By Jokokan Honbu

Before the start of the summer holidays, Jokokan's instructors always thank the past season with a two-day training camp, specially organized for instructors. This happened again this year. The overall theme for the 2002 camp was "I do as I say, and say as I do".

The training was structured in two blocks, which consisted of 3 x 3 hour lessons in the Dojo, and 3 lessons with individual and group discussion.

The purpose of the conversation lessons was to summarize the previous training lesson in the dojo, preparation for the next one, and to benefit from the other instructors' experiences, feedback and opinions. As an aid to these lessons, specific questions were designed to facilitate the instructors towards greater self-awareness, which could be built on permanently after the end of the camp.

The lessons in the dojo were built on the fact that the participants in the last lesson were both physically and psychologically exhausted, and were therefore forced to rely on themselves - without various psychological and physical control measures, while this took place under safe and secure circumstances and relationships.

The training content itself was structured in such a way that if the participants did not use all the tools they had, they were very bluntly reminded of this. Be it both technical, physical and psychological tools - the whole palette.

In Jokokan we train both in armed and unarmed techniques, and in unarmed Kumite at "distance" (Strikes and kicks) and "Close combat" (Jujutsu/Kumi-uchi/Shinen-ryu). This was also trained during this camp.

Everyone had to admit that a mistake or a split second's hesitation or lapse in concentration led to a cash settlement.

Another instructor's camp, which was subsequently duly concluded with the high-quality all-on-grill with accompanying tasty drops - of very fluctuating quality, which was to some extent pre-arranged by the instructors who had passed their graduation. The party did not end until the following morning.