Luton Higash Karate Kai

Ogwen Bank, Wales - 1-4th May 2011

Gertjan's Report

I find it difficult to describe Ogwen on paper. However what I can easily say is that it is an amazing experience, and that I am happy I attended the course.

The course covers all aspects of our training: Stamina, Kumite, Kata and line-techniques. The first is found in both the warming up, and the fact that the course is four days; converted in hours this equals a month worth of training.

Furthermore the level of training is higher than that of normal training, even increasing its worth further.

Sensei Spanton is an awe-inspiring instructor, and the respect he commanded amazed me; you must remember that on his own he disciplines over thirty Karatekas at once.

The training starts in the morning, at seven. A short warming up, followed by Kumite. As most of the attendants are 2nd Kyu and above, the Kumite is wonderful opportunity for lower grades like me to learn from many masters at
once. Do not worry, the high grades will not demolish you, but rather combine the Kumite with a coaching session. Due to the fact that grading was moved to the third day, the fourth day was an all out session, which I really enjoyed.

After a small break of a couple of hours to recover (read: sleep) we were summoned to the training ground; a parking lot on a slight slope which served as Dojo. For two hours we trained both techniques in line, as well as kata. After another break of a couple of hours an additional two hours follow – totalling the training to five hours in one day. This
training is quite intense, and in a short duration of time I learned six new katas, as well as many new techniques which were incorporated in these kata. Also mention worthy is the friendliness of the Karatekas from other clubs. I expected a certain rivalry between the various clubs; however this was no-where to be found.

I am looking forward to Ogwen 2012!

Simon's Epic

Two Days to Go

Off to Ogwen Bank in Snowdonia today for a four day intensive karate training course. This is gonna hurt, but at least there's nice scenery to look at while recovering! The advanced guard of four Lunatics (John, Gertjen, Piotr and me) arrived at Ogwen Bank around 7pm and after a little light unpacking we strolled down to the clubhouse where we met Pete Spanton and John told him that I was returning to Higashi after 21 years away. Not only that, but Pete remembers grading me at Forest Gate in May 1988... and I believe him!

The Morning After The Night Before The Day Before The Course

We spent the first evening last night watching reruns of Ogwen video diaries from the past to put us in the mood for the upcoming training. For some reason we didn't crash out until around 6am in the morning and after a lovely 5 1/2 hours sleep woke up again and Piotr made us a traditional Polish meal of Bigos for breakfast (even though its a 'hunters stew') which was, to say the least, glorious in its cabbagey-meatiness!

The remaning two Lunatics, Dave and Hayley, arrived later that day to survey the wreckage of the night before and laugh at pictures of Simon. The rest of the day was passed peacefully in the tranquility of the Welsh mountains, just chilling out before the punishment began the following day.

OGWEN DAY 1

The 39th Ogwen Bank Karate course kicked off with a punch today! Some light stretching and what felt like hundreds of situps was followed by the first battlefield session. And what a glorious battle it was! Injuries - only one split lip for me. Winded a few times and hit the deck once or twice. I decided that being winded is good as it gave me a break! Breakfast now and off for basics and kata in a few hours time. Bring it on!

Two more sessions of basics and kata later and I was feeling good. I think the cider flavoured liquid pain relief helped! My old hips are complaining, though. I am hoping to master some of those katas I've forgotten over the last 21 years in the coming days!

OGWEN DAY 2

The 2nd day of the karate course in the mountains of North Wales was just as good, if not better, than the first. Intense sparring on the battle field at 7.30 for an hour followed by two sessions of two hours each in the late morning and mid-afternoon. The weather is perfect, too - sunny but with a cool breeze. I gained another split lip this morning, curtesy of our very own John Hurley. Thankyou, Sensei! It's ironic that Hayley and John both used supports (ankle and back, respectively) that I brought with me but haven't needed.

OGWEN DAY 3

Short session on battlefield today - most likely due to people grading later and Sensei Spanton not wanting any injuries to spoil their chances of grading. I fought Ronan from Sligo who has a broken arm, but that certainly didn't slow him down much!

Morning session in the car park was really good. I felt as though some of my katas are starting to 'click'. And I'm not referring to my hips, either! Even though I am relearning all my katas up to chinto (the last one I remember from my earlier days) I feel as though I have increased the amount I remember of each one significantly - mind you, I can still only complete Pinan Nidan and Pinan Shodan with any degree of confidence.

The training day ended with a black belt grading; hardcore or what? :-) At one point they had a heavy duty sparring session followed immediately by kata. That's a real test of skill - maintaining form when exhausted! Good luck to those who graded; we'll get results this evening and then it's BBQ time!

OGWEN DAY 4

Last session on the battlefield this morning followed by the traditional dunking in the river of the Ogwen 'virgins' - myself included. Decided not to fight it because I'd be going in anyway. Wasn't as cold as I expected but got colder standing on the bridge for the video diary afterwards! Some good scraps; particularly enjoyed fighting Dave from Maldon club... Sorry about the ribs! We started the battlefield session by sparring with one arm behind our backs - this was really difficult at first as the brain has to work in a new way blocking and punching with the same arm. Hayley had a fight with Rachel and punched her in the face - she claims this was because they were on a slope. A likely story! Gertjen acquired a bloody nose whilst Piotr was impaled on a pointy rock during his dunking in the river. A violent battlefield today, for sure!

Mostly packed now after the morning car park session and ready for quick getaway later... But don't want it all to end. It's too soon to go home and back to reality!

The last session was supposed to be a little 'lighter' but I found it a real struggle, most likely because I was just mentally and physically exhausted. I was partnered with three black belts and a 1st kyu to practice bunkai (application of kata against real attackers) for a kata that I can barely remember (passai dai) - but then again, it's all learning, which is good. What hurt most after that session? My brain!

The day ended with Sensei Spanton handing licenses back to grading hopefuls and congrats to all at Luton who achieved their goals - Hayley for her 1st kyu and Dave and Piotr for their 5th kyus. I was particularly (and surprised myself) emotional at being reassessed at exactly the same level that Sensei Spanton himself graded me at in May '88 - 3rd kyu 2nd class. The countdown to Ogwen 2012 starts here...

The Day After The Last Day of Ogwen 2011

Arrived home around 10.45 last night and unloaded the car. Too hyped to go to bed straightaway and too cramped in the neck from four days of intense concentrated effort and four hours of intense concentrated driving! My body is still on Ogwen time as I woke up at 5.15 today and couldn't get back to sleep! Looking forward to Ogwen 2012, which will be the 40th and could be quite special!

Four Days After Ogwen

My body is slowly adjusting to normal life again, woke up at 6.15 this morning and didn't wake up at all during the night so I guess the adrenaline is finally leaving my system! Looking forward to training this afternoon and then a trip to the pub so we can swap war stories with those who weren't able to join us for the fun and games.

Hayley's Report

Setting off to Ogwen on Saturday 30 th April, the butterflies started to flutter about in my stomach, i was about to embark on my 3 rd year at Ogwen and was hoping to grade up to a 1 st kyu. After many hours driving (about 4) we arrived at the camp, we found our caravan and our lodger and unpacked our belongings ready for the 4 days ahead.

I took my dad and Simon on a tour of the campsite, pointing out the important bits like the battlefield and the dojo, giving them a brief explanation of what would happen in each area. That evening we all went to the clubhouse for a few drinks and to introduce ourselves to the others or to catch up with old friends. We then all piled back to John's caravan and watched old Ogwen video diaries to inform the ‘Ogwen virgins' of what was to come. We soon realised it was the early hours and we made our way back to our caravan to prepare ourselves for the morning.

At 7.30am we all gathered on the bridge, to wait for Sensei Spanton to call us to action and we made our way to the battlefield, where we lined up grade order ready for whatever was to be thrown at us. After a brief warm up, Sensei Spanton called for us to partner up. Our first fight was to be hands only, which is more difficult than it sounds, as a person who relies on the use of my kicks to keep my attackers at bay I found myself mainly blocking attacks which were coming to me, though I did manage a few good techniques of my own, including a cracker of a punch to the face of a 1 st kyu from Whitley.

After the chance to re-energise ourselves we all gathered at the dojo where Sensei Spanton composed a combination of 13 moves (only 13!) which made all our brains ache and caused many of us from 8 th kyu right up to 5 th dan to have to do press ups. After doing our required katas, in lines and in groups, that Sensei Spanton placed us in, it was time for another refulling stop. The second dojo session passed rather quickly and involved what we did in the morning session and a different 13 move combination.

Every morning battlefield session developed and gave us the chance to fight with people from all over and to fight people of all grades, which meant you gained knowledge from the people you fought, and even as a 2 nd kyu the black belts I fought gave me advice which I have taken away with me and will work on to become a better fighter.

The dojo sessions also developed and soon we were learning new katas and some of the group learnt 4 katas in the 4 days we were there. In the dojo sessions even if you know a kata back to front and sideways, you still learnt new things about the katas and it always amazes me at how much knowledge I come away with.

After the afternoon dojo session on day 3, a black belt grading was to take place, we all congregated on the grass, around the dojo, to witness six hopefuls push harder than they have before, and fight through everything to try to earn their next belt. In the evening we gathered in the clubhouse to see five of the six hopefuls awarded their next belt with smiles all around.

The morning of the last day dawned and a great sadness came over us all, as we realised it was our last day at the course. We all gathered at the bridge and took the final walk to the battlefield, where the last of the fighting was to be done. I was able to fight a black belt from Whitley, who unfortunately for me used to be an international fighter! Despite this, it was a great fight, where I gained some knowledge and even got a few good hits in and gained praise from a few of the black belts.

Then for de-flowering of the Ogwen virgins, and while some people decided the best way to go is to do as you're told, others decided they wanted to try to fight the inevitable - which ended in them being dragged in by the Irish lads. The last two dojo sessions seemed to pass quicker than before and all that was left was for Sensei Spanton to thank everyone for their attendance, effort and support and to hand back the licences and inform those who were hoping to grade if they had or not. Everyone at Luton who was eligible to grade did so and we all left Ogwen with big smiles on our faces, but an emptiness in our hearts knowing that we now had to go back to reality.

All I can hope for is that next year Ogwen will still be an option, so we can celebrate the 40 th birthday of the course.

Dave's Report

After hearing all the stories of Ogwen, it was with more than a little excitement that I set off, with Hayley, on Saturday morning, to join the rest of the ‘crew', who had travelled up on the Friday (Good excuse to miss the Royal Wedding!). There were to be four Ogwen ‘Virgins' (Simon, Piotr, Gerjan and myself) and two veterans (John & Hayley), representing the Luton Lunatics.

After meeting up with Simon, who we were sharing a caravan with, we explored the site and marvelled at the scenic views – absolutely fantastic. Hayley showed us the ‘Battlefield' and ‘Dojo', two places that are now imprinted on my mind as places of pain and pleasure!

In the evening we all met up in the club house for a few drinks and sat through the whole of Britain's Got Talent – John had had a tip off that Karen was going to be ‘starring'. Pretty soon everyone knew and was waiting expectantly to see a fellow veteran on the TV. Unfortunately, the tip off was a ‘dud' and as the credits rolled we all looked questioningly at John – maybe next week was the answer.

We all piled back to John's caravan and had a few drinks whilst chatting about the days ahead and watching footage of previous ‘Ogwens'. All too soon it was time for bed, dreaming of what was to come in the morning.

We rose early and congregated, with everyone else, at the bridge – waiting for the ‘call to arms'. As we arrived at the battlefield and Sensei Spanton called us to grade order, the size of the task suddenly dawned. There was a mass of Dan grades, a group of 1 st – 3 rd kyus and then the 3 of us lower grades, we looked at each other and wished each other good luck.

After a session of stretches and exercises, we were told to partner up – here we go! The first fight was ‘hands only', a good introduction while finding your feet – very different to the dojo back home. We soon changed partners and I found myself facing one of the Dan grades from Whitley. All was going well, an equal number of punches being traded, until he wrapped his foot around my ear (next day my ear was actually black – most people get a black eye!). Several change of partners later, including negotiating the strange fighting style of Brian, the sparring session came to a close and we made our way back to the caravan on a high, desperate to get stuck into the first ‘dojo session'.

After re-fuelling, we arrived at the dojo and I was a little nervous about making mistakes in front of Sensei Spanton and the rest of the group. I needn't have worried as the first set of basics and ‘tests' passed with no mistakes, or consequential press ups, for me or any of the Lunatics. This session and the second dojo session passed by very quickly with a mixture of basics, kata and ‘kata mash up'! – the source of much brain ache and amusement.

By the time the day ended, we were battered & bruised but on a massive high – all trying to talk about what we had learnt and what we thought of our first day. We had something to eat and met up at John's van to watch some films, as the adrenaline wore off, it soon became apparent that this would not be a late night.

The battlefield sessions developed over the week, I made a pact with myself that each day I would try and spar with more and more Dan grades – by the last day I managed to get through the whole session, facing only Dan grades. The great thing was that not only would they ‘hand you your ass in a sling', they would tell you how they did it and suggest ways of avoiding it in future – a fantastic, if at times painful, learning experience.

The dojo sessions are like a ‘karate greenhouse', your knowledge grows and develops at a fantastic rate, I learnt so much and the input from all the higher grades is invaluable – especially the regular shout of “lower that stance”, from Sensei Spanton! As we were learning, we also had the chance to help newly graded Lunatic Gerjan develop his katas.

On the afternoon of day 3, we had the very special opportunity of watching six hopefuls go for either their dan grades or improve on their current dan grades. In the blistering heat, all six threw everything into line after line of basics, consecutive katas and full on fighting. A very impressive sight and a reminder to us all that the bar is set very high.

That evening everyone congregated in the clubhouse for the presentations. One of the hopeful 1 st kyus was promoted to Shogun and all the current dan grades moved up a grade – the sense of achievement was high and celebrations commenced.

Day 4 dawned and we realised, with some sadness, that this was our last day and that we were due our ‘baptism' in the beautiful, but, freezing River Ogwen. We all fought well and some (Gerjan) even tried to fight off the inevitable, however, all virgins leave that last battlefield ‘de-flowered' and take their place in a very special band of people. The two dojo sessions flew by and Sensei Spanton called for a ‘last blast'. Several lines of basics later, all combatants beaten, Ogwen 2011 came to a close.

All that was left was for Sensei Spanton to thank everyone for their attendance and effort and to leave us all with a spark of hope that there will be an Ogwen 2012! Handing back the licences, there was fantastic news for Luton – Simon had his 3 rd kyu confirmed at 2 nd class, Piotr & myself were promoted to 5 th kyu and Hayley was promoted to 1 st kyu.

I went to Ogwen with 1 aim – to learn as much as possible and make sure no minute of the day was wasted, I also had one hope – to be promoted to 5 th kyu. I achieved both and would thank everyone at Ogwen 2011 for their help.

Next year will be the 40 th year for Ogwen, which will be a fantastic reason to attend, however, even without that, I cannot recommend attending enough. The friendships, learnings and karate in-sight that you can take away, cannot be found anywhere else.

Pinan's Report

Sunday, 1st of May will surely be a day to remember for four Ogwen virgins from the Luton Club. After accommodating and resting off the four hour journey in the prior two days, we were in for a slight surprise and an unwanted change of daily habits. A waking call at 6:30 am was the first sign of what waited ahead of us. The morning session in the battlefield greeted us with a warm-up that surely lived up to the reputation of Ogwen - especially the infamous Ogwen sit ups. The actual training session kicked off with few decent rounds of kumite, which gave us an opportunity to introduce ourselves to everybody and be welcomed with a couple of bruises and dead muscles. After the two hours (It certainly didn't feel that long!) break for a breakfast and a quick nap we headed off to the car park-shaped dojo, which seemed to be inclined especially to 'help out' our aching legs.

A two hour session full of basics and kata practise under the always-observing eye of Sensei Spanton on a lookout for all little glitches in our techniques was surely something to look forward to! Despite the exhaustion, the amount of stuff we have learnt was tremendous and worth every ounce of effort it demanded from us! After a quick break for lunch, we were out again for the last session of the day, feeding us more basics, kata and brain-teasing sequences of punches, backfists and kicks to memorise. As difficult to imagine as I might be, getting back to our vans, after a total of five hours training was surely more demanding than I ever expected it to be. However, after all the hard work, even the best of the best must have a time off and no better thing to do other than to enjoy the evening in the local pub, playing snooker and getting to know all the masters and higher grades with a pint by hand. One thing I have finally learnt how to do in Ogwen is surely falling asleep at an instant after getting to the bed.

Three days of training later, on Thursday's morning battlefield session, the Ogwen Virgins were all invited for a swim in the freezing waters of the river. Some decided to hop into the water by themselves; others had chosen not to, and were kindly persuaded by a few higher level techniques to follow the few wise. Adding an aching back, to all my bruises and scratches, this was surely a day I will never forget. After the remaining morning and afternoon sessions, we all headed back home, hurting, beaten and tired, but happy and satisfied with all the promotions.
Whatever might be said, I, for sure am coming back to Ogwen next year, because a training and an opportunity like this is something nobody (a karate-ka, or otherwise) should ever miss out on!