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Wow! I don't know how to describe the benefits of attending a seminar! It is thrilling to be able to spend time with such an august body of martial artists of all ranks, from all over the country and the world. There is something very satisfying about performing a kata with no count with several hundred other karateka, the only sounds being the popping of the dogi's and the Kia's at the proper places. Truly an inspiring event!
Kid's Program This was the second year the seminar included a Kids' Program, which was well received and was a terrific draw. Aimed at ages seven through thirteen, it included youth activities on day one, a kata competition and a number of other instruction periods with the masters. The Kata Competition was in four categories by rank and age. All ranks that could do the kata were encouraged to participate and everyone received a participation medal. There were almost twice as many competitors this year over last. And as always the participants executed their kata with few problems, their biggest challenge seemed to be leaving the kata area once they had finished the kata! Taking that one step backwards after bowing out was tricky! I was delighted to have a student place second in his division. I'm not sure which of us was wearing the bigger smile! I was again blessed with the presence of my daughter with me to the seminar. She participated in everything she could and had a terrific time. She even participated in our dojo demonstration at the Wharton Center. Iha Hanshi As in the past, two of the session were lead by Iha Hanshi, the head of the North American Beikoku Association. He broke down a number of the katas and showed specific points about the movement and positions. He would select someone from the crowd to perform a kata and then use that as the basis of his explanations. Once he had gone through it, he would have the entire group perform the kata to his count. He finished by having the entire group do it with no count, in unison, encouraging us to be aware of each other and matching the timing. And, yes, he did make us do it over if we weren't in synch! More about this amazing individual can be found at his home dojo's web site, Original Okinawan Karate You can also see pictures from the seminar located at that site.
The copyright of the article The 2004 National Training Seminar in Martial Arts History is owned by Mark W. Swarthout. Permission to republish The 2004 National Training Seminar in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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