|
The 1st
Annual Shotokan Karate Do Camp
With Master
Yutaka Yaguchi and Sensei James Field
Phoenix
Arizona
I was one of a
hundred enthusiastic student-warriors who traveled
from all parts of the southwest and Mexico to
participate in the 1st Annual Traditional
Open Spring Training Karate Camp of the Shotokan
martial art lead by Master Yutaka Yaguchi, 9th
Dan and Sensei James Field, 7th Dan.
The camp began on
Friday evening at Mesa Community College. Like other
students, I was both excited and anxious on what the
weekend had in store. Walking through the door I
was greeted by two familiar smiling faces, Donna
Kawana and Cheryl Coburn, who welcomed me warmly,
then promptly suggested I buy my raffle tickets
now! I was immediately put at ease as I began my
first weekend-long karate camp.
As we stretched and
discussed the impact that the hardwood basketball
floor would have on our feet after a full weekend of
karate, Master Yutaka Yaguchi, Sensei James Field
and Sensei Coburn alerted us that it was time to
begin class. WOW! As we lined up to open class I
realized just how many of us were here to train with
these masters. The line stretched across the gym
floor - 100 karatekas total! At that moment I was
proud to be part of a group of dedicated like-minded
individuals willing to spend their weekend training
their bodies, minds, and hearts.
After a brief warm-up
we began our class with some basic movements and
individual kata practice. Already my quads were
burning and I was beginning to get concerned; this
is only the first class of six and I have my black
belt test tomorrow! I decided then and there that
regardless of what happened I would seize this
opportunity to train with these masters by
participating 100% and showing strong spirit no
matter what obstacles I encountered. This strong
intent gave me the confidence I needed to let go of
my worries; my first night was a great success.
On Saturday morning
the classes began at 8:30am. I packed my bag and
journeyed to the gym. Our first two classes
deepened my understanding and experience with the
basics and I realized that though they are called
the basics, they are the fundamental building blocks
to everything in Shotokan. The more we sped up the
drills, the worse my form became! I realized just
how much I more work I needed to do. Master Yutaka
Yaguchi explained to us the essence of proper
distance in stances, emphasizing the importance of
our own body’s uniqueness and how this will effect
the presentation of the form. I made a special note
of this, someday I want to teach karate and this is
a important point when teaching others.
I made it through the
morning class and felt anxious as my Dan exam
approached. After lunch we began the kyu and dan
exam. Tensions were running high; all of us testing
were exited about the exam. “Relax, relax”, said
Master Yaguchi. He spoke so calmly and convincingly
that I actually settled down. What a gift he has for
taking the pressure out of a situation. As the test
began I came to realize what a unique opportunity
for all of us here, to have these two karate legends
as our examiners.
After the exam we
lined up and began our last class of the day, this
one was led by Sensei Field. I felt good about my
test and I was on cloud nine. I felt that I could do
karate all night long! Sensei Field put us through
a series of drills that helped us move from stance
to stance, slowly at first then building up speed.
We were up for the challenge and pushed our burning
feet and aching thighs to meet his demands. We
finished the day with partner training, this brought
out our competitive edge just in time to provide a
second wind. We all finished strong!
That night a large
group of us gathered for food and fun at the “Fox
and Hound” restaurant. We shared congratulations,
music, good stories, food and cheer. After the meal
I retired early with the realization I still had one
more day of training to go!
Sunday arrived and
class began at 9am. I got to the gym and stretched
with the group. We began another great class where
we were split up into different levels (color, brown
and black belts) and received personal instruction
from Master Yaguchi on kata. The brown belts
focused on Basai Dai, with Master Yaguchi clarifying
many important points and body positions in this
kata. His instruction deepened my understanding
greatly and we all eagerly practiced each movement
over and over.
We ended our weekend
with a brown and black belt Shiai, icing on the cake
after a long and successful camp! As the camp closed
and I looked back on the weekend I was happy and
proud of the work I had done. I learned so much yet
I realized also just how much training I still had
before I became a skilled practitioner of Shotokan
karate. Working with Master Yaguchi and Sensei
Field showed me what is possible to achieve in
Shotokan, and I wondered how far I would progress in
my lifetime. But just as my imagination was drifting
away I stopped myself mid-thought and remembered the
motto on the back of our camp T-shirt; “Just
Train!” Oss!
P.S. A special
thanks to Sensei Coburn for organizing this
successful event in our region. I am forever
grateful for his continued dedication to Shotokan
and the students that practice this form.
Andrea Lore
Shodan - Shotokan
Karate of Arizona Member
|
