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Shotokan Karate is normally typified by "the way of the empty hand", but Saturday 3 February 2024 was different for Andover Karate Club as the dojo clattered with the sound of the bō, the hanbo and the tanto. This was all very new to us, so what happened?
The Club’s sensei, Lionel Zeffertt, who is a fifth dan in Shotokan himself, had invited a visiting expert to demonstrate and teach weapon techniques. Andrew Newman is a 6th Dan Karate, a 3rd Dan Jujitsu and 1st Dan Kendo and is no stranger to such classes. He was ably assisted by Andy Clarke, one of Sensei Newman’s senior students. After the usual warm-up, the course started with an introduction to a kata (a form of practice routine) with the Bo (wooden staff) involving defensive and offensive blocks and strikes. Once we had practised the Kata, we split into pairs and put all the movements into practice by using the Bo attacks together with the defensive moves and counter attacks on each other under complete control.
After an hour’s training with the six foot stick we moved on to the smallest weapon of the day, the Yawara Bo (small wooden stick just bigger than a builder’s pencil). Again, during this session, a number of different defensive and counter attacks were first demonstrated and then practised in pairs. This proved to be both very enjoyable and illuminating as it quickly became very clear that the combination was very simple. Using a small implement and some skill can lead to a very effective defence resulting in much pain for any would-be attacker. Sensei Andrew also explained and demonstrated how everyday items that we all carry can be turned into a very effective means of defence as well.
A short break and some much needed rehydration saw us quickly moving on to defence against knife attacks. Knives can be dangerous in any setting if not used with great care and this was a key part of this lesson: how to safely handle a knife, always assuming it is sharp and ready to cut, even unintentionally. As was explained by the instructor, these demonstrations were intended to teach and practice only; a real knife attack would be quite a different matter. The group then used tanto, wooden practice knives, to deliver moves meant to defend against and disarm attackers.
The final section of the seminar was used to demonstrate how to defend against persons attacking with a shorter stick simulating something like a baseball bat. There were further demonstrations that, by now, had us feeling quite sorry for the would-be attacker, Andy C, who invariably ended on the floor in an awkward heap. Then we practised several different joint locks that resulted in the involuntarily release of the offending weapon. We discovered how, counter-intuitively, it was important to get close to the weapon and inside the attack to ensure that minimum damage was done during the defence but maximum discomfort was dispensed to avoid a repeat attack. The contortion forced on wrists and elbows made sure that, in any real event, no further attempts would be possible for some months after the attacker’s hospital attendance.
The course was scheduled for three hours and all were surprised by how quickly this passed. Many new techniques were learned and practised in a relaxed but professional atmosphere that was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The use of weapons helped to clarify the purpose of some of our usual empty-handed karate technique and many new moves were discovered to deal with armed hostility.
Whilst we train on Tuesdays and Thursdays with bare hands we all look forward to trying more of these, to us, new aspects of the martial arts. Until then we thank Sensei Andrew Newman and his able but long-suffering assistant Andy Clarke very much and hope that we can invite them again for another exciting session.
