Trainee from Kitakyushu

Mr. Lyn Jehu came from Kokura City for private training yesterday and also on the 16th of May. Lyn and I have corresponded several times, so it was great to finally do karate with him. I found him to be very modest and passionate about his karate, and budo in general.

Prior to arriving, Lyn emphasized that he wanted to work on kihon, and also that he was interested in my later teacher, Tetsuhiko Asai Sensei’s use of power (as he has a sports science background). So I decided to use kihon including choku-zuki, gyaku zuki, shuto-uchi, haito-uchi, mae geri, yoko geri, and mawashi geri to achieve this. We focused on using joint snap and transfer of body weight for power, as opposed to forcing techniques with conscious muscle effort.

I also stressed the fundamental and harmonious Shotokan coordination of koshi no kaiten (hip rotation), and tai no shinshuku (contraction and expansion of the body). We did a lot of work on the drive of the supporting leg towards the target (please refer to the yoko kekomi photo). However, Lyn seemed most impressed by the combinations of muchiken-waza (whip fist techniques) which Asai Sensei taught me, and the enormous power/impact they have.

All in all, I found Lyn to be a gentleman and seriously focused on improving his karate technique. So all the best Lyn! I sincerely hope these two lessons were beneficial.

© André Bertel, Japan (2009).