June Black and Brown Belt Course

The June Black and Brown Belt Course was once again held in Nottingham at The Djanogly Sherwood Academy. An introduction by Alan Campbell Sensei, 8th Dan, Head of JKS England started the seminar which also included a look forward to the JKS World Championships taking place in Japan in July. With a strong contingent of both competitors and officials this is an event which takes a significant amount of preparation for, and we wish the JKS England Team the best of luck in all their respective roles.

The course started with a warm-up and Alan Sensei continued the focus on stance which often forms a good proportion of the warm-up. The intention to detail for multiple stance characteristics and explanation of the ratios in which pressure should be directed was something which Alan Sensei guided students to understand. In order to achieve this, students were paired up. Facing each other and starting with zenkutsu-dachi (front stance), a slow, smooth and deliberate movement was made into the stance from a standing position.

Alan Sensei gave a comprehensive description of the foundation of the stance and many issues which students commonly experience which detract from either stability, strength or limit a fast transition into or out of the stance being made. Reminding students that stances are a training tool and represent certain bodyweight actions when moving fluidly, students were deep in thought about their own stances, especially with muscles burning in the slow movements being made. Maintaining correct foot alignment, heel placement and knee position were items which some students struggled with at first, identifying elements which restrict their ability to move in the way Alan Sensei demonstrated.

Repeating the slow movement for a count of ten on each side, students had the time to appreciate the consistency needed, as the feeling was not always the same. Ideal posture being lost, the heel raised or the knee unable to flex in the intended direction were all experiences which many students realised and focused to correct in the exercise.

Alan Sensei deliberated on the width of stance and how the three stances used for the drill; zenkutsu-dachi, kokutsu-dachi and kiba-dachi, share similarities when looked at from the correct orientation. Appreciating the textbook stance width gave students a goal to work towards, with a meticulous understanding of how the movement should be executed when moving fast a key part of this. Ensuring the slow practice was purposeful and reflected upon during and after the movements were made gave students no doubt as to what to practice.

Students would then be able to put into practice the advice already given as other issues were introduced and addressed when moving at a fast pace. Alan Sensei developed a drill in back stance, with shuto-uke (knife hand block) being utilised. This drill would challenge students to moderate their posture and centre their bodyweight appropriately as sliding footwork, stepping and turning were all required. Speed was increased and Alan Sensei covered where to turn on the foot as well as how to manage and time the hip action. This enabled students to clearly observe how the slow stance work which began the session translates into improvements at pace, as long as the understanding is present and the level of concentration maintained.

After the thorough examination of stance had been conducted, Alan Sensei then grouped students into threes to look at the minor changes needing to be made to stance in a kumite situation. Students received jodan, chudan and mae-geris attacks from the front and both sides. Drawing on the skills earlier, students were working on enhancing their proficiency with stance control and responsiveness, especially when a counterattack is returned. Engaging the

hip and releasing the energy in a strong counter needed the blocking action to have made this preparation initially. Increasing the intensity and speed of the attack meant students operated under pressure, as Alan Sensei encouraged fluidity and relaxation to allow the stance to keep the student safe and take advantage of the opportunity to counter the attack when presented.

The class would then be split into kata. Matt Price Sensei would take half the class through grade appropriate kata as Alan Sensei taught Hyakuhachiho to the more senior dan grades. Recounting some of the history of the kata, notable performances and the place in which it sits within Shotokan, Alan Sensei revealed the benefits it can bring in practice.

With multiple repeating sections, the kata was broken down into its logical segments by Alan Sensei and slowly pieced together as many students had not been exposed to this kata in the past.

Following the course, students then separated into one of two groups, either joining Open Squad Training with Matt Sensei or the Referee Development Programme run by Geoff Dixon Sensei. After time was spent on their respective specialities, both groups joined together to benefit from the experience gained on the tatami as an official, coach or competitor.

Both Matt and Geoff Sensei would support students and officials to understand their roles and practice elements which they had been working on. Once more, this setup was a very valuable use of time for everyone involved either directly or indirectly.

Another fantastic course had been delivered, with Alan Sensei giving a complete session covering crucial elements of basics, kumite and kata.