A Donegal man has returned from training with karate grand masters in Japan.
Gerard Foley of the Letterkenny Shotokan Karate Club recently visited the historical island of Okinawa, where karate originated hundreds of years ago.
He trained with a number of experienced Sensei, picking up valuable knowledge to bring back home.
“The devil is in the detail,” Gerard said.
“There is a wealth of martial arts knowledge in Okinawa but it doesn’t seem to leave Okinawa in some cases. Being hands on, in person, with these teachers really opens your eyes.”
“Turning your wrist a little bit more this way, breathing this way not that way, all these details can make a significant difference in power and speed. Once it clicks, you can feel the difference.”
“Sensei Yoshimasa Kakazu, a 10th level dan (black belt), was very welcoming in his dojo, an impressive place adorned with armour and weapons going back as far as the samurai period,” Gerald said recounting his experience.
“At 80 years old he’s still going strong and sharp with a keen sense of detail. He and the rest of his students were very interested in how we do things in Ireland, how our movements are similar yet different. In kumite (fighting) practice, there was a lot of emphasis on the technique of go no sen, where an opponent begins to strike, the strike is received and deflected, and immediately there is a counterattack. All of this is done in one simultaneous movement which is extremely fast.”
Gerald also trained with Sensei Hiroshi Akamine, 9th level dan, focusing on weapons such as the Sai (a 3 pronged dagger), and the Bo (a long staff).
He also attended the Shureido championships, where he found common ground with the attendants despite the language barrier: “It was surprising to see such similarity in their competitions versus ours which goes to show that karate is truly international. Even with broken Japanese and broken English, it was relatively easy to communicate with each other simply through understanding the terms of karate.”
Gerard said he hoped this visit would forge connections between Okinawa and Letterkenny, and that future visits may be in store.
The Letterkenny Shotokan Karate Club has recently returned to training nearly every day of the week at the community centre, and all are welcome to come down and try it for themselves.
