This August I travelled to England as I do most years, to take part in the annual KDS (Karate-Do Shotokai) Summer School under the direction of Master Mitsusuke Harada and his team of senior instructors.
The course is held every year at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England and lasts for a week. There are two classes most days, with each class lasting three hours. This year there were about 120 students, a mix of black belts and coloured belts, coming from the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Switzerland, Finland, Estonia, the United States, Belgium, and of course Canada.
The classes are always split into several groups, sometimes according to grade and sometimes mixed. This year the groups were split almost entirely by belt level, so I was practicing exclusively with 2nd and 3rd degree black belts (dans) from different countries for the entire week. The groups are usually led by 4th dans, with Harada Sensei and the 5th dans going around assisting individuals and providing direction and clarification where needed, as well as practicing among themselves.
Me with Marie Kellett, 5th Dan, of Wales, and Master Mitsusuke Harada, MBE
The week is very challenging, physically and mentally, as we just are not used to training for six hours a day—not even marathon runners like myself! But the ability to practice with so many advanced karate-ka and get so much directed training in so short a time is well worth the effort. I always come back from Summer School with a number of things to work on throughout the next year.
Our club covers most of the costs associated with my attendance at Summer School, and in past has also subsidized other club members who are involved in teaching. It takes over a week of vacation time from my job to attend this course and unfortunately there is no time for travelling around or sightseeing while I am there, but again it is well worth the personal time invested for the opportunity to train at this level.
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