This year’s IKO Deutschland summer camp was held at the Borgwedel Youth Hostel, on the banks of the Schlei inlet of the Baltic Sea, providing casual sailors and kayakers with calm waters for boating – and us Kyokushin karateka with an opportunity to cool down with a swim between tough training sessions.
About 50 students and instructors from around Germany attended the camp, with training held outdoors in the sunshine and led by guest instructor Shihan Ronen Katz, head of Kyokushin Israel, ably assisted by Sensei Alejandro Navarro, 2013 world heavyweight knockdown champion and winner of the 2012 All Japan Open Karate Tournament, among his many other tournament successes.
Shihan Ronen focused his sessions on technique, strength and stamina training, kata and breathing. Especially interesting was his incorporation of elements drawn from yoga, his emphasis on the kettlebell as a strength-training tool, and self-defence techniques which drew elements from his extensive knowledge of the Israeli fighting art Krav Maga. Kumite training was led by Sensei Alejandro, who drew on his long experience of tournament fighting to teach combinations, pad work and stamina drills.
Our daily routine began at 7am with morning cardio sessions, led by Sensei Alejandro, Shihan Ronen and his student, up-and-coming tournament fighter Sempai Matan Eliakim. These sessions included running, numerous types of bodyweight exercises and interval training. This was both tough and fun, getting our hearts pumping and our muscles warm before breakfast in the youth hostel.
Mid-morning training sessions were led by Shihan Ronen, with a heavy emphasis on developing power through training with the kettlebell. We were taught the kettlebell swing – a particularly useful exercise for developing explosive power and strengthening the back, sometimes called the „fat-burning athlete builder“ – as well as squats and ‚military press‘ shoulder exercises, all combined strong, power-breathing techniques. (Particularly interesting were the parallels between the muscles engaged in a correctly performed kettlebell swing, and those engaged in a correctly held Sanchin Dachi stance.)
Shihan’s morning training sessions often ended with a daily „challenge“ – guaranteed to be gut-bustingly hard. One such was the „sissy test“ – alternating sets of kettlebell swings and burpees, counting down from 20 swings to 1, as the number of burpees increased from 1 to 20. Our final daily challenge of the camp included a full-power kata, followed by a tough push-up variation called the ‚worm‘, a super-charged version of the ‚Gohon Geri‘ kick combination, burpees and pad combinations, then finishing off with one hundred continuous kettlebell swings. Completing the challenge in groups, cheering each other on through the final set, every one of us finished successfully – and every one of us was exhausted by the end.
Afternoon training sessions belonged to Sensei Alejandro, and emphasized footwork, body positioning, feints, evasions and counterattacks, making heavy use of kick pads. Also included in these sessions were tough conditioning and aggression exercises and, of course, free fighting.
In the evening, students were given the option of more of Sensei Alejandro’s kumite training, working with those preparing for tournaments, or kata training led by Shihan Ronen. I chose to join the kata group, doing detailed work on Gekisai Sho, Tekki Sono Ichi and Gekisai Dai.
Shihan encouraged us to focus on polishing a single kata at a time in our training, rather than spreading our focus too thin by practising too many at once.
The final full day of training ended with a tough grading for a number of the coloured belts, including some brown belts trying for their shodan certificate. All the candidates worked hard in the grading and completed their demanding kumite tests with strong spirit.
The final night at the camp featured the traditional Sayonara Party, a fun opportunity to relax and socialise while enjoying an excellent grill and buffet. At this point, I have to thank Sempai Evgeny Bartolomey of Saarbrücken Dojo, who that evening arranged an improptu and none-too-sober night training session for about ten of us, after midnight, waist deep in the waters of the Schlei … For me personally, it was a fine way to end my first Kyokushin summer camp in about 20 years. Many things have changed in that time, but Kyokushin spirit remains as it always has been.
Osu!
Senpai Andrzej Jeziorski
Muenchen Dojo 