Summer Camp - Kempo style!

[draconis]

Last weekend I spent three days training with some of the highest-ranked Ryukyu Kempo stylists in the world at an event referred to as Summer Camp. It was demanding, tiring... and absolutely awesome!

The weekend is divided up into segments from 1 to 2 hours in length. Each segment is conducted by a different instructor, all of whom are at least master-level, plus of course Grandmaster Dillman himself. They cover a huge range of topics, including pressure points, tai chi, grappling, energy manipulation, and acupuncture.

One of the Friday night sessions was conducted by a man named Chris Thomas, who co-authors all of Dillman's books. He called for a volunteer for a joint-locking technique, and since I know I respond really, really well on joint locks, I volunteered. He demonstrated the technique, we broke into groups to work on it ourselves, then he started talking about the next technique... and called me up to demonstrate. Unfortunately, this one was a pressure-point technique, which I don't respond to, as he found out. He laughed and said something like, "Oh, you don't respond on that one, do you?" Before I could tell him that I don't respond on any of them, he was off and running about how you could modify that technique to give you pressure point #2, which he demonstrated... with the same result (or lack thereof).

He also taught a session on Saturday. During that session, he called for a volunteer, saying, "I need a body... any body!" Then he stopped, looked around the room, pointed at me and said, "But NOT YOU!" Maybe it's just me, but I thought that was FUNNY!

The last session on Saturday was promotions. All of those who were being promoted to at least first degree black belt (including yours truly) were called up to the front of the group. They were presented with their certificates (and for those few being promoted to master level, presented with a new belt as well) by Dillman and the four next-highest-ranked people there (all 7th and 8th degree black belts). We were then given sake, toasted by those who had promoted us, and bowed to by the rest of the room.

After this, we broke for the evening banquet. There was a very nice buffet, followed by some good blues music by a group called The Gordon Bonham Blues Band. One of our 8th degrees plays a mean harmonica, and he got up there and jammed with the band for a while, and my instructor got up and did a song that he wrote called, "I gotta have me some a' dat!" It was a lot of fun, but the hotel really needs to get their air conditioning system upgraded!

We had more sessions Sunday morning and running until about mid-afternoon, then it was time for the drive back to Nashville.

All in all, it was a great weekend. Good company, good food, and lots of good information!

Yes, there will be pictures eventually, including one of the "Used Cows For Sale" sign, if it comes out well enough!