CONTENTS

Tournaments

Sensei Ellen-

profile

Mid-winter

training in Timaru

News

Year’s

calender

OCTOBER 2007

TOURNAMENT NEWSSenpai Mike Baldwin recently travelled to Sydney to compete in the Australian Kyokushin Nationals tournament. This is a knockdown tournament, where the competitors are not permitted to wear any protective padding. Competing in the middleweight open division, Senpai fought three bouts and achieved a creditable third placing.Fight number one saw Senpai Mike win with a knockdown of his opponent. Bout two was awarded to Senpai when his opponent was disqualified for repeatedly punching to the head. Bout three went the whole distance but was awarded to Senpai’s opponent on the judge’s decision.Senpai Mike spent 6 months preparing for this tournament, 4 months concentrated on building core strength, with lots of weights work, and the final two months focused more on speed and fitness work.There are a number of people Senpai would like to thank for their help in preparing for this tournament.• Firstly to Shuseki Shihan Renzie for his support and guidance, plus the one-on-one training sessions• To Sensei Lee and Sensei Peter for pushing him along during Saturday sparring sessions, their support and their technical advice• To Senpai Steve for holding a pad when he needed it Senpai Mike is off to Japan to compete in the Seido tournament in the first week of December and is also keen to return to the Australian Kyokushin Nationals next year. All the best for these events Senpai.

TOUR

NAM

ENT

NEW

S July saw Senpai’s Belinda Wilson and Mike Higgins travel to Wellington to take part in the Fight Night organised by the Mount Victoria Kyokushin dojo. This event matches competitors of similar experience against one another in a one off bout. Both Senpai’s won their respective bouts – read below for more information on their experiences.

From Senpai Belinda.A Big ThanksI would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported and encouraged me over the years. Seido is a safe and supportive environment where I have been able to train for the competitions and have so much help from so many people during the process. There are a few people I would like to thank individually.The first one has to be to Shuseki Shihan Renzie. Without his blessing and support I would have never had the chances I have had to test myself in a competitive environment. Being able to draw from his experiences and knowledge has been invaluable. I recommend visiting him at his clinic to chat and do some men-tal conditioning, it is so useful and something you can apply to karate and life.The big man behind the little girl, Sensei Lee. He has taught me everything I know about hitting hard. When you are training for an event ego has to take a huge step back as everything you do is critiqued and dissected. For two months my kicking privileges were taken away until I could get my knee up and pivot correct-ly, only then under supervision was I allowed to extend the leg!! But having that coaching is the reason why I do the training, to be able to perform a technique as best to my abilities. He also pushed my fitness and taught me how to never show emotion or pain even when I was hurting. He used to yell at me every time I put my hands on my hips, or god forbid look tired!! He taught me how to be a pit bull, how to fake it anyway.My punching bag, Senpai Geoff Adams. I don’t know why he does it but without him it wouldn’t have been as dynamic and oddly enough, fun. I believe a great training partner is my se-cret to success. The sparring sessions were excellent one on

AND THE WINNER IS

Nev Doidge

Nev (4th Kyu) has

won a year’s worth of

free training (worth

$400) by signing up

the greatest number of

new members during

this year’s member-

ship drive promotion.

Congratulations Nev.

one training and as realistic as it could get while avoiding injuries. He has sacrificed a lot of time and energy helping me out and I will be forever grateful. He has also become an expert at talking me down from a freak out two minutes before I step on the floor.Senpai Steve and Senpai Tony, the only other people crazy enough to come to the beach early Sunday morning for sand dune drills. If you hadn’t been there I wouldn’t have either. To do the dunes you really need people there to push you along, and sometimes they did literally push me!!! So thanks for sacrificing your sleep in to pick on me.Senpai Tamara. In Sydney she was my corner person and she kept me relaxed and amped. Before the fight she would slap me in the face, it scared the other competitors! Some-times however, she would get a little carried away!! My ears are still ringing from Wellington. Also Senpai Leenn for travelling to a couple of events to support the Seido fighters competing. Having friendly faces in the crowd is a great lift, plus it’s another person to share a long awaited beer with after!!I hope I haven’t forgotten anybody. I guess I had better put a plug in for my personal trainer too. Some of you may remember him, Senpai Dean Walls. He has been a great help building my strength and flexibility.Last, but by no means least of all, my husband Shawn. Without his support and encouragement it would have made the whole experience so much harder and possibly impossible. I am blessed that he is willing to put up with me always training and always being tired and grumpy!!OsuSenpai Belinda Wilson

From Senpai MikeMount Victoria KyokushinFight Night 28th July 2007Earlier this year Seido members received an invitation from Sensei Chris Gower and Senpai Jill Gower of the Mount Victoria Kyokushin Dojo Wellington, to take part

in an annual fight night where Martial artists from all over the country have an opportunity to gain experience of a full contact event without the extra pressure that comes with a full tournament roster.Taking up the challenge were Senpai Belinda Wilson, now quite a seasoned veteran of the tournament scene and a rather long in the tooth and green Senpai who’s name will remain anonymous, but none the less keen.Preparation for any event is of utmost importance and we are lucky enough in the Dojo to have the knowledge and experience of past and present competitors to gain valu-able insight into what is needed to prepare for an event. To prepare well you do need to make some sacrifices to your daily routines, family and friends will notice a change in your temperament as the weeks of training start to take there toll, early morning training and constant adjustment to fit in time to train can cause strain at home or work, this is where a good training partner becomes one of your most valuable assets. Ask anyone who has prepared for a tournament or grading what is one of the most important aspects of their training and it will be the support they get from their trainer, not only will they push your to your limit but will keep you motivated and on track during the good times and bad and we all have the bad!So, after many weeks of preparation we were off to windy Wellington, which surprisingly put on the best weather I have ever seen there, bright and sunny, it was going to be a good weekend. Along for the ride were Senpai Tamara and Senpai Leeann, Senpai Geoff {Belinda’s Coach} and Shawn Wilson. Weigh in was on Friday night and there were a few nervous moments emptying pockets and dis-carding clothes to make the weight but all was well when we both made the weight. Sensei Gower made our group feel very welcome he was very helpful and devoted some of his valuable time to making us feel comfortable while explaining some of the rules.We spent most of the Saturday just relaxing and kicking back, visiting Te Papa, eating well and resting but always

NEWSLETTER

ARTICLES

If you have any items of

interest (articles, photo’s,

cartoons, etc) that you

think other Seido karata-

ka might be interested in,

then you can:

1. Email them to seido.

christchurch@gmail.com.

2. Leave a copy with

Shane at the Office.

3. Pass a copy to Senpai

Steve Foster.

Likewise, if there are

items of interest that you

would like to see

included in the

newsletter, then please

let us know.

DOJO WEBSITE

Big thanks go to James

for his work keeping

the Dojo website up to

date. There are a few

more changes in the

pipeline so take the

time to check us out

at www.seidoshibu.

co.nz. We are aiming to

have all current news

and items of interest

updated regularly so

keep checking back to

stay informed. We also

need to comply with the

new legislation relating

to “spam” e-mails - so

if you don’t want to

receive e-mails from

Seido please just reply

with “unsubscribe” in

the subject box.

with the task at hand in the back of our minds. The night started at 6 pm so it was a long day and anticipation of what was to come was starting to build.The event comprised of twelve matches, each three rounds of two minutes duration and a good mix of competitors from Kick Boxers to mixed martial artists. Wellington Seido had four competitors so were well represented and they all put on a good show. The atmosphere in the Dojo was one of excitement and the large crowd showed their appreciation by being vocal and lending their support to all the fighters. There were some good match ups again stressing the well organised and fair approach adopted by the organisers {all credit to them}. Our matches were the last two of the night so it was a long wait but well worth it. Senpai Belinda was up first fighting a Nidan from Goju Ryu who showed skill and determination making the fight very exciting and inspiring to watch. Senpai Belinda’s ex-perience in the ring showed through taking a unanimous decision in all three rounds, a great result!The last fight of the night was left to the oldies to duke it out. My opponent was a Shodan from Wellington Ky-okushin named Dave. Three rounds and many bruises later it was all over, again with a good result. Many thanks to Senpai Geoff for being in my corner as his support was much appreciated.The experience gained from this event would be a great start for anyone thinking of competing in a tournament. It is a very well run event with friendly people and a non aggressive attitude making the whole weekend well worth-while, certainly a great learning experience and one I would recommend.Thanks must go to all the support crew who came to Wel-lington and I would like to make a special thank you to Senpai Mike Condon for his time and commitment as my Trainer leading up to this event - it was unfortunate he could not be there on the night.Osu

THE HYPNOTIC EXPERIENCE OF MASTER HYPNOTISTYou are getting sleepy, very sleepy. ZZZZZZZZZZZZNow open your wallet and buy a dozen tickets to see ….Brian GeeSaturday 27th OctoberShow starts 7:30pm @ Richmond WorkingmenÅfs ClubTickets are $15 from the office.This is a family show and kids are welcome. Brian Gee is guaranteed to deliver a hilarious night, with real audience “participation” involved. Please ask any family, friends and workmates to attend and get their tickets from the Dojo.Osu.

CLASS UPDATESTwo new classes have been added to the Christchurch class timetable recently.

“Returning to Seido” classSensei Ellen’s “Returning to Seido” class is now running on Thursdays from 5:00pm – 6:00pm. This class is for past members or those who have had a break from training, for whatever reason. It is aimed at getting students back into training and up to speed. We have had a great response so far. If you do know of anyone who hasn’t trained for a while, please let them know about this new class.To accommodate the new class, Sensei Scott’s Thursday evening class moves to a new time slot. It will now run from 6:00-7:00pm on Thursday evening.

New Sunday classSenpai Nicky has reintroduced an open class on Sunday evening from 6:00-7:00pm.

n planning physical training three basic decisions often considered are activity, duration and intensity. Usually in the Karate class environment the Instructor makes the majority of the decisions in regard to the training elements and the duration – that leaves Intensity. Intensity contains elements of fitness, skill and sometimes cour-age. For example, to fully apply yourself in a 3 minute round of Heavy bag training you certainly have to be fit, know at least basic punch technique and have sufficient focus to maintain the effort, but you also have to have the cour-age to extend yourself. The courage to maybe not be able to complete the round in front of your peers, maybe puke, maybe pass out, maybe find out that your fitness/abilities are not what you thought they were, maybe the instructor will make you do another round straight after, – who knows what might happen if you approach the task with as much intensity as possible? For many that is the point and reward of training hard with inten-sity. In finding out what happens we can expand our experience and hopefully comfort zones. By putting ourselves often in that uncomfortable training place that intensity brings we become more capable of thriving in other situations that test our abilities – Grading tests, tournament fights, life… How do we effectively train with more intensity? Prob-ably not by just adding a heart felt extended “Ossuuuaaa!!!! Yyyyyyyyaaaaazzzzaaaaaaa!!!!!” to the same Pattercake effort we made last week. The key in our example is to complete as much work as possible in the time period you have been given - hit harder, hit more often and apply more mental focus on the task (leave decisions like what to have for dinner to after the round).

Simply put - take the risk.Sensei Troy Ballantyne

Training Intensity and its rewards.

I - Training since

1985. 4th Dan.

- Competed in

different disci-

plines (Seido,

Kyokushin,

Daido Juku, Thai

Boxing, Judo)-

(not at a very

high level for the

last 4 though!!)

- Employed

fulltime in Ka-

rate, Auckland 2

years, Nelson 2

years

- Trained and

competed in NZ,

Australia, New

York, England

and Japan.

NEWSLETTER

ARTICLES

If you have any

items of interest

(articles,

photo’s,

cartoons, etc) that

you think other

Seido karata-ka

might be interested

in, then you can:

1. Email them to

sfoster@jadeworld.

com

2. Leave a copy

with Shane at the

Office.

3. Pass a copy to

Senpai Steve Foster.

Likewise, if there

are items of interest

that you’d like to

see included in the

newsletter then

please let us know.

GUESS WHO?

NEVERGIVE UP

NAGOYA TOURNAMENT – AICHI, JAPANSo you really want to avoid Camp in 2007. What better excuse than being

9437km away in Aichi, Japan for the World Seido Karate Tournament.

“Karate Kyohon” – Techniques of Seido Juku, cover-ing the Meaning of Karate, Basics – Stances, Fists, Blocks and Kicks, Kata, Kumite, Seido Kihon Kumite, Seido Yakusoku Kumite, Seido Self-Defence – Basic and Intermediate 1-10 and Seido Strategy, with an excellent Glossary. NOW $42

“Karate Technique and Spirit” – Integrated training of the Body, Mind and Spirit represents the true essence of Karate-Do that strives to fully achieve Human Potential. This book describes in detail all the steps necessary to attain this goal with technical chapters covering everything from warm-ups to basic punches, kicks and blocks. This skilfully prepared text vividly conveys the real meaning behind Karate and how it can relate to our daily lives. NOW $56

“One Day – One Lifetime” – An Illustrated Guide to the Spirit, Practice and Philosophy of Seido Karate Meditation. Here, transcribed and collected for the first time, are Kaicho’s Meditation Lectures, a guide to integrating spirituality and physicality and discovering the modern meaning of Bushido spirit. Kaicho interprets for the contemporary world the ancient strength of the Samurai. NOW $48

“The Human Face of Karate” – My Life, My Karate-Do. The fascinating life story of world-renowned Karate Grandmaster Tadashi Nakamura. His engaging reflections on early Karate victories, and the exhausting self-discipline that made them possible, are underscored by constant family devo-tion. These elements converge in his inspirational philosophy for living – a potent formula for inner strength and serenity. NOW $40BO

OK

S FO

R S

ALE

The Seido ‘Shop’

Seido Christchurch

now stocks a number

of items for sale.

These include gi’s,

obi’s (belts), Seido

patches, karate related

books and a number

of novelty items. They

have a great Gi starter

kit, including gi and

white belt, for just $85-

00. Call in and talk to

Shane at the office.

Poem (Submitted by Melvyn Morgan)Dated (1565-1636) Daimyo Northern Honshu, Japan

Poetry by the ‘One -eyed dragon’

‘Each time I see Fuji,It appears changedAnd I feel I view it

Ever for the first time’

TIMARU MID-WINTER BEACH TRAININGFor several years now I have considered stepping out and heading down to Timaru’s mid-winter beach training. However each year there has been some dojo activity at Shibu on the same weekend, which has provided suffi-cient excuse for me not to make the trip.This year my luck ran out and I had no excuse for not heading south.In fact I had left myself absolutely nowhere to hide, hav-ing teased Jun Shihan Mike about always planning beach training on the same weekend as a Christchurch event.So, having booked a backpackers room for the Saturday night, off I headed in the morning. The beat of the wind-shield wipers did make me consider my sanity, but I was somewhat assuaged by the fact that a wet 6 degrees was probably better to train in than a fine but frosty sub-zero temperature.Arriving with plenty of time to spare was a good start, as it took a trip to the tourist information in order for me to locate the dojo. So on arrival is was a quick hello to everyone, including students from Dunedin, Temuka, Mt Cook and Christchurch. Then it was get changed and into the Saturday class.This class ran for two and a half hours, which is a bit longer than this Senpai is used to. It covered lots of ba-sics, included a short run down to the park, developed a number of very interesting (and challenging) combina-tions, went through a great fitness / push-up routine and

covered syllabus for all grades. Demonstrating senior kata in front of the other students, without any preparation, was quite intimidating for me and I was re-lieved to get through without making any major mistakes.A few quiet drinks followed class, where students socialised and were able to get to know each other. Then it was off ‘home’ for a quiet night for me – a bit of a change from the last couple of trips I’ve taken to Timaru!Sunday morning and I was up before the alarm, scared that I’d sleep through it! How my thoughts returned to the drive down as I scraped the now frozen rain off my windshield – so much for looking on the bright side.It was off to the dojo for a 7:00am start for black belt class. Those training en-joyed a thorough black belt class, with lots of encouragement from the seniors. By the time we finished, the temperature in the dojo was just right and the body nicely warmed up.Not for long though, as we headed off to the beach to meet up with the kyu grade karate-ka. Thankfully we were allowed to keep our running shoes on during training, as the sand was rather chilly. Training began with a run along the bay and back, then it was a few short drills as a group before we split into separate grades. Each grade was rotated around different instructors, once again covering syllabus, bunkai (practical application of technique) and general combination work.After a multi-legged race across the sand (with each leg tied to that of the person next to you) it was time to get wet. Into the water we marched, punching and kiaiing all the way.Finally it was back to the dojo for a warm cup of soup, a sausage and a final catchup with everyone before heading home.My thanks to Jun Shihan Mike and all of the Timaru students for a fun weekend and for making me so welcome.OsuSenpai Steve

COMING UP IN 2008Sensei Ellen is also intending to run a woman’s self defence program starting February 2008. She has taught self defence skills to a number of organisations over the past 15 years - some of which include local government, schools, and airline staff. Her program typically includes a mix of lifestyle, psychological and physical skills with the aim being to create a safer environment in which to live, overall. This ultimately translates into lifestyle changes. The program is called “woman” and will run over eight weeks starting in February 2008

International Membership CardsRecently, Kaicho wrote to all Dojos to reiterate the importance ofinternational membership cards for all members of Seido. Holding a currentmembership is now a requirement for all Black Belt promotions and a copy of your card needs to be submitted with the registration form. If you don’thave a card, now is the time to apply or to renew your old one. The cost is$25 every three years.

Women’s Club CaptainSenpai Karen is the women’s club Captain and can be contacted on phone 3838253 or e-mail millarperry@snap.net.nz if you need anything.

FundraisingPlease let Shane know if you would like to order a copy of the fundraisingEntertainment Wine Book. You can check out www.entertainmentbook.co.nz for all the details.

CLASS PROFILE - ‘RETURN TO SEIDO’ CLASSOpen to: All students - past and presentDay: ThursdayTimes: 5:00pm - 6:00pm

Instructor: Sensei Ellen Hampson

A new class features in this edition of Hands and Feet - the ‘Return to Seido’ class - ‘kendo chorai’ based on a famous 9th century poem and refers to the notion that we should never give up - that we rise again.Although the class has been described as suitable for past members or those who have had a break from training, it is open to all dojo members and not just returning karate-ka.Initially the focus will be on basic technique, with the objective being to refresh students’ memories and to simply enjoy the basics. It is designed to get students reconnected with the dojo so that in time, a time completely of their choosing, they can reintegrate into their syllabus classes & other classes within the dojo.There will also be some emphasis placed on kicking techniques and improving flexibility. This is an area that we all must work on if we wish to improve or even just retain our current flexibility.Like all classes, the plan is to provide a safe and supportive environment for all students. The class will generally start with a warm up and have a fun focus for all involved. Initially the intensity will be medium but is likely to increase over time as students get back into the swing of things. However the over-all evolu-tion of the class will be tailored to those training in it.Students interested in attending are being asked to commit themselves to the class for a period of six months. This provides some consistency in their train-ing and allows students to rekindle that dojo flame.Karate-ka will also be encouraged to look at themselves and assess their own karate as they work through the six month period. Students are encouraged to develop their self evaluation skills and Sensei will provide some guidelines to help people in this respect.Sensei is also keen to include some guest instructors in the program, each of whom will bring their own unique perspective to the class. Look out for some interesting points of view along the way.People take a break from training for a wide variety of reasons, often due to influences outside of karate. In returning to training, they often bring useful

experiences and a fresh new perspective to the dojo. With many years of teach-ing experience and a recent break of three years from regular training, Sensei understands this well and encourages all students to welcome returning students back into the dojo.Sensei Ellen is a long time karate student, beginning her training in the Reefton dojo at the age of 18 with instructors sensei Murray Creighton and (currently a Christchurch senior student) Jun Shihan Peter Searle. The Reefton dojo was affiliated to the Nelson dojo and she attained her shodan grade in 1984. She assisted in running the Reefton dojo from 1983 onwards and instructed classes there until moving to Christchurch in 1990 with her two children.Sensei Ellen graded to Nidan in Christchurch in 1990 and instructed classes in Christchurch up until June 2004. She feels privileged to have trained in both Nelson Shibu and Christchurch Shibu.Sensei Ellen is a physical geographer and is currently working in an applied tertiary institution as a business lecturer. In 2005 she embarked on a doctoral thesis at Canterbury University. She maintains that her working life is only pos-sible due to the wonderful rural environment and loving family (including 25 pets) she retreats to every day. Her unique combination of teaching and lectur-ing skills plus her karate experience guarantee students a fun and informative class.Sensei Ellen has had a great response to her first couple of classes and would love to see more students involved. If you do know of anyone who hasn’t trained for a while, please let them know about this new class.

CALENDER UPDATE FOR 2007October 9th 6:00pm 18th 8:15pm 22nd 25th 6:45pm 27th 7:00pm

November 10th 12:00pm 11th 1:00pm 13th 6:00pm 15th 8:15pm 16th

21st 6.00pm 22nd 6:45pm 24th 8.00pm 30th 30th 7:00pm

December 2nd 2nd 3:00pm 8th 09:00 11th 6:00pm 14th - 16th

Combined Sparring ClassCommittee MeetingLabour Day Holiday – No classesGeneral Black Belt ClassBrain Gee Hypnotist find raiser

Junior Camp Begins - Spencer ParkJunior Camp EndsCombined Sparring ClassCommittee MeetingCanterbury Anniversary Holiday (Show Day) – No classesShodan gradingGeneral Black Belt ClassNidan grading (all classes cancelled)Nagoya Tournament – Aichi, Japan BeginsChristchurch Camp, Woodend Begins

Nagoya Tournament EndsChristchurch Camp, Woodend EndsGeneral GradingCombined Sparring ClassShodan Grading in Temuka