Gasshuku in Tropical Paradise

The venue was Koh Samui, Thailand.  This was the 6th Annual event that I have conducted there and it was such great fun with 7 days training 5 hours a day followed by 7 days to relax and chill – out in paradise.

The training was 10 – 12.30pm then 5 – 7.30pm because of the temperature which reached 31 – 34 °C in the day, most of the training in the morning was endurance and impact and after the morning training there were readings on different topic such as Physiology, Anatomy, Nutrition and Prevention and Technical in the evening.

After every morning session we would retreat to the small but well placed restaurant that Sensei Geoff Pickup had built to sample some of the tropical fruits that are available, these consisted of Dragon fruit, Papaya fruit and Pineapple that people were saying they have never tasted fruit like it anywhere else and sweet Banana and Watermelon, which added nutritious value in addition to ice cool bottled water.

In the evening after training a quick dip in the pool and then a shower, then it was time to sample some of the local Fish dishes that had been caught that day, which consisted of Lobster, King prawns, Mussels, Oysters and Calamari all cooked to perfection with array of sauces.

But it was not all about training; readily available are motorbikes that can be purchased cheaply and this is the most popular way to get around the island in such a hot climate.

There are many interesting places you can visit, such as Buddhist Temples, Markets, and some wonderful Beaches and to chill out you even have a massage on the beach which takes about an hour and after training this is a must.

This Gasshuku takes place every year so if you would like to experience training in paradise combined with a holiday this is your opportunity.

My special thanks to the people of Koh – Samui for making this a successful Gasshuku and look forward to March 2013.

George Andrews