SUIGETSU RYU KARATE JUTSU

NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER 2011

VOL 1 ISSUE 1

WELCOME We are proud to release this first issue of our newsletter. The school has been operating successfully for about six months now and it is time to share some of our excitement. The decision to incorporate Goju Ryu Karate, Shinto Tenshin Ryu Taijutsu and Asayama Ichiden Ryu Hishigijutsu in our program has proven to be a good one. Our members are giving encouraging feedback about this diversity and it is clear that their skills are becoming more rounded and effective as a result. We will continue to forge ahead on this basis and make every effort to bring our members the same enriched training and cultural experiences our chief instructor has been fortunate enough to partake in over the years in both Australia and Japan (including Okinawa). This newsletter will be our way of letting others know about some of the more exciting events we hold; training we do; and perspectives we share. We hope that others will be inspired and maybe spark an interest in coming along to join our unique training experience.

EASY TO FIND US Suigetsu Ryu Karate Jutsu has put together a simple, no nonsense website and facebook page, allowing us to openly communicate with members and interested people. Details are at the back of the newsletter. The website provides important information about our school and what we do. It also provides additional information for our members, particularly regarding the syllabus and a wide variety of photos from training and our adventures in Japan. The facebook page is meant to be a bit of fun. We provide short updates after each training session and people can share their thoughts. In addition, we post links or videos that our members might find useful or interesting.

THE MEANING OF OUR LOGO Kachimushi (literally comprised of “victory/win” and “bug/insect”) is the older Japanese word for dragonfly. The dragonfly was auspicious to the samurai because it was a symbol of victory. The dragonfly was also revered as it flies forwards and not backward, which would otherwise be a sign of retreat or cowardice. In one of Shuji Tasaki Shihan’s last kumite fights before his passing, he grabbed one of his senior students face with a clawed hand, his fingers pushed just under their eyes. He laughed gently and said “budo”. As he turned away he mumbled a sentence including “onaji” (same) and “tonbo” (modern word for dragonfly). The assumption was that he was encouraging his student to come forward in kumite. For reasons such as these, and others, the dragonfly is an appropriate centerpiece for our logo.

SUIGETSU RYU KARATE JUTSU

OUR GUESTS - GOJU RYU KARATE DECEMBER 2011

VOL 1 ISSUE 1

JOHN DALMEDO – SHIHAN John Shihan has kindly taught several Goju Ryu Karate sessions during the school holiday periods, when his own doujou closes. John Shihan has taught several exciting sessions on kata application. We enjoyed John Shihan’s style of coming into attacks before they are otherwise able to take effect. We have found that our ‘soft’ approach to dealing with opponents has been further enhanced through these sessions and we have been able to enjoy the softer side of Goju Ryu Karate that is often overlooked in modern training.

IYAN MACKENZIE - SHIHAN Iyan Shihan was kind enough to give up his time to teach a session on Goju Ryu Karate kumite drills. It was a great opportunity to gain an insight into Iyan Shihan’s unique and diverse close quarters fighting skills. Most enjoyable, was being able to apply the drills within our approach of controlling or submitting opponents, both in standing application and in going to ground. We are happy to report none of our male members became teary due to Iyan Shihan’s trademark groin attacking techniques! Iyan Shihan will continue as our immediate link with Goju Ryu Karate-do Seiwakai, given his position in Seiwakai Australia as Director of Queensland.

John Dalmedo Shihan with a satisfied group of students after training in Goju Ryu Karate kata application.

June 2011

“IT WILL MAKE YOU BETTER.” (ABOUT SHIKO DACHI TRAINING) - SEIEI HARATA OKINAWA GOJU RYU KARATE-DO KYOKAI

Iyan Mackenzie Shihan with a group of students focused on the fighting side of Goju Ryu Karate.

September 2011

SUIGETSU RYU KARATE JUTSU

WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE WHY

DECEMBER 2011

VOL 1 ISSUE 1

HOJO UNDO: CHI-SHI Many of you will be familiar with our hojo undo activities. After training in Okinawa last year we naturally found reason to further embrace some of these traditional tools of Okinawan karate. To support this, our chief instructor built a variety of chishi for us to practice with. This article provides a general background on chishi and is intended to help understand their purpose in training. The chishi is usually made of stone, with about a 40cm wooden pole for a handle. It’s possible to make basic chishi using a length of wooden dowel, set at the base with a cement/grout mixture, reinforced with nails into the handle. We use chishi ranging from around 2kgs – 5kgs. We also use 60cm handles, as these are more suited to our average height and provide for protracted development when moving your grip toward the end of the handle over time. The effective use of chishi is for training the fingers (and thumbs), hands, wrists, arms and upper body. When combined with various exercises that lower and rise through shiko dachi, we find chishi techniques also help train our body core and legs. If techniques are practiced properly, the tendons and ligaments of the hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders are also developed. Our posture, breathing and tensioned movements found in sanchin and tensho kata can also be developed with chishi techniques. Knowing this, we try to apply these fundamentals with chishi training and also not rush through each exercise.

Chishi at Suigestu Ryu Karate Jutsu

Chishi techniques will contribute in developing your grip for seizing and tearing. They also contribute to strength development for impacting, receiving and redirection using arm/wrist/hand techniques. Given the diversity of chishi practice, we physically benefit from the variety of angles and directions we pass through which each technique. These benefits can be applied from either standing or on-ground bases. Like most things useful in karate, the pragmatic nature of the chishi is driven by its simplicity. The important thing to remember is chishi training helps condition our bodies for karate in a way that is complimentary to other training methods we employ. “UNDERSTAND THE WAY OF

OTHER DISCIPLINES.” - MIYAMOTO MUSASHI FOUNDER: NITEN ICHI RYU

DECEMBER 2011

VOL 1 ISSUE 1

TESTING RESULTS Most of our members have trained for around 10 years and most have trained with our chief instructor for a significant amount of that time. On 15 December 2011, the first test specifically against the Suigetsu Ryu Karate Jutsu syllabus was held. We are very pleased with the successful completion of testing requirements by:

• Leah McCormick – nidan (2nd dan black belt)

WHERE TO FIND US

“AS A RESULT OF TRAINING IN MIND AND BODY, YOU CAN CULTIVATE YOUR CHARACTER AND ACQUIRE INDOMITABLE SPIRIT.” - CHOJUN MIYAGI FOUNDER: GOJU RYU KARATE-DO

Doujou Street Location Presbyterian Church (rear hall) 28 Macgregor Street, Wilston, Brisbane

CONTACT US Email: suigetsuryukaratejutsu@hotmail.com Internet: www.suigesturyu.com © Suigetsyu Ryu Karate Jutsu