Kyokushin North Bondi Dojo 撃砕
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Quarterly Newsletter Kyokushin North Bondi Dojo Issue 5 - Jul/Aug 2020 - karatebondi.com OSUmag KATA KORNER with Sensei John Barker Cover Pic - The newly renovated North Bondi Dojo Gekisai Kata 撃砕 THIS ISSUE The Gekisai kata have origins in Okinawan karate - their inclusion in Kyokushin is reported to be from Shihan’s Message p.1 Sosai Oyama’s training under Nei-Chu So sensei (Goju Kata Korner with Sensei John Barker p.1 - Ryu). It is important to note that Kyokushin’s Gekisai Legends of Kyokushin - Shihan Kenny Uytenbogaardt p.2 Dai ( 撃塞大 ) and Gekisai Shō ( 撃塞小 ) are not direct imports from Goju-ryu, rather they were developed So Says Sosai + Sosai’s teaching techniques p.3 by Sosai to suit the close contact style of Kyokushin. INTRODUCING Sensei Patrick Segat p.3 Now Officially Black Belt Profile (Graham Levy) p.4 There are many different literal translations of 撃塞 Registered Junior Student Profile (Brandon Benson) p.4 Gekisai ( ) and it’s generally accepted translation is to attack/conquer and occupy. Dai ‘大‘ and Shō ‘小’ Mid Year Grading Report (Sempai Nora) p.4 meaning ‘larger’ and ‘smaller’ respectively. The name SHIHAN’S MESSAGE General dojo news, dates & training times p.4 of the kata provides a summary of the intention of the kata with further understanding coming from the Welcome to the 5th edition of Osu! Magazine. katas’ movements and sequences. If we have closer look at the Gekisai kata, there are some key elements Since publication of the last edition we have successfully negotiated our way through remote training by way of Zoom to learn from: and have re-opened the dojo. Training is currently limited to non-contact work, but it is hoped that this will change in the near future. However, we are determined to adopt a cautious approach and not to take any unnecessary risks. the multi-directional movements and stance variation develop power generation and fluidi- Students have returned to training with great enthusiasm and I must say that having you all back on the floor has been ty of motion wonderful. I congratulate you for the determined and disciplined way in which you maintained your training throughout the variety of strikes develop flexibility of the lock-down. attack and our ability to react to our opponent The Covid-19 epidemic has to some extent affected our student numbers and has caused a significant reduction in rental The kokyu-ho (breathing) and tempo changes income from our sub-tenants. However, government assistance has been very helpful and I am hopeful that by the time help to develop our ability to harness our such assistance comes to an end, all of our students will be back on the floor and that our sub-tenants will have adrenaline when dealing with a combat situa- recovered from the downturn in their activities. I mention these facts in order to emphasize our appreciation to all those tion students who have continued to support us in every possible way. The combination of these elements suggests the Gekisai kata are designed to strengthen our ability As you know, during the lock-down we took the opportunity of renovating and renewing the dojo. I am sure that you will when working in close quarters to an opponent. This all agree that the dojo is looking fantastic and I ask that you all do your bit to ensure that it remains clean and tidy and can be adapted to tournament and self-defence that you follow all relevant protocols. Getting the dojo into its current condition took a lot of hard work and special situations where it is important to maintain thanks must go to the whole Lotter family (who worked night and day throughout the renovation period), Sensei John composure, react with speed and power, respond to Barker, Sempai Dinei Daneris and Student David Milner. attacking opportunities and always trusting in your ability. We are planning a number of exciting events for the second half of this year and are focusing Enjoy your Kata! Sensei John. strongly on preparing for our senior grading scheduled for early December 2020. I give all candidates fair warning that this will be a very tough grading and that the highest standard is expected. Unless you are fully prepared you will not pass. Those of you who will be attempting to grade to Shodan will be judged not only on your performance on the day (which will have to be of karatebondi the highest calibre), but on your day-to-day training from now until the actual grading. Training only once or twice a week will definitely not suffice. One of the things that we did during the lock-down period was to do some work on the syllabus EDITOR (Password: MasOyama) and training videos (Password: karatenorthbondi) in the members’ (Sempai) Elliot Kleiner Shihan section of our website. I strongly recommend that you take advantage of these instructional videos [email protected] and that you also use the website to increase your general knowledge of our style and our school. Trevor Tockar All submissions must be received no later than end 7th Dan of month (Feb, May, Aug, Nov) National Branch Osu! © 2020 Kyokushin North Bondi Chief IKO (all rights reserved) SHIHAN KENNY UYTENBOGAARDT In this, the first of our Series on the Legends of Kyokushin, we take a look into the history and contributions of some of Karate’s biggest names. For younger karate-ka the name Kenny Uytenbogaardt will be as equally unknown as it is strange, but if you were to travel back to the late 1970’s and early 80’s it would have been similarly weird, as a Kyokushin practitioner, if you had not heard of him. Since 1979 he has been widely acclaimed in Japan, frequently appearing on Japanese TV and even became a comic book hero in Japanese Manga Magazines (bottom right) One can hardly miss him amongst the crowd because of his height and his gentle demeanour. This has earned him the nickname of "The Gentle Giant" by foreign Karatekas. To those who have had the unfortunate experience of fighting him, either in the Dojo or in a tournament, there is nothing gentle about this man: he is simply an awesome fighter. He is, however also a total gentleman and a pleasure to train with and learn from. He also has a warm & sometimes wicked sense of humour. Shihan Kenny is an 8th Dan Black Belt who hails from Cape Town in South Africa. Between 1965 and 1974 he dabbled in the martial arts, attending some Goju-Ryu classes, and taking self-defence classes with Shihan Len Barnes. However, his real Karate journey started in 1974 when he joined the Oyama Karate School in Sea Point, Cape Town, under the tutelage of Shihan Len Barnes and Shihan Trevor Tockar (who was then a 2nd Dan Black Belt). It did not take Shihan Kenny long to make an impression and he was chosen as a member of the 5-man South African team to participate in the 1st World Open Karate Tournament in Tokyo in November 1975. This was the first ever World Tournament for full-contact karate and it forever changed the karate landscape. Most fighters at the Tournament had never witnessed full-contact rules and experienced a dramatic reality-check. However, the South African team learned very quickly, and, in 1977, Shihan Kenny stunned the karate world by his performance at the British and International Karate Tournament in London. Sosai Oyama, who was present at the tournament, was hugely impressed by Shihan Kenny and installed him as one of the favourites for the 2nd World Open Karate Tournament scheduled for November 1979. Many experts believe that Shihan Kenny, who in 1979 was at the peak of his prowess, would indeed have had a very good chance of winning the world title, but this was thwarted by the South African team being prevented from participating in the Tournament due to a sporting ban that had been imposed on South Africa because of its political policies. Shihan Kenny was allowed to fight in the 3rd World Open Karate Tournament in January 1984 and, despite his age, reached the last round (last 16 fighters) and his victory against Japan’s Harutomo Takeyama was rated by Sosai Oyama as the best fight of the tournament. Shihan Kenny also did well in ‘All-Styles’ competition, winning a gold medal at the South African Games in 1981 as a member of the Western Province karate team, which 5-man team also included Shihan Lyle Abel and was managed by Shihan Tockar. Shihan Kenny reigned supreme in full-contact karate and retired undefeated as the South African Knockdown Karate Champion. His demonstrations of ice breaking, using his hand and shin, have thrilled thousands of spectators from all over the world. He further established his right to international recognition when he was appointed by Sosai Oyama as one of the only three westerners on the international technical panel of Kyokushin Karate. In 1991, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Southern and Central African region of the organisation and has since been actively promoting Kyokushin in various countries in the region. In 2011, during the 10th World Tournament held in Japan, Shihan Kenny was promoted as a member of the International Committee of the IKO by Kancho Matsui (President of the IKO Kyokushinkaikan). Today Shihan Kenny spends much time travelling the world and is in huge demand as an instructor at international seminars and training sessions. His lifelong friendship with Shihan Tockar has resulted in him developing a special bond with the North Bondi dojo and we have been very fortunate to have had him visit us on many occasions.