Shogai Karate Summer Camp (and 10th camp anniversary) - 16th - 18th August 2024

16th August saw 3 members of White Rose Budo, descend on the village of South Leverton on the outskirts of Retford for three days of karate at the 10th Shogai Karate Summer Camp, hosted by Sensei Simon Bligh (Home | S h o g a i   K a r a t e (shogaikaratedojo.com)).

The weekend saw karate-ka from across the British Isles training together with a focus on the Shotokan kata Nijushiho, with a prestigious group of instructors teaching over the weekend including Sensei’s:

- Julie Nicholson (7th Dan)

- John Holdsworth (7th Dan)

- Andrea Carbon (3rd Dan)

- Paul Uren (6th Dan)

- Justin Beattie (5th Dan)

The sessions started on the Friday evening, after pitching tents, and then through the day, Saturday into Sunday. Covering everything from the kata itself, to technical aspects of it, flow drills and the bunkai (explanation), with elements relevant to everyone.

Whilst Nijushiho isn’t a Gojyu Ryu kata, the learning from it works across karate regardless of style, and gave those attending a lot of food for thought, back in our dojo. What was good to see was the use of techniques like Mawashi Uke (roundhouse block), and Sanchin (hour glass stance) which are common in Gojyu Ryu being

used in Shotokan.

What we did find, was that elements of Nijushiho are very similar to the Gojyu Ryu kata Shisochin, and discovering this Sensei Craig was then asked to demonstrate this kata.

Saturday also included the dreaded early morning run, with kata half way around the circuit and sprint finishes.

Whilst there is a lot of karate during the weekend, it was also brilliant to share experiences and catch up with friends, thanks to an amazing BBQ on the Saturday evening (big thank you to Marek and son).

After training on Saturday, Sensei’s Craig and Amy spent time on the field nearby teaching some Sai and Bo techniques, that could be taken back into dojos as an addition to training.

Whilst there was just so much to talk about, what we can say is that the weekend was an amazing experience, and it says something when this is Sensei Craig’s fourth visit to the Shogai Summer Camp, and next year we hope to take a few more members of White Rose Budo with us.

Some of our key takeaways from the weekend included:

- Using compression and expansion of techniques to generate power

- Shotokan and Gojyu Ryu share a closer joined history than some would think

- Keeping the body fluid in its movements

- Thinking about every technique and the possibilities it can provide for both attack and defence

A massive thank you to the Sensei’s who shared their experiences, everyone we trained with, and a big shoutout to Sensei Simon Bligh for organising the whole weekend.

As a dojo we actively encourage our students to visit other dojos and seminars, as not only does it throw you out of your comfort zone, but you meet new friends, learn something new and have the opportunity to really think about your training and how it works.