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Sparring strategies for local karate athletes

Takeshi Naito Course 2007

 

   

Sensei Naito Takeshi observing a student in Malta Master Class of 2007

Sensei Naito observing and correcting

Sensei Naito Takeshi

Sensei Naito Takeshi

Sensei Naito Takeshi sparring with Sensei Bianchi Carlo

Sensei Naito with Sensei Bianchi

 

Sensei Naito Takeshi with students at the 2007 Malta Summer Master Class

Sensei Naito with Italian visitorsa nd Maltese black belts

The technical director Mr Takeshi Naito, and the national kumite coach of Italy Mr Carlo Bianchi were recently hosted in Malta by the Educational and Technical Institute of Karate ( www.InstituteofKarate.com ) to share their tactics with local karate enthusiasts. Over the past seventeen years, the Italian karate athletes chosen to represent their Federation (FIKTA) and their country in the world and European championships, have always managed to end up on the highest step of the podium taking back home hauls of gold and silver medals. The coaches always managed to differentiate their athletes' style of sparring by building on agility and precision timing. Mr Naito is a Japanese graduate of karate holding five black belts with different top karate organisations, all from 7th dan (degree) or better. He has been instructing and coaching in Italy for almost three decades and although he is now almost 60 years old, his ability is still always a few notches ahead of the rest. Mr Naito has been capable of adapting Budo (ancient martial arts of Japan) principles to the competition mat. He says that one must study hard the limitations on the mat in the form of rules, and find a way of applying Budo techniques and attitude to the contest. Mr Naito explained that the game has changed as all coaches and athletes strive to be always at the confines and limits of the rules. Mr Naito is renowned for his capability of adapting to different rule systems. He attributes his capability to simply understanding deeply Budo principles and then studying what gives a point and what loses a point in competition. The rest, he says, is hard practice of correct timing and responsive agility through displacement of one's centre of gravity. During the camp, those present were taken through certain refinements of their karate techniques up till applying them for competition kumite. Special emphasis was made on footwork that creates pressure on the opponent immediately followed by attacking techniques. Mr Naito demonstrated even with the most senior black belts present, that even if the opponent is very skilled in ‘deai' which is the Japanese term for catching the opponent's initiation of an offensive attacking technique with an immediate defensive attack, proper footwork by the attacker will actually disable such a counter with the pressure created.

The training camp was attended by black belts of the T raditional Karate Federation of Malta, sponsored by the Kunsill Malti ghall-Isport, by members of the Swiss federation and by a four 5th Dan grades from the Italian federation. It was held at the Cottonera Sports Complex Karate Training Hall. The next training camp that will be organised by the Educational and Technical Institute of Karate will be in September with Mr Masao Kawasoe and Mr Tasuke Watanabe. Mr Kawasoe needs little introduction as he has been coming over to Malta for the last twelve years and was responsible for a lot of the transformation in Maltese karate. Mr Watanabe is a Japanese coach now responsible for the Brazilian team which has entertained many spectators with his ability to bring ancient warrior attitude to demonstrations and competitions. Mr Watanabe had won the gold medal in kumite in the world championships of 1972, piling up the highest number of ippon (full) scores in any tournament of similar magnitute.
   

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