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SENSEI PRICE SEMINAR DELIVERS DESPITE PANDEMIC
By Admin
22 October 2020 11:08 pm
When the most infectious thing in the dojo is enthusiasm, you know you're on to a winner.
When the most infectious thing in the dojo is enthusiasm, you know you're on to a winner.
It turns out that a global pandemic plays havoc with karate calendars and training regimes, so this was one event that it was a great pleasure to host, despite the turbulent times.

Saturday 17th October saw karateka from across the south west come together for a special seminar with Sensei Matt Price, 6th Dan. Socially distanced, of course. When your guest instructor and home city both have ‘Tier 1’ status in the days running up to the event, you know that luck is on your side.

Sensei is a former ESKA European Kumite Champion, as well as former KUGB Grand Champion. Currently he is coach to the JKS England national squad.

The occasion was Sensei’s tenth time teaching in the city, the most visits of any senior Shotokan instructor. Yet every time he visits, Matt Sensei manages to bring something new to his classes. This time was no different – with the circumstances dictating that close contact kumite and groundwork were necessarily out of the question. Yet three hours of training flew by without the distancing being an obstruction to a typically well-planned, enjoyable session.

Matt Sensei has a natural enthusiasm for karate and it comes through in spades when he teaches. The seminar was a challenge for the body and for the mind. Sensei encouraged us to move efficiently, effectively and – for some of us, at least – to fix longstanding technical issues that had never previously been identified.

In Part 1 of the seminar this was first evidenced in the exploration of Heian Godan, before finishing with kumite movement drills. This was taken further in Part 2 of the seminar, with builds on the kumite drills followed by work on Asai Ryu kata, Junro Godan. This class was also peppered with plenty of character and muscle-building leg exercises. Even if our heads couldn’t remember all of the drills, our bodies would certainly remember the exercises!

A big thank you to Matt Sensei for making the long trip down to teach us and to the many members and visitors that made the seminar the great success that it was. We look forward to a future visit from Sensei when we can get within 2 metres of each other. With appropriate control, of course!