GALLERY — NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2008
The Fall Session began at the Shinjinbukan New York Shibu Dōjō: September 22rd — December 20th. Here are a few snap shots from September and October:
Ms. Melanie Petrak — A Visitor from Okinawa
Adult Class — Training in the Dark
Recent Engagement — Preston & Marcella
Oktoberfest — German Beer Fest
Dożynki — End of Harvest Festival
Fall Semester Begins
The kids needed to review a lot of things after being away for most of the summmer: Uke Kata (Blocking forms), tachikata (stances), tsuki, keri, etc.
Japanese Homework
All my young students have to learn a few Japanese words and phrases as part of their Karate training. An example is to count their excersises (push ups, jumping, etc) in Japanese. And my kids are so good at counting in Japanese, that now, they are learning how to write numbers using Kanji (Chinese Characters).
Here are a few samples of their homework assignments:
Ms. Melanie Petrak — A Visitor from Okinawa
Ms. Melanie Petrak is a young German/Polish Karate student who is currently living and training at the Shinjinbukan Honbu Dōjō in Okinawa, Japan. In mid-September, Melanie visited our Dōjō in New York City. During her visit to New York, Melanie had the opportunity to teach a few lessons to the children in my class. First they reviewed Shiboru, the proper fist used in our Karate.
Next, Melanie reviewed with the children some of the basic commands used in Karate: ki o tsuke, rei, yoi, hajime. And they practiced some Tenshin (movement) using Zenkutsu Dachi (Front Stance).
They also practiced Oi Tsuki (Long Hand Strike) using Zenkutsu Dachi Tenshin.
On her last day at our Dōjō, Melanie gave the children a special treat for their hard work and good behaviour: Mochi, which is "a chewy rice cake filled with red beans".
10th Kyū Test
The Mudansha are all the ranks below Black Belt, which are divided into ten levels, known as Kyū. The Mudansha ranks go from the 10th Kyū to 1st Kyū. Currently, all the children in my Karate Class are 10th Kyū and are preparing for their 9th Kyū test in late November or early December.
In my Dōjō, a new student goes through an orientation period of several months before being accepted formally as a Karate student. And it is only then that I consider them a 10th Kyū, which is the first rank of the traditional Karate rank structure. In order to prepare them for their 9th Kyū, I conducted a simple 10th Kyū test.
Click on the photos below to see the test results:
Adult Class — Training in the Dark
It is a typical feature of the Shinjinbukan School to train in the dark during intense training sessions. In the pictures below, I am leading a group Drill with my students Masaaki Satō and Joni Warren: Tenshin within a circle with Kukan Tsuki (Hand strikes to the air) and Kukan Keri (Foot strikes to the air). Below right: my deshi Preston Flammang doing various koshi (hip) techniques with some arm strikes.
All the pictures below have been taken with almost no light and have been retouched in Photoshop.
Below, my students Preston Flammang & Masaaki Satō doing some basic Iri Kumi combinations.
All the pictures below have been taken with almost no light and have been retouched in Photoshop.
Basic Machiwara Training
Machiwara training presents many challenges:
How to close the shoulder blades and lat muscles during every tsuki (hand strike)?
How to use shiboru to close the fist during each hand strike?
How to keep the proper body good alignment?
How to control the body's center axis?
Below, I am working with Masaaki Satō on some basic machiwara drills, and of course in a dark environment.
All the pictures below have been taken with almost no light and have been retouched in Photoshop.
Next, I practiced a few combinations of Neko Ashi Tenshin, Tsuki & Keri at the Machiwara.
Passai Shō
I spent some time with my deshi Preston Flammang going through the Junjo (basic patter, order or sequence) of Passai Shō, which is an important kata of the Shinjinbukan curriculum.
All the pictures below have been taken with almost no light and have been retouched in Photoshop.
All the pictures below have been taken with almost no light and have ben re-touched in Photoshop.
Touring New York City
We had the opportunity to go out after Karate training to enjoy the night life in New York City. Here are a few pictures hanging out with some of my students Masaaki Satō and Joni Warren; and with my long-time friends Nickolai and Caroline Parker.
A great view of Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge...
Recent Engagement — Preston & Marcella
Congratulations to Mr. Preston Flammang and Ms. Marcella Vanegas on their recent engagement!!!
Preston is my senior student at the Shinjinbukan New York Shibu Dōjō.
Oktoberfest — German Beer Fest
We attended the Oktoberfest celebration at the German Club in Clark, New Jersey. The festival included a couple of marching bands brought directly from Germany with their Umpa Beer Fest music. In the picture below to the right, Ms. Petrak stands by the Bavarian flag (the one with blue and white rombi). Melanie is an authentic Bavarian; except for the fact that she is half-Polish and speaks Spanish with a mix of Argentinean & Chilean accents, as wells as English with a posh British accent.
(She also speaks Polish, Italian, Portuguese, Latin & Turkish) Really??!!
Dożynki — End Of Harvest Festival
Later that day, we attended a Polish cultural event called Dożynki - The End of Harvest Festival, which is very popular in the rural regions of Poland. The festival featured Polish dancers with traditional customs. Then, we all stepped in to dance Polka, Polonaise and more. And there was lots of food and drinks. Nazdrowie!!
Sayōnara
Finally, Frau Petrak had to go back to Okinawa to continue her Karate training under Onaga Yoshimitsu Kaichō at the Shinjinbukan Honbu Dōjō. Ganbatte Kudasai!!!
