Sensei Andre Bertel’s England seminar.........
There cannot be many in the shotokan
karate world who create such divided opinion.
However, those who have experienced
his teaching are often keen to learn more as was evidenced by those who travel
long distances to train with him again. Of the 50 or so who attended the recent
weekend seminar, all the feedback was positive and there have been many
requests asking if he is likely to visit us again soon (sadly no).
The critics of Sensei Andre Bertel are
almost always those who have never met him. He strives to keep clear of
politics and yet at least one organisation in the UK told its members to stay
away. This reminds me of a mistake made by the KUGB in 1974, when it banned its
members from training with Mr Kanazawa and Mr Kato. It now seems laughable to
have given such an instruction. Certainly Mr Kato has always welcomed his IJKA
members training with other instructors.
Mr Asai had a only a handful of
personal students and his most senior and longest serving was Sensei
Koller Bruno. Sensei Bertel was also a long standing student, training with Mr
Asai on a regular basis for 13 years and he was awarded the youngest ever 6th Dan.
Although Sensei Bertel's knowledge is extensive, he openly admits that there is
much more he could have learnt had his Master lived longer and therefore he
does not have all of the answers.
I did train with Mr Asai on more than
one occasion, observing his incredible demonstrations, but it is only after
being taught by Sensei Bertel that I am beginning to understand the
main concepts. Andre's chosen profession is that of a teacher and his
communication skills are second to none. It is not always easy to make the
transformation from hard karate to a more relaxed form, but if you can manage
it you will be highly rewarded both in the effectiveness of your karate and
your health.For me it is a work in progress.
A point that should not be lost is
that Bertel Sensei is passing on what he was taught by the late Asai Sensei. He
has not changed anything, although his approach to instruction is his own and
it is this great teaching style that is so informative. Asai’s version of
Shotokan contradicts what many of us have been taught; it is a different
concept. However, there is also a clear message, that this style of karate is
not for everyone and it is for each of us to make our choice.
Fortunately for me, Andre Bertel’s
recent blog answers the 'big three' questions that have arisen since the
England seminar. The blog entry clarifies questions about muchiken, kime and
the regular use of oi zuki(when training in pairs). The two-day seminar was
just an introduction to Asai-ru Shotokan Karate and it covered the
basics. During his stay Sensei Bertel trained at Sensei Ron
Bellwood's club on two occasions. On the first occasion, he impressed everyone
with his teaching skills. On the second visit he just 'joined the line', but
after the formal training he helped with the juniors; coaching and as always
was happy to volunteer his time.
The more advanced training during my
private sessions focused on kata and the oyo waza. Sensei Andre is very
particular about certain details when practicing a kata because it is
preparation and practice for practical 'street situation' self defence
techniques. Poor kata practice and performance, in the context of learning
karate as a martial art, can look quite sharp and superficially good, but the
performance is empty when there is no effective application. We practiced kata
oyo waza in pairs and this involved very little change from the original kata
performance. Ignoring the finer points within the kata often resulted in the
defence/attack not working at all when practicing with a 'non co-operative'
training partner . The correct technique generally works for you every time providing
you can learn to adapt to the position of your 'uchi'.
Of course, it depends what you want
from your training. As a young man I started karate to be able to defend
myself and to fight better. I lived in Blackpool and during the holiday season
'Glasgow fortnight' it could be a rough place. Those days are long gone and
karate for me is now just a good way of keeping fit and forgetting about the
gas and electricity bills! However, I do not wish it to be an empty
martial art and for me it is important to be learning
an effective system of self defence.
Sensei Michael Barr 4th Dan IJKA
