Just got back in after a long days training and the birthday party celebrating Higaonna Sensei turning 70 and the IOGKF 30. Todays training was with Higaonna Sensei. He arrived late last night, one day late, after attending and speaking at the funeral of Anichi Sensei. We had the priviledge of hearing Higaonna Sensei spend 30 minutes talking about Anichi Sensei and his life. It was from the heart as with all things with Higaonna Sensei. We also did junbi undo for 1.5 hours...killer...and after that Sanchin training, delving into the intricate details of the kata.
Since Laura is Goju royalty now, she had a seat at the table with Higaonna Sensei and his invited guests! She looked at home and carries herself really well in that environment. During dinner a video was shown telling the story of Higaonna Sensei and the IOGKF. Hopefully I can get it on DVD for all to see. Many made short speeches about what Higaonna Sensei has meant to them personally over the years with the last speech made by Ernie Brenneke, the first American to have Higaonna Sensei in the USA in 1965. Was neat to see the respect that he and Higaonna Sensei share. Sensei Linda Marchant from England spoke of her association with Sensei and brought the room to complete silence and Higaonna Sensei to a deep bow of respect for her words. I have both of these on video and hope to share at some point with you. Sensei was also presented with a vacation to the mountains of Canada by IOGKF members worldwide...each of you participated in that through our school. Kanazawa Sensei of Shotokan sent his top student to represent the Shotokan family at the party for Sensei. Sensei was moved. Not much more. We have been really busy with training and all. The girls have wanted to blog but it just has not worked out for them...well except for Adrain...she doesn't blog! Maybe they can add their experiences on our return.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
MCF Day 2 Training - May 1, 2009
This days training was long and hard. All students broke up into groups by rank and trained with various instructors. We worked on kumite, basics, unsoku ho or foot movement, body conditioning, kakie or push hands training and kata. The girls did really well and all had a great time. The training events help you to realize how little you know and how you can truly learn from anyone. They also give you a glimpse into the beauty of our karate style, Goju Ryu.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
