they arrived on
Thursday, joining us for refreshments in the garden before going on to their
accommodation. Thursday is a Club training night for us, with our potential Dan
Grade candidates being put through their paces one last time. We were also joined by
Kishin Kai student Michael Phelan who had travelled down from Burnley to take part
in the course. Bob Wymer and the Norway contingent arrived later that evening,
having enjoyed their long but good journey.
Also, Martijn and Astrid Schelen de Vries from the Kenkokai Dojo the Netherlands travelled all the way down to the South West for this course.
Shouwa Jyuku student Teresa Claxton had been promised a sea swim if she arrived
early enough on the Friday, which she duly did. A cold but refreshing dip followed,
with Steve and Bob minding the bags!

In the afternoon we were joined by Kiku Wa Jyuku’s Carol and Meg Chatterton
together with Kishin Kai’s Andrew Genery and his student Paul, who are both now
regulars on the course.
Friday evening was the start of the course proper, with Steve Chamberlain leading the
warm up. Steve Rawson took the initial part of the session with emphasis on how to
make a correct fist, using focus pads as a training aid. Slow and controlled Junzuki
movements were then practised, concentrating on Hikite. I then took the session with
some paired kicking exercises, finishing the evening with some simple paired kumite
drills.
Saturday began with a warm up by Steve R, with Sensei again concentrating on
Sonabazuki and Hikite movements. After a short break the students were divided into
four groups, each working on Pinan Yondan. I took the 4th Dan+ group, under the
watchful eye of Sensei, with Tim, Steve C and Steve R working with the others. At
the end of training, Sensei presented 1st Dan Certificates to Hoku Sei Jyuku’s Per Eide
and Berit Lyngstad and the usual course photograph was taken.

On Saturday evening the seniors enjoyed a group meal at Rona’s Turkish Bar and
Restaurant in the town which everyone enjoyed. The more energetic members
extended their evening with music, dancing and beers in the local pubs.
Sunday morning came round quickly (particularly for those who had extended their
evening!!) with Tim Shaw taking the warm up. After basics, Steve R and Tim were
called upon to demonstrate the Kyu Grade pairworks, starting from 8th Kyu and
working up to 5th kyu. Sensei wanted to ensure that everyone was aware of the correct
movements. Concentration was of the utmost and three hours passed without a break.
All too soon it was the final morning, and a meeting was held for the Instructors. I
took the warm up, then it was more Pairwork practice, with Tim and Steve C taking
the grading candidates to one side and going through their various syllabi. Richard
Barham conducted the Kyu Grading at 12 noon, with Kelly Cavaciuti (Kiku Wa
Jyuku) and Will Doble (Mushin Jyuku) both attaining 5th Kyu.
Sensei covered in detail the remaining Kyu Grade pairwork up to and including 3rd
Kyu plus some of the Kumite Gata with the help of Gary Ockwell and Rob Selby.

By now the clock was showing it was the end of the course and it was time to prepare
for the Dan Grading. Four students attempted 1st Dan and the following were
successful:
Archie Warren – Ken Bu Jyuku
Lewis Higginson – Ken Bu Jyuku.
Congratulations to both.

Pam Rawson
27th May 2025

Report – Holland Course March 2025.

Time yet again for one of my regular courses hosted by Kenkokai in Eemnes, not far from Hilversum. These are seminars organised by our Shikukai representative in the Netherlands, Martijn Schelen de Vries.

Martijn has a healthy Dojo of well-established students who come back year after year, which is a real advantage, as it gives me the opportunity to continue themes and build in solid reinforcement of Wado principles as presented by Shikukai chief instructor, F. Sugasawa Sensei.

Kenkokai members have a long-time relationship with Sugasawa Sensei and often travel to our courses in the UK, northern France and other locations in Europe.

Course content and themes.

I always respond to requests given in advance. This time Martijn and his Dojo members were needing clarification on specific paired kata from the Shikukai syllabus.

The Nihon Gumite from the 3rd kyu syllabus were on the agenda. I always find these useful to teach as they are almost the gateway techniques to Kihon Gumite and Kumite Gata. This time round they were also an excellent opportunity for seniors who may not have experienced the Shikukai syllabus to have a look at one of the significant stepping stones and the logical progression found within the pages of the syllabus book.

As is always the case, techniques found within the paired kata have a propensity to appear in multiple guises in other areas, specifically when looked at through the lens of principles.

I had a very deliberate plan to keep coming back to the staple strategy/technique of Otoshi Uke; whether it be, solo kata, paired kata or kihon, it kept cropping up.

Kata.

The course kata was Pinan Yondan; which I found convenient to break into two parts across Saturday and Sunday. But I also took the opportunity to dip very briefly into Seishan kata, as Sugasawa Sensei had very recently supplied an important update; not an addition (there’s already so much in Seishan), more of a clarification which helps to knit the principles tighter together.

The course was well attended and not just Shikukai members. Martijn always ensures to run an ‘open door’ policy and so we saw seniors from other Wado groups associated with the KBN as well as a student who travelled all the way from Italy.

Saturday evening saw us settled into a local restaurant; always a great opportunity to catch up and tell tales of things long past (Martijn).

The weekend may well have been ‘content-heavy’, but I felt the responsibility of having to get so much information across, over the eight solid hours of training.

As always, it was so nice to reconnect with old friends and make new contacts. I find myself constantly impressed with the continued elevation of the profile of Shikukai as mainstream Wado in the Netherlands; so much of it down to all the hard work of Martijn Schelen de Vries, to whom I am eternally grateful.

Until next time.

Tim Shaw

Report – Pre-Dan Grade Course and Mock Grading.

Steve and I always try to think of new approaches when planning courses and the
idea of a Pre-Dan Grade training/mock grading was decided upon.
We held it in two parts, at two different venues, so we could cover a larger content
and make travelling a bit easier for the students. Session 1 was held at The Osprey
Leisure Centre, Portland in January and a good contingent of students from the
varying Clubs took part.
We decided to split the content over the two sessions. Part 1 covered all the Jun
techniques, including Tobikomizuki and Nagashizuki. After Shuto practice we went
on to Keri, this time focussing on Maegeri and Sokuto. As we had some junior grades
in the mix we covered some of the 5th/3rd Kyu Renketsu Dosa. We then went on to
Kata. Everyone trained in Pinan Shodan before separating into groups. Steve
concentrated on Naihanchi, Jitte and Rohai while I took the Seniors for Chinto. We
then went on to Pairs. This session concentrated on Kumite Gata Aigamae Soto/Uchi
and Kihons 1 to 3. They could then ascertain which areas needed the most work.
With Session 2 being two months later the students had the opportunity to work on
those areas in the meantime.
It was great to see a good turnout again at The Olympiad on 22nd March. Thanks to
Carol and Kiku Wa Jyuku for hosting. This time we focussed on the Gyaku
techniques, including Tobikomi Nagashi Gyakuzuki and Ayumi Ashi Gyakuzuki.
Kicks were Mawashigeri and Ushirogeri, followed by one of the 2nd Kyu Renketsu
Dosa.


We then went on to Kata, with everyone practising Pinan Yondan. The Juniors
continued with this practice, whilst Steve worked with the 1st Kyu and 1st Dans on
Kushanku and Jion. With a range of Senior Grades in my group, the students’
consensus was they would like to work on Bassai so this is what we did, with a final
run through on Wanshu. Next it was Pairs. This time the Kyu grades continued to
practice what they had covered in Session 1 while we introduced Kumite Gata
Gyakumae Soto for the Seniors and Kihon Gumite 8.
All too soon time was up and while the prospective mock Dan Grade candidates went
for a break, we held a Kyu Grading for two students from Kiku Wa Jyuku. Meg
Chatterton and Alex Watt were successful in attaining 1st and 2nd Kyu respectively.
During the break the students were given a selection of example Dan Grading
questions for them to discuss amongst themselves, before, the mock Dan Grading
commenced. This was a great opportunity for students to perform under strict
conditions alongside others from different clubs. Four students took the 1st Dan mock
exam – two from Ken Bu Jyuku and two from Kiku Wa Jyuku. It was then the turn
of three Dan Grades to perform the 2nd and 3rd Dan syllabuses respectively.
Afterwards all the participants were given feedback, ensuring they had plenty to work
on for the future. It was a really useful learning curve, both for those taking the mock
Grading, and for those spectating. Hopefully the students will feel the benefit when
they come to take the Dan Gradings for real.
Pam Rawson
24/3/25

Report – 2025 Shikukai Winter Course.

Winter is not everyone’s favourite time of year, but there has to be at least one shining light the other side of Xmas. We always hope that for Shikukai, the annual Winter Course provides some respite from the short days and the grim cold evenings.

This time, to shake everyone out of their complacency, we decided to shift the venue. Our thinking was that we had been getting too cosy over the last few years, and so felt a need to go out on a limb and upgrade.

Bishop Stortford is technically in Hertfordshire, but only just, (the Essex border is actually in the southern outskirts of the town). But what was crucial for us was the location of two first class training venues and the convenience of Stansted airport. In fact, a large group of us stayed at the Novotel Hotel at Stansted, and it was easy enough to cadge lifts to the venues, or even take a short regular bus ride from the hotel to the centre of Bishop Stortford.

Relaxation time at the Novotel Stansted.

The unofficial start to the Winter Course.

Following the pattern of previous years, we had organised for Thursday and Friday training for people who had travelled a long way to really maximise on their Dojo time. Across the weekend this all added up to a potential thirteen hours of training.

The training this time was at the very new and spacious sports hall of Hockerill College. The underfloor heating gave more of a feeling of July than February, but we soon learned to engineer some appropriate ventilation.

For these two (early) days training I was following a strict brief directed to me by Sugasawa Sensei. He was adamant that we should be securing a firm base in our Kihon and really hammering home the key principles. We found time to explore kata Pinan Shodan, as well as some of the Kihon Gumite.

Saturday and Sunday, the ‘official’ beginning of the course.

The main event was at the Bishops Stortford Judokwai,situatedat the Herts & Essex Sport Centre. This is a large, purpose-built, matted Dojo; a perfect space and surface on which to train.

The instruction team (other than myself) were; Steve Rawson Sensei, 7th Dan, Pam Rawson Sensei, 7th Dan, Richard Barham Sensei, 6th Dan and Rob Selby Sensei 5th Dan. Sugasawa Sensei came in on the Sunday offering specific guidance to the Dan grade candidates.

Richard Barham Sensei teaching the senior grades on the Saturday.

Shikukai students had come from all parts of the UK, but we also had contingents from Hungary, Czechia, France and a large group from the Netherlands.

Across the two days, kyu grades and Dan grades worked with the various instructors through relevant kata and kumite. Though we wanted to take advantage of the matted surface and had planned to include more technical content that involved nage waza (throwing techniques).

On Saturday Steve and Pam Rawson focussed the Dan grades on Kihon Gumite No. 5 and added extra throwing techniques to continue the theme.

Pam Rawson Sensei, teaching Kihon Gumite No. 5 to Mark Troman and Mark Gillis.

For the additional (optional) hour at the end of the day, I taught Wado Idori (kneeling defence) supported by specifically Wado Tehodoki (hand release method).

Development from Tehodoki.

Senior students from the Netherlands training in Idori.

All of these throwing techniques were conducted with safety in mind, and enabled students to train to their own level and build confidence in Ukemi.

Rob Selby Sensei inflicting pain on one of his own students.

This was reinforced on the Sunday when it was my turn to teach the Dan grades Kihon Gumite No. 10, which incorporates an over-the-top throw featuring a specific entry, sometimes referred to as Kinukuguri.

All weekend the main thrust remained with Kihon and the correct methods of movement and body mechanics. We were fortunate to have such high-level instructors, who go to great pains to explain the technical demands, characteristic of pure Wado methodology.

I am confident that the students came away with a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience; enough to enable them to move forward on this difficult, demanding but rich journey called Wado Karate.

None of this would have happened if it were not for the inspiration of our chief instructor F. Sugasawa Sensei 7th Dan, and the supremely experienced and dedicated team of instructors teaching across the weekend.

But, spare a thought for the quiet and efficient engine running behind the organisation of the entire event. This was the few dedicated members of Shouwa Jyuku, Teresa Claxton, John Ebel, and Sue Dodd, (as well as the local connection who chipped in when needed; thank you Mark Troman), but all of it masterminded by the unflappable Steve Thain.

But… a massive thanks to everyone who turned up for the training. Without you, weekends like this wouldn’t happen.

Dan grading result:

Congratulations to Attila Jakab, Chief instructor of the Genki Dojo (Shikukai) in Hungary, for achieving the level of 4th Dan.

Remember to set your 2026 calendar for the same time next year.

Shikukai events are being added to the calendar regularly. Keep up to date by visiting: https://shikukai.com/courses/

Tim Shaw