Miyazato Sensei and Jundokan

Fascinating footage of the late Miyazato Sensei at his Jundokan Dojo in Okinawa, performing the kata Sepai and providing general guidance. Some of the other great instructors at the dojo are also shown. Jundokan, which I also had the pleasure of visiting some decades back, is the "parent" dojo of Gojuryu Karatedo Yoyogi Ryushinkan in Tokyo. Also featured is a sashi-ishi training implement as actually used by his teacher, Miyagi Chojun Sensei, the founder of Goju-Ryu. 

Renshukai Update

Warming-up exercises at "Renshukai"

More than 20 members of the Gojuryu Karatedo Yoyogi Ryushinkan dojo continue to practice and train together in several groups around Tokyo and the surrounding suburbs, including Renshukai, made up of ten or so practitioners who regularly practice on Monday and Wednesday evenings respectively at the municipal sports centers in Heiwadai and Kami-Itabashi.

Kakie & Renzoku waza

This video shows some the ways in which kakie can be developed from the basic "pushing and pulling" together of hands into various applications from the kata, and ultimately into a form of jiyu kumite or free-style sparring.  Kata applications should always be understood as much as possible in their various forms, and then practiced in isolation in order to add depth and meaning to the performance the kata itself. Goju-Ryu emphasizes a close-quarters, infighting style of combat, and kakie is the ideal starting point to develop many of its techniques. 

Why Kakie

A brief clip of Masaji Taira Sensei explaining the principles of kakie. Taira Sensei is the head of the Okinawa Goju Ryu Kenkyukai. His teacher was Eiichi Miyazato, the founder of Jundokan.

Renshukai

Renshukai currently trains in one of the two budojo at the municipal sports center in Kami-Itabashi on Wednesday evenings. The facilities are modern, comfortable and user-friendly, and more than spacious enough for the approximately ten members of Gojuryu Karatedo Yoyogi Ryushinkan who regularly participate. Monday's training at Heiwadai was canceled due to snow.

Karate Push-Ups

Some of the various parts of the hand used in striking are shown in the diagram on the left. One way to strengthen these areas is push-ups, which can be done on the palms, fists, knuckles, fingertips and even wrists (not shown in the video). Care should be taken, however, to keep the shoulder, arm, wrist and hand in a straight line directly beneath the chest to avoid injury through twisting or spraining. 


For those not used to such practice, start off by doing the push-ups from a kneeling position to reduce the force on the joints. 

Seiken

Making a fist, or Seiken, correctly is important in avoiding injury. Starting with the fingers fully extended and the thumb pointing upwards, fold the four fingers at the first and second joints until the fingertips touch the base of the fingers at the third joint. The fingers should be drawn in tightly. Continue to draw in the fingers until they are pressed tightly into the palm. The thumb is then folded firmly over the fingers and pressed against the index and middle fingers. 

If the thumb is not tucked in, it can get caught and damaged during contact. The thumb also provides support for the fingers. The thumb should never be extended over the top of the index finger. Finally, it is important that the forearm, wrist and fist form a straight line. If this is not done, the pressure on an angled wrist can cause serious damage. Contact is generally focused on the first knuckle of the index and middle fingers.