In October, 2017 Shikomu in Burlington hosted another great weekend seminar where we navigated through the analysis of kata in various styles and the application of throws with Sensei Iain Abernethy from the U.K..
About Iain Abernethy (left)
One of the UK’s leading exponents of applied karate, Iain has written a number of critically acclaimed books on the practical application of traditional martial arts and is well known for his work on the pragmatic use of the techniques and concepts recorded in the traditional kata. Iain’s seminars, books, DVDs and articles have proved to be very popular with those groups and individuals who wish to practise their arts as the pragmatic systems they were originally intended to be.
Our dojo’s head instructor, Sensei James, only had the opportunity to attend the second day where they focused on Sensei Gichin Funakoshi’s various throws and their applications.
What we learned
We took the opportunity to learn a handful of throwing techniques and how they are applied on the opponent. From their we worked the pads to help assist working impact of our strikes and then combined both the hand pad drills and the throws to understand their true application. Sensei Abernethy explained to us that our bodies are not built to do everything, that we should choose the techniques that best suit us and become good at them. However, it’s also our job to understand all of the other skills so that we can teach them to someone who may prefer those particular techniques. We can’t be a master of everything but we can at least be competent enough in what we do.
In addition, understanding how each technique is applied also allows us to understand how to avoid them.
We were also told that throws in karate our almost non-existent. We are taught just to punch and kick, but in fact there are a number of them within our martial art. It is our job to practice them to keep them from going extinct.
Training with Iain Abernethy is always a treat as his charisma and passion only motivates you to better yourself as a karate student. His ability to poke fun at himself gives his seminars a lighter charm and leaves you wanting more.
Thank-you again to Shikomu for hosting this event and to Sensei Iain for coming over from the U.K.. We look forward to next year’s workshop.
