Training week in and week out can get somewhat, repetitive,
you sometimes lose focus and need a shakeup, something different to come along
to test your abilities as a Karateka, so you can ask yourself, “How good am I
really?”
Technical sessions do this, when you realise your foot moves
before you punch, you CAN fight south port but your knee lift in your kicks isn’t
high enough. Sometimes as a 3rd Dan, we are not looked at in classes
as we are assumed to be getting it right, but imperfections creep up on you and
they stay until recognised. (Although Sensei Terry teaches us privately, we get
away with nothing)
It’s not about sweating and half dying during a session, it’s
about discovering things you never noticed before – this is where you gain true
knowledge.
Everyone remembers special highlights in their lives,
moments that impress or influence you in the best way possible, like, your
first karate session or you’re first grading.
I remember all of these moments, but one moment I will never
forget is my first attendance at the European Shotokan Karate Championships.
Being 15, I was unable to compete in the Championships, but
Sensei Terry brought me over to watch the talent which was displayed, in Porto,
Portugal in 2007.
It was here that I watched Christopher Cray’s every fight on
his way to European Victory.
Displaying countering reactions that can only be described as
perfect, highlighting the precision that he must undertake to read his opponent
like a book to be able to confidently push himself forward to a moment of
impact that could cause himself pain if he did not believe that he was fast
enough, but the audience could see that no one was beating Chris’s Gaku-zsuki
that day.
Counter Fighters – Karateka whom rely on reading their opponent
to such a degree, that they can see exactly when they are going to attack and
what they are going to attack with. They do this by carefully watching body movements
to see the slightest budge of a hand, tilt of a head or blink of an eye. And that’s
it, the counter attacker is on you like a rash.
Being a counter attacker opens you up to many disadvantages
when fighting in a competition, you need to be fast enough to hit first or you
are caught.
Chris Cray had this technique down to a fine art.
I’m the other end of the scale, I attack my opponent, in
hope that I do not telegraph so they can read my movements – doesn’t always
work but I try.
You thrive to learn everyone’s name when you are dedicated
to something, you want to know the winners, to watch them compete and learn
from them I did not know anyone’s name when I first joint the KUGB.
The first name I became accustomed too and learnt was Chris
Cray, European Champion 2007.
After his win at the European Championship, I decided to
change my approach to Kumite, focus less on being hard and focus more on being
fast, learn more tricks to use again your opposition to confuse and offset them
just like Chris did, that May I won the National Championships for the first
time. These are techniques that you can only learn from watching what it takes
to be a winner.
7 years on it is a privilege to have trained alongside Chris
in many courses and training sessions throughout the years and now he is a
dedicated instructor and coach teaching at Malvern Karate Club, I now consider
him a friend. – I am watching, patiently, that young female student of his by
the way who I believe has won the KUGB Nationals several times now. Watching
and Waiting.
Chris has visited Northern Ireland several times now,
teaching sessions at brother club Fudoshin a couple of times a year and myself
and my brother wouldn’t miss it.
Having personally watched Chris at what he is good at,
Kumite, he is right up my street for developing little tricks and making big
improvements on your fighting style.
He doesn’t try to change the way you compete, he tries to
enhance it. Which I believe is important.
He believes strongly in the application of the technique and
not just how good it looks when being performed.
True Shotokan Karate is Chris’s era. Where careful contact
is allowed and emphasis on the importance of a blank face and little movement,
but perfect execution of technique is highlighted.
I would like to thank Chris for another great session and I
am looking forward to the next one.
Quote of the session
“If we have time for
Kata we will do it, if we don’t, well….we don’t”
