Just returned from Fort Wayne, Indiana, for our annual International Shuri Ryu Association training seminar, which began Thursday afternoon with a training session at the hombo dojo of O’Sensei Robert Bowles. We had 15 senior karateka attend the training, which was great and focused on the Sente Exercises (empty hand) along with Sanchin, Sanmitsu and Sansei as well as Shudoso and the shuto uke-gakute zuki sequence in Wansu kata. Those on hand for the training had a combined experience of nearly 700 years in the martial arts, and we got to see O’Sensei’s newly revamped part of his dojo. It was first rate, unfortunately I forgot to take any photos. My bad. I try to leave my cellphone in my car when I train so there are no distractions.
The rest of the weekend did not go so well for me because I contracted food poisoning from some salmon I ate Thursday night. I won’t belabor the point here, but let’s just say I haven’t been that sick in a long, long time – and I am 68 years old and counting. I was in bed Friday but watched classes Saturday and taught my own as well, focusing on Kihon 11 and various interpretations based on our three levels of blocking (wrist, wrist to elbow, elbow to shoulder) as well as using Hanshi Ridgely Abele’s five levels of kata bunkai template. The students seemed to enjoy the class.
Again, it was, as always, a well-done seminar by O’Sensei Bowles and his wife, Hanshi Sandra Bowles, and I would encourage all Shuri Ryu students and instructors to make time to attend. You won’t regret it.