Summer Course with Pasq Mura Sensei 7th Dan
Thank you so much to all of the students and Instructors who trained on our Summer Course with Pasq Mura Sensei 7th Dan Senior Instructor from SKIF. The course was well attended with karatekas from 5 different associations coming together to learn from one of the most senior and well respected Instructors in the UK. There is no doubt that Pasq Sensei is an expert in karate and to have senior Dan grades who have their own Clubs come and train with you is a testament to the level of respect you have earned over the years.
It was a sweltering Summers day and you all worked extremely hard. We appreciate the effort that each and every one of you put in and for giving your precious free time up. Pasq Sensei’s teaching style is relentless yet methodical and I am sure we all came away with tired bodies and the feeling we had learned a lot. Pasq Sensei’s karate is inspirational, after a long and incredibly successful competitive career, you can tell he has really taken care of himself. You can learn so much by just watching the way he moves and performs each technique. His demonstrations were outstanding and he is a patient and selfless Instructor.
Pasq Sensei worked taught excellent Kihon drills that built on top of one another. Practising kihon in this way will always benefit your karate. You are drilling the basics which makes your body stronger, training your mind and creating that all important muscle memory.
We then worked through SKIF Kihon Ippon drills and SKIF Jiyu Ippon Kumite drills. These were brand new to the vast majority of students and provide you with a greater variety of counter attacks to choose from. I think the higher grades enjoyed learning something new and challenging. Practising kumite drills in this controlled manner increases your focus, develops distance control and improves your confidence. If you practise actually defending yourself, you are more likely to be able to do so if the unfortunate situation ever arises. SKIF use different parts of the body as weapons such as elbows and knees. Pasq Sensei taught us how to do this safely with great care for your partner.
He is a responsible martial artist who emphasises the importance of attacking with precision and power but not injuring your partner. It’s a fine balance between working together safely but making sure we can look after ourselves. I feel that is what sets karate apart from other martial arts disciplines especially MMA. We are not here to hurt one another, we are here to practise and learn today, and be healthy enough to do it all again tomorrow. If we all understand this and practise in this way, we all improve as one.
The group then finished with work on Kata Heian Nidan and Kata Bassai Dai. There are always slight differences when training with different associations but it is advantageous to know all the versions of the same Shotokan Kata. Increasing your knowledge in this way creates a versatile and well rounded karateka. The longer you practise karate for, the more you learn what works for your body and you can create a style that suits. This is not to say that Kyu grades can create their own versions of Katas, it is important that we standardise your karate at this level. For senior Dan grades (and we a great have many in our Club now) it is important that you continue to increase your knowledge and challenge yourself as Pasq Sensei clearly has over the years.
We want to finish by saying thank you to Pasq Sensei for sharing your knowledge with us and we hope to train with you again in the future!