My Karate Courses in UK & South Africa

Soon I will be flown to teach Asai-Ha Shotokan-Ryu Technical Seminars in England. Rather than contact me, please click on the poster to book a place with organizer Michael Barr Sensei (4th Dan IJKA). 

Likewise, for South Africa! I believe these two courses, in England and South Afirca, may well be my last (outside of New Zealand and Japan) for a fair while.

OSU! Andre.

© André Bertel. Christchurch, New Zealand 2012.

TO THE LIMIT

Please forgive my recent absence from posting any technical articles on Asai-ha Shotokan-ryu and Shotokan karate-Do in general... My workload has been out of control (but wonderful) at the University of Canterbury, so my daily self-training and attendance at the IJKA-NZ Christchurch Dojo is my priority. As I always say, TRAINING is the priority "karate-wise"; thus, when time is short, my posting always suffers. Anyway, after October 16th I will finally be free! So, expect lots of posts, videos etc... By the way, I sent Abe Keigo Sensei my footage from training in his classes at the JKA (Japan Karate Association) Sohonbu in Ebisu in the early 1990s (which he wanted a copy of). He said he will have these videos transferred onto the internet and will then put them on his JSKA (Japan Shotokan Karate Association) website so look forward to that. Once they are uploaded, I was told that Naito Sensei will contact me, and I will post a link here.

 

Anyway, the photos here are from my self-training today. As always, heaps of work to do in order to "level-up", so I must continue to push myself "to the limit!" Like all things, Karate-Do is a journey with no limits; therefore, the destination functions as the motivation: whilst the quality of the voyage is what really matters.

I wish everyone who visits this site good health and training!

OSU, Andre

© André Bertel. Christchurch, New Zealand 2012

Andre Bertel Karate-Do Seminars in England: November 2012

The Blackpool and Wyre Karate Club, where I will be teaching at in November, have put up an article about the event on their site (To get these details first hand, through their site, please click on the link at the bottom of the page).

I am very much looking forward to teaching in the UK, and are preparing some very special courses on Asai-ha Shotokan-ryu Karatedo. The Open Weekend Course will be an event not to be missed for anyone serious about studying Asai Karate in the United Kingdom and further afield in mainland Europe.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu, OSU! See you all in England.

© André Bertel. Christchurch, New Zealand (2012).

Blackpool & Wyre IJKA club, England: http://wyrekarateijka.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/andre-bertel-is-coming-to-blackpool.html

Late August & September Training Regime

Here’s my latest training routine which I have been following in the second half of August and will probably continue a fair way into September. It is quite self-explanatory (with the exception of reps which are dependent on my daily condition). Nevertheless, I’m currently self-training hard only three times a week, in addition to the dojo sessions where I simply train with the class and sweat. My other four practices are usually more light and technical—where I work on high-level technique and fine tuning. PS - I had to re-title this post, as I was a month ahead of myself... Too much time in books!!! Osu, André

KIHON: (1) Kizami zuki kara Sanbon zuki (jiyu kamae); (2) Jodan age uke kara chudan soto uke soshite chudan gyaku zuki; (3) Ippo sagatte jodan age uke kara mawashi geri, uraken yokomawashi uchi soshite chudan oi zuki; (4) Chudan soto uke kara yori ashi yoko empi uchi (kiba dachi), uraken yokomawashi uchi soshite chudan gyaku zuki; (5) Ippo sagatte gedan barai kara oi zuki soshite oi zuki; (6) Chudan uchi uke (kokutsu dachi) kara kizami zuki soshite gyaku zuki; (7) Chudan shuto uke (kokutsu dachi) kara nukite; (8) Chudan shuto uke (kokutsu dachi) kara mae ashi mae geri soshite nukite; (9) Mae geri kara jun zuki (jiyu kamae); (10) Yoko keage ashi o kaete yoko kekomi (kiba dachi); (11) Ren geri: Mae geri kara yoko kekomi, mawashi geri soshite gyaku zuki; (12) Mae geri kara yoko kekomi soshite gyaku zuki; (13) Migi sonoba ren geri: Mae geri kara yoko kekomi soshite ushiro geri; (14) Hidari sonoba ren geri: Mae geri kara yoko kekomi soshite ushiro geri; & (15) Gyaku-zuki (Idomokuhyo).

KUMITE: Jiyu ippon kumite & Jiyu kumite

KATA: Shitei-gata (Heian, Junro, Tekki, Bassai-dai, Kanku-dai, Enpi & Jion) & Jiyu-gata (random). For example, today's dojo training was Heian, Tekki, Junro, Bassai-dai, Empi & Jion. And my self-training was Jitte, Gankaku, Hangetsu, Kanku-sho & Chinte. Just to add my view on kata training... Irrespective of what you practice in karate, it must be for martial arts; therefore, whether training one kata many times over, or a number of them, intensively isolate one point in your practice and relentlessly work on this: in the aim to heighten your overall skill.


By the way, if you notice the two types of gedan-barai from the dojo training this evening... Yes, they are intentionally different; hence, posted on here (as as result of a question from one of my students). A decisive gedan-barai to attack (drive the rear leg straight) and the orthodox gedan-barai contracting the rear leg.

© André Bertel. Christchurch, New Zealand (2012).

Andre Bertel South Africa Seminars: February 2013

In February I will be conducting a technical seminar in South Africa (PLEASE CLICK ON THE POSTER FOR MORE DETAILS). The organiser is Gary Grapentin Sensei. Please contact him to book a place if you wish to attend.

Here is the direct link to the hotel where the course will be held. http://www.suninternational.com/Destinations/Hotels/FishRiver/Pages/default.aspx

I really look forward to teaching Asai-ha Shotokan-ryu Karate there. Osu, André

© André Bertel. Christchurch, New Zealand (2012).

The 6th New Zealand Tetsuhiko Asai Sensei Memorial Training

This year’s Shuseki Shihan Tetsuhiko Asai memorial practice marked six years since Sensei passed away. This has been my third year to attend this wonderful event at the IJKA New Zealand honbu dojo (as the other three years I was living and training back in Japan).

This years training session, as always, focused on the more unique IJKA (International Japan Karate Asai-ryu) techniques, execution of kata and Asai Sensei's special oyo-jutsu. Needless to say, this practice was not the Shotokanized version of Asai Karate that is now being practiced worldwide.

The 2012 memorial was a particularly wonderful practice and tribute to Asai Sensei.

Here are the links to previous Asai Sensei Memorial Training's here on this site:

5TH ASAI SENSEI MEMORIAL (IJKA Christchurch, New Zealand 2011): http://andrebertel.blogspot.co.nz/2011/08/5th-asai-sensei-memorial-ijka-new.html

4TH ASAI SENSEI MEMORIAL (IJKA Christchurch, New Zealand 2010): http://andrebertel.blogspot.co.nz/2010/08/asai-sensei-memorial-practice.html

3RD ASAI SENSEI MEMORIAL (Japan 2009): http://andrebertel.blogspot.co.nz/2009/08/june-7th-1935-august-15th-2006-in.html

2ND ASAI SENSEI MEMORIAL (Japan 2008): http://andrebertel.blogspot.co.nz/2008/08/asai-sensei-memorial-day-training.html

1ST ASAI SENSEI MEMORIAL (Japan 2007): http://andrebertel.blogspot.co.nz/2007/08/on-this-very-day-august-15th-last-year.html

© André Bertel. Christchurch, New Zealand (2012).

Shotokan Technical Seminars: Australia 2012

Here are some stills from my recent Karatedo technical seminars in Freemantle & Perth (Western Australia); furthermore, some relevant links.

Australia 2012 Video two:
http://andrebertel.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/2012-seminars-in-australia-part-two.html

Australia 2012 - Video One: http://andrebertel.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/australia-seminars-2012-video-one.html

Margaret River Newspaper Article: http://andrebertel.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/margaret-river-newspaper-article.html

Official KUA website course Report: http://www.kuawa.com/Content/andre_bertel

© André Bertel. Christchurch, New Zealand (2012).

2012 Seminars in Australia (Part Two)

Here is the second video from the recent courses I taught in Western Australia. Many thanks to KUA (Karate Union of Australia); in particular, KUA national chief instructor Carl Marriott Shihan and his family, vice president Don Walker Sensei, the members of the Freemantle Shotokan Karate Club, the members of the Margaret River Shotokan Karate Club, and all other dojo/ryuha who attended. Osu, André

For a report from the KUA on the course please click here: http://www.kuawa.com/Content/andre_bertel

© André Bertel. Christchurch, New Zealand (2012).

England Seminars: 10th & 11th November 2012

For those who attend the courses in England there will be very special practice that will benefit your karate for years to come.

Unlike a normal technical course, seminar or gasshuku, everything covered will be related to Shotokan as taught by the late master Tetsuhiko Asai Sensei "as he taught it in socho-geiko" (his self-morning training). Techncially speaking, for those sincerely interested in perfecting Asai Karate this will exceed anything previously unveiled in the United Kingdom; therefore, it will give the instructors who attend a high-class understanding of Asai Sensei's technique. This will include one of the koten kata that I was privately taught from Asai Sensei in Tokyo in the mid 1990s.

Of course the seminars are also open to my students and friends in mainland Europe. And irrespective of political affiliation, everyone who trains is welcome.

Osu, Andre

© André Bertel. Christchurch, New Zealand (2012).

ANDRE BERTEL ENGLAND SEMINARS 2012

It is confirmed that I will be teaching a course in Blackpool, England on November 10th and 11th, 2012.

Please click on the poster to contact and contact the organiser, Michael Barr Sensei (IJKA 4th Dan). As always, and irrespective of organisation, it will be a case of first-in-first-served. Particularly this time as there will be limited numbers able to attend this Asai Karate seminar.

I look forward to teaching in England this November. Osu, Andre

© André Bertel. Christchurch, New Zealand (2012).