Renshusei from Austria: Ronny Kilian

 Ronny Kilian from Austria approached me at a one of my past Technical Seminars in Germany. At that time, he asked if it would be possible to come to Japan and train as a renshusei. Because he booked his times well in advance, this month that eventuated, with him being here in the dojo.

The prime focus of his renshusei training was to address the fundamental techniques of Karate; in particular, optimal biomechanics for maximum combative effective.

This was covered by going inside the Kihon (that is, the kihon within the kihon) and utilizing this knowledge in a freestyle context. I spent much of the time focusing on ground power from the 'anchor-leg', which is, of course, imperative in Budo Karate.

Another key point covered was "...how one must be able to immediately and optimally adapt the fundamental techniques" from Kihon and Kata, "...in relation to the opponent's position, distance, their actions and other factors". For example, the use of HENKA-WAZA such as multi-directional kicks, strikes from blindsides, etcetera. In Budo Karate, techniques must be effective in any context, otherwise they will never be reliable.

Over the four two-hour lessons I saw Ronny steadily improving, as did Philip his son, who observed from the sidelines. One thing I noticed, over all four days, was Ronny having a big smile when he 'got' different points. That was a real pleasure for me, as it is for any teacher, karate or otherwise.

In sum, I really enjoyed coaching Ronny and spending time with him and Philip. Great guys and lots of fun. Ronny, I wish you the very best in your on-going budo journey and a safe trip back to Austria.

©︎ André Bertel. Oita City, Japan (2025).