Over May Bank Holiday Weekend ESA instructor Sensei Alan Armstrong travelled to Romania to conduct a weekend training course in Kase-ha Shotokan Ryu after a two year absence due to injury.

The road to the secret training camp

Sensei Alan in Campina

On the first day training was based in the city of Campina in the Transylvanian Alps with a group of instructors and students from Campina and Bucharest. The morning training took place outdoors in a secluded natural amphitheatre in the mountains, which was used as a dojo by Sensei Florin Postolache and his group during the communist days when Karate was banned in Romania. The first class was based on the underlying principles of movement, ground contact, use of the hara and ibuki breathing with a series of layered exercises using Uke Waza and Tsuki Waza to building up the students understanding of the relationship of these elements. The second class studied the application of these principles in kata and Kumite.

Training in the Campina Dojo

Young Romanian Student and his Makiwara

In the evening training transferred to Sensei Postolache’s dojo in the city centre. Here Sensei Armstrong was surprised by a visit from the local TV station who filmed an interview and part of the class. Training in this session looked at applying the principles studied earlier in the day to Geri Waza and then introducing the Black and Brown belt students to Heian Oyo Kata.

Training moved to Bucharest for the second day and was held in the dojo of Romania’s first KSKA member Sensei Theodor Paraschivescu. Morning training looked at Ten-no-kata and its use in improving speed and power development and then Ten-no-kumite for practical application of that speed and power. The final class on Sunday evening practiced Sochin Kata with strong emphasis on the principles that had been worked on over the weekend keeping the deep stances & heel connection throughout this complex kata and combining it with speed timing and breathing.

Centre of Bucharest	Causecu’s Palace now the Romanian Parliament
Main Orthodox Cathedral in Bucharest with old Parliament building behind	Romanian tranquillity

Sensei Armstrong commented “It was good to be back amongst friends in Romania especially Sensei Paraschivescu and Sensei Adrian Alecu who became a member of the KSKA this year. I met these two former national champions over five years ago when I was working and training in Romania and they have become firm friends. They form the nucleus of a small but growing group who are keen develop in Kase-ha Shotokan-ryu”