A dedicated number of students from Exmouth, Chippenham, Swindon and Weymouth attended part 2 of the Yakusoku Keiko Training run by Steve and Pam Rawson at The Combat Lab’s new premises on Saturday 1st July. The session started with a short warm up, leading into some basic drills which were then used by the students as their foundation for the pair works that followed.
Ohyo Gumite Nanahonme was the main theme, giving students a chance to practice something different. Once they became familiar with the basic moves, they were then shown how techniques from the Shikukai Syllabus could be utilised and incorporated into various adaptations of the Ohyo Gumite. As The Combat Lab is a fully matted venue and a suitable learning environment for such training, students were able to see the techniques right through to the end with a series of throws. It was interesting to see how many ways someone can fall over!
After a short water break, the theme of expansion of Kihon Gumite was carried on from the Spring Course, working on Kuzushi, Kinukuguri and Kotegaeshi. Again, use of the mats was paramount as students were confidently able to test their effectiveness in throwing or sweeping their opponent.
The final part gave students a chance to practice some I-dori pair work; again the nice soft mats were a gift to those with worn out knees.
As always the session was over too quickly and so another training is being planned for later in the year.
This annual event is always looked forward to and true to form, it proved to be a great success. The course was overseen by Sugasawa Sensei and successfully organised by Steve Rawson Sensei 7th Dan and Pam Rawson Sensei 7th Dan. Instructors and students from across England, Brittany and Norway came together to train and work on the principles of Wado. The unofficial start of the course was the normal Thursday night club training at the Ken Bu Jyuku Dojo hosted by Pam and Steve Rawson. “I can highly recommend making the very most of the course by attending the Thursday night training. It really set the scene for the weekend and gave students an insight into the themes and principles that would follow” (Sue Dodd) Friday morning saw a small group meet up at the beach for a dip in Weymouth Bay. The water temperature was a balmy 11 degrees with a strong easterly wind that made for some interesting waves. This led to some challenging swimming, but great fun was had by all.
Sugasawa Sensei opened the course by welcoming students back to Weymouth. The timetable ran its usual course over the Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. This year’s theme was Tai Sabaki but as was explained throughout, this was not a focus on a mere verbal translation but much more a deeper understanding of all aspects of body management whether performing technique, holding position or, perhaps especially when transitioning from one technique to another. The warm ups on each day were both focussed and challenging with each instructor bringing the benefits of their expertise to the table.
The Rawson Senseis kicked off the training on the Friday evening with a number of physically demanding basic drills which concentrated the mind and prepared everyone for what was to come. Students were then put into groups of 5 to practice the drills in all directions and with different opponents.
Saturday training began with a special ‘Mokuto’ in memory of our dear friend Tim Dixon. After the warm up, Tim Shaw Sensei 7th Dan and Steve Chamberlain Sensei 7th Dan took the Black and Brown Belts working on Okuri Ashi, the involvement of the hip through to Tsugi Ashi and Surikomi Ashi. Steve and Pam Rawson took the Green and White Belts showing them the importance and correlation between Shiko Dachi and their Junzuki movement. The Kata session that followed saw the groups sub divided again. 4th Dans and above were given a detailed break down of Chinto Kata by Sugasawa Sensei and assisted by Steve Rawson. The lower Dan Grades were taught by Tim Shaw and covered Naihanchi looking at applied principles (rather than applied techniques). Steve Chamberlain took the Brown Belts for Pinan Yondan whilst Pam Rawson worked on Pinan Sandan with the junior grades. A session on pairwork followed with Steve Chamberlain and Richard Barham Sensei 6th Dan taking 2nd Dan + working on Kihon Gumite Happonme. Steve & Pam Rawson introduced the Brown Belts to the Uchi variations of Kumite Gata. Sensei once again gave his invaluable expertise on the body movement required for an effective technique. Tim Shaw took apart some of the Nihon Gumite with the Green Belts, whilst Carol Chatterton Sensei 6th Dan worked with the White Belts. The formal session closed with the presentation of a 2nd Dan Certificate to Mark Troman, followed by the usual group photo. It was then pleasing to see how many students took advantage of the extra hour personal practice offered by the host club in their mirrored upstairs Dojo.
Saturday night was the usual chance for over 40 students and family members to have a social get together at the Gurkha all you can eat buffet (Frank Parry holds the current record for the number of plates of food consumed!!!) Afterwards many students burnt off the calories with a visit to the various live music events being held in the town.
Sunday saw Sugasawa Sensei lead the training for all with a very informative two hour session on the importance of using the elbows correctly whilst delivering a variety of techniques. In particular he scrutinised everyone’s movement on Shuto, with no escape for senior Dan Grades. Pairwork practice followed with everyone trying to use their elbows in the correct manner. Rob Selby Sensei 5th Dan and Bob Wymer Sensei 5th Dan assisted the senior instructors in delivering this session. The culmination of Sunday’s training was a surprise demonstration of Kata/Dance by Steve and Pam Rawson showing why Sugasawa Sensei named their club Ken Bu Jyuku 拳舞塾
A small group of selected seniors were invited by Sensei to join together for a meal at the Oliveto restaurant to reflect on and celebrate the life of our dear departed friend Tim Dixon who will be forever in our hearts. Whilst it was an emotional time it was a chance to support each other and raise a toast.
The Monday session came all too quickly and seemed to be over in a blink, however all levels enjoyed focussed Kihon Nagasu training “the Norwegians in particular” (Bob Wymer). Kihon Gumite pair work was looked at, offering/suggesting potential next steps, whilst emphasising that such things are impossible unless you are in charge of your body management. A kyu grading session was held with Joanne Quy from Chelmsford successfully passing her 7th Kyu grade. Sensei then closed the course thanking everyone for their continued support.
Report compiled by Pam Rawson Sensei 7th Dan with contributions from Tim Shaw Sensei 7th Dan, Bob Wymer Sensei 5th Dan, Sue Dodd Senpai 2nd Dan.
On the 15th of April 2023, Sensei Carol Chatterton 6th Dan and Kiku Wa Jyuku hosted a special training session to celebrate the 80th birthday of one of its club members, Robin Eaton. Overseen by Sugasawa Sensei, the training was led by Steve Rawson, Sensei 7th Dan and Pamela Rawson, Sensei 7th Dan. Although the course was only for one afternoon, it was well attended with representatives from Shouwa Jyuku, Ken Bu Jyuku, and Mushin Jyuku alongside those from Chippenham.
The session began with Sugasawa Sensei welcoming everyone and then congratulating Robin on his long serving dedication to the practice of Wado Karate before presenting him with his 4th Dan. After this Sugasawa Sensei handed over to Senseis Pam and Steve Rawson and the training began. As Senseis Pam and Steve Rawson explained, we would be exploring how Wado has developed in the UK over the many years Robin has been training, from the early years of UKKW, through the Wado Academy and then onto Shikukai Karate-do International.
After a quick warm-up, Senseis Pam and Steve took us through how Wado has progressed over the years. This was achieved by focussing first on 5th Kyu, and then on 1st Kyu. Beginning with the UKKW syllabus, it became clear that the focus in the beginning was on learning individual techniques with very little explanation on each element. As Sensei Steve commented, the maxim was ‘Do it, do it again, do it harder!’ As the session continued you could see the variations which were introduced in the Wado Academy syllabus incorporating more lateral movement, and finally Sensei Sugasawa’s influence on the techniques in the current Shikukai syllabus. The session finished with pair work from the three syllabi, with both Senseis encouraging people to practice with students from other clubs. Finally, Sugasawa Sensei thanked everyone for attending.
After the training, the day ended with a meal at a local restaurant. It was a great opportunity for people to catch up and reflect on the day’s experiences. Finally, the evening ended with everyone congratulating Robin and some enthusiastic singing of ‘Happy Birthday’ whilst he blew the candle on his cake out!
Yet again host Martijn Schelen of the Kenkokai Dojo Eemnes in the Netherlands executed a flawless piece of organisational magic for our planned three-day training weekend.
It is always a huge pleasure and privilege for me to be invited to teach in the Netherlands, for so many reasons, not least that the level of enthusiasm and openness is second to none.
This time Martijn was making adjustments to the scheduling to try and get the best out of the available time. For example; on the Saturday training it was planned to create two workshops during the day, with a break in between. From my perspective this seemed to go really well and enabled me to package the training into focussed themes. I always spend a long time in my planning and try to pitch it at all levels so that nobody feels that they are out of their depth.
I had worked my themes out well in advance, with the intention that everyone would come away with something they could really work on to elevate their understanding and crucially their physical and technical skills.
Across the weekend we really worked hard to polish the solo kata, linked to solid kihon, something that Sugasawa Sensei is very insistent on; because without solid foundations nothing meaningful can be built. Repeat, repeat and repeat again, cycling round the featured kata.
We also explored a very focussed selection of paired kata. The chosen pairs followed themes built within the kihon training and time and time again I tried to bring it back to core Wado principles. My intention was to help the students and instructors to appreciate the covert relationships between the various aspects of their training and how these same aspects support and feed off each other.
During the weekend I had the chance to work with some very experienced old-hands who had joined us for the first time, and to welcome them into the Shikukai family, a joy, and an honour for me. Again, credit to Martijn for making this happen.
Seniors in Saturday training.
Inevitably, Saturday night was an evening for catching up over food and drink, and the conversations were not all about karate. Very civilised and convivial.
I have to say that Kenkokai is not a one-man-band. Martijn is very lucky to have a solid support team to ensure that the wheels are oiled and everything runs smooth (a particular shout-out to Astrid de Vries on that one).
Because the training was a balancing act between solid hard work and granular examination of technique and principle, my intention is to write some support notes for those who attended. This post will also be written in a way that may be of interest and value to general Wado practitioners. This may well appear as an additional (free) post on my ongoing Substack project. To see it, opt for the free subscription to www.budojourneyman.substack.com
Keep an eye open for that.
Conversations have already been had for my next visit, probably October November this year.
Remember, these courses are open to all Wado students.
On the 18th of March, Carol Chatterton Sensei 6th Dan and Kiku Wa Jyuku hosted a training and grading with Pam and Steve Senseis (each 7th Dan) at the Olympiad, Chippenham. This was well attended by 36 students from Weymouth, Chelmsford and Exmouth joining members of the host club.
The session started with a challenging warm up and stretch lead by Pam Sensei. After the opening bow the thread throughout the day’s training was the importance of what can appear to be ‘small details’ to make good Kihon which will improve your Karate. A key message was knowing when the elimination of tension was required, and when not. Students practised Kihon Waza as a group for the first half, building up a substantial sweat. They then separated into two groups where Pam Sensei took the 9th to 4th Kyu grades through Pinan Nidan / Sandan, a selection of combinations and Pair Work. Steve Sensei took the 3rd Kyu plus group through Kushanku followed by some select senior Pair Works. In both groups the sweat was maintained.
At the final bow both Senseis thanked the group for their hard work, with the words “Every drop of sweat is worth more than the colour of your belt”. This reminded me of an old quote, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”.
Some students then took Kyu Gradings with the following being successful: – 2nd Kyu – Adam Rose, Archie Warren and Lewis Higginson. 7th Kyu – Tess Callahan, Henry Seeman, Pete Mullee and Sarah Ponting. 8th Kyu – Noah Ladd, Scarlet Sweet, Elouise Thake and Rishabh Nair. 9th Kyu – Levi Butler, Louis Sabatier and Pierre Sabatier.
It’s always a massive challenge to pull together a four-day course in the depths of winter, but it is one that we have always tried to rise to.
This year, of all years, all the pieces seem to fall into place. On attendance alone we broke all previous Winter Course records.
This was the Shikukai Winter Course in Essex.
We are very much aware that people are prepared to travel considerable distances, crossing international boundaries to access what we have to offer in Shikukai Karate-Do International and specifically to be able to tap into the knowledge and experience of our chief instructor, Sugasawa Sensei, 7th Dan Renshi, and the senior Shikukai instructors.
In Essex, we have the advantage of an international travel hub in the form of Stansted airport; although this year some students from Europe decided to explore the option of travelling into the UK by rail, a possibility that actually seemed to work quite well (something to bear in mind for the future) taking the stress out of continental travel, and, a short hop across London to link up with the main rail route into Essex.
This year we had students and instructors from the Netherlands, Norway, Czechia and Hungary.
Sugasawa Sensei was the overseer of the training as it progressed over the weekend. The course instructors (other than myself) were Richard Barham Sensei 6th Dan, Bob Wymer Sensei 5th Dan, Rob Selby Sensei 5th Dan, Steve Thain Sensei 4th Dan and Sue Dodd Sensei 2nd Dan. The comments afterwards suggested that this was very much a top-notch team who, each in their own way, brought something to the table in terms of variety and technical approach; Sugasawa Sensei was impressed by the quality presented.
The unofficial start of the course was the normal Thursday night club night at the Shouwa Jyuku Dojo, the training hall was looking very close to being too small; this was a trend that would continue through the weekend. Friday’s training at the same venue and even more people turned up. In addition to that, Sugasawa Sensei arrived a day early and accompanied us through the session, offering advice to students along the way.
Saturday and Sunday were in the main venue in Danbury, which usually gives us plenty of space… but this time, because of the numbers, adjustments were necessary, and fortunately we had the capacity to make it all work.
On Saturday, the session began with a very brief welcome speech from Sensei, and a special ‘Mokuto’, a silence, in tribute to the memory of Tim Dixon, recently departed and much missed.
As the instruction team kicked into gear, we were eager to engage with the main themes of the weekend. For example, Barham Sensei took on a huge challenge carouselling through the twelve kumite gata of the Shikukai syllabus.
The main kata practice for the seniors was Seishan, which for a long time now has been Sugasawa Sensei’s ‘flavour of the month’ a key feature of his regular Zoom sessions. The key theme of the training was the adherence to good core principle training; something that followed across the weekend and is the background of Shikukai karate as a traditional and pure embodiment of the Wado school.
Across the weekend we covered Wanshu kata and Naihanchi, as well as appropriate Pinan kata. Barham Sensei led an intriguing take on the Kihon Gumite, which reframed the practice in interesting and challenging ways. Selby Sensei’s contributions and ideas are always met with great appreciation and it was no different this time. It was also great to see Thain Sensei sharing his knowledge on Naihanchi kata. Wymer Sensei treated students to his considerable knowledge (and humour). Sue Dodd Sensei did an amazing job corralling twenty very able children into training and grading (assisted by Barham Sensei) as well as workshopping Ippon Gumite from the Shikukai syllabus.
Saturday evening involves a huge get-together in the small town of Maldon on the tidal estuary of the river Thames. A whole clutch of students had taken the opportunity to reside on a specially adapted, permanently moored, restored Thames sailing barge, a wonderful unique experience, but nothing compared to the completely bonkers, very ‘Essex’, glitzy over-the-top restaurant on the Maldon High Street, appropriately called ‘Paparazzi’, that we’d booked for the Saturday evening. The word ‘bling’ comes to mind, but without a hint of irony.
At the end of the course Sugasawa Sensei presented Dan grade certificates and a special award to Selby Sensei for his forty-year dedication to training. Some students took the opportunity for Kyu and Dan gradings, the results were:
Andrej Sladky 8th Kyu, Shikukai Praha.
Matt Tyler 7th Kyu, Shouwa Jyuku.
Will Doble 7th Kyu, Mushin Jyuku.
Mark Troman 2nd Dan, Chertsey.
A massive thanks to the Shouwa Jyuku team, who did an amazing job pulling everything together. We are already planning for Winter Course 2024 – watch this space.
Also, a huge thank you to Sugasawa Sensei, who continues to be our source of guidance and inspiration.
Senseis Steve & Pam Rawson 7th Dans were invited to represent Shikukai Karate-do International at Andrew Genery 8th Dan’s 50th Year Anniversary Training in Doncaster on the weekend of 11/12 February 2023. This unfortunately coincided with the Winter Course in Chelmsford, but Sensei Sugasawa felt it important that they should attend. When Sensei first arrived in the UK he was a regular visitor and instructor at the Doncaster Dojo.
Saturday morning started with the reading of a congratulatory message from Sensei Sugasawa to Andrew who had started his Wado Karate journey 50 years ago to that very day. He was also presented with a small gift of an embroidered Ken Bu Jyuku sweat towel.
The training was initially lead by Andrew Sensei, working in groups of three, to increase speed and accuracy when performing gyakuzuki. This got the heart and legs racing. Kihon and Keri followed on. After a short break Ni Sei Shi Kata was practised; particularly noting the slight difference in movements between the two Associations.
Seishan was then covered, with Steve Sensei explaining the nuances of Sugasawa Sensei’s emphasis. The final part of the session concentrated on Kihon Gumite Happonme. Pam Sensei was able to show just how effective Kuzushi could be when it was applied correctly against the largest student in the Dojo. The three hours passed all too quickly. Everyone convened later at Cosmos, a local Buffet Style All You Can Eat restaurant in downtown Doncaster.
Sunday’s training was opened by Andrew Sensei, working on Nagashizuki. This was followed by Steve and Pam Senseis comparing the techniques in the 6th Kyu and 2nd Kyu Kishin and Shikukai Syllabuses. The concept of Nihon Gumite was new to the Kishin students, who were mostly familiar with Sanbon Gumite. The students really enjoyed and appreciated the variations and explanations offered.
Andrew closed the session by thanking everyone for attending and for working so hard over the weekend. In particular Andrew asked Steve & Pam to convey his thanks to Sensei for permitting them to attend and instruct.
It is with great sadness that I have to notify the wider Shikukai community of the recent passing of Tim Dixon, 6th Dan, one of our most respected senior instructors.
The loss of Tim has been a huge shock to us all and sent ripples through our organisation and beyond.
This devastating news has reached a far wider circle than Tim’s individual family members, (whose grief can only be imagined), as his influence has commanded a level of respect in the broader martial arts community; specifically with Wado; whether that has been as a competitor at international level or a highly regarded instructor with a wealth of knowledge developed over many decades of dedicated, disciplined training.
But it is his personal qualities that will also be missed. In the Dojo he was the epitome of quiet, soft-spoken confidence, a natural communicator (as you might expect of a career spent as a teacher in English schools), but with Tim these were qualities that were innate and without affectation.
There are many of us who will remember Tim at some of his finest moments. On the technical front, for me, the true measure of the man as a highly skilled fighter was encapsulated in the last formal Dan grading he took in front of the full Shikukai panel. The apex moment being the astounding resilience he demonstrated in the final test set for him, where he faced opponent after opponent with grim determination, implacable and stoic to the last bruising encounter.
At the human level, Tim was always great company and all of us enjoyed his presence at the numerous karate socials; so many ‘finest moments’, too many to tell in such a limited space; but I am thinking of his sing-alongs and the high-speed wisecracks and merciless repartee of the ‘Dixon, Gillis, Cambridge’ trio; in this, he had a profound sharpness of wit and skill with the lightning-fast come-backs, a joy to behold.
In all honesty I cannot count the number of courses and competitions that Tim attended; you can see his image on group photographs from UKKW, Academy and Shikukai events.
From my angle, I first encountered Tim in the Dojo at the regular training sessions with Suzuki Sensei and Sugasawa Sensei at the Sobell centre in London; at that time he was a brown belt; this was in the 1980’s, he has been a constant presence ever since. No event was complete without Tim.
But let’s not forget that Tim was indeed multi-facetted, which is evidenced by his newly found post-retirement career as a film extra, something he clearly enjoyed and, before his illness intervened, he was steadily becoming a minor star in his own right.
It must be said that the whole of Shikukai, from our chief instructor downwards are devastated by the loss of a very dear friend. To say, ‘He will be missed’ would be a huge understatement.
Rest in peace, knowing that so many people had a special place for you in their hearts.
Roughly 3 years had passed since the Hokusei Jyuku had welcomed Sensei Steve Rawson 7th Dan and Sensei Pam Rawson 7th Dan to Norway, so the weekend of 19/20 Nov was greeted with much anticipation.
It was always going to be a short trip for the visitors, arriving Friday evening and leaving early on the Monday, but we were focussed on maximising having them back. For those who have yet to visit the Shikukai’s northern most outpost, travelling to and from is an all day event, requiring as standard, a journey to Heathrow, two flights as there’s no direct flight to our local airport (Aalesund), then another 1 hr 40 min car journey complete with a fjord ferry crossing.
As the Senseis had woken up at 02:00 on the Friday morning, the only Friday evening activity was refreshing themselves and viewing the Denshinkan (my home dojo).
The following morning however was up and at ‘em with the junior members of the club enjoying 1.5 hours of instruction before the club seniors arrived for the now routine, club photograph. The kids loved the Senseis’ inventive coordination-testing warmup before they progressed onto various basic drills expertly gauged so all got something positive from the experience. Individuals who grasped the drills quickest were placed in the centre of the rest and challenged in the form of a contest to see if they could keep up their initial pace. Press ups were awarded as required…
A dummy was used towards the end of the session, affectionately named Mobby-Bobby (mobbing translating as bullying in Norwegian), which is always enjoyable for the juniors.
Well done to all the juniors who participated, they did themselves proud.
Once the photograph pause was over, it was the adults turn to perform. The group consisted of juniors as well as adults due to the respective juniors grade and experience. I had the pleasure of warming them up, before the senior Senseis took the reins in earnest.
Discussion had already taken place regarding the theme for the weekend, with the Senseis keen to follow where possible the instruction given on the Shikukai Autumn course, in particular focussing on ‘Chi Kou Gou Itsu’. This was music to the Wymer family’s ears as our attendance on that course was not possible due to illness.
So rather than repeat the report written for that course, I will summarise by saying that the training followed and reinforced the theme of learning through hard training and dare I say, getting a good sweat on. But what was particularly enjoyable throughout was Sensei Pam’s explanations regarding the nuances of the Japanese kanji usage to describe the various techniques and stances. This helped clarify some aspects of Kushanku kata in particular, which has already been repeated in the club’s routine training schedule.
The Saturday training appeared to pass all too quickly but all was not lost as we reconvened at ‘chez’ Wymer that evening, providing the perfect opportunity to continue the clarification process and ask additional questions. As always it was an enjoyable and interesting evening gathering.
Sunday’s training began thankfully a little later than Saturday’s, and after Zoom’ing a greeting to Sugasawa Sensei’s Zoom session, the first external instructor led training session in the Denshinkan was underway.
Some training drills were repeated from the Saturday session and subsequently added to, as well as a more pointed focus on some 1st Kyu basics. There was also focus on Soru, the swaying back action found in Kihon 4 with training time allowing for building up to Kihon 4 after the action had been thoroughly drilled.
Again time passed all too quickly, so soon enough we came to the only grading of the weekend, that of Marianne Wymer who successfully graded to 1st Kyu. After that was completed (well done daughter), the club seniors were taken through Rohai at my request, as it has looming relevance…
All in all, a very enjoyable albeit short period of instruction but one that reinforced existing learning for all and lit the thirst for more for most.
The Hokusei Jyuku thanks Senseis Steve and Pam for their continued support and we look forward to welcoming them back annually; and we hope to grow such visits as we had planned to do pre-COVID…
Students from Chelmsford, Exmouth and Weymouth met up again at The Combat Lab for another Kumite based training session. The theme this time was contrasting the Japanese style of Kumite with that of the Europeans.
The session was opened by Steve Rawson Sensei 7th Dan, who gave a brief resume of his family’s experiences whilst training and competing in Japan. Pam Rawson Sensei 7th Dan then spoke about the Japanese maxims of Kikioji, Mikuzure, Futanren and Kuden, Taitoku and Mitori.
Following a warm up, the students worked through a series of drills which were linear, direct and with emphasis on speed. These same drills were then repeated with a variety of partners. Students wore protective equipment and then replaced their gumshields with headguards. This offered greater facial protection, but made it harder for them to see, breathe and react. The students were all surprised at how much difference sparring in the headguards made.
The two hours training flew by, with everyone giving maximum effort, regardless of grade or experience. Much fluid was taken on board to rehydrate.
Shikukai Karate-Do International 