The Harmonizer. Visit our website Current Issue: On the Cover: Sensei Ron Mattie. with. Sensei Darren Humphries

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1 Volume 24, Issue 3

2 The Harmonizer Current Issue: Message from the President 3 Dynamic Karate 4 20th Anniversary of Karate Kawartha Lakes 5 Lorenzo Vacca 6 Osotto Uke / Uda Uke, Double Block 7 On the Cover: Sensei Ron Mattie with Sensei Darren Humphries Why Shindo? 8 SWKKF scholarship 10 Fundamentals of Kicking 11 35th Annual Delhi Karate Tournament Glamorgan (Calgary) Wado-Kai Karate Tournament 18 Judging: The Sensei Shintani Way 19 Moose Mountain Wado Kai 30th Annual Tournament 20 Shintani no Kata 23 Visit our website Shindo Catalogue 24 From the Harmonizer 28 Karate aims to build character, improve human behavior, and cultivate modesty; it does not, however, guarantee it. Yasuhiro Konishi

3 3 Message from the President This issue is dedicated In memory of Master Shintani, Welcome to this edition of the harmonizer. Thank you to all who submitted articles! A few items: 1. You will start to see more action on the Judging / Training committee. Under the events section of the website ( you will see clinics available for various areas. The main objective is to ensure all who work at tournaments (from table workers, corner judges and center referee) are consistent in their calls. We strive to ensure tournaments are professionally run, fair and above all else safe. All ranks are called upon to follow through with this certification process. 2. Instructors if changes are needed in your club listing on the website please website@shintani.ca. A great number of people check the website to find karate in their area. We can assist to ensure your club listing is accurate. 3. Archive we are looking for pictures of Sensei Shintani. If you have any, please contact Sensei Marco Reyes marcoreyes@gmail.com or call / txt him at To capture our history is important we would like to compile as many pictures this year for a special project so please send in what you have ASAP. 4. Stories of Sensei Shintani if you were fortunate enough to have met him or worked with him, the Archive committee is requesting information on your memories of Sensei Shintani. If you are willing to participate, please let me know. I can be contacted by at: ddlabbe3@gmail.com. 5. Passbooks you will all be receiving a new passbook this year! It has been quite some time since we have updated them and it was due. Please keep your old passbook as it should have a log of activities you have participated in (clinics, tournaments, etc). If you have questions on passbooks please Sensei Dawn Lewis at wadogirl@gmail.com. The other day I read a quote on family: Surround yourself with people who make you happy. People who make you laugh, who help you when you re in need. People who would never take advantage of you. People who genuinely care. They are the ones worth keeping in your life. Everyone else is just passing through.. It s an interesting and meaningful quote. One of the most unique items of the SWKKF is the sense of family we have. We must stay true to this work together, work to improve, work through our differences. United we are strong! I am very proud of our organization. Sensei Denis

4 4 Dynamic Karate s 2015 Advanced Clinic with Sensei Ron Mattie By: Dynamic Karate Association Dynamic Karate Association of Alberta Dynamic Karate in northwest Calgary, AB was honoured to host Sensei Ron Mattie for our annual Advanced Clinic, September 25 and 26, About 85 participants attended the Friday night kumite and Saturday kata clinics. We were delighted to have several people travel to join us from northern Alberta and Saskatchewan, along with people from south Calgary and surrounding area. Thank you to everyone for your support. I-beams: We learned how to use rotation in narrow stances to shift our partner offline. Kata: Form and Timing Saturday clinics provided an opportunity for students of all levels to improve their kata by working on two key concepts, sequentially. Sensei Ron Demonstrates How to Get off the Tracks Sensei Ron with the Family Kumite Class As always, Sensei Ron gave us a lot to think about and even more to work on as we continue to improve our karate. Kumite: Bicycles, Trains and I -beams How are these things related to kumite? We found out during the Friday night session as we used alignment, momentum and stances to practice techniques with partners. Bicycles: We fine-tuned our alignment to execute clean techniques with power. Trains: We used our partner s momentum in our favour as we practiced getting off the tracks. Good Form - Follow the We refined our form by setting precisely and following the most efficient trajectory for each technique. We incorporated tai sabaki with form to add focus and improve our timing. Teaching Clinic This year, Sensei Ron added a session for instructors (mainly for Sandan and up) to share some strategies to help students of different ranks. He explained how instructors can vary teaching regarding sets, stances and sequencing to facilitate their students development. During the instructor session, Sensei Ron also helped high ranks refine technique, speed and power. It was like being a white belt all over again! For everyone who attended, we would like to hear your feedback and suggestions as we start planning for next year. Please send your comments to darren@dynamickarate.ca. We are looking forward to seeing you all in Calgary for our September 2016 clinic. Dynamic Karate.

5 20th Anniversary of Karate Kawartha Lakes 5 By: Sensei Beverly Beuermann-King Karate Kawartha Lakes 2015 marks 20 years of Wado Kai Karate in the Kawarthas and I am very proud to be a part of this family. Starting off as the Lindsay Wado Kai Karate School, under the tutelage of Sensei Darren Marshall, Sensei David Blanchette and Sensei Sanford DeWitt, karate classes were originally held above the Olympia restaurant. As they outgrew this space, they eventually moved to the Lindsay Boys and Girls Club. There have been many changes over the past 20 years. This past year has seen the former Lindsay Wado Kai dojo which expanded into Kawartha Lakes Wado Kai Karate, become the fully incorporated Karate Kawartha Lakes, under Sensei Kris Reynolds. Sensei Kris started karate as a young teenager in 1996 at the original Lindsay Wado Kai dojo. Once Sensei Kris received his black belt, he became an instructor with the club. Eventually, Sensei Darren, David and Sanford moved away from the Lindsay area and Sensei Kris took over the managing of the club. Today, the schools of Karate Kawartha Lakes have grown to over 100 active members within the Kawartha Lakes area (Lindsay, Lakehurst, Minden, Ottawa, Wasaga Beach and Mariposa) making it one of the largest karate clubs in the area. taking karate classes a couple of weeks ago and were only 4 years old. Participants came from all across Canada and represented not only our Shintani Wado Kai family, like those from St. Catharines, Delhi, Thunder Bay, Peterborough, Elkford, and Saskatoon, but other associations including the WTKA from Sensie Carmello s group in Hull, Toronto Wado Kai and Sensei Garcia, Sensei Ray McGill from Omemee, Sensei Vern Tilley s group from Lindsay and Sensei Neil Hudson from the JKF in Ops. We even had an original student come back to compete who had not put on his blue belt in over 10 years. A special thanks goes out to our Friday night clinic instructors including Sensei Peter Avino (US) and Sensei Carlos Garcia (Oshawa), and our SWKKF senate members: Sensei Denis Labbé, Sensei Ron Mattie, Sensei Brad Cosby, Sensei Neil Prime. Senseis Labbé, Cosby and Prime also did a kumite demonstration on Saturday morning, which was pretty amazing to watch, with lots of oows and ahhs and ouches by the crowd. To celebrate these past 20 years, Karate Kawartha Lakes hosted their 6th annual tournament and a special celebratory dinner. The celebratory dinner was held at the Olympia Restaurant. This is where we first held our karate classes and it seemed fitting that this is where we wrapped up the 20th anniversary celebrations, says Sensei Reynolds. KKL Friday night group shot As the tournament wrapped up, there was a three-way tie for the Grand Champion award. All three competitors had won 2 gold and a silver in their respective divisions. Sensei Sanford, Sensei Brody and Katie McCleary battled it out to see who the grand champion would be and fittingly, Sensei Sanford earned this honour. Sensei Peter Avino teaching at the KKL Friday night clinic The Friday night clinic and the Saturday tournament saw 152 students participate including some who only started At the banquet, the camaraderie was fantastic with lots of stories being shared. Sensei Rick Levielle sent in a special video message congratulating Sensei Darren, David, Sanford and Kris on all that they started and have achieved over these past 20 years. Now, I personally have been reminded on several emotional occasions that there is no crying in karate, however, the video tribute made some of the most seasoned Senseis grab a Kleenex, napkin and nearest sleeve.

6 6 One of the moments that really stuck out for me was a comment by Sensei Rick on how karate pushes us to be more with students who had just started learning karate, my advice and instruction to them was that it does not matter what the outcome is, have fun, bow with respect, and kia as loud as you can...because that is what life is all about: fun, respect for others and yourself and being totally in the moment. Celebrating their 20th Anniversary teaching karate: Sensei Sanford DeWitt and Sensei David Blanchette than we think that we can be. It shapes us and impacts how we respond to challenges in other aspects of our lives. I know that this is true for me. I get extremely anxious about competing, but I do it any ways, regardless of the outcome. As a new instructor, Sensei Brad Cosby, Sensei Denis Labbé, Sensei Carlos Garcia and Sensei Ron Matti Cheers to all who participated and celebrated 20 years of karate in the Kawarthas!! Lorenzo Vacca - Exchange Student By: Lorenzo Vacca Michipicoten Wado Kai Hi everybody, My name is Lorenzo Vacca, I'm 17 and I was an exchange student in Canada in year I lived in Wawa, Ontario a little town on Lake Superior. With the Rotary Youth Exchange program I was supposed to have 3 families but I had 4, one of them was the Wado Kai Shintani Federation and in particular the Michipicoten dojo in Wawa, where the Sensei is Sensei Shane Mills, my Sensei. I started karate in September and it followed me through my experience until the last day I was in Canada. I'm lucky to say that I could have joined various tournaments and clinics: in Thunder Bay, Hearst, Wawa and the Shintani memorial in Simcoe. I'm writing this letter to thank all the Sensei s and the people that helped me through my karate journey. You really made my experience abroad richer, and showed me a way to live that was unknown to me. Thanks for hosting me in your dojos, cities and homes, sharing with me beautiful moments, in and outside the dojo and made me feel part of the Shintani family. A special thank you to Sensei Spike and Sensei Evan who taught me well and patiently, trying to make me find My Way. I really hope I will come back to Canada soon and join everybody again. A big hug from Italy. Arrigato.

7 Osotto Uke / Uda Uke, Double Block 7 By: Sensei Oliver Fitzpatrick Westcoast Wado Kai and parry with uda uke. This can have devastating consequences for your opponent. To me this is one of the techniques that will always stand out as a signature move of Master Shintani. So effortless, but so effective in his execution that it made me wonder if this wasn t something of a secret passed down from Otsuka Sensei. Sensei s movements were like water caressing a rock in a stream. Practice this technique over and over directly facing your opponent in hachidachi as they throw a straight zuki at jodan level. Ensure full rotation of the hips. If you don t you ll learn a valuable lesson. Don t strike the elbow when practicing. Rotating the wrist and forearm in executing osotto uke and uda uke is paramount in this combination as it is when using them individually. It was while training at the Fairview Mall dojo in St. Catharines, Ontario in the mid 80 s where I first saw this move. It was only after Sensei had his car accident that I realized how important it was to keep up the training of such techniques. Would Sensei be able to demonstrate these masterpieces again or not? How many thousands of times have I executed this block or strike over the past 30 years or so? Yes, a block or a strike? What is it? One or the other or maybe it s both? Well, like most techniques, I believe it s how you apply it. Use each technique individually, combined with excellent rotation of the hips and they are solid blocks to the forearm. Connect with the elbow and it s a strike in my book. Now try the double block, executing osotto uke to the forearm and uda uke to the elbow. Or finish the fight with osotto uke to the elbow When you become comfortable with this technique, side step slightly to the side that the strike is originating from. My hope is that those of you who recall Sensei committing to this technique can bring the same spirit in teaching it to your students. With deep respect and in Sensei s memory, I share this with you.

8 By: Sensei Kris Reynolds Karate Kawartha Lakes Shindo means many different things to different people. If you were to ask any Shindo instructor why they practice Shindo you would most certainly get very different answers. Some practice Shindo to carry on the legacy and dream of Shintani Sensei. Some use Shindo as supplemental training to improve their karate basics and performance. I have often heard people refer to Shindo as a lie detector for their karate, highlighting areas needing improvement in the technical aspect of their karate. Some students practice to learn the kata, and add some new flavour to their existing training. These, and all the many other reasons you might hear are all great reasons to start to practice Shindo, and regardless of which reason sparked your interest to begin, you will certainly develop all of them and more over time. I have spent time recently as I travel to different tournaments and clinics talking with as many people as possible about why they do not practice Shindo. I usually get very similar answers relating to time, or that they are focusing on karate training. One in particular that I hear often is that they have enough trouble remembering their karate kata already. (in particular from karate-ka who have been training for many years). As a student already practicing karate regardless of your present rank, Shindo can be intimidating, confusing, awkward and even frustrating at first, which is a concept that beginners in karate are going though already, so they don t notice it. People who have achieved rank in karate however have lost touch with the that awkward feeling of being a beginner, and having to think about each step as they train basic techniques. This change from feeling natural back to that beginner struggle is not a pleasant notion for most. I used respond to most objections by stating that Shindo is just the same as the karate they were already practicing, and the learning curve would be quick. Sometimes I would suggest that by practicing Shindo that as was mentioned above, their karate would refine and the training would help them progress. To take a metaphor I hear Sensei Mattie use often you had to learn to crawl before you learned to walk, and to walk before you learned to run. Why Shindo? Even Superman had to learn to stand and walk before he figured out how to leap over tall buildings..right? I will admit, the concept of not doing Shindo, or trying to find a good reason not to was confusing to me, but it prompted me to think about why I do Shindo. What is it that excites me about it and motivates me to do it, and how could that motivate other people to do it. For a long time, I believed that there would be more interest in Shindo if we incorporated shindo sparring into our program. After all, how many people do you know that start karate because Kata looks like so much fun. How many people do you think would continue doing karate if all we did was Kata and basic technique training. I was sure I had found the answer Shindo kumite. That would fix it. It would be exciting, and would probably get more people interested in Shindo, and most of all, I would get to tryout all my super awesome moves on real opponents. (as opposed to only on Sensei Craig.) Stop. Don t start hitting each other with your Shindo just yet.. It will hurt.. Alot. And the ones everyone calls soft shindo..well.they aren t really soft. I ve started calling them foam Shindo instead. It is not as misleading. So. sparring with students didn t make them want to keep doing Shindo, and didn t prompt newcomers to decided to give it a try. I should have seen that coming. Back to the drawing board.. what to do now. Well, a few months ago when I was working on my Masters Cup competition for the National tournament. I was doing some research into karate and kata history to find supporting information for my core concept in the history of karate people more advanced and credible than me. Bunkai specifically has been a particularly exciting part of my karate over the past few years, and has moved my main karate interest to firmly root in kata. Yup.you heard me right. Kata is more fun than kumite. 8

9 9 If my younger self could hear me now, he would try and smack the crazy talk out of me.but he would fail, because he didn t do enough kata. During my preparation for the Masters Cup demo, I focused on the following concepts: 1. Kata were originally developed to be taught to people with a good understanding of key fighting concepts. 2. Kata were originally developed to be used for close range fighting (stand up grappling range) not what is considered today to be karate sport range 3. Kata were developed before karate was a sport, and were not intended to be used against deep stance, well formed straight punches thrown by other karate opponents. 4. Movements in kata should not be limited by the modernized names we have given them. We cannot do that in partner training or in sparring, because all our partners would stop coming back, and at least one would leave every class in an ambulance. The only real time we can throw control to the wind and live our karate with the unequivocal viciousness it originally intended is when we practice kata. Very exciting. Now, of all the things I previously mentioned that Shindo means to different people, it is undeniably one thing to everyone. It is almost exclusively kata..with a weapon. When we see Shindo in our tournaments, it is kata. When we see people practicing shindo, it is kata..or basics.which are just small pieces of kata. Allow me to summarize the above. 1. Kata is the only time in our training when we get to practice our karate with the ferocity and vicious applications as they were originally intended. 2. Shindo is kata..with a weapon. < Enter > your imaginations hero self with the toughest and most menacing grin. > This article has now led you to two very important points in your self discovery through karate. 1. You were just smiling while imagining doing vicious things to an opponent with a stick. There is something not right with that and there are professionals in the psychology field that can help. 2. Thank goodness it s not only you.i am there too.and there are likely others reading the article that just realized the same thing. Back on track..it s time for that Ah ha moment. When I applied these ideas to the kata for my demo, it changed my view of the kata entirely. More than that, it changed my view of karate. The kata became full of exciting things, different ways of fighting that were new to me. It led me to the conclusion, that practicing kata is the only time we get to practice real karate without the safety net. Where we get to take the training wheels off our karate. Kata was not intended to be practiced for it s own sake. Karate-Ka did not start practicing kata for the sake of performing the kata until competition karate. It was intended to record and teach key fighting concepts to be used in real defense situations. Shindo is the same. We practice Shindo Kata to become technically proficient at executing movements with the Shindo while maintaining good balance, line of force, posture, and proper technique. Once we get to that point, and we have a good basic understanding of the key principles of using the Shindo, then the Shindo Kata and basic drills have so much more to offer us.

10 10 Here is where it gets tricky.. you have to take that step yourself. We are fortunate to live somewhere that you don t have to often fight for your life. You don t have to practice to survive, so it becomes easy to practice simply to get good at a drill, or a curriculum for a grading. We certainly need to practice the basic techniques and drills, but not so we can do them well as a drill, but so we can understand why and how they work, and apply that to the rest of our Shindo and our karate. It is not enough to be able to perform a Shindo kata fast and explosively without the purpose of application at the center of what you are doing. Being able to do the move is just the first part. That is learning to crawl. Being able to put them together with speed, power and spirit is like learning to walk. Then you need to take Shindo Kata and look at the underlying concepts they have and let it teach you to run. Unfortunately, it is not possible to see how much Shindo has to offer without going through the time and effort of developing good basics first. Much like when you first began karate, you have to make the decision to go through that awkward stage of feeling like a beginner again, but once you do, you will start to see there is much more to Shindo than just kata, and the concepts in Shindo are far more prevalent in your karate than you realized. So I guess what I m really trying to say is that you learned to stand before you came to karate, and then karate taught you how to walk, and if you ve been doing karate long enough you might even be able to run..but if you want to jump over tall buildings like Superman you have to start practicing Shindo. Hope to see you on the dojo floor. By: Sensei Jessica Lebrun Personal Best Wado Kai My name is Jessica Lebrun and I am a Shodan who grew up in Timmins, ON but recently moved to London, ON where I am an instructor in our dojo. I have been involved with the Shintani Wado Kai Karate Federation for as long as I can remember, but have actively been participating on the floor for 13 years. Karate and the SWKKF have had a major influence on the person that I have become today and that is because of the constant support, guidance, and encouragement I have received from what I call my karate family. I am extremely grateful and honoured to have been one of the recipients of this year s SWKKF scholarship. I plan to use SWKKF Scholarship the scholarship to begin my studies in the field of psychology at the University of Western Ontario in September. I hope to use my knowledge of mental processes and behaviour, as well as motivation and group dynamics, to strengthen my skills as an instructor and contribute back to my own dojo and the organization.

11 Karate College 2015 A New Beginning By: Sensei Peter Avino Shintani Karate Do This year we had a number of people attend the annual martial arts seminar Karate College in Radford, Virginia. Our group was well represented by people of different ages and abilities. It s a great opportunity to look at different styles, practitioners and systems, workout with some world class individuals, as well as review our own skills. While the Canadian and American members (we blended the Canadian and American calling ourselves Cananicans) of the Shintani Karate organizations have done this a number of times, this time was very different. This time we had one of our own best and brightest Sensei Neil Prime, teach some sessions. This exposed a number of other martial artists to Shintani Wado Kai karate. He covered some of the classic components of our style Explosiveness, Sebaki, and classic Karate movements made practical and effective. When we walked onto the floor there were many nontraditional martial artists (that saw our gi s and belts) that formed opinions about our abilities. To be honest, I can understand their skepticism. Many traditional karate people spend more time on making their kata look good, than being effective in fighting, but this is where Shintani Karate is truly different. It is that part that keeps our style true and honest 11 While it is safe to assume his instruction was some of the best at the show, there is a significant thing that set Sensei Neil s expert training above the other instructors - our students. Each member of our organization paired up with a new individual and showed them our style. They did this for 3 separate classes with no injuries, no bravado or challenges, making the other martial artists more comfortable. There was no feeling of competition. When people were able to see the techniques being done by all of our students of different body types and ages they were much more receptive to it. The hand of friendship was extended by sharing our skills and our humble confidence. It is very satisfying to see the level of expertise and spirit held by our group from student to leader and an honor to be able to take part in that. Many thanks to our students and the leaders that make that happen. Looking forward to the next time. By: Sensei Neil Prime St. Catharines Wado Kai There are 3 main elements that make up a kick. They are the knee, the support leg and the hip. Making them work together will enhance your range and effectiveness. I m sure many of you notice immediately that I did not include flexibility. The reason being is that you can be as flexible as Gumby but still not perform the techniques required to execute a proper kick. Being more flexible will certainly increase your range but it can also work against your effectiveness if you don t employ what I am about to explain. With that being said, flexibility is 4th. Knee: Specifically, get your knee up. Your strongest kick will follow the natural angle of your knee as you set it up in line with the rest of your body. What I mean by that is, if your knee is at your own waist level and points upwards at 45 degrees, then that line created is the strongest line of attack. You can increase Fundamentals of Kicking this range with the help of momentum, but only if the other 2 key elements are working together to make this happen. One common mistake people make (particularly of those who are not overly flexible) is to either not get the knee high enough or over rotate the hip so that all of their efforts of getting the knee up are wasted because their line is now going downward. What happens next is that you try to kick high(er) so you have to scoop your leg. This is where the hips take over but a negative separation occurs because you are using the wrong muscles. Support Leg: The lack of involving the support leg is by far the # 1 culprit in inducing a bad kick. It is kinetically incorrect and can be damaging to your joints, ligaments & muscles. You must rotate your support leg to allow the hips to extend (properly). Even a front kick requires some degree of rotation, albeit much less than a round, hook or side kick that can vary up to 180 degrees of rotation. Without this rotation you are putting severe stress on your ankles, knees, hips and lower back.

12 12 Hip (rotation): By employing the first 2 fundamentals you will be able to properly apply this important aspect. When performing a front kick you realize extra power by pushing the hip by contracting your gluteus muscles (and stretching your hip flexors (front of the hips). As you change your angle different groups of muscles become involved. When performing a round kick the rotation of the base foot and hips needs to be greater. A common error is people will try to turn their hips because they are told that proper hip extension creates power but without the rotation your angle of attack is greatly limited. Now that you have the basic fundamentals, you can now add 3 more elements to your kicking that will greatly increase range, speed and power. This is where flexibility comes into play with momentum and upper body alignment. Special thanks to Sensei Lauren Pankratz for allowing us to use her feet to demonstrate these very important positions. The following 2 picture show where you want to get the knee before you extend your leg. Whether you are standing in a forward stance or a side stance, get you knee up as high as you can before extending your kick. A side and hook kick require the same knee and support leg mechanics but the hip works conversely to an extended roundhouse kick. More of a (hip) chamber is required and you engage your gluts. A common fallacy is that leaning is bad. You can lean incorrectly, but with proper leaning you can increase your range of motion and defensively, you get your head away from a counter attack. Final words: Kicking can generate more power exponentially than a punch (force = mass X acceleration), but you must be accurate. Kicks for some reason don t often get the same attention to accuracy as our punching techniques but they should. You need to be able to hit the target. I practice hitting small targets (on a heavy bag or similar target) that are marked within a couple inches of each other. The next picture shows a very common mistake particularly with people who do not have the best flexibility in the hip and abductor region of the groin. People tend to over-turn when they extend. This often leads to an uncomfortable feeling when extending and does not make for strong alignment of the muscles. In your training, also keep in mind that the basics are of utmost importance. Ensure that you break down your kicks and use a full range of motion by driving with the knee, allowing the support foot to rotate which allows the hip to align properly to your target. Shortcuts seldom work. The following pictures show the angle of the foot compared to the target, which would be directly in front (below) of the horizontal line. The first picture is a regular front sparring stance position of the front foot. The second picture is in the position of a front kick or crescent kick. The third picture is a full pivot for a round, hook or side kick. In the next issue of the Harmonizer, I will explain how to correct this and hopefully give some insight to those who are having a problem with their kicks by utilizing strategic angles of kicking.

13 By: 35th Annual Delhi Karate Tournament Delhi Wado Kai Delhi Wado Kai The weekend opened with a clinic being held on Friday November 20th at the Delhi Dojo which is located at St. Frances School in Delhi. There were 9 Blackbelts out and 29 kyu belt students from the various clubs within the Norfolk Affiliated Karate Region which includes Simcoe North, south and Simcoe Saturday. Pt. Dover, Delhi, and Jarvis. There was also a student from the Lindsay Karate club. wait to attack punch right away. 13 Sensei Tim went over blocks. Stated that a good karate Sensei Bruce showing proper position of hands. student has a good interpretation of what the move is all about reason and purpose of the move. Sensei Bruce taking class through the basic punch. The clinic was opened with Sensei Jim welcoming everyone to the club, he said it was great to see such a turnout of young Karateka students commit to trying to learn something new. Sensei Jim introduced the Sensei s that would be instructing at the Clinic Sensei Bruce Perkins, Senate member, Sensei Tim McCullough, and Sensei Marco Reyes Provincial rep. Sensei Tim showing group how to do a low block. Hannah Thompson from Pt. Dover club doing the technique. Sensei Bruce started the clinic with the introduction of the paddle block. He emphasized that students need to keep their lead hand high this is the one thing that stands between you and your opponent. Also stressed that once you block don t Sensei Marco showing good form and karate-do do technique.

14 14 Sensei Tim stressing the importance of pulling the Kimae hand back strong to help keep the technique strong push pull action. Sensei Marco talked about building up muscles and the importance of breathing during a technique. Showed the class the difference between breathing don t let taking the breath in be a giveaway to the opponent that a technique is coming. Also stated that if you hold your breath during a kata, kumite, or anything you do then you become tired quicker. Sensei Marco also stated that when students Rei it should be done with a tight core sign of respect and that it shows that students are ready to learn. When the clinic finished Sensei Jim had the class gather around in a circle to review what the students learned from the 3 Sensei s. Sensei Tim showing importance of getting knee up for a kick. Sensei Tim then moved onto kicks and went over how a kick is most effective proper body positioning (editor s note; see Sensei s Pime article on Pages 11 and 12). Sensei Bruce wanted the class to have fun at the tournament, meet someone new. Sensei Tim stated he wanted the class to focus on pulling back the Kimae hand, always feel the technique to make the Kata become more real. Sensei Tim demonstrating technique with Travis Arsenault Sensei Marco took the last third of the class. He started by asking everyone to bend forward and try punching then he asked everyone to stand up straight and keep the core tight and then try to bend over. Everyone felt it was harder to bend when the core was tight. Sensei Marco wanted everyone to Rei to the judges during kata or to their opponent properly to show respect. Keep core tight and breathe. Sensei Jim closed the clinic by thanking the instructors, told the class to have fun at the tournament, make a new friend, thank the Sensei s for their instruction at the clinic, and also to thank their parents for bringing them out to the clinic and tournament. Adult Class clinic Sensei Jim welcomed everyone for coming out and showing their commitment to karate. Sensei Jim introduced the instructors for the evening which were Sensei Bruce, Sensei Tim and Sensei Marco. 11 Black belts in attendance and 12 kyu belts ranging in rank from yellow to Brown and representing clubs from Delhi, Simcoe and Pt. Dover. Sensei Bruce started the workout had the class get in

15 15 lines and he stated he loved the straight lines both across and up and down. Stated that it was always important to show organization and when looking down on the floor from above straight lines look better. The groups then broke off into partners to work on sparring techniques using only a forward punch and then only a reverse punch. Sensei Amy from Simcoe South working out. Main focus for Sensei Bruce was to finish stances. Keep the center of gravity the same. Don t power the block use your body together as one to do the block. Don t load up the front leg when moving need to be able to move quickly on either leg. Sensei Bruce reminded everyone to breathe as Sensei Marco had instructed on in the kids class. Worked on stepping from a forward stance into a side kiba dachi stance while doing an outside block with a double punch. Sensei Tim demonstrating techniques. Sensei Marco took over for the last part of the class. Sensei Marco recalled an exercise that Sensei Bruce used to do in their club where everyone would lie down on the floor and had to keep their stomachs tight and students would walk across everyone s stomach. Exercise in keeping core tight. Sensei Marco reviewed other key points to help keep you strong and protected which included; keep hands up for protection, keep knees bent, keep stance narrow as this is a stronger stance. Knees need to be pointed in the direction you are going if in different directions then stance is weak and you are open. Sensei Marco led the group in an exercise that was doing a forward shuffle with a reverse punch and then walked backwards doing same technique. Sensei Marco reminded the group of the importance of breathing during the technique but not giving away a technique that you are about to do before you do it by taking a deep breath in. Sensei Jim working out in adult class. Sensei Tim took over the class and worked from a fighting stance with a forward punch. Stressed that core needs to be tight. Talked about an 8 point turn when fighting to stay off line. Use back foot to get out of the way. Wanted class to pretend that front foot is wearing a sock that is sewn down and not moving Sensei Tim then spilt the class into groups and had them work on one person in the center avoiding getting hit just by moving off line- only allowed to move their back foot to get out of the way. Sensei Marco wanted the class to do techniques but to listen to the sound of the Gi wanted everyone to do continuous movements and make the Gi sound smooth rather than distinct one two movements. Class broke off into partners to work light Randori but needed to keep movements continuous. Focus on the person in front of you as they are the one that you need to deal with no one else matters at that point in a fight. If ever in a fight try to talk to the person as this can distract them enough to let their guard down. After clinic Sensei Jim had everyone gather around and review what was taught. Wanted everyone to go to tournament to have fun and meet someone new.

16 16 Saturday November 21st, th Annual Delhi Karate Tournament. Hillary pulls the winning ticket. Sensei Jim at the microphone welcoming everyone. AND THE WINNER IS SENSEI ROD PHILIP. Sensei Tom being congratulated on his 68th birthday. Sensei Jim gathered everyone for the official bow in see picture Black belts and 104 competitors. Competition continues. 50/50 draw was done for the Delhi Junior students organized by Sensei Katrina and Sensei Brandon. Students within the club sold tickets. All tickets sold Raised $1000 for the club and $1000 went to the winner. Black Belt competitors for kata and kumite. Tournament concludes over all feeling from comments made from students, parents, and black belts were that the tournament was well organized. All the Delhi Students and parents helped out as needed. All the kyu belts stepped up and took ownership for the tournament. Family feeling. Many hands make light work and this was truly seen this weekend. Sensei Brandon with Hillary Mallon and Ben Swindall students from the Delhi Karate Club getting ready for the 50/50 draw.

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18 2015 Glamorgan (Calgary) Wado-Kai Karate Tournament By: Sensei Kevin Bowes Glamorgan Wado Kai The tournament has always consisted of two parts. All of the kids receive a seminar and their respective competition. The day started off with the groups being spilt in two and as the night before, Sensei Dan and Sensei Blaine split time between the two groups, getting the kids buzzing and ready for competition. Sensei Blaine worked ground defense with the kids and Sensei Dan worked kumite with his groups. The tournament over all was a resounding success. There were between competitors of all ranks, including black belts. A special thanks to all of the black belts who took the time out of their busy schedules to help make the tournament a success. It seemed like everybody had a fantastic time and parents had great feedback for us. As with many tournaments, after all was said and done, the black belts had fun in a two ring King of The Ring competition that lasted 20 minutes. Sensei Denis and Sensei Shelley McGregor ran the rings and it was a fast paced affair like always. Thanks again to all who supported the tournament. Cannot wait until next year. 18 Pictures courtesy of AnaLeeAllen Photography Sensei Dan McKee It s hard to believe, but we just completed the 11th annual tournament this year. Sensei Denis Labbé has been a staple at our tournament once again. Sensei Denis was able to work out Friday evening with everybody else and met and talked with parents during the competition. As always, our tournament is highlighted by two seminars and a tournament. On Friday, the 13th, Sensei Dan McKee (Godan), founder of Glamorgan Wado Kai, and Sensei Blaine Beemer (Rokudan) split time at the Adult workshop. There were 37 black an Kyu belts who attended the seminar. The theme of the seminar was impact training. There is nothing like hitting something to give you feedback on how well your technique may or may not be. Sensei Dan worked on impact training in kata. There are many applications to moves and sequences in kata, however, no technique is effective without having intent in what you are doing. The most basic form of any move in kata could be interpreted as striking. It s easy to show intent when hitting things. Sensei Blaine worked impact training from unconventional positions. Striking while off balance or lying on the floor is not something we do in our everyday training and it was a welcomed eye-opener to experience his ideas within these realms. Sensei Blaine Beemer

19 By: Judging: The Sensei Shintani Way Sensei Anne Readhead Wellend Wado Kai Phase 1: Tablework (scorekeeping), Corner Judges, Centre Referees, and Adjudicator. Phase 2: Interpretation of Kata and Kumite for effective and consistent scoring at all rank levels. On Saturday November 7th, 2015 at the Welland Martial Arts Centre, the Eastern training group composed of Sensei Dave Brunarski, Sensei Tom Foster, Sensei Rod Philip, Sensei Anne Readhead, and Sensei Marco Reyes presented a clinic. The clinic covered a full day of teaching to 29 participants; the following certifications were presented: 8 people in Tablework, 12 people in Corner Judge and 9 people as Centre Referee. The feedback from participants was positive and included such remarks as: Wonderful. Cannot wait for phase 2 I learned a lot and enjoyed the training It does not matter how long you have been in karate, you learn something new every day. 19 Sensei Shintani promoted fairness and consistent treatment of every member of his organization no matter their age, skill or handicap; he rewarded honest effort and good character. Sensei Shintani`s core philosophy should be visibly communicated through proper etiquette in the dojo, the tournament ring and in our personal behaviour. The SWKKF is very excited introduce the Judging Training Committee. This committee is composed of an Eastern training group and a Western training group. The purpose of this committee is to promote and standardize professional judging as well as ensure consistent ring policies and decisions that focus on the competitors in a safe and unbiased environment. The Senate has tasked this committee to develop and implement a comprehensive training and certification program which consists of two Phases. The long term goal of the senate through this committee is to reach all SWKKF judging black belts with this training program and establish a level of fairness in competition at all SWKKF tournaments that promotes Sensei Shintani s core philosophy and emphasizing on an exceptional level of professionalism and ethics. Sensei Anne Readhead is a member of the Judging Training Committee. She has been practicing Shintani Wado Kai Karate for over 30 years.

20 Moose Mountain Wado Kai Karate Club hosts 30th Annual Tournament 20 By: Sensei Kevin Dyck Moose Mountain Wado Kai who had gone through the club and an open invitation to anyone who had ever attended the tournament in the past. The weekend of November 20 and 21, 2015 was a big one for the karateka in the Carlyle area. This year s Annual Provincial Shintani Wado Kai Karate Tournament was the club s 30th Annual tournament, and the club had been making big plans for the event. Calgary We started planning immediately following the 29th Annual Tournament in 2014 with an invitation to both Sensei Denis and Sensei Ron, but also an invitation to the Shintani National Team and coaches. We were thrilled when all of them indicated they were able, and excited, to attend. Sensei Kevin began corresponding with Sensei Heather Fidyk to ensure that we could meet every need of the team and coaching staff. Many other invitations were also sent out to all of the previous black belts The weekend started on Friday with an open training session with the team. A number of Shintani members from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta took advantage of the opportunity and enjoyed an intense kata session in the morning and an exciting kumite session in the afternoon led by Sensei Heather and Sensei Michel Gosselin. After a break for supper, the actual tournament events began with our annual Clinic. The dojo was packed with participants. They were split into smaller groups as Sensei Denis, Sensei Ron, Sensei Heather, Sensei Michel, and Sensei Darren Fidyk rotated through each group working on different techniques. It was an excellent clinic! Following the clinic, participants enjoyed a dance with a local DJ from Carlyle. The music and laser light show was awesome. Although it wasn t always a Dance in the traditional definition, everyone had a lot of fun and enjoyed the time to unwind from an excellent day of serious karate practice. The tournament proper started on Saturday morning. The team had an early meeting at 8:00 am and then attended the tournament black belt meeting. The tournament kicked off with a bow-in and O Canada and a short period of silence to remember those karate friends who are no longer with us. The first event of the tournament was the Black Belt event. This year, there were enough black belts to run a Shodan event and a Nidan and up event. The katas performed were excellent and the kumite matches were exciting. All of the spectators enjoyed the events very much. An appreciated aspect of this tournament for the past couple of years is the addition of live streaming video on a large projector screen. This allowed spectators

21 21 to see the parts of the kata facing away from them and provided a nice view of opposite angles during the kumite matches. Many videos were also captured during the day and are gradually being added to our YouTube Channel. Just go to YouTube.com and search for Moose Mountain Karate. After the black belt events wrapped up, we started into the young kyu belt divisions. We call our youngest group (age 5, 6, 7 year olds) Just For Kicks. They got to lead the event. It was great to have all black belt judges in every ring with extra black belts to sub in occasionally. At the end of our Junior division, before we started with 16 and older, we held a special Team event. The team event consisted of Team Shintani vs The National Team. Team Shintani consisted of black belt members attending the tournament. It was decided that we would use a Modified WKF/Shintani rules system. We decided to use WKF style kata/kumite scoring and stop-time matches in kumite. The scoring consisted of Yuko (1 point), Waza-Ari (2 points), and Ippon (3 points). We were almost able to allow take downs but we didn t quite have enough tatami mats to make a large enough ring (we re taking care of that already!), so take-downs were not allowed. The National Team came out ahead on points, but all of the competitors enjoyed the alternate system. Perhaps even more unfamiliar than the scoring system was that coaching and cheering was encouraged from the sidelines and spectators! It took a little time, but pretty soon the dojo was full of cheering. Following the team event, the tournament wrapped up with our older age divisions. Saskatoon the black belts go into a private meeting where they discuss potential recipients of our tournament s major award, the Clint McFarland Memorial Trophy. Clint was a student in our club a number of years ago who was killed in a tragic work-place accident. Clint s passion for karate led his family to donate money to our club which we used to establish a memorial trophy in his name. In a nutshell, the award can go to any karateka of any age or rank from any club in attendance at the tournament. It is to be awarded to that person whom the yodansha feel they would most like to introduce to Sensei Shintani. The recipient need not be an outstanding competitor or even a karateka. They must simply exhibit those traits that Sensei held so dear to his heart: humility, respect, dedication, commitment, and peacefulness. This year, the recipient of the Clint McFarland Memorial Trophy was Sensei Cheryl Boivin from the South Calgary Wado Kai Karate Club. National Team members After the tournament, a banquet was held at a local hotel. During this time, acknowledgement was given to those who went above and beyond to help make the tournament a great success. The coordinators of our canteen, the prize/raffle table, and the coordinator of our awesome black belt room were thanked for their extra efforts. Immediately after supper, Sensei Michel We also introduced six (6) new trophies this year and asked for help from Sensei Denis and Sensei Ron. We asked them to select six "Outstanding Karateka", male and female,

22 22 from three different age groups. The recipients of those awards were: Just for Kicks Male - Sawyer Tomaszewski (Moose Mtn); Just for Kicks Female - Karsyn Gervais (Moose Mtn); Jr. Male - Ethan Anderson (Moose Mtn); Jr. Female - Leila Lawrence (Calgary); Adult Male - Rolland Bouchard (Moose Mtn); Adult Female - Marlee Cormier (Moose Mtn). In a couple of cases, neither Sensei Denis nor Sensei Ron were able to watch the event. In those cases, we went back to the kata scoring sheet and decided the recipient by the kata scores. We had many comments from our visitors about how great our tournament is, and much of that is due to the help we receive from our volunteers. We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped out in any way for the tournament. We would also like to extend our thanks to Living Skies Wado Kai Karate led by Sensei Jeremy and Sensei Crystal Johnson for their club s continued support of this event. It is always great to see our karate family from Saskatoon! Other Saskatchewan Shintani clubs who attended this year s tournament were from Regina, Melfort, and Weyburn. Here is some tournament info: We had 105 individual competitors and 31 black belts. to 8th Dan Black Belt. There were 3 senate members in attendance. We had 7 of the 11 National Team members in attendance plus 3 of their coaches. The National Team training sessions on Friday were exciting and well attended. We had representation from 4 provinces: Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario. The katana and wakazashi raffle was won by Sensei Owen Day of Weyburn, SK. Many photos from the tournament can be seen online by going to Instagram and searching the hashtag - #carlylekarate30 Thank you to everyone who posted pictures! We hope to share some more. Please remember to check out our YouTube channel (Moose Mountain Wado Kai Karate) and check our web site ( for more pics and video. Our age and belt rank ranged from 4 year old white belt Organizers and Ranking Sensei

23 By: Sensei Kris Reynolds Karate Kawartha Lakes Karate Kawartha Lakes is pleased to have hosted Sensei Ryan Bodrug 6th Dan and Sensei Hien Tran 5th Dan from Yamanaka Sensei s federation for a clinic on Shintani no Kata. Shintani no Kata as developed by Yamanaka sensei is unlike our karate or Shindo kata, it is more similar to traditional kihon training, where specific applications are practiced in a sequence with a partner. Shintani no Kata The clinic was a wonderful example of Shindo techniques which ranged from defending against an opponent who has a Shindo when you do not, to using a Shindo on an unarmed opponent to Shindo on Shindo / Shindo on alternate weapon principals. I would like to thank Sensei Bodrug and Sensei Tran for coming to share with us, and we hope to have another clinic with them and Yamanaka Sensei in early

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28 28 Duck Dynasty joins the SWKKF from the Louisianna Dojo From the Harmonizer Committee A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of our Shintani family, friends and supporters from the Harmonizer committee. Thank you for all of the great articles and pictures. We are really looking forward to making this a great publication for all SWKKF members. Keep the articles coming in. Committee Members: Sensei Rick Topp Jarvis Wado Kai - Jarvis, On. Sensei Jenn Topp Jarvis Wado Kai - Jarvis, On. Sensei Randy Mullin Welland Wado Kai - Welland, On. Sensei Kevin Dyck Moose Mountain Wado Kai - Carlyle, Sk. Sensei Colin Frans Millwoods Karate Club - Edmonton, Ab. Sensei Alice Pinto Nordik Wado Kai - Hearst, On. Sensei Yvon Lebel Nordik Wado Kai - Hearst, On. harmonizer@shintani.ca THE HARMONIZER IS PUBLISHED UNDER THE MANDATE OF THE SENATE OF THE SHINTANI WADO -KAI KARATE FEDERATION (SWKKF). THE SWKKF DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR STATEMENTS OF FACT OR OPINION MADE BY ANY CONTRIBUTOR. STATEMENTS MADE BY INDIVIDUALS MAY NOT REFLECT THE OFFICIAL POSITION OF THE SWKKF. AC- CEPTANCE AND PUBLICATION OF ARTICLES, ADVERTISEMENTS, PRODUCTS AND SERVICES DOES NOT INDICATE ENDORSEMENT OF THE SAME BY THE SWKKF AND THE SWKKF AS- SUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY.