Sobukan Dojo

Please note that Sobukan will be open on Easter Saturday, but will then close until Wednesday 1 June 2016, as I will be visiting some of the best Kudo, Karate, MMA and Jujutsu dojo in Japan for two months intense training and research.

Fees will not be collectable for April and May.

In my absence, Sobukan members may contact each other via the Sobukan Martial Arts Facebook page to arrange self-training sessions. Alternatively I recommend joining judo classes over the next two months.

I apologise for any inconvenience due to the closure, and look forward to sharing new skills and training methods with you in June!

On Sunday 20th March, Daniel, Tristan, Raghu and I fought in the Kudo Nationals at the Arnold Classic. Everyone conducted themselves extremely well and put in great performances, making me very proud.

There was no-one in the 230PI Master’s division, and the open division was full of 100kg + fighters, so I fought in the 240PI Adult division. While I didn’t mind fighting younger and bigger opponents, it was unfortunate that three from Sobukan were in the same division.

Tristan was first up, fighting Alex, a wrestling and Kudo champ from QLD. Tristan matched him in the striking, but was outwrestled by the champion wrestler. He put in a valiant effort to fight to a draw in the first round, and almost caught his opponent in an ankle lock before finally being caught by a knee bar in the extension round.

I fought Ian Teng next, a Melbourne based BJJ/MMA/Kudo fighter who visited us at Sobukan last year. Ian was the heaviest in the division, I was the smallest! I managed to win my fight, landing a front kick to the face, a spinning heel kick to the liver, a big leg kick, a hip throw and some strikes from knee ride.

Raghu got a bye.

Daniel then fought a muay Thai fighter, and was unfortunate to injure his shin when his opponent leg checked his very first leg kick with his knee. Daniel fought on regardless and at the end of a back and forth battle with some huge knees, punches and kicks, and a nice takedown by Daniel, he emerged the eventual winner. However, due to the shin injury, he was unable to continue and was awarded the silver medal.

Next Raghu fought Ian in the fight of his life. Raghu looked like a pro as he used agile footwork, sublime angles and leveraged his reach advantage to pepper Ian with a smorgasbord of kicks and punches, winning by a distinct margin.

Alex got a bye. Raghu and I were then scheduled to fight to meet Alex in the final. I had made a decision in advance to withdraw if I had to fight one my students. It would not be fair to them to fight their instructor and a hollow victory to beat a student. I chose my role of ‘coach’ over my role as ‘fighter’ to progress Raghu to the final.

Raghu fought hard against the champion, but despite Raghu landing some great kicks and surviving some slick submission attempts, Alex’s wrestling was too strong and Raghu had to tap to a tight arm bar with just one second remaining on the clock. Raghu was awarded the silver medal, and I the bronze.

Also from SA, Garry and Jordan Smith showed great heart in battles in their respective divisions. Garry unfortunately re-injured his knee and was unable to continue in the third round with his strong opponent. Young Jordan fought a much bigger, older opponent and made everyone proud, but his opponent Harvey was too strong.

Huge thanks to Sean W and Daniel C who worked as marshals at the event, and supported our team on the day. Also thank you to Justin for his conditioning programme and guidance to the fighters in the lead up to the competition.

Thank you to Paul Cale Shibucho, Geordie Lavers McBain and Tony Watts for putting on a great event, and to the Silvio Morelli and the promoters from Blitz for the opportunity for exposure to the greater martial arts community.

Good luck to all the Sobukan participants fighting this weekend in Melbourne!

Adult 230* – Raghu Anbalagan

Masters 230 – Chris Gillies

Adult 240 – Tristan Walker

Adult 250 – Daniel Carlesso

Adult 290 – Daniel Scibilia

Thank you very much to Sean Walker who will be supporting us in Melbourne and to Justin Tronerud, who has helped the fighters with their fitness/conditioning. Thank you also to all members who have been very understanding while I have been focusing on preparing for this tournament.

* Physical Index: height in cm + weight in kg

It has been an ‘interesting’ couple of weeks. First the flood damaged carpets, TVs and document, and ever since the dojo has in a resultant state of chaos. If that wasn’t enough, last week the dojo was broken into. In order to access the dojo they damaged the back gate and the rear glass sliding door, hence us recently using the front door. They didn’t steal a great deal, but what they took was bewildering. In addition to money, they stole a wheelie bin, my large training bag full of training weapons, Kudo, karate and MMA gloves and shin pads etc. If anyone saw anything on the weekend of the 19^th, please let me (and the police) know.

The Kudo competition is only a couple of weeks away! Our fighters on the day are Raghu, Tristan, Daniel S, Daniel C (hopefully) and myself. Sean will be there in a much needed support capacity. Good luck to us all! We will be travelling over on the morning of Thursday the 17^th and returning for class on Monday 21^st.

Sorry for any inconvenience, but there will be no Kumite class on Saturday 19^th. Geoff will teach the jujutsu class – thanks Geoff!!

As you are aware, I am travelling to Japan from Easter Sunday 27^th March to further my martial arts training. I will train at some of the best dojo around Japan with the goal of bringing back skills and training methods to share with you when I return for classes on June 1.

Unfortunately, this means that Sobukan will be closed for April and May. If you use automatic payments, please cancel them for April and May. If you forget, I will credit you future months. All annual memberships will be extended for two months.

If you don’t want to rest for two months, I encourage you to either pair up with other students at your homes or public places and practice together. Alternatively, you might consider taking judo lessons for two months – I would consider this to be a better investment of two months than some other arts. This will help with your confidence in breakfalls and throws, which will help you work towards your next belt, kumite and self defence. I recommend either training on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Goshin Judo Kan (our dojo), or with Adelaide University Judo Club, who have classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The date will depend on your level of preparation, but I plan to hold a grading shortly after my return, so please practice your kata and drills. I have video of many drills I can download onto a USB for you to help you remember while I am gone. Please see me before classes, as downloading can take some time – and they are quite large files.

Important dates

Hi Sobuclan,

Unfortunately we have had to cancel the Gasshuku training camp due to insufficient numbers. There were a lot of members for whom this weekend was not ideal, so hopefully we can try again later in the year. Thank you very much to Sean for all his work arranging this camp.

Competitors at the Kudo Nationals in Melbourne in March have only 7 weeks until the tournament and should now be training at least once each day, abstaining from smoking/alcohol and eating nutritiously in accordance with weight control needs. Of course, attending each kata and kumite class is a given, but if possible, also attend Justin’s conditioning class on Mondays at 5pm. If you are putting your body on the line, get in the best shape possible.

Fatigue makes cowards of us all. Fitness is a fighter’s friend. Get fighting fit!

As you may be aware, I am travelling to Japan at the end of March to further my martial arts training. I will train at some of the best dojo around Japan with the goal of bringing back skills and training methods to share with you when I return for June 1.

Unfortunately, this means that Sobukan will be closed for April and May. Sobukan members are very important to me. In order to open the dojo in my absence, I would need to find someone with the martial art skills, teaching skills, child safety background, police clearances, mutual rapport and respect with our members and families, and importantly the time, drive and desire to commit to teaching all classes. Some of our senior members tick many of these boxes, but are not available to teach all classes. Rather than subject you to less than you deserve, I will ask you to be patient in my absence. All annual memberships will be extended for the two months.

Important dates

Kudo preparation weekly schedule

Please find a rough schedule below to assist competitors in preparing for the 2016 Kudo Nationals in March.

In order to peak in March, this is what our training schedule will focus on:

February

• Cardio
• Combinations & counters
• Sparring

March

• Cardio
• Your ‘game’
• Weight control

The 2016 Kudo National tournament will be held at the Arnold Classic in Melbourne between 18 – 20 March.

See the Facebook event or register here now!

I had a great year, and thank you for being part of my 2015. I am a strong believer that martial arts can benefit everyone. Confidence, self-esteem, concentration, discipline, fitness and self-defence are just a few of the benefits that can be gained from martial arts training. I particularly want to thank the people who encourage or enable other people to attend Sobukan, including members who invite their friends and parents who make sacrifices and invest time into the healthy mental and physical development their children

Unfortunately due to renovations at the dojo, we will not be able to restart classes on Monday January 4^th as planned. Instead, the first class will be Saturday January 9 at Himeji Gardens, South Tce in the city. We will then recommence at the dojo from Monday January 11^th.

Umehara san has offered to run a kakizome calligraphy session to mark the beginning of the New Year. Please consider what you would like to achieve in 2016.

A concrete (SMART) goal is more likely to motivate you, but an abstract theme is also acceptable. Umehara san and I can help you translate your theme into one or two Japanese characters that you can brush and hang at home to remind you of your goals.

When setting a goal, plan exactly what you want to achieve, and set a timeframe. Make sure it is challenging and meaningful, but possible. Then work out exactly what you have to do on a monthly, weekly and daily basis in order to succeed. Craft a sentence along the lines of: I will (daily effort) every day in order to (achieve goal) by (timeframe). Then hold yourself accountable by letting everyone know what you will do!

A few goals that I have for 2016 include:

• Greater integration between diverse Sobukan arts and skills
• An increased focus on self-defence skills
• Using leaders within the dojo to achieve a better balance in classes for all grades
• Medals at the Kudo Nationals (including for myself)
• Brown belt in Kudo

Important dates

Bonenkai

What a great day – and night! Thank you to everyone who came to the picnic at Himeji Gardens, I really enjoyed the opportunity to sit down with a cider and relax with our members and their families. I know the children enjoyed the games – suika wari (smashing a watermelon with a wooden sword while blindfolded), bocce and more.

Round 2 was at iDarts for the games for the adults. Unbeknown to me have a few darts stars in our midst, but unfortunately no up and coming karaoke stars!

Both sessions were a lot of fun and I look forward to the next opportunity to let my hair down (don’t laugh at that!) with you all. Sean is currently investigating a Sobukan training camp at Walker’s Flat on the river. Watch this space!

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Grading tests

Congratulations! We have a new batch of junior and senior yellow, orange and green belts – in particular a massive congrats to Jaden, Tarcan and Anastasia who passed with an amazing 100%!

Kudo preparation weekly schedule

Please find a rough schedule below to assist competitors in preparing for the 2016 Kudo Nationals in March.

In order to peak in March, this is what our training schedule will focus on:

January & February

• Cardio
• Combinations & counters
• Sparring

March

• Cardio
• Your ‘game’
• Weight control

Sobukan goods

Sobukan merchandise is available online! The drink bottles and performance t-shirts are very popular. You can wear the performance t-shirts under your gi, or instead of a gi on days over 30o.

2015 has been a great year, and I thank you all for your support. I haven’t yet had a chance to ask Umehara san, but in previous years he has hosted kakizome for us at the beginning of each year. Kakizome literally means ‘first writing’. The idea is to decide upon a theme for the coming year and write the Japanese kanji with a brush. My theme for 2015 was kojo, meaning improvement. Please start thinking about your theme now.

I am proud to announce that with your support, I exceeded my goals for 2015:

• Improved the skill level at Sobukan
• Hosted a Kudo competition in SA
• Earned a black belt in Judo
• Earned a purple belt in BJJ
• Graded in Kudo
• Won state and national BJJ gold medals

A number of members also won medals this year in BJJ and Kudo. We even produced two Kudo National champions in Daniel and Doug!

A few goals that I have for 2016 include:

• Greater integration between our arts and skills
• An increase focus on self-defence, necessitating a review of grading syllabus
• Using leaders within the dojo to achieve a better balance in classes for all grades
• Medals at the Kudo Nationals (including for myself)
• Brown belt in Kudo

Important dates

Bonenkai

Merry Christmas!

Please bring your family and come and celebrate with the rest of the Sobu-clan at our Bonenkai (Japanese for end of year party). If you are on Facebook, please indicate your attendance here.

Where:   Himeji Gardens, South Tce, City

When:   3pm, Sat 12 December

Who:      All current and past Sobukan and Karate-bu members and families

What:     Kids will play suika wari (watermelon chopping) and try not to fall in the koi pond. Adults can have a few drinks while betting on which kid will fall into the pond first.

Why:      For fun! (Do we need a reason?)

From 7pm adults are invited to head to iDarts at 102 Wright Street in the city for drinks, darts and karaoke – with that combination what could possibly go wrong?!

We will have a short break at the end of the year – last class Wed 23rd Dec, and first class back Sat 4th Jan. Please note the change of re-opening date.

Grading tests

Good luck this week! We have quite a lot of senior white and yellow belts ready for their next grades, and a number of juniors at all levels ready and willing to test themselves. I wish you all the best of luck – but as you have all trained hard, you don’t need luck!

White belts testing for their first grades should be aware that there is an 80% pass mark. That means that it is possible to make a couple of mistakes, or forget some things and still be eligible to pass. Those who don’t meet the pass mark will be given time to work on weaker elements before being awarded their grade.

Please note that there will not be a Kumite class on Monday November 30 due to the senior grading, and the Kata class may be delayed due to the junior grading on Wednesday December 2.

Regular training and injury management

Basic principles of training for performance outcomes identify the following three important factors:

1. Regularity – how often you train
2. Intensity – how hard you train
3. Duration – how long you train

Of these factors, regularity is key, particularly for martial art training. Skills regularly practiced remain in the short-term memory for easy access in the event of a violent conflict or combat sport. Regularity is essential for fitness, and I advocate daily training, although consideration must be given to the level of intensity and duration to avoid injury, illness and general burnout. Personally I train for 4-5 hours on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and 2-3 hours on Fridays and only one hour on Tuesday, Thursdays and Sundays.

Intensity depends on your goals. For health, light training may suffice. At least medium intensity is recommended for self-defence training. Fitness and competition goals require higher intensity. My optimum balance is two or three very hard sessions (80-100% of maximum effort) per week interspersed with low and medium intensity workouts.

As with regularity, duration will depend on your life choices and commitments, and is perhaps the least important of the three keys for fitness goals. For skill development across a broad range of skills a certain commitment of time is required. This is the reason Sobukan training focuses on ‘overlap principles’, training that can simultaneously boost your skills in striking, throwing, grappling and/or locking.

Consider your training as a mathematic equation for a numerical value. The higher the number, the better progress you should make.

According to the schedule above, your body performs 310 ‘full value minutes’ of training per week, or a massive 16536 minutes (more than 275 hours!) per year. However, if this level of training is too much for your body and you injure yourself a few times in the year, each time requiring six weeks recovery, your annual training value will drop to 10540 minutes (175 hours) for the year. Your maximum value per week at your current fitness level may be 250 full value minutes per week. If you can train without injury, this will lead to more value minutes over the course of the year (13000 minutes or 216 hours) than over-training.

For these reasons, balance is essential. Train within your limits, but train regularly. Some injury and illness is unavoidable. Life gets in the way, often preventing you from dedicating yourself to training as much as you might like. During these times, I encourage you to focus on what you can do. If you are busy, afford your health some priority and do at least one or two hour-long classes per week. If your knee is injured, practice your punches and perhaps some newaza. If your shoulder hurts, focus on kicks, kata and jujutsu. If you have a headache, train lightly, and skip the breakfalls. However, if you are contagious, please stay home!

I encourage you to chart your training schedule according to your needs, your fitness level and your commitments to maximize your training value in order to achieve your goals. If you need help, come and have lunch with me in the city one day, or catch me after training.

Life membership

I was delighted to recently present Umehara san with Sobukan’s very first life membership. Umehara san joined Sobukan on his 71st birthday and in November celebrated his 75^th birthday! Additionally he has participated in demonstrations at various festivals and expos, at a rate of approximately four per year, and hosts Japanese calligraphy sessions for Sobukan each new year.

Umehara san embodies the Sobukan motto of healthier, happier, safer. In the time that he has been training, the 75 year old has barely suffered more than a sniffle. If he can do it, so can you!

Life membership means Umehara san can continue to inspire members indefinitely at no cost.

White Ribbon Day            

In support of White Ribbon Day and to help empower women to feel safe, Sobukan will offer one month’s free training to any women who take a trial lesson from today until the end of the year. Please introduce anyone you feel might benefit from training!

Kudo preparation weekly schedule

Please find a rough schedule below to assist competitors in preparing for the 2016 Kudo Nationals in March.

In order to peak in March, this is what our training schedule will focus on:

December

• Strength and conditioning
• Basic techniques and tactics
• Eliminating individual weaknesses

January & February

• Cardio
• Combinations & counters
• Sparring

March

• Cardio
• Your ‘game’
• Weight control

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In support of White Ribbon Day and to help empower women to feel safe, Sobukan will offer one month’s free training to any women who
take a trial lesson from today until the end of the year.

We hope to see you soon.

Tonight I was delighted to present Umehara san with Sobukan’s very first life membership.

Umehara san joined on his 71st birthday and has barely missed a class in four years. Additionally he has participated in all demonstrations at various festivals and expos, at a rate of approximately four per year, and hosts Japanese calligraphy sessions each new year.

Umehara san embodies the Sobukan motto of healthier, happier, safer. In the time that he has been training, Umehara san has barely suffered more than a sniffle. If he can do it, so can you!

Life membership means the 75 year old can continue to inspire members indefinitely at no cost.

梅原さん、これからもよろしくお願いします！