Mr Mio

It was great to see a good friend start yet another journey.  Such an emotional moment to see someone tackle all his opponents and challenges to get to his goal. As with all the problems in Japan now, we need to fight to survive and fight to protect.  For a student, the road to black belt is one road that is never an easy one but we decide our destiny whether you like it or not. Such is life, we walk down the road we choose to walk. We decide how steep it should be and accept all the hurdles that in come in our way. One thing we must remember is not to give in to weaknesss as for that we lose to ourselves. Human beings are all fighters by nature. We fight to survive and we fight to protect. I congratulate Miochi for fighting so hard and for showing how strong we as human can be when it really is needed.

Color of Kuramae

I was very fortunate to join Yamaguchi-sensei to attend the Thursday practice at the Kuramae Dojo. To be surrounded by so many skilled students made me feel such a beginner and it was good. There is so much we need to learn to be phsyically and mentally stronger. To practice with so many people at that level definitely helps to improve your own ability. All I can say is I will be going back to that dojo to learn and enjoy the great friendship.

Wayne.

Disaster Message

This is a time where we all need to strong and work together. There are so many people who may need our assistance. We have to give where we can give and comfort when we can comfort. I know the Mugen community is such a giving and supportive community. Please do whatever you can do to help those that are in need. We are all strong fighters and now is the time for us to fight the hardest. Please do the obvious by donating money, not wasting power and asking others if they need help.  Please be at anyone's assistance when needed. The real work starts from now but I am sure we can pull through this if we work together. Please reach out and do whatever you can as every little effort can count so much.

For those who do need help please contact Yamaguchi-sensei directly so we can try to organize assistance as soon as possible. We will also be able to provide support for non-Japanese speaking members so please just contact Mugen Karate on the main number 03-5856-5575 anytime.


Take care and give care,

Wayne.

Gedan Barai

I like this one a lot. Gedan Barai translates to 'low level block'. It looks easy to perform but believe me, form and application of this defensive move is difficult. I think the kids like doing this one a lot . They seem to hold their stance well when doing it and you can see it in their faces. So serious and so much effort into control.  Not easy for even the adults, the angle of the lower arm is very important, as with the drawn back attacking arm. That with being well balanced on your feet make this defensive move something very challenging. Make sure to watch Yamaguchi-sensei or Taka-sensei carefully when this block is performed. It is a very beautiful and classic karate manuever, something I definitely will be practicing hard on in the next class.

Wayne.

Are you on the ball?

I will start with this classic expression. 'On the ball' means alert, in control, effective. Mugen kids love to warm up with the work out ball before practice starts. They use it for balance and control. As when doing karate, so much has to do with control and balance. Very similar in the adults class, we do 'the balance game' whereby we stand on the balls of our feet to then see if we can knock over our opponents by pushing them with out hands. Balance & Control is such an important aspect of Karate. Especially for the Mugen style, it is probably more important than being physically stronger and more powerful.

We all win...

It was yet another spectacular Mugen Tournament. This time at the Shidax hall with such a large space it made the event just more exciting. Again there were many great moments. What I loved the most was seeing the kids trying so hard and working as a team. Same for the adults, such comradery, support and laughter, it really made such a wonderful day for competitors and spectators.

My top moments:
- Hearing Adeta say to his mother  "I lost but got 4 points!"
- Mateo saying "I will try harder next time. I will join my dad in Sunday's class for the second hour training".
- Seeing Taka-sensei's inspirational smile when leading the shonen class Kihon.
- Watching Angelo compete in such gentleman fashion.
- To see Yamaguchi-sensei judge all matches hopping on his broken foot!


Thank you Yamaguchi-sensei again for organizing yet another wonderful event.
Everyone tried so hard today, to me we all leave as winners.

Wayne

Next - The Tournament

One big thing that makes Mugen Tournaments so special is the mix of adult and kids matches all happening at once. It's a wonderful gathering of friends and family filled full of cheering and laughter. Yamaguchi-sensei does such a good job of building a safe and fun environment for us that we all can feel comfortable and try our best. For me the best moments are to watching the kids matches and seeing all of them try so hard. It is such an emotional time, you not only see competitors cry but also supporters. The special awards part is also something very touching to watch. To see someone being recognized for trying their hardest is something that makes me proud to be a Mugen-kai member.

Hope to see you all at the next Mugen Tournament at the Shidax hall in Shibuya on February 27th. This is something I definitely will not be missing.

Wayne.

Map to Shidax Hall -> http://www.shidax.co.jp/ssv/access.html

2011 Mugen Karate Events 

Feb 27 - Team event tournament 

Mar 26/27 - Mugen-kai Kids Training camp 
April 24 - Grading day (Kuramae )
May 21 - Kids Grading day (Hiroo & Azabu-Juban)
Jun 26 - Mugen Tournament and Mugen's 5th year Aniversary party 
July 9/10 - Mugen-kai Kids Training Camp
Aug 7 - Adult's Grading day (Kuramae)
Sep 17/18 - Mugen-kai Kids Training camp
Oct 10 - Mugen-kai Exihibition
Nov 5 - Kids Grading (Kuramae & Akihabara)
Nov 12 - Kids Grading day (Azabu-Juban & Hiroo)
Nov 27 - Mugen-kai Tournament
Dec 18 - Adults Grading day (Azabu-juban)

Hiroo Dojo

My first visit to the Hiroo dojo and I have to say though it is totally different in look from the Azubu Juban Dojo, the vibe is exactly the same. It was a nice practice to observe and take photos. We had a nice mix of married couples and many women wearing black belts! A very safe class and lots of fun let yet again by Yamaguchi-sensei. Hiroo is a very nice place. I will definitely be back again and hope to practice with every one soon.

Wayne.