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On the 15th of April 2012, the SKA sent a team of 4 participants to carry KWF Johor’s banner at the Selangor Open Karate Championship in Shah Alam, Selangor.
Our team comprised of :
We congratulate Batrisyia for winning the Bronze Medal in both Cadet (14-15 Years) Kata & Kumite.
Video links that cover the SKIF Shodan Syllabus. I hope it helps you prepare for your grading. (A.H.)
KIHON
KATA
KUMITE
Group Photo With Kancho & Daizo Sensei from Kacho’s Seminar in Johor 2010.
Kanazawa Kancho will be in Malaysia from the 17th to the 29th of November 2011. For our members who remember his visit to our Dojo in Johor last year, will not want to miss this opportunity. Please contact your instructor if your want to be part of our delegation to the seminar. This year his main seminar will be in Teluk Intan, Perak from the 26th to the 28th of November.
We would like to encourage all members, especially 4th Kyu & above to participate. All members will also have the opportunity to be graded by Kancho (Please check with your instructor for your eligibility to grade). We are hoping to put together a delegation of 30-40 members. Details on accommodations and costing will be posted when ASAP.
The dates of Kancho’s Tour as of to date are :
17th Nov : Kancho & Murakami Sensei arrives in Kuala Lumpur
19th-21st Nov : Kancho’s Seminar in Brunei
22nd-23rd Nov : Kancho’s Seminar in Sabah (Kota Kinabalu)
24th Nov : Police Training Centre PULAPOL (Kuala Lumpur)
25th Nov : Instructor training at Irene Sensei’s personal dojo (Rawang)
26th-28th Nov : Kancho’s Open Seminar & Grading in Teluk Intan, Perak
29th Nov : Kancho and Murakami Sensei depart for Japan.
JIWA HAMBA
Allahyarham Sasterawan Negara Dato’ Usman Awang
We have been invited to participated in the UTP-MBI Martial Arts Festival to be held in early October, 2011.
The Martial Art Festival 2011 (MAF2011) which will be organized by Rakan Wajadiri of Sekretariat Rakan Muda Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (SRMUTP) in collaboration with Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh (MBI), Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS), The Malaysia Book of Record (MBOR) and Persatuan Silat Kebangsaan (PESAKA).
Among the activities planned are :
Members of the SKA who are interested in participating, please sign-up with Azlimmi sensei latest by the 17th of August 2011.
Results of the Kyu Exams conducted in the month of July 2011 for all SKA Branches.
Congratulations to all those who passed.
[ Click icon above to download full list of people who passed ]
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The SKA has published the first of what we plan many posters dedicated to the Seiken Tigers Champions. The criteria to be listed as Seiken Tigers Champion not only includes their competitive achievements but also their ability to inspire fellow Tigers.
The first in the series is dedicated to AAMAL ASMADI who recently won the Gold in the Milo-Malaysia Schools Karate Championship in July 2011 in Kuala Lumpur. But even before that she has won the hearts of her dojomates and has inspired even older karate-ka to emulate her training spirit.
Aamal has recently passed her Go-kyu (5th Kyu – Blue Belt) at the grading session held at the Singapore Shotokan Karatenomichi Association on the 23rd of July 2011.
Kudos to Aamal. Gambatte Kudasai!!!
Common Mistakes During Ramadan : Lack of planning is the biggest mistake you can do during Ramadhan. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Make a plan for your diet, training, job, sleep. More errors to avoid:
Not Training. You won’t lose much muscle & strength if you stop weight lifting during Ramadhan. But you’ll tend to stick to your diet less. And this can cause more muscle/strength loss and fat gains than not lifting.
Not Eating Healthy. Lots of people gain fat during Ramadhan. The main reason for this is that a lot of the Ramadan foods are high in sugars & fats. Example: harira soup, often served with bread/dates.
Not Eating Enough. Food is energy. If you don’t eat enough you’ll lack energy at the gym and won’t recover well. You must focus on caloric dense foods to get the most out of your feeding window.
Not Sleeping Enough. Short nights can cause sleep deprivation. This can kill your motivation to go to the gym. Consider naps.
Popular Fasting Myths. I highly recommend you get a copy of Eat Stop Eat. It has all the research regarding fasting and its benefits. Some myths:
Metabolism Slows Down. Studies show that fasting doesn’t decrease your metabolism. And more frequent meals don’t increase it neither.
Muscle & Strength Loss. Fasting doesn’t cause muscle loss. You’ll most likely feel stronger & more aggressive training fasted.
Low Energy. You’ll have energy if you eat enough during your feeding window. Productivity will increase since you’re not wasting time on food.
[Read full article on www.stronglifts.com]
Wishing all our members, families & friends a wonderful Ramadhan!!!
Let’s keep up with the training as well!!
(Calligraphy by Darcos)
Fortune’s favour is fickle, they say. This year Shotokan Masterclass (SMC2011) programme didn’t quiet turn out as we planned.
But everything turned out for the best.
At the SMC2011, we had seven guests from Australia, six from the Avon Valley Shotokan Karate (Perth) Australia and one from Goshin-ryu Sydney, training alongside our members, and exchanging ideas. We thank Ken Bainbridge sensei (4th Dan), Helen Bainbridge sensei (3rd Dan), Russell Johnson (2nd Dan), Samantha Douglas (2nd Dan), Jordan Turnoch (1st Dan), Andrew Ledge (6th Kyu) & Leo Pintos (2nd Dan) for sharing the your time with us.
From the 2nd of July to the 3rd of the July, the training commenced. The sessions we taken in turn by Azlimmi sensei, Ken Sensei & Helen Sensei, each injecting his/her experience and understanding of shotokan karate into the training sessions.
On the evening of July 3rd, a kyu grading session was conducted for SKA members. 14 SKA members who attended the SCM2011 sat (though there wasn’t much sitting done) for their respective level grading. Ken & Helen sensei graciously accepted the invitation to sit in as guest examiners, and expressed their satisfaction at the level of karate the students showed. The results of the grading are as follows:
3rd Kyu
1. Batrisyia Iman Himzal (SKA Honbu)
4th Kyu
1. Resi Nopiyanti bt. Joni (SKA Pasir Gudang)
2. Megat Amirul Syahmi b. Megat Razman Syah (SKA Honbu)
5th Kyu
1. Aliff Daniel b. Khalid (SKA Pasir Gudang)
2. Megat Amirul Sufi b. Megat Razman Syah (SKA Honbu)
3. Reksi Hidayat b. Joni (SKA Pasir Gudang)
6th Kyu
1. Hadirah Dania Himzal (SKA Honbu)
2. Amira Syahira bt. Mesli (SKA Pasir Gudang)
3. A’rash Amanie b. Khalid (SKA Pasir Gudang)
4. Julita Aisyah bt. Khalid (SKA Pasir Gudang)
7th Kyu
1. Faiz Asraf b. Saparudin (SKA Honbu)
2. Muhd. Darunnafis b. Abd. Halip (SKA Pasir Gudang)
3. Muhd. Izzudin b. Mohd. Effendi (SKA Pasir Gudang)
9th Kyu
1. Yugesh a/l Raj Babu
We congratulate the students on passing the grading.
On the 4th of July, the visitors (Australians) were taken to the Kota Tinggi Waterfalls for some R&R by Azlimmi sensei & family accompanied by Bro. Asmadi Ahmad (SKA Singapore Shibu-cho) & family and Bro. Faiz Asraf. We were treated to some very delicious munchies made by Sister Azrinah Abu Basri (herself a brown belt in Shito-ryu… once upon a time) and had a great time just fooling around for the day. The highlight (for yours truly) was a recording of Ken sensei performing the Tensho-no-kata at the waterfalls…. precious. The video can be watched on Azlimmi’s sensei videocam 
on request. After spending the day at the waterfalls, the group headed back just in time to get some rest before getting ready for the 8.30pm class at the dojo. Again, Ken & Helen sensei with Sammie senpai attended the training and got to meet other SKA members who didn’t make it for the SMC2011.
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photos by Faiz Asraf
Overall, it was a memorable experience. Once again we thank Ken & Helen sensei and their team for sharing this wonderfl time with us.
The following are photos of the SMC2011 by Faiz Asraf on facebook:
At the Waterfalls [ALBUM 1] [ALBUM 2]
Doryoku,
A.Himzal
We congratulate our young cubs for their achievements in the recent 12th Milo-Malaysia Schools Karate Championships in Kuala Lumpur :
Aamal binti Asmadi (Gold : Kata – Girls 6/7 Years Old)
Hadhina Shahira binti Mohd. Helmi (Bronze : Kata – Girls 8/9 Years Old)
Congratulations also goes to the rest of the team for showing excellent budo spirit during each of your events and to the supporters for your undying support!!!
Ossu!!
A.Himzal
SEIKEN TIGERS TEAM ROSTER
Coach :
Azlimmi Himzal Sensei
Team Manager :
Pn. Siti Syarina Nordin
Team Captain :
Afdhal Asmadi Senpai
Team Members :
[DOWNLOADS]
Tomorrow comes so quickly….
[KUMITE TRAINING] Combining kata and kumite in a single session is something I try to avoid, but whenever I choose to teach both kata and kumite in a single class (my classes are around 2 – 2.5 hours each) I always do the kata sessions first. My prime reasoning is that the student always get an extra energy boost from the adrenaline when doing kumite.
So after a short rest and rehydrating after the kata session, the students put on their kumite gloves. What can I say about this practise??? It is an uneven match… the pool of trainees consists of a 120kg, 38 year old, ikkyu father and his children, a 14 year old shodan, an 11 year old nikyu and a 6 1/2 year old rokkyu.. uneven, by any standards. But each one gamely take their position and make their play.
My analysis : Spirit is not lacking. What is lacking is perhaps the will to carry that spirit forward to it’s bitter end. Lack will to continue attacking combinations usually see the bouts punctuated by pauses of uncertainty.
What’s next?? もう一回!!! (mou ikkai – one more time)
Doryoku,
A.H.
Below are some video selections of kumite matches:
Yahara Mikio vs Gerald Evans (1973)
Yahara Mikio vs Mori Masataka (1982)
Yahara Mikio vs Kagawa Masao (1984) – Ref : Asai Tetsuhiko Shihan
Kanazawa Nabuoki vs Murakami Manabu (1994)
WKF World Championships (20o6)
WKF World Championships (2010)
In the next few days, 19 members of the SKA will be participating in an open tournament. For the few, this is their umpteenth time on the competitive tatami, but for the most of them, this will be their first time.
Competitions (to me a form of test) brings pressure to all involved. For the coaches, it is the pressure of preparing the team. For the team manager, it is the pressure of getting the logistics (& everything else!!) ready. For the seasoned team members, it is the pressre of improving their track record, or moving up to a new category. For the newbies, it is the terror of stepping on an unknown tatami to face an unknown opponent, and last but not least, for the supporters (family members, friends, sponsors, etc) the pressure of watching their team endure what would normally not be ‘civilised behaviour’ ; attacking an unknown person unprovoked. So you get the picture, pressure cooker all around.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of competitions.
But, it is a necessary evil. Though I do not like to enter competitions (personally, I hate the attention when standing in the middle of the tatami and having tons of people watching…… as an instructor, I hate allocating training time to train the few who are entering competitions , time taken away from training the on how to better use their body (& mind) in perfecting their technique and making each technique as a defensive.. and offensive tool at any scenario), it gives an extra dimension to a students martial art development that dojo training, no matter how intense can provide. We all like to think we give the best training, compared to other dojos, but the reality is, peer to peer ‘fights’ (for lack of a better word) among dojo mates (no matter how competitive) does not give that same edge, that same adrenaline rush we get during a fight (kumite or kata) during a competition. In a dojo session, we worry about hitting our friend too hard, or a kohai (junior) intimidated by a senpai (senior), or reversed, a senpai worry pushing a kohai too much. A smile or a snicker from our dojo opponent will also get us smiling.
This is not lack of discipline, this is human nature.
The dojo is not a battle ground, it is a place of learning, a school.
Then competitions becomes necessary, to test the skills of our modern day weekend samurai. Imagine this, a soldier spends his whole life shooting at targets on the practice range experience a different psychological hurdle when staring at a live human target down the barrel of the same rifle he (or she) has used thousands of times before. Lobbing a live grenade into a practice bunker is different than consciously lobbing a live grenade a group of enemy hostiles. Some handle the transition easier than others. Some, not all.
So there we stand, into the shadow of the valley of death (forgive my moment of dramatisation) either staring at an opponent on the opposite side of the referee, wondering what kind of fighting experience he has (or not), or, as in kata, staring inwardly, focusing all our will and training not to cock up our well rehearsed kata, ignoring the facial, body and verbal language of all those around us, so that we may execute our routine as hoped.
But before we can get there on the tatami, we are at the dojo, training. Competition Training, Squad Training.. whatever you call it. The focus of such training is not only to give your team a fighting chance, but a chance to actually bring back some faux silverware to adore the dojo walls. The majority of the ‘OPEN TOURNAMENTS’ run of the rules defined by the Word Karate Federation (WKF). So preparations are made to give the participants the best chance to win within the rules set by this organisation (the following view is made from a perspective of a Shotokan instructor):
[KATA TRAINING] Heian and Tekki katas for the most are out. Face it, no matter how brilliant your Heian Yondan or Godan, it can’t compare to the like of Seipai & Seinchin (unless your opponent performs them really badly). So you have to do the 4 Shotokan Shitei kata – Kanku-dai, Jion, Empi and Bassai-dai. In a normal dojo (my yardstick for normal dojo is a dojo that follows the JKA/SKIF style training syllabus), it’ll take sometime around a year and a half to two years for a student to have gone through the 8 kyu levels before to start learning the Shotokan Shitei Kata. That is, in this world where time is now measured in nano-seconds, a long time for someone to stand aside and watch his/her ‘senior’ pack up their gear and travel to kingdoms far far away in search of glory and fame. What option is there left? One, the newbie enters the competition with his exceptional Heian kata and lose. Or in the words of a certain ‘life coach’ (whatever that means); gain experience. Two, the coach/instructor has to teach the relatively new student an ‘advance kata’ do that he has a fighting chance. Either way, they lose. I don’t know about other instructors, but my students, have been pressuring me to teach them an ‘advance kata’ so that they have a chance to win. And these students have still yet to come to grips with basic kata. So, to either keep the student from walking out and joining a dojo that can fulfil their needs, or to satisfy their own inner ego and to stop the losing streak and not be patient while the students gain ‘experience’, we teach them one advance kata. Then it snowballs, two kata, three kata……….. no matter the result, they both lose. Soon the dojo forgoes the Heian katas altogether and other unpopular kata for having no ‘return value on investment’ and the decline starts. It is wrong to teach a 6th Kyu Bassai-dai or Kanku-sho?? It is wrong if it is meant to bolster the dojo’s competition chances. It is not wrong (my own opinion) if it is used as a tool to show the student the possibilities of kata training (lets face it, the Heians are not the most exciting kata on the Shotokan roster).
Back to today, I had earlier conducted a private training for some students heading out for fame and glory this weekend. 3/4 of the training was on kata (OK.. I’m guilty of favouring kata to kumite… so shoot me). I have a shodan, practicing Kanku-sho, Hangetsu, and Gankaku, a nikyu practicing Bassai-dai, Jion and Kanku-sho, and a rokkyu practicing Kanku-sho, Heian Yondan and Heian Sandan.
My analysis : the shodan has to get over his insecurities on what makes a kata ‘hard’ and just execute (not perform) the kata from the heart and not be too analytical of his kata, the nikyu has to push herself the extra 5% in all her moves, and that kata has to come from good kihon and the rokkyu.. oohhh the adorable six and a half year old rokkyu (didn’t I say that she was only six and a half years old??) has got to stop comparing herself from her brother and sisters and just enjoy herself in whatever she does. But kids just don’t get it when we say, winning doesn’t matter… what matters is that you give 110% when you step on the tatami. The bigger battle is with yourself. If you have done your best, then you have won, medal or no medal…. And children, heed my warning, do not stoop to plastic and robotic kata movements, noisy breathing and body slapping.. you know how much I hate those. Make your kata come to life.. heart and soul… better to crash and burn that to fade away.
Unsu by Yahara Mikio Sensei
I’ve got to stop now, the word count on my typing editor shows 1300 words and counting.. that is more that I wanted to do by a thousand. Tomorrow I will digress (or ramble) on the effect of competition on kumite training and my analysis of the remainder of the training I had with three wonderful kids earlier today…. or was it yesterday???
Doryoku,
A.H.
I’m going to moonlight as the esteemed Dr. Robert Langdon (for those who don’t know who he is and have lived in a cave for the past couple of years.. God have mercy on your soul!!!) tonight and open a discussion on the influence of symbology in karate. Now, I will be the first to admit, I am not an expert on this subject, and only offering my two cents on the matter.
There are certain symbols, designs if you please, that has become identified with certain organisations. Karate symbology is heavily influenced by Japanese symbology, especially the way they create their mon. So most karate symbols tend to be minimalistic. One of the most famous symbol in in karate has to be the Tora-no-maki (a.k.a. the Shotokan Tiger) a symbol created to adorn the world famous book of Funakishin Gichin O’sensei; Karate-do Kyohan.
The first thing that crosses any karate-ka’s when coming across is ‘SHOTOKAN’, Funakoshi style karate. For any clubs having this symbol or variation(s) of it are immediately recognised as advertising it’s Shotokan roots (note that I say ‘recognise as advertising’, not recognised as.) Famous Shotokan organisations carrying this symbol are Shotokan Karate-do International Federation (SKIF), International Shotokan Karate-do Federation (ISKF) and World Shotokan Karate-do Federation (WSKF). Oddly enough, the two most eldest shotokan organisations, Japan Karate Association (JKA) and the Shotokai does not carry this symbol in their logo. Which brings me to another example, the famous JKA logo.
The rising sun symbol is another famous karate symbol, representing the JKA branch of Shotokan. It is similar to the symbol of the Prefecture of Okinawa (below). Most offshoots of the JKA (especially after the 1999 break-up) carries a variation of this design. Okazaki sensei’s ISKF carries the modified JKA logo with the shotokan tiger in the middle (from it’s legacy as the American branch of the JKA). The JKS, WTKO, KUGB, FSKA, AJKA-I and WJKA, to name a few, are others who sport variations of the logo. Anywhere in the karate community, if someone displays either the tiger or the rising sun, they will be associated with Shotokan, and if the second, specifically the JKA.
Other prominent karate ryu (school) symbols are :
*Shito-ryu (WSKF) / Okinawan Goju-ryu (IOGKF) / Goju-kai (JKF Goju-kai)
These symbols identify the school and sometimes the sub-branch of the school. Use of the symbol or variations of any symbol automatically associates the said group with the originator of the symbol, no matter how far removed from the original family the group is.
Variants of Shotokan Organisational Logos/Symbols:
*JSKA / SKA / KWF / USKUNZ / SKIF / KUGB / WSKF / SSKA
Variants of sub-branches of Shito-ryu using the fist symbol :
*Shito-ryu Hayashi-ha / Shito-ryu Kusano-ha / Shito-ryu Shukokai
OK… what does it all mean? And does it really matter? In the grand scheme of thing, IMHO, not really. But some symbols, like the IKGA & JKA symbols are protected by international copyright. And the main point of having a symbol is identification. By displaying the upturned fist logo, members of the karate fraternity will identify you as a student of Goju-ryuha. So if you use that symbol and then say that you are a Shotokan student.. people will be confused… to say the least. So, when designing a club logo, t-shirt or poster, be aware of the historical and symbolic reference of your graphical elements. It will not only make your presentation stronger, but make your dojo branding strong and to the point.
Doryoku,
A.Himzal
Tournament Programme