POLAND SEMINAR

I was teaching the Poland seminar on Saturday and Sunday, May 7 &8.

This is an annual seminar that was regularly taught by Sensei Nishiyama till his passing at 2008, and now I teach it annually.

300 instructors and black belts participated last weekend in beautiful Stara Wiez, from Poland, Czech, Lithuania, Russia and Great Britain.

Stara Wiez is an amazing place, a karate village in the midst of beautiful forest and mountains, a place that can only be born out of burning passion to karate, and all my appreciation for Vodek and the Polish traditional karate for bringing a dream to reality.

The atmosphere was amazing; true learning atmosphere and true love for karate.

I was teaching Hangetsu and Tekki San dan, and through those katas showing movement and combat principles, which we than applied to kumite.

In hangetsu we stressed using the breath and maximizing muscle action, and than in Tekki sandan, we demonstrated how same principles are used in smaller action space, where muscle action becomes more important, connection, sequencing, and tranfer of energy through the kinetic chain are crucial to making big power in smaller action space.

Than in kumite we went through Oji waza (response timing) and Shikake waza (set up and strategy).

At the end of the first day the final tournament of the Polish league was held, and the level was great, real fun to watch how this athletes are getting better every year.

The top 2 men and women will participate in the World Cup in June.