I went to Cape Town, South Africa, to celebrate with one of the best Karate practitioners I have had the privilege to be associated with; Sensei Bakkies, he is an inspiration to everyone.
This was the 8th Annual Gasshuku I have conducted in Koh Samui, Thailand and each year there are more people attending however, I have now limited the amount of participants to 30 and by invitation only.
This was the second year that I have been invited to conduct a Gasshuku in Teluk Intan, Malaysia, by the Chief Instructor of Malaysia Sensei Billy, Veerappan Arumugam.
I was invited to conduct a Gasshuku by Kevin and Mika Duff, who stayed and trained in the London Honbu Dojo for 18 months. I was happy to travel to the states at this time of year because the temperature was 25°C with beautiful blue skies.
In Goju Ryu it seems that three is indeed the magic number. At the heart of the system is Sanchin Kata, which translates as Three Battles, referring to the physical, mental and spiritual challenges. The number three also describes regions of the body, Jodan, Chudan and Gedan. For this month, the number three meant consecutive weekends of training courses with Masters of the style.
Sensei Marian Czlkowski invited me to conduct a Gasshuku in Lebork and Wicko. These two towns are in the north of Poland, close to the Sea, during the summer months they are bustling with holiday makers.
Arriving at Catania airport on Sunday, a chartered bus was waiting for some of the people arriving at the same time as me. To my surprise my good friends Rob and Adrienne Langgartner from Canada where on the same bus.
This was the 7th Gasshuku in Koh – Samui, it is the ideal place for those people that live in cold climates, it is a chance to train hard and enjoy the warm Sun, Sea and Beaches with a Night life second to none, and guaranteed temperatures of over 33°C.
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George AndrewsChief Instructor OTGKA Archives
February 2022
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