Junior Camp Report
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Friday 12th June
7pm: Caroline Sensei, Claudia and Joel Sensei arrive and realise camp does not start until 8pm.
8pm: The actual time camp starts when everyone else arrives. On arrival all parents and teachers converse and excitedly leave their children behind, on an adventure which will build up their karate skills and confidence. All the juniors are assigned to their rooms and everyone excitedly hurries to choose their beds.
Supper consisted of soup, rolls, and finely cut cheese (some in triangles and some in rectangles). The triangular cut cheese proved quite popular.
Following dinner, after washing up, everyone sat in a circle and played a name game. This involved choosing a word beginning with the same letter as that of their first name, followed by their first name. This was a great game as it allowed people to get to know each other and feel safer around each other. Feeling safe in your practice is a key element in Karate-do.
Everybody then bowed on and started training. We all practiced Ryu Ken and went through it twice. After this, the students were arranged into pairs and had to walk in the dark. This was an exercise for trust. It was about keeping together, and keeping each other safe.
10.00pm: Bed
Saturday 13th June
6.am – We woke up and warmed up outside. We all then embarked on a run. We stopped along the way and practiced Ryu Ken Kata and front and side kicks.
On our next stop on the run we practiced basic pairwork, followed by Shihozuki and Ryu Ken Kata. Practicing Shihozuki was new to some students.
We then ran back to the bungalows. Siana and Chantelle then were taken to practice Yakusoku Kumite together. After breakfast we ran to the woods.
We practiced Kumite and Tim Renshi and Joel Sensei took a “Play/pause” sparring exercise. This allowed all the students to interact with each other and pause the exercise at any point, shouting “pause” and making alternative suggestions as to where the student could take the next technique. We also discussed dangers of techniques and even stances and made corrections where necessary.
We then carried out back kicks, completed an obstacle course several times, and performed kneeling down attacks. This involved kneeling in front of a partner and beginning the exercise by bowing maintaining a shared focus by looking into each others eyes at all times. This was an exercise of focus. The pair would each take it in turns to move away quickly, striking a technique whilst the other person defends the attack, ending the exercise on a focused bow.
After lunch we started the second part of the day in the fields and we started by lining up and having to run to the Dan Grade, crawl under their legs as fast as possible, and run around the field back into line.
After this three sets of obstacle courses were devised including the use of the climbing frame for one, and a set of logs and punch bags for the others. Karatekas had to use a range of movements and techniques including spinning around the logs, front kicks, side kicks, back kicks and jumping kicks when they reached the kick bag at the end.
Kumite exercises followed this, splitting the class into several different groups. This consisted of 3 kicks to each Dan Grade lined up, and an exercise which involved performing one big kick and stepping back 3 times. The section of this session ended with Kata being practiced in different groups.
After this, groups of about 5 with 2 Dan Grades were sent on a “Question Hunt” The Dan Grades hid 5 sheets of paper around the wooded area, which made up a question when reunited. My group’s question asked, “What is the 4th Dojo rule?” We answered this for both the Junior and Senior Dojo Rules.
We then did more Orienteering.
During the break, Megan studiously came up to me and asked whether I would go through Ryu Ken Kata with her. This was really lovely to see, especially asking during her break! So as we began running to the field, as I looked behind me, a trail of junior Karatekas appeared including Tristan, Alicia and Elliott. This was also nice to see.
We all went through Ryu Ken together and what was nice about this exercise was that at the beginning Megan struggled with certain aspects of the Kata, yet with everyone around having their own wisdom, they began to share this with Megan and show her the way. Eventually she too could practice the techniques which she had struggled with the most, showing the true meaning of helping yourself by helping others.
During the final part of break, everyone got involved in group skipping and Derek, Sensei told a McDonalds story, which everyone was listening attentively to and intrigued by – including me.
After dinner we sat around a huge camp fire and everyone was told the story of how Ryushinkan Karate first came about, in the form of an acting storyboard. We were entertained.
Sunday 14th June
6.am: Wake up 6.30am:
We warmed up and had a short run followed by front kick and punching practice. This was followed by a further run and Kata practice.
The students then practiced kicks with the Dan grades. The Dan grades lined up along the pathway and juniors had to run up and kick each Dan grade. The kicks would alternate between front, side, and jump kicks.
After breakfast we visited the reservoir and watched the birds from the bird hide. Jason took the class in the field, which involved jumping kicks, bags, punch bag work – Tim’s team won. Everyone then stood back to back in a circle and practiced Ryu Ken Kata. In a large circle, we then did bag work, running and kicking the bag.
The dinosaur hunt consisted of looking for pictures of dinosaurs. There were three in the area we were allocated. However, some teams managed to find more, with Sensei Joel’s team finding 9 and Sensei Tim and Claudia finding six……out of three??? How bizarre.
We then practiced Kata in the field, followed by practicing Kata and Shihozuki in groups.
After lunch Piero Renshi organised a gift hunt where all the juniors were put into groups with a Dan Grade each and had to find the three “Wise Black Belts” hidden in the forest.
They each held gifts that were waiting to be shared with the rest of us. Each gift was a movement, which was part of a sequence. When these three movements were then put together they formed part of a Kata sequence, which as a group, we had to present to all the other groups. So students had to listen carefully in order to take away each gift in grateful way.
The Junior camp ended with the traditional Kata and bow off. All the parents then returned and everyone cleared up and waved goodbye until the next Junior Camp.
Claudia Barba (with help from Caroline Sensei and Shihan)
Junior Camp Attendees
Helpers/Instructors:
Rhys Williams Shihan
Piero Barba Renshi (Sat am on)
Tim Houghton Renshi
Tina Emerson (Sat pm)
Tim Emerson (Sat pm)
Derek Richards (Fri pm, Sat am on)
Joel Armstrong
Caroline Gibbs (Fri eve to Sat eve)
Siobhan Franklin (Sat day)
Claudia Barba
Jason Marle (Sat eve on)
Eloisa Tovee (Sat eve on)
Parents Training
Jean Marc Simon (Say am/pm)
Michelle Marle (Sun am on)
Paul Hutchings (Sun am)
Parents Non-Training
Lisa Storr (Sat am/pm)
Luciano Barba (Sat am on)
Attendees All Weekend
Siana Tovee
Chantelle Tovee
Thatsana Phetpradab
Elliot Collins
Joshua Wilcock
Megan Bellringer
Kyle Randall
Luca Barba (Sat am on)
Marco Barba(Sat am on)
Joseph Barba (Sat am on)
Max Hutchings (Sat pm on)
Joshua Marle (Sat pm on)
Brendan Simmons (Sat pm on)
Sat am Diddy Deshi Session
Sam Storr
Tristan Simon
Alicia Simon
Sat pm Diddy Deshi Session
Sam Storr
Tristan Simon
Alicia Simon
Ben Wright
Dexter Web
Hayley Emerson
Sam Wright
SamWilcock
Tom Bellringer
Anna Bellringer
Sun am Diddy Deshi Session
Dexter Web
Gemma Marle
Callum Charman-Gentle
Theo Hutchings
Joshua Thompson
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