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1, PDF Copy of this newsletter

 

If you'd like a PDF version of this newsletter, you can download one from the News Page of the website: www.iainabernethy.com/news_page.asp

Because this newsletter is for members only, you will need a password to open the PDF. The password is "SEPTEMBER" (all capitals).

 

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2, Iain Abernethy Interactive Martial Arts Drills DVD (update and pre-order)

 

It won't be long until the new DVD is available! Summersdale inform me that the DVD will be ready to be ship in early October and it is now possible to pre-order the DVD from both www.iainabernethy.com and www.summersdale.com! I am very excited about this DVD and truly believe it to be the best thing I have produced to date.

 

If you'd like to see a picture of the cover you can see it on the news-page: www.iainabernethy.com/news_page.asp

 

You can also find further details via this link: http://www.iainabernethy.com/videos/MartialArtsDrillsInteractiveSoloTrainingDVD.asp

 

You can view a trailer on You-Tube and Summersdale.com (links posted at foot of this section). The footage for that trailer - which is the intro to the actual DVD - was filmed at the end of a very long day and, despite the fact I was totally exhausted, it looks really good! Which just goes to show how good the Summersdale guys are at editing! Please visit their site and check out the footage.

 

If you've not yet heard about the DVD, I've copied a brief write-up below:

 

I want to tell you all about my new DVD! We've been working on this project for two years and I'm delighted that it is now available. It's probably an overused word these days, but I really do think this DVD is revolutionary.

 

Up until now, martial arts DVDs have been instructional in nature, or contained a single workout for the viewer to do along with the DVD. However, the technology of DVDs means it is possible to make a DVD which is a totally interactive training tool.

 

The DVD is designed to help you develop a wide variety of martial attributes and get you motivated to train on those days where you don't have a training partner or can't get to the dojo or gym. The DVD will provide a complete martial workout every time it is viewed and is split into 10 sections. You can select to do any or all of these sections in any given workout. Each section contains a variety of drills, and each of these drills has further options within it. Instruction is provided for all the drills on the DVD. The DVD also contains all the required timers and counters and will automatically take you to the right one for each drill! To use the DVD you need no equipment except a little room and the DVD itself.

 

The upshot of all this is that the DVD will provide a huge variety of workouts. Indeed, you need never do the same workout twice! The drills are also constructed so that they will be relevant to all styles and all abilities.

 

The DVD includes a Warm-Up, Repetition Drills, Shadow Fighting Drills, Will Drills, Skills Training, Lower Body Conditioning, Upper Body Conditioning, Exercises for the Abdominals, Back and Neck, Flexibility Training (basic and advanced) and Mental Training. Not bad for a single DVD!

 

As I said earlier, the DVD is constructed such that I will ask you to make selections from the on screen menus as I guide you through each workout. It is therefore totally up to you what each workout consists of, how hard it is, and how long it is! To my knowledge nothing like this has ever been done before in the martial arts or fitness worlds. If the technology is there though, we should be making use of it! I feel this DVD will add a whole new dimension to your solo-training and I'm sure you'll enjoy using it.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Iain

 

The DVD costs just £19.99 and can be purchased from both Summersdale and IainAbernethy.com:

 

Iain Abernethy.com: http://www.iainabernethy.com/acatalog/shop.html

 

Summersdale.com: http://www.summersdale.com/product_info.php?cPath=3_141_163&products_id=848&osCsid=ct6ino8bgs85c9go9029tnp3o2

 

A trailer for the DVD can be viewed at the Summersdale page linked above and on You-Tube.

 

You-Tube Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8irjd31oCo

 

Unfortunately the NTSC version (USA and Canada) will be a fortnight or so behind the PAL version. I'll let out American and Canadian friends know when they can order via these newsletters.

 

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3, The Meaning of Pinan Podcast Update

Since the podcast went up I've had a lot of emails about my alternative theory on what "Pinan" means. If you've not yet listened to the podcast, please follow this link to be taken to the relevant page: http://blog.iainabernethy.com/?p=77

 

I suspected that it may be a little controversial and it seems I was right! I don't think any of the previous podcasts have prompted this much mail. Thank you to everyone who got in touch to provide feedback and to give input. The thought process outlined in the podcast is enough to convince me that "Safe from Harm" is a better reading than "Peaceful Mind", but we can never be 100% sure what Itosu originally had in mind when naming those forms. However, I hope the podcast gets people thinking about that possibility and then deciding for themselves.

 

I got quite a few emails confirming that the characters for "Pinan" (Ping-An) can indeed be read as "safe, safe from harm, safe and sound, etc" in Chinese (Oxford Chinese Dictionary also confirms this). I was particularly interested by the feedback I received from an American high-school teacher who has a large number of Chinese-American students in his classes. He presented the characters to them and asked what they meant. They all came back with variations on "safe from harm" (i.e. safe, safety, free from harm, etc). He then showed the characters to a colleague who spoke Japanese to be told that the characters meant "Peace and Tranquillity". Field tests such as this are very useful for this typically monolingual Englishman!

As I say, I don't speak Japanese or Chinese and I'm therefore very grateful to all those who do for testing the theory. I particularly grateful to those who can read Chinese and can confirm the reading for that combination of characters. I think we have confirmation from the best part of 30 Chinese speakers so far, which is great! It's nice to see people test the idea and I'm very grateful for the input.

 

I also got a few emails explaining how the meaning of compound characters are derived (i.e. how meanings "shift" depending upon which other characters they are combined with) hence the combined meaning of the characters being different from the individual readings in Chinese. Can't say I fully understood those emails ... but they were gratefully received and very interesting nevertheless.

I was also contacted by people who disagreed with the theory. Which is great as it would be boring and unproductive if we all thought the same. As George Patton said, "If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking".

 

As with everything I do, it's simply presented "as is" in the hope that everyone will enjoy the discussion and that some will find the information useful. The theory convinces me, but it was not put out there with the intention of convincing others. So no need to be offended if you hold a different view. I'm not after "converts", but I did want to share my thoughts and perhaps spark a discussion. And It seems I did very well on that front!

 

Thanks once again to all who have contributed and tested and please keep your thoughts and findings coming. The theory was originally put forward on the forum and if you'd like to read a little more on it, or contribute to the discussion, that topic can be accessed via the link below:

 

http://www.iainabernethy.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=000096

I'll prepare a new podcast in a couple of weeks time and let you all know when it is there via the newsletters. You can also subscribe to the podcasts via i-tunes and the RSS feeds (links copied below).

 

I-Tunes Page: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=254183101

Podcast RSS Feeds Page: http://blog.iainabernethy.com/?feed=rss2

 

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4, Iain Abernethy Black Eagle Karate Gis

 

Long term members of this newsletter will be aware of my general dislike of Gis! The reason for this is that I generally find them uncomfortable and also find that they limit my movement. Steve Turner of Black Eagle Martial Arts sent me one of their WKF approved kata gis to try out ... and it is really good! Comfortable, no restriction of motion, and I think I look really dapper! (take a look at the picture on the news-page and see if you agree ;-): www.iainabernethy.com/news_page.asp). I also asked for my name and the kanji and katakana for Abernethy Applied Karate to be embroidered onto the jacket and they did a great job! I'm therefore really pleased to say that Black Eagle have kindly agreed to provide the Gis I use for my seminars. Further details on the Gis and what I had to say about them can be found on the following webpage:

 

http://www.black-eagle.co.uk/newsdesk_info.php/newsdesk_id/21?osCsid=ed03fa34d6329763f280a7097ee47227

 

My Endorsement: These Black Eagle Karate Gi are excellent! Not only do they fit extremely well, but the cut is fantastic. I've worn just about every other type of Karate Gi available and always found them wanting in terms of comfort and freedom of movement. Teaching as many seminars as I do, I spend a lot of time in a Gi and hence I needed something comfortable and reliable. The quality of the custom embroidery is also superb and really looks the business! Black Eagle's Karate Gis offer everything I could want from a Gi! They are highly recommended.

 

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5, How to Spar for the Street: Part 2 by Iain Abernethy

 

The second of a series of articles I have written on making your sparring relevant to the street has now been added to the website. The final part will be added soon and I'll let you know when it is up there via these newsletters. This series of articles is adapted from my contribution to Loren Christensen's "Fighter's Fact Book 2". All martial artists should read that book and details of the book can be found on the associated webpage.

 

 

How to Spar for the Street: Part 2 by Iain Abernethy

 

In this series of articles we are discussing how to make your sparring relevant to real situations. The sparring in most dojos is based on the rules of modern competition and therefore has little in common with real situations. To be clear, I'm not for a second saying there is anything fundamentally wrong with competitive sparring. If you want to win tournaments, that's how you need to spar. The problem occurs when people mistakenly believe that training for competition also develops the skills needed for the street. It doesn't.

 

In part one we briefly discussed the nature of real situations and covered two of the keys to making your sparring relevant to the street. In this second part, we'll be expand our discussion and cover four more of these keys.

 

 

Start without warning

 

Some situations will start without any warning, i.e., if your awareness wasn't what it should be or if you are the victim of a well-executed ambush. It can therefore be good training to also have your sparring start without warning.

 

Seeing as the sparring can start at anytime, all participants need to wear their protective equipment throughout the entire session. The students will then engage in normal training (fitness work, drilling techniques, hitting the pads, etc.). Whenever the leader of the training feels like it, they will shout out the command, "Fight!" At that instant all students should begin sparring with the person or people nearest to them.

 

The great thing about this type of sparring is that you are never sure what situation will develop or when. You may quickly respond to the command and attack a class mate, only for someone else to attack you from the rear. One second you thought you had the advantage, the next you're frantically doing your best against two opponents. After a certain amount of time, the person leading the training will shout, "Stop!" and the students return to whatever they were doing previously.

 

It's important that the person giving out the commands does their best to ensure that the sparring is unexpected. I'm partial to shouting "Fight!" during water breaks, in the middle of drills, straight after a previous bout of sparring, whilst they are performing push-ups, and immediately after I've told them the surprise sparring is over (my personal favourite!). The students quickly begin to expect the unexpected and start to fight well regardless of the situation and position they find themselves in.

 

If you are training as part of a small group, another way to have sparring start without warning is agree that anyone can attack anyone else at any point during the session (you may want to make some exceptions in the name of safety: i.e., agree that you can't be attacked when handling weights, etc). The lack of the command to start makes the sparring all the more unexpected. It also ensures that all training done between the sparring is done with the correct attitude. If you start doing things in a half-hearted fashion, your partners may very well decide ....

 

CONTINUED ON IAIN ABERNETHY.COM

 

Please follow this link below to read the entire illustrated article:

 

http://www.iainabernethy.com/articles/Street_Sparring_Part_2.asp

 

 

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6, November 2007 Introductory Instructors Course

 

There are now a handful of places left on this course. If you do want to go, please act quickly as I have to be strict on numbers. Please also be aware that I have said from the onset that places will be issued on a first come, first served basis and an email to me expressing interest in no way reserves a place. I don't wish to have to disappoint people, as I had to last year, so please act quickly as the course is certain to be booked up soon.

 

You can find further details and book your place by following the link below:

 

http://www.iainabernethy.com/acatalog/Introductory_Instructors_Course__24th___25th_Nov_.html

 

Details have also been copied below:

 

IAIN ABERNETHY INTRODUCTORY INSTRUCTORS COURSE

 

As a result of continual requests for training sessions for instructors who wish to integrate Iain's methods into their own teaching, a second Introductory Instructors Course has been organised for the 24th and 25th of November 2007.

 

The course will cover kata application, training drills, power generation, karate grappling, close-range striking, limb-control, kata-based sparring, karate in self-protection etc. The emphasis will be on integrating all aspects of Iain's approach into your training and teaching. The course will be a mixture of the theoretical and the practical.

 

The drivers behind the course are Iain's desire to ensure that those who want to adopt his methods into their teaching get the required support, and to increase the list of instructors Iain can recommend to people wanting a pragmatic and holistic approach to karate and related arts. The course will be certificated and all those who successfully complete the course will receive an Introductory Instructors Certificate from Iain.

 

The nature of the course means that numbers will be limited and therefore people are encouraged to book as quickly as possible.

 

To sit the course you need to meet the following criteria:

• All participants must hold a dan grade.

• All participants must be a certified instructor with their governing body

• All participants must have teaching experience and be actively teaching others

• All participants must be over 18 years

• All participants must be in good health and have valid insurance

• All participants must have had sufficient exposure to Iain's methods (i.e. a regular at the seminars etc)

By signing up for the course you are offering the assurance that you meet the above requirements. If you have any questions relating to your eligibility please don't hesitate to contact Iain at iain@iainabernethy.com

 

All participants will require the following equipment: gi, focus mitts, sparring gloves, bag gloves, note pad, pen, protective sparring equipment, water bottle and food.

 

The course will be held on the 24th and 25th of November 2007 at Trinity Leisure Centre, Strand Road, Carlisle, CA1 1JB (Right next to Trinity School) Tel: 01228403565. The training will be from 10am to 3pm both days. The cost for the whole seminar is £120. The full amount or a deposit of £60 secures your place (balance payable on the 24th of November). NOTE: Only 20 places are available for those not presently on the instructors program. Your £60 deposit guarantees your place and is therefore non-refundable.

 

You can book your place on-line by following the link below:

 

http://www.iainabernethy.com/acatalog/Introductory_Instructors_Course__24th___25th_Nov_.html

 

You can also pay by credit / debit card by calling 01900829406 (Overseas: +441900829406) or by Cheque (Payable to "NETH Publishing") at NETH Publishing, PO Box 38, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 0EX, United Kingdom.

 

If you should have any questions please don't hesitate to contact Iain at iain@iainabernethy.com or call 01900829406 (UK).

 

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7, FREE Applied Karate / Bunkai-Jutsu Gi Badges

 

The badges have been flying out and despite ordering twice as many this time around, we are now starting to run low. If you still want a badge, please act now.

 

The idea behind the badges is that it will help identify members to one another at seminars etc as well as showing your interest in pragmatic karate and kata bunkai. If you visit the news-page of the website you'll be able to see the design: www.iainabernethy.com/news_page.asp

 

The badge is 3 inches square. Across the top in black it has the words, "Practical Kata-Based Karate". Underneath in large red letters is has "BUNKAI JUTSU". Below that are the Japanese Characters for "Kata Bunkai". And finally, at the bottom is the website address. You can obviously place the badge wherever you wish; however, the favoured place with me and the gents I train with is the left sleeve.

 

As I said, we only have a limited number of badges left so please act quickly if you want one. Send your Stamped Addressed Envelope to the address below:

 

Free Gi Badge

c/o NETH Publishing

PO Box 38

Cockermouth

Cumbria

CA13 0GS

UNITED KINGDOM

 

Overseas members will need to contact their local postal service and ask about their country's equivalent of an "international reply coupon".

 

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8, The Scientist-Practitioner Model in Martial Arts by Stuart Sadler

 

One of the earliest lessons we are taught is to form our own opinions of what we see. We are encouraged to test and evaluate what we learn in our martial arts based on how effective it would be in real settings. The scientist-practitioner model of practise is derived from Clinical Psychology and posits that evidence-based methods and procedures should be employed as routine but also researched further to increase efficiency. Applied to martial arts, this corresponds to using methods and techniques that are evidence-based and have some level of demonstrated effectiveness, whilst also continuing to find ways of further increasing efficiency. Clearly, such an approach to the martial arts would separate "what would really work" from "what wouldn't really work", or to use modern martial terms, separate the "reality-based" from the "bullshido".

 

In the healthcare environment from which this model is derived, a distinction is made between "scientist-practitioner" and "applied scientist" approaches. Whereas the latter is concerned only with applying existing evidence, the former investigates existing evidence further by testing alternatives. In other words, whereas applied scientists are concerned mainly with application of current knowledge, scientist-practitioners are on a dual track of researching the best methods as well as applying them in practise. Both approaches are therefore concerned with performance, but the scientist-practitioner model strives to improve performance further by identifying and testing other ways. As a result, a knowledge base develops which is founded in scientific evidence, and is the basis used to inform current or newer methods.

 

How does one employ the scientist-practitioner approach in the martial arts? Primarily, it requires the practitioner to hold a sceptical and enquiring mind. It assumes comfort in being able to look at the current methods being employed (including one's own) and acknowledge the fact that they are flawed in some way. Due to the necessity of actively critiquing one's own technique, a certain level of maturity is required to acknowledge one's existing (or their teacher's existing) method might not be the most effective. Furthermore, the approach also requires the individual to accept that any new method may also be able to be improved in some way. These attributes are not always easy to find, but they are prerequisites for adopting the scientist-practitioner approach in the martial arts.

 

Assuming the individual meets the previous character requirements, the scientist-practitioner then forms hypotheses and then test them. This might be either with the aim of solving a current difficulty (for example, being unable to get adequate hip rotation when punching with heel down), or alternatively comparing the effectiveness of two suggested methods (for example, whether heel up or heel down leads to a more powerful reverse punch). Hypotheses (in this context) are usually framed as questions that often test for differences, for example: "Does lifting my heel during a reverse punch lead to a more powerful punch than when keeping my heel down?" or "Does chambering my leg lead to a faster front kick than not chambering?" Following the formation of a hypothesis, it is then tested with the aim of answering the question. Testing a hypothesis may be done with varying degrees of complexity ranging from the simplest (eg. having another person rate both methods after feeling them several times through a pad) to the most complex (using specific technology and follow-up statistical analyses) depending on the resources available. Irrespective of the method of testing, the aim is the same: to obtain sufficient data that contributes an answer to the hypothesis.

 

Of course, hypothesis testing is useless if the practitioner ....

 

CONTINUED ON IAIN ABERNETHY.COM

 

Please follow this link below to read the entire article:

 

http://www.iainabernethy.com/articles/Stuart_Sadler_1.asp

 

 

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9, Karate in the Cage

 

I'm delighted that Gavin Mulholland has recently joined the forum. Gavin is a Goju-Ryu teacher of great renown who teaches karate as the holistic and practical system it is supposed to be. Gavin regularly contributes to Traditional Karate Magazine and he has written a soon to be released book on the application of Goju kata called "Four Shades of Black". I've seen the manuscript and had the honour of contributing a foreword to what I know will be an extremely popular book (more details in future newsletters).

 

A while ago Gavin and I taught a joint seminar (great fun!) and it was at that seminar that I first met Neil Grove. Neil is a student of Gavin's and a Shodan in Goju. Neil is also developing a reputation for quick knockouts in MMA events (watch this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SsAmJz6-ZU). I love watching MMA - as I know many of you do too - and like me I'm sure you'll be giving Neil your support in his events.

 

I've copied what Gavin had to say about these events from the forum:

 

One of our Shodan, Neil Grove, took his first fight in April and won in 55 seconds (TKO). His second fight a couple of months later went to the second round but he won with some ground 'n' pound.

Then recently on a Thursday night we got a call from Cage Rage saying that Kimmo had pulled out of his fight with James 'Colossus' Thompson and would Neil like to step up on two days notice and take the fight.

He did and as it was at Wembley and he'd only had two previous fights it was very scary.

On two days notice our tactics were to treat it as a one minute fight (not three rounds) and just take it to him - attack and smash style.

Neil went out swinging and knocked Thompson out in 10 seconds of the first round.
 

They have done it again and Neil has been called up at short notice to face Croatian fighter Domagoj Ostojic at Cage Rage 23 in Wembly on the 22nd of this month.

It will be a tough fight. Although this will only be his second fight in the cage Ostojic is a Thai Boxer with a record of 35 wins (29 TKO) and 5 losses.

 

http://www.iainabernethy.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000162

 

More details can be found at www.cagerage.tv :Due to unforeseen circumstances Neil Wain has been forced to drop out of the CR 23 "Unbelievable" card, but in an almost carbon copy of his last outing, Neil Grove has accepted the fight against Ostich at short notice. Grove's demolition of James Thompson in under 12 seconds was his first fight for Cage Rage and what a way to introduce yourself! Get ready for another war as these 2 big hitters enter the cage. Remember not to blink this time!

 

SEE SECTION 22 FOR AN ARTICLE BY GAVIN MULHOLLAND

 

 

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10, Mental Strength Book on i-tunes

 

Last month I told you all that following on from my Mental Strength book and Mental Strength DVD an audio book version is to be released for download. The audio book version is taken from the audio of the DVD and is now available from i-tunes! Please type "Iain Abernethy" into the i-tunes search engine and it will take you to the right page.

 

The information in the Mental Strength range is essentially my views on what we martial artists would refer to as the "Do" side of the arts and I'm really pleased with how successful they have been. The book has been a fast seller and the DVD has sold in it's thousands. I hope the audio book will be similarly well received and that you also find it enjoyable.

 

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11, Upcoming Iain Abernethy Seminars

 

Below you can find details of the open seminars taking place over the next few months. As you can see, my calendar is pretty full with virtually no dates left in 2007. If you want a seminar at your dojo in 2008, I'd be grateful if you could get in touch ASAP. If there are any questions about any of the seminars please don't hesitate to contact me (iain@iainaberenthy.com).

 

www.iainabernethy.com/news_page.asp#Seminars

 

 

15th September 07 – Newtonabbey, Glengormly , Northern Ireland

 

1pm to 5pm at a cost of £20 / Person. This course is being hosted by Danny Corr's Zanshin Karate-Jutsu group and will the held at The Hut, Newtonabbey, Glengormly. For details of the seminar and to confirm your place, please contact Danny Corr on 02890599976 or email karatejutsu1@ntlworld.com You can also write to Danny at 78 Carnmoney Road , Glengormley , BT36 6HU , N Ireland . If you'd like to book your place in advance please send full payment to the above address (Cheques made payable to "Zanshin Karate"). Zanshin Karate-Jutsu Website: www.truekarate.co.uk

 

 

23rd September 07 – Morpeth, Northumberland

 

1pm to 4pm at a cost of £20 / Person or £17.50 if paid in advance. Post course buffet included. Please make cheques payable to "Morpeth Riverside Karate Club" and send to 21 Postern Crescent, High Church, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2JN. The location is Riverside Leisure Centre, Morpeth, Northumberland (on high-street, turn left at the clock tower. Leisure centre is than on your right-hand side next to the river). For further details contact Joan on 01670 515009 or email worhoos@hotmail.com

 

 

29th September 07 – Stockport, Cheshire

 

On Saturday the 29th of September I'll be teaching a seminar in Stockport. The seminar will run from 1pm to 5 pm and will take place the North West Martial Arts Academy, 1st Floor number 3 Tollbar St, just off Hillgate, Stockport, SK1 3EW (venue phone number is 0161 429 9343). The cost will be £25 per person. To book your place please contact John Salt on 07974 833839 or by email on johnsalt56@googlemail.com. Having confirmed places are still available with John, you can pay by sending a cheque (payable to "E.I.M.A.") to 10 Meadow Lane, Disley, Stockport, Cheshire, SK12 2EX. Places are to be strictly limited (20 people) and hence you are requested to get in touch ASAP in order to ensure you get a place.

 

 

30th September 07 – Inverurie, Aberdeenshire

 

This seminar will take place in the Garioch Sports Centre, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire from 10am to 4pm. The seminar will cost £25 per person and must be paid in full at least two weeks before the seminar. Places are limited and you are encouraged to book early to secure your place. Cheques should be made payable to "S. Gordon" and should be sent to Steve Gordon, 8 Donald Gordon Court, Oldmeldrum, Inverurie, AB51 0GR. Further details can be gained by contacting Steve via st.gordon@btinternet.com or phone 01651 873563 (between 7pm and 9pm) or 07841721477 (during the day).

 

 

7th October 07 – Chelmsford, Essex

 

This seminar will take place in Chelmsford, Essex from 12 to 4pm. The venue is Newlands Spring Centre, Dickens Place, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 4UU. Tickets cost £25 per person and all tickets must be purchased in advance (no "on-the-door tickets" will be available). Cheques should be made payable to "Kernow Karate club" and sent to Kernow Karate Club, 2 Abell Way, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 6WU. For further details please email Paul Newman on paul@kernowkarate.co.uk or call Paul on 01245 460910 or 07968 632719. www.kernowkarate.co.uk

 

 

14th October 07 – Leeds

 

This seminar is being hosted by the Kaizen Martial Arts Academy. The seminar will run from 11am to 3pm at a cost of £25 / Person. No entry on the day. Names and full payment must be received by the 1st on October. For further details contact Jim Reece at jimreece@kaizenmartialarts.co.uk You can also call Jim on: 0113 2690383. Cheques should be made payable to "Kaizen Martial Arts Academy" and sent to Jim Reece, 234 West Park Drive West, Roundhay, Leeds, LS8 2BD. The seminar will be held at Kaizen Martial Arts Academy, 2nd Floor, Swinnow Grange Mills, Stanningley Road, Leeds, LS13 4EP.

 

 

20th October 07 – Middlesbrough, Cleveland

 

This seminar will take place from 11:00am to 3:00pm and will be held in the Harewood Space Sports and Arts, Robert Atkinson Centre, Thorntree Road, Thornaby, Stockton On Tees, Cleveland, TS17 8AP. The cost of the seminar is £20 (full amount or a £10 deposit secures your place). Cheques should be made payable to "Taisho-Do Karate" and sent to Mark Raistrick, 18 Birkhall Road, Thorntree, Middlesbrough, TS3 9JP. Mark can also be contacted on 07870550848 or Taishodo@aol.com for further details.

 

 

3rd November 07 – Ballymena, Northern Ireland

 

1pm to 5pm at a cost of £20 Sterling / Person. The seminar will be held at the Minor Hall, Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena. This will be my 12th Seminar for the CKA. There is no other group who have hosted as many seminars and they are always really good fun. As always, I'm really looking forward to my visit. For further details please contact Dan Redmond on either 02825638913 or 07976987696. Or write to Dan Redmond, 185 Dunclug Park, Ballymena, BT43 6NU, Northern Ireland. Email: chujo@hotmail.com

 

 

9th, 10th and 11th of November 07 – Oslo, Norway

 

On the 9th, 10th and 11th of November I'll be teaching my second series of seminar in Norway. The first was earlier this year and it was a blast! It should be a great weekend and I'm really looking forward seeing everyone again as well as making some new friends.

 

The seminar will be based on well known basic kata, and there will be a mixture of recap from the previous seminar and new material. The focus will be on principles and understanding, so anybody who practices a fighting system that includes kata/patterns will benefit from the seminar.

 

The seminars 9th, 10th and 11th of November 2007 at the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences (Norges Idrettshøgskole), Sognsveien 220, Oslo, Norway. Sessions will be held on the Friday the 9^th (1800 – 2030), Saturday the 10th (1000 – 1300 and 1330 – 1630) and on Sunday the 11^th (0900 – 1200).

 

The training fees for the whole weekend are NOK 500. For the single days the fees are as follows: Friday - NOK 200, Saturday - NOK 300, Sunday - NOK 200.

 

Register by paying the training fee in NOK to the following account: Stein Paulsen, Markveien 38B, 0554 Oslo, Norway. From within Norway: Account no.: 9713 61 58620. From outside Norway: IBAN no.: NO0797136158620. SWIFT/BIC-code: DNBANOKK. Please provide the following information with the payment: Full name, club and e-mail address, as well as which days you wish to participate. You will be sent a confirmation on e-mail as soon as the payment is registered. The registration is binding.

 

Contact person: Stein Paulsen. e-mail: stein@webtrener.no Phone: +47 90572698. Further details can also be found on this website: www.karate-jutsu.no

 

 

17th and 18th of November 07 – Munich, Germany

 

On the 17th and 18th of November I'll be teaching a weekend of seminars in Munich, Germany. Places are limited so interested parties are encouraged to contact the host as soon as possible.

 

The session on Saturday the 17th of November will run from 1pm to 5pm. The session on Sunday the 18th of November will run from 9am to 12pm. The seminars will cost 35 Euros for one day and 55 Euros for both days. Both sessions will be held in Munich-Solln, Sports4you, Drygalski-Allee 41. To register your interest and to gain further details please contact James on karatelehrgang@gmx.de.

 

International payments ( i.e. UK ) need to be made out to:

 

Payable to:
Doncevic
IBAN DE 50 70150000 0000 428979
SWIFT CODE SSKMDEMM
 

National (German) payments need to be made out to:

Payable to:
Doncevic
KtoNr: 428979
BLZ: 70150000
 

Please enter the day of your attendance in the comment field (i.e. Saturday/Sunday or both). Payment into the account will act as registration for the seminar. When you have transferred the money, an email will be sent to you confirming your booking as soon as payment is received. Further details can be found on the following website: www.karatelehrgang.de 

 

 

www.iainabernethy.com/news_page.asp#Seminars

 

Details of Iain Abernethy's upcoming seminars can be found on the News Page of www.iainabernethy.com To organise a seminar for your club, write to seminars@iainabernethy.com or call 01900829406

 

 

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12, New Fighting Forms Online Video Clips

 

Regular subscribers to these newsletters will be aware of Matthew Miller's new book "Fighting Forms". This book covers how Kushanku kata (Kanku-Dai) can be practised as a two man form. To support the book, and so people can see Matthew's drill in action, there are a number of video clips that can be downloaded from Matthew's website (www.fightingforms.com). A new video clip has recently been added to the articles section (www.fightingforms.com/articles.html)! The clip was filmed on a beach in Ibiza and is well worth checking out. When combined with the previous two clips, you really start to get an idea of the compete drill that is recorded in the book.

 

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13, The Martial Minute (free newsletters)

 

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14, Iain Abernethy in Norway (November 2007)

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15, Iain Abernethy in Germany (November 2007)

 

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16, Fast Track Arnis 2

 

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17, Virtual Sensei

 

I've met Chris Marshall at a few of my seminars and he told me about a product he was developing called "Virtual Sensei". It essentially consists of a number of MP3 tracks that prompt the listener to perform all the various basics, kata, combinations, pair work and sparring of traditional karate. There are two versions of virtual sensei available: one for Wado-Ryu and one for Shotokan. You can decide which sections you wish to use, or select "random" on your MP3 player for an entertaining mix of kata, combination, basics etc. If you visit the website (www.virtualsensei.co.uk) you can listen to some free samples and download the accompanying manual. I've also copied some extra details from the website below:

 

Welcome to the home page of Virtual Sensei your take anywhere Karate instructor. You pick the type of session you want; Basics, Kata, Pairwork, Kumite or Combinations or have a random session comprising of a mixture of these sessions. No more worries about missing a class or not having the time to attend a session. Keep your martial art in top form by use of Virtual Sensei today.

 

What is Virtual Sensei?
Virtual Sensei is an audio training tool designed specifically for Karateka to help give them a complete session when training alone or with others.

How does Virtual Sensei work?
Virtual Sensei works by calling out techniques followed by a series of bleeps (counts) to which the student performs to each beep count) until another set of commands are instructed the audio finishes.

How do I hear the commands?
By either playing the audio on a compatible device such as an mp3 player or Hi-Fi earphones (Ipod nano) or by amplifying the audio through what ever means required.

 

How do I receive Virtual Sensei?
After placing your order Virtual Sensei will be sent to you by download(mp3 format) or by recorded delivery.
 

Is Virtual Sensei style based?
No, anybody who trains in Karate can use Virtual Sensei although the names of kata may change from style to style Just alter according to your needs.

 

 

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18, Message Board Latest

 

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19, Monthly Training Sessions with Iain Abernethy & Mike Liptrot (Impact & Groundwork)

 

The next joint session with Mike Liptot and myself will be held on the 21st of this month. I'm really enjoying these sessions (loads of fun!) and there is some great material coming out of them. Mike teaches takedowns and all aspects of groundwork, and I cover striking, training drills and impact development. What is really fun though is the way everything combines together! Everyone is made very welcome and the details are below for anyone who like to join us on these informal get-togethers.

 

All of these sessions will be held in Kendal Judo Club, The Dojo, Parkside Business Park, Parkside Road, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 7EN.

 

The upcoming sessions will be held on the following dates and will cost just £5 per session:

 

• Friday the 21^st of September 2007

• Friday the 19^th of October 2007

• Friday the 23^rd of November 2007

• Friday the 14^th of December 2007

 

They will be held from 8:00pm to 9:30pm to allow everyone time to get there. If you'd like to come along, please contact Mike on 07708968194. I look forward to seeing you there!

 

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20, Mike Liptrot DVD Coming soon!

 

In previous months I let you all know that Mike Liptrot (my judo coach) has made an instructional Judo DVD with Summersdale productions (he's the cover star of the 2008 catalogue). I was there on the day of filming and I know you are going to really enjoy the DVD! Mike is a superb coach with a great ability to identify and communicate the key concepts and build a technique up from the ground. Watch the DVD and you'll see what I mean. The good news is that you won't have long to wait! I'm told the DVD will be ready in October and I'll be sure to let you all know when it is ready via these newsletters. I'm also told that Mike's website will be up and running at the same time! I know Mike has big plans for the site and it is sure to be a great resource for us all. Be sure to watch this space!
 

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21 - Training with Sensei Shingo Ohgami

 

On Sunday the 9th of September, I had the opportunity to train under Shingo Ohgami for the first time. Like most people who started out in Wado, I own well-thumbed copies of Sensei Ohgami's books "Introduction to Karate" and "Karate Katas of Wado-Ryu". It would be my guess that if you visited almost any Wado dojo in the land, someone will have a copy of one of those books in their kitbag! I've had my copies for over 20 years and they are now a little worse for wear. I was not sure if their tattered state would be taken as a sign they were well studied, or that they were badly cared for! Either way, I decided to take them along as ask Sensei Ohgami to sign them.

 

The reason for our meeting was that a session had been arranged, as part of a weekend long event, where Sensei Ohgami would teach the first session on the Pinan kata, and I would teach the second session on my take on the applications of those forms. Sensei Ohgami's session was great fun! I found him to be a very humorous teacher and his breakdown of the kata to core principles was fascinating. It was also a joy to see Sensei Ohgami perform the Pinan series. Between the sessions I had the opportunity to briefly chat with Sensei Ohgami before I began teaching.

 

It was a little weird for me to have Sensei Ohgami training in with everyone else during my session, but I was interested to hear his thoughts on my approach and was delighted to have the opportunity to show aspects of it firsthand. Unfortunately, Andy Shipton - a regular at my seminars - had to leave before my session began (his wife went into labour; which is probably one of the better reasons to leave training early! ;-). I was therefore ably assisted in my demos by Dave White (another seminar regular), but it may have been nice for Dave not be be on the receiving end of every demo!

 

At the end of the session Leo McDermott kindly gave me some signed, pristine copies of Sensei Ohgami's books (which was great as it meant I could keep the worn ones in my bag!) and Sensei Ohgami was presented with a book on English Martial arts.

 

We then went to a local health club where I had the opportunity to continue the conversation with Sensei Ohgami. As most of you will know, Sensei Ohgami is a martial historian of great renown and it was great to informally chat with him. I was also honoured by the positive things Sensei Ohgami had to say about my approach to kata. A very memorable day! I'd like to once again express my thanks to everyone for inviting me along to the event. I had a blast!

 

If you visit the news-page of the website (www.iainabernethy.com/news_page.asp) you can see a picture taken on the day. L to R: Dave White, Sensei Ohgami, myself, and Leo McDermott. The grin on my face says it all! :-)

 

The following link will take you to Sensei Ohgami's website (which includes an interesting history of Wado-Ryu): www.wadokai.se