The 1st IOGKF Gasshuku Malaysia, 2012

I was invited by Sensei Veerappan Arumugam (Billy) Chief Instructor IOGKF Malaysia to conduct a Gasshuku in Intan, Perak (Diamond Bay). It is situated some 400 Kilometers from the capital Kuala Lumpur.

The training was for 5 hours per day with temperatures of 35°C; I requested that Sensei Billy to have made Hojo – Undo training implements readily available and to my surprise Chishi, Tetsu Sashi, Nigiri Kami and Impact Pads were produced.

This shows me that his determination and effort to want to learn about Supplementary Training is unique. I started the training with the traditional warm up and explained in detail the important points about safety and long-term avoidance of injury, then the 3 Ks, Kihon, Kata and Kumite, followed by a demonstration on how to use Hojo – Undo.

Then arranging 4 stations so everyone had the opportunity to experience Hojo – Undo training and to finish the Kata Sanchin was performed. Some of the people commented that they had never seen these apparatus before, and some have been in Martial Arts for 30 years.

There was also a presentation by Mr. Burhanuddin Bin Daud (Hilir Perak Youth and Sports Officer) after the Gasshuku had finished. I was presented with a plaque in recognition of my work, my special thanks to him for his effort in making this Gasshuku a success.

But it was not all about Karate – Do; I was taken around by car to see some of the sights. The town’s main attraction is the leaning tower of Teluk Intan, it is the equivalent to the World famous Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. The purpose for building the tower, also known as the Clock Tower, was to store water for the locals during the drought season, in case of fire. The clock on the tower was also used to keep time and was a landmark for the Ships at sea.

The town also has a number of Colonial buildings and Chinese Shop houses, and is home to a diversity of Cultures and Religions, and not forgetting I went fishing on the Perak River which is home to a wide variety of fish and Crocodiles.

During my stay I sampled the fruit Durian (The King of Fruits), it is a large prickled fruit that smells like Gas but tasted very sweet, and I ate fish and sea food every day and drank Oolong Tea.

I would like to thank Sensei Billy and especially Chong Hai Lee for taking care of me during my stay, looking forward to Malaysia in 2013.

George Andrews