ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

Koshiki Karatedo Seminar Report (WKKF) 

United Kingdom, Surrey, Woking, March 2020

Hosted by Dojo Ken Shin Kai 

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

An exceptional seminar was conducted by Hanshi Olaf Lotze-Leoni and Shihan Scott Brown on the 1st of March 2020. Shihan Scott Brown also taught a self-defence class on the 2nd of March. The last time Shihan Scott Brown visited the UK, I believe, was back in 2016. Hanshi Olaf Lotze-Leoni visited previously in early 2019, but I was overseas in Australia at the time. 

Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karate Seminar

The seminar was conducted in several segments, as shown below.

1. Opening Salutation
2. Kihon
3. Kumite Partner Work
4. Kata
5. Bogu Striking Techniques
6. Promotional Ceremony
7. Blessing Ritual
8. Demonstrations
9. Closing Salutation

1. Opening salutation

Hanshi Olaf Lotze-Leoni and Shihan Scott Brown introduce themselves to the students, and then the formal bow in is initiated.

2. Kihon 

Hanshi Olaf Lotze-Leoni leads off with a run-through of the main stances utilised in Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karate. Shihan Scott Brown then takes over to demonstrate basic movements, punching, and kicking techniques. 

Kihon or fundamental techniques are paramount and must never be overlooked or forgotten. 

3. Kumite Partner Work

Hanshi Olaf Lotze-Leoni and Shihan Scott Brown then demonstrate a partner drill known as Go No Ho Kumite Ichi. It was not overly complicated, but it pretty much covered all of the fundamental movements and strikes practiced in Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karate.

Hanshi Olaf Lotze-Leoni and Shihan Scott Brown also demonstrated ways of increasing the scope of application, by introducing weapons into the kumite. I truly enjoyed learning this kumite and intend to integrate it into some of the classes I teach.

4. Kata

Hanshi Olaf Lotze-Leoni ran through Heian Yondan with the class. This was a good kata to cover as there was a mixture of belts, so this was a kata for everyone. Shihan Scott Brown assisted in checking over everyone’s movement, and he corrected me on a few things as well. 

5. Bogu Striking Techniques

I get pulled up to be a target board for Hanshi Olaf Lotze-Leoni to demonstrate the first Bogu striking technique, which was a two punch combination. 

I could barely register the first time Hanshi Olaf Lotze-Leoni struck me with the combination. My body tensed up, despite Shihan Scott Brown telling me to relax on numerous occasions. Hanshi Olaf Lotze-Leoni moved quickly, and his strikes were precise. 

The detail was in the footwork.

The back foot would cross slightly behind the front foot, before springing off the back leg to throw the two punches. From an educational perspective, this footwork was the greatest thing I learned from the seminar, followed by the kumite partner work. 

Hanshi Olaf Lotze-Leoni then demonstrated the second combination, which was a front kick, followed by a roundhouse. Again, a simple combination, but the footwork was the critical element highlighted to make the most effective use of the two kicks.  

6. Promotional Ceremony 

The special moment had finally arrived. Shihan Ciaran Mitchell was promoted to Renshi 6th Dan, and with this rise in rank, he was bestowed the highly coveted red and white belt.

A special moment

7. Blessing Ritual

Shihan Scott Brown starts with a question to the class.

“Who makes their bed each morning?”

My hand shot straight up. I was surprised at the coincidence of this question being asked, given that only a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my morning ritual. Shihan Scott Brown then goes on to explain the significance of having established routines in life to allow individuals to take command from a central place of balance.

A blessing ritual was then conducted by Hanshi Olaf Lotze-Leoni, to bestow good fortune to the future success of Dojo Ken Shin Kai. The ceremony uses the following three ingredients, which each have a representation for a specific aspect.

• Sake for Spirit
• Salt for Cleansing
• Rice for Growth

The ceremony scattered these three ingredients in the four cardinal directions- north, south, east, and west.

8. Demonstrations

No seminar is complete without some demos. Shihan Ciaran Mitchell, Shihan Scott Brown and Hanshi Olaf Lotze-Leoni, each performed a kata of their choice to commemorate the momentous occasion. 

9. Closing Salutation

Closing speeches were given by Shihan Ciaran Mitchell, Shihan Scott Brown, and Hanshi Olaf Lotze-Leoni. Then the bowing out salutation took place, and the seminar was concluded.

Self-Defence Course Prelude

On the following day, I receive an unexpected phone call from Shihan Ciaran Mitchell. It seemed that Shihan Scott Brown had some free time, so I took the opportunity to invite him to my home for a philosophical chat, before the self-defence course.

It was a pretty big honour to be granted this chance as I had never hosted a Shihan ranked individual before. I was nervous about my preparations!

• I definitely did not wipe down the kitchen beforehand
• I definitely did not hoover around the dining room beforehand
• I definitely did not redo my bedroom beforehand

I don’t know what you’re talking about. Stop looking at me like that!

Anyway, I gave Shihan Scott Brown a tour of my home, brewed a pot of black tea, using the best tea I procured from Sri Lanka several years ago. Then we sat down at the couch and immersed ourselves in a two-hour long chat. We covered a wide range of topics; the main ones are listed below.

1. Life
2. Martial Arts
3. Technology
4. Meditation
5. Self-Defence

1. Life

The obvious question was directed at me, and I explained my story to Shihan Scott Brown. How I used to be a data analyst, but then switched gears to try my hand at building Absolute Ascendancy. Shihan Scott Brown mentioned that I could be onto something with the health and wellness blog. He then talked about his widely varied career, how he started as a farmer, moved into teaching, then martial arts, all the while running a security business in tandem. Speaking of martial arts . . .

2. Martial Arts 

Shihan Scott Brown has met so many different martial artists in his sixty years of living. Bill “Superfoot” Wallace is one particularly famous Karate Champion that Shihan Scott Brown trained with once upon a time. Nathan ‘Carnage’ Corbett, an 11 times World Muay-Thai Kickboxing Champion was but a child when Shihan Scott Brown first met him.

We talked about many aspects of our Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karate, from the syllabus to various individuals in the organisation. I affirmed my intention to continue my karate journey one way or another until my last dying breath.

3. Technology

Shihan Scott Brown doesn’t use social media at all. However, he admits he is on his smartphone a little more often than he would like. He remarked that his daughter has better self-control with her phone than he does, which surprised me because her daughter was about my age.

Shihan Scott Brown continued to explain that he found that older people tended to use their phones more than middle-aged individuals, based on his observations over the years, at public locations.  

Perhaps the younger generations are not so bad after all!

We also discussed the future of artificial intelligence and how it could impact the world. The speed in which machine learning algorithms can adapt to new information is astounding. In a Chinese version of chess, a grandmaster was soundly defeated by a CPU opponent, which was hooked to a database filled with match data. Artificial intelligence in hospitals can pick up signs of various diseases before humans can identify them.

A machine, however, can likely never truly replace humans when it comes to managing emotional behaviour. Even with all of the information in the world, humans are unique and can respond in a myriad of ways to any particular scenario. Artificial intelligence may be able to prescribe the correct situation most of the time, but there will always be outlier behaviour which cannot be accounted for by any machine learning algorithm.

The potential dangers of video games are discussed next, as there is a lot of controversy surrounding them. Our opinions differed on this topic. I took the stance where I believe video games are a healthy outlet to prevent individuals from committing the crimes shown in the games. Shihan Scott Brown, however, argued that for individuals who had the potential for violent acts, video games could stimulate those tendencies such that they manifest in reality.

Reflecting back, I remarked on how my parents banned me from playing any shooting games and restricted my gaming time to the weekends. It is likely that my parents resonate with Shihan Scott Brown’s point of view, more so than mine.

4. Meditation

We touch on meditation practices and a bit on Buddhism as well. We mainly covered off various kinds of meditation and different philosophies of Buddhism. Shihan Scott Brown talked about his experience in Tai Chi and relays stories he has heard about the potential effectiveness of Qi Gong as a holistic healing practice.

Yoga got mentioned as well, but Shihan Scott Brown told me a story of how So-Shihan (the head honcho) told him off for practising yoga because practically all of the yoga movements are covered in the Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karate syllabus anyway. Shihan Scott Brown attended a yoga retreat and realised the truth in So-Shihan’s words for himself.  

We talked about how the human psyche is more influenced by adverse events, due to ancient survival mechanics. A negative scenario has five times more impact than a positive one. In other words, it takes five positive experiences to neutralise a single negative, in theory. The importance of positive mindset books like Think and Grow Rich is especially vital to guard against negativity. 

The zone was also discussed, and we shared our experiences of those rare moments when we were able to enter the flow state. Most of my experiences come from playing the piano, whereas Shihan Scott Brown relates to the martial arts when tapping into the higher self.  

5. Self-Defence

A lot of what we discussed is covered down later on, but a few things we talked about, which was not mentioned in the course was the importance of mindfulness in any conflict. Bringing full awareness to the situation at hand, and your surroundings to better allow you to control the outcome as best as possible. Managing your emotional responses before trying to control anyone else. De-escalating a situation before it gets out of hand.

We talked about the differences between fighting for self-defence, and fighting for sport. Shihan Scott Brown explained that there are two types of motivational driven athletes, based on a study done in Rugby. The analysis showed that out of a group of individuals who all had a roughly equivalent ability, some were more geared towards getting involved with tackles, and others shied away.

Some athletes are adventure-driven, and others are fear-based. This is something that is programmed into the individual and cannot be overwritten, only managed. In fighting, the adventurers are the ones who sign up to each fight and are game on every time. The fear-based may step into the ring, but they tend to not like getting hit and fight on the outside.

I am a fear-based fighter.

I do not want to stand and bang; I want to hit and run. I am an out fighter, and while I have improved my close quarter combat skills, my preference will likely always be to hang back like a sniper and pick my opponent apart with my long-range weapons.

So I asked Shihan Scott Brown, how can a fear-based athlete like myself, improve as a fighter? He advocated a proactive approach, regardless of whether the preference is to pre-emptively strike or counter-attack. I lean towards counter fighting, so he explained that I should be active in creating opportunities to set up counter strikes against my opponents.

By emphasising a proactive approach, there is less room for fear to permeate the mind, because your mind is actively working. A reactive mindset is more vulnerable to succumb to fear than a mindset that is seeking ways to attain victory.

He also mentioned as a fear-based fighter, the meditation aspect which I regularly undertake would continue to be very beneficial in managing that fear, which I agree with absolutely. I should have videoed the whole conversation; it would have made for a great podcast.

For dinner, Shihan Scott Brown displayed true bravery by trying out my signature dhal curry, which much to my relief, he enjoyed immensely. It wouldn’t have gone down well with the others if I poisoned Shihan Scott Brown before the course! But then, with a vegetarian meal, it would take a special kind of talent to make someone ill.  

Self-defence Course

Shihan Scott Brown conducted a lesson in basic street self-defence. The topics covered are listed below.

1. The Right to Self-Defence
2. The Heart
3. The Nine most common Attacks

1. The Right to Self-Defence 

Shihan Scott Brown discussed the British Covenant Law with regard to self-defence. He then explained that there are six levels of violence and self-defence, with the idea being that the level of defence used is one level higher than the act of aggression. 

Should you, unfortunately, end up in a situation where you have to defend yourself, Shihan Scott Brown recommended the following statement to give to the police.

 “I felt that my life was at serious risk, so I used reasonable force to defend myself.”

Say nothing else.

Shihan Scott Brown warned that some police officers might try to encourage you to give further details about the incident, but do not get lured into this trap! Say your statement, exercise your right to remain silent, and leave it to your lawyer to deal with the rest.

2. The Heart

The class is informed of the three main types of motor skills available to the human body, and at what heart rate, those skills fall apart.

Above 175 bpm, the ability to perform any task diminishes as the body descends into a cognitive and physical breakdown.

Shihan Scott Brown then explained that the theoretical maximum heart rate is 220 bpm. For an individual’s theoretical maximum, you subtract your age from that number. You then take 80% of that number, and that is the heart rate you should sustain for 20-30 minutes three times a week, to keep your heart in good health, so that it can adapt appropriately to a life-threatening situation.

Formula: (220 – x)*0.8 = sustained fitness heart rate, where x is your age.

Example of a 30-year-old person: (220 – 30)*0.8 = 152 bpm.

I smash that out of the park every week, but for those of you who are less certain, you can do the calculation for yourself and track your progress to see if you hit the minimum standard each week.

A study was conducted with police officers of varying rank. Some were out in the field, and others performed various tasks to cause elevated heart rates. The analysis found that only when an immediate threat to be killed by an act of physical violence occurred, that the heart rate skyrocketed to almost 300 bpm.

Nothing else could make the heart rate increase so much.

Theme park rides, stimulants, ice baths, and various other means could not compare. The significance of all of this discussion around the heart was about to bear fruit.

The most effective self-defence focuses on gross motor skills.

Gross motor skills relate to large movements, such as punching and kicking, rather than the motor skills needed to load a revolver or tie a knot. Gross motor skills retain peak performance up to the highest bpm of all motor skills, so it makes sense to utilise these movements in a situation, which can cause the heart rate to reach levels of almost 300 bpm!

3. The Nine most common Attacks

A database was compiled for assaults, and the information contained outlined that the majority of violent acts, began with one of nine attacks.

1. Shove
2. Choke
3. Collar grab
4. Same hand wrist grab
5. Opposite hand wrist grab
6. Lead Punch
7. Hay-maker
8. Bear Hug from Behind
9. Hair Pull

This is incredibly useful to know, as training to defend yourself against these nine most common assaults, will keep you well prepared should a confrontation find you.

Which is exactly what we did.

Shihan Scott Brown demonstrated countermeasures for all nine of the attacks listed above. He outlined the major vital points to target, including the eyes, neck, groin, and a few pressure points found on the arm and legs. He advocated the use of open hand striking, rather than fists, for safety reasons.

Cutting your knuckles by punching someone in the teeth can lead to various infections invading your body. Also, fists are more likely to break bones (both yours and the aggressor), which is unlikely to be in your favour should your broken attacker take you to court.

Open-handed strikes targeting the vital points will stun opponents, and allow you to escape. Even against those under the influence of hard drugs, who would not be stopped even if you broke their face.

Finally, Shihan Scott Brown explained that practical self-defence must be a prescribed response, which has to be administered almost simultaneously to an attack. As soon someone goes to push, grab, or punch you, the appropriate countermeasure needs to be executed.

Otherwise, it is no longer self-defence; it becomes a fight for survival. 

Practical self-defence should allow you to stun your attacker long enough for you to escape or incapacitate them. 

Conclusion

Witnessing my instructor, Shihan Ciaran Mitchell ascend to Renshi 6th Dan was a special moment.

These seminars were some of the best I have ever attended. The atmosphere was excellent, and I learned some beneficial things which I am looking forward to implementing in the future.

Real value from true karate masters

For those of you who attended either of the seminars, any feedback you have would be appreciated greatly. 

• What went well?
• What could have gone better?
• What could have been done differently?

All comments are welcomed, so please do share your experience!

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.