Malta Gashuku 2017

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  1. We woke to a beautiful blue sky, the odd fluffy cloud drifting by. Breakfast was followed by a leisurely morning. Lunch by the sea was pleasant in the midday sun. We were waiting for the rest of the party to arrive before setting off for the first Karate session.

    The first we knew that something was wrong was when we met at reception to be taken to the dojo. Chris, Arsene and his dad had arrived as expected. It was then when we learnt that the disturbing events of last night caused more than the loss of Rose. Davis had appeared from nowhere. He had broken the laws of physics and travelled through space and time to Malta. Sensei Roy's exasperation grew. "What the ....". Sensei's frantic attempts to get in contact with Davis the previous night were all in vain as Davis was in a parallel universe. Sensei Dario, practical as usual booked Davis into the hotel before we set off to the dojo. Rose returned and led the troop in a hearty rendition of "Malta!" in the mini bus.

    We entered the Libyan compound and made our way in the dark to the dojo. Its welcoming lights a beacon in the night for those craving Karate. Sensei Larsen put us through our paces slowly increasing the pace and intensity of the training. The focus on basics. Hip rotation in front (Zenkutsu Dachi) and back stance (Kokutsu Dachi) formed the core of the first part of the training. The constant repetition of in both stances was agony on the legs. After a short break Sensei Larsen concentrated on stepping forward and back in front stance, with special emphasis on locking. It was here that things took a bizarre turn. Sensei explained how to achieve the proper stance with the use of a credit card. A new Karate term was born. The CCC or the Credit Card Clench (copyright Larsen Sensei). This explanation was greeted with vacant glances from the innocent faces of the children and grimaces from the adults. We are all still haunted by the image.

    credit card

    The next session focused on Oi-Zuki and the importance of locking. Visions of the CCC still in our heads. We finished at 9 and returned to the hotel for a quick shower before heading to a restaurant. The food was good but the portions were enormous. Respect to Arsene who was one of the few to finish his steak. 

  2. The third day started with everyone meeting in the lobby bleary eyed given the early start. We piled into the minibus and drove to the beautiful Golden Bay beach. It was a lovely day, the sea was bright blue and inviting. Sensei Dario led the training. This was based around the brown belt kata Jion. The training was hard given the resistance offered by the sand. The bunkai (practical application of the techniques) was well suited to the beach, with many moves ending up getting the opponent on the ground. Jacob found himself on the receiving end of many of Sensei Dario's demonstrations. We could tell he was clearly enjoying having his thumbs, wrists and various other joints twisted and wrenched. The obligatory crowd of curious onlookers came and went as the beach got busier.

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     After training, most of us went swimming in the lovely warm waters of the Med. After drying off, we basked in the sunshine around the beach bar. As was now customary, the conversation entered strange territory. It centred around the various ingenious ways criminals have of hiding drugs. Visions of the Credit Card Clench again entered our minds. We climbed the stairs to the restaurant and realised Chris was missing. A familiar weary expression came across Sensei Roy. "Where's Chris got to now?" Luckily he turned up after a couple of minutes having just had a ride on a jet ski. Clearly famished, Davis started immediately tucking into his burger. This was met with a chorus of disapproval. Karate etiquette dictates that everyone waits for the senior Sensei to start first. Davis froze. Burger half in his mouth, his uncertain eyes, flitting from side to side trying to work out what he did wrong. Order restored, we finished and got back to the hotel and then soon back to the dojo.

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    This turned out to be a kumite (fighting) session with Sensei Larsen. It would be fair to say that some enjoyed this more than others. We all soon realised it was better to melt into the background when he was looking for someone to demonstrate with. The main drill was around kizami-zuki (jab punch) followed by gyaku-zuki (reverse punch). Both leading and reacting to the attack. Rose was one of the unfortunate demonstrators. Sensei Larsen punched and kicked Rose pretty much from one end of the hall to the other with Rose trying to block. This was in an attempt to show some of the tactics we should adopt when blocking an attack. We all winced in sympathy as the flurry of kicks and punches landed with dull thuds that reverberated across the hall. Sensei Larsen is not a man to pick a fight with. Things got even more interesting when Sensei Larsen got some students to punch him as hard as they could in the stomach. Needless to say he wasn't particularly impressed. In their defence, it isn't often that someone asks you to do that. You would be apprehensive at the best of times. This is taken to new levels when punching a 7th Dan who can kill you with one punch. The training ended with exhausting exercises including leapfrogging your partner. Some of the older students never thought they still had it in them, though it must be said that Sensei Larsen standing behind you, gave added motivation.

    After showers at the hotel, we went to the family house of one of Sensei Dario's students. It was a magical setting with a warm evening and a beautiful garden decorated with fairy lights. The lovely smell of cooking mingled with the wine and beer. The DJ playing tunes from the 80's and 90's much to our joy. Soon there was dancing and karaoke, with some nifty moves from Sandra and Sensei Roy to the sounds of Cameo. The singing was of a high standard although perhaps some of the children could have done with more singing lessons. The children were also having fun occasionally trying to beat each other up with karate strikes. The food was excellent. The highlight of the evening was a rousing Viking song from Sensei Larsen. We finally headed home after thanking the kind and generous hospitality of Nick and his family. Unfortunately, despite the numerous great songs played that night, the only one whizzing round my head in the bus home was the Macarena.

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