Gasshuku/Training Camps

[Wastelander]

For those unfamiliar, "gasshuku" or "training camps" are a pretty common practice in karate, where folks get together for multiple days (usually a weekend, but some last as long as a week) to train extensively with each other. Usually, there are many classes taught by various instructors covering multiple different subjects over the course of the camp. I'm sure this is done in other martial arts, as well, though I'm not sure how common it is. Personally, I find that these events can be a great experience, for a number of reasons, but they can also be disappointing, which is why I wanted to bring it up. Recently, I've been planning a Gasshuku for my organization that will be next summer, I've been invited to many that have been and are about to occur this summer, and I just attended one this past weekend, so the subject is at the forefront of my thoughts.

 

These events are great opportunities to network and make new friends in the martial arts, because you obviously all know that you have at least one thing in common. You get to workout and cross arms with new people and it's a fun time. The question is--how much do you actually learn? Many of these events are just glorified kata workouts and kihon (basics) practice with big names in your style. It's a chance to get your picture taken with high ranking people and say you trained with them, but how much value are you actually getting?

 

I'm curious, for those who have attended events like this, did you find the actual content of the events valuable? Did you really learn much? What were your favorite sessions or instructors, and what made them valuable to you? What could have been done better? If you haven't been to an event like this, what do you think would make you want to?

[bushido_man96]

I've done a few things like this in TKD years ago.  It wasn't really a cross-style setup; everyone was TKD, but there were different things broached, so we got to see some different topics.

I like to see different specialties show up in things like this.  As the organizer of this event, perhaps you can have some control over this.  If I were you, see if you can invite specific instructors that have some special stuff they teach to do so in their allotted timeframes.  That way, instead of getting a bunch of instructors teaching the same basics and forms everyone knows, there will be whole bunch of fun and interesting stuff the students get exposed to.

[DarthPenguin]

On 9/16/2024 at 9:59 PM, bushido_man96 said:

I've done a few things like this in TKD years ago.  It wasn't really a cross-style setup; everyone was TKD, but there were different things broached, so we got to see some different topics.

I like to see different specialties show up in things like this.  As the organizer of this event, perhaps you can have some control over this.  If I were you, see if you can invite specific instructors that have some special stuff they teach to do so in their allotted timeframes.  That way, instead of getting a bunch of instructors teaching the same basics and forms everyone knows, there will be whole bunch of fun and interesting stuff the students get exposed to.

This sounds a really good idea. Also sounds similar to some of the seminar camps my bjj academy runs: they will usually get a big name person in to take some special classes over a weekend, Saturday and Sunday usually, with the topics announced in advance. Eg we have had Jon Thomas over before to run one on Collar/Sleeve guard over a weekend; Ffion Davies has done one the last couple of years too etc..

Having the 'big name' covering a set topic is really good as you can choose to attend (or otherwise) based on that topic and you get to really drill down into it

[Zaine]

I've only been to one gasshuku. I had a lot of fun doing it. I love camping and I love martial arts. I was invited by my sensei at the time because he was teaching the attendees of the gasshuku our version of Passai Sho. My best friend and I were there to be of assistance to him and help teach the other attendees. Later, we assisted our sensei with a concrete slab break he was doing while the slabs were on fire.

Otherwise, I didn't attend any other class, and I don't really remember whether there were any other classes. I know they did a morning jog on day 2 that I woke up too late for, but otherwise my friend and I spent the time chatting up other instructors, helping cook the meals, and enjoying the camping part. In this, I guess I can only say that I wish more classes were made available to us, or that we had taken the opportunity to go to more classes. Looking back, I don't remember them advertising the classes with a general announcement of "x class is starting in 15 minutes" or the like. They also didn't have a posted schedule for us to follow, and that would have been nice as well. 

[Wastelander]

On 9/16/2024 at 1:59 PM, bushido_man96 said:

I've done a few things like this in TKD years ago.  It wasn't really a cross-style setup; everyone was TKD, but there were different things broached, so we got to see some different topics.

I like to see different specialties show up in things like this.  As the organizer of this event, perhaps you can have some control over this.  If I were you, see if you can invite specific instructors that have some special stuff they teach to do so in their allotted timeframes.  That way, instead of getting a bunch of instructors teaching the same basics and forms everyone knows, there will be whole bunch of fun and interesting stuff the students get exposed to.

The training camps I attended with my old organization were just as you describe--everyone trained the same style, but covered different subjects. Admittedly, many of the sessions were just running kata as a group and getting some basic corrections, or practicing the formal partner drills everyone already knew. When I've run events like it, in the past, though, I've been sure to invite instructors from many different styles, that way it's a more diverse experience.

On 9/18/2024 at 8:41 AM, DarthPenguin said:

This sounds a really good idea. Also sounds similar to some of the seminar camps my bjj academy runs: they will usually get a big name person in to take some special classes over a weekend, Saturday and Sunday usually, with the topics announced in advance. Eg we have had Jon Thomas over before to run one on Collar/Sleeve guard over a weekend; Ffion Davies has done one the last couple of years too etc..

Having the 'big name' covering a set topic is really good as you can choose to attend (or otherwise) based on that topic and you get to really drill down into it

Yeah, in my experience there is usually anywhere from one to three "keynote presenters" at events like this. In the camps I went to with my old organization, they were always high-ranking instructors they flew in from Okinawa, sometimes including the head of the style. When I've run similar events, myself, I have always tried to get at least one high-profile instructor to join the line-up, but I haven't been able to afford to fly someone in from Okinawa, so they've always been domestic instructors. Sometimes, I wonder how much that actually matters to people. In my old organization, they made a HUGE deal out of training with the Okinawans, and I'm sure a lot of people really do see them as being inherently better karateka than westerners. Personally, there are more westerners that I think are incredible people to learn from. I imagine there is probably something similar in BJJ with instructors who are from Brazil, as opposed to other places?

On 9/19/2024 at 10:07 AM, Zaine said:

I've only been to one gasshuku. I had a lot of fun doing it. I love camping and I love martial arts. I was invited by my sensei at the time because he was teaching the attendees of the gasshuku our version of Passai Sho. My best friend and I were there to be of assistance to him and help teach the other attendees. Later, we assisted our sensei with a concrete slab break he was doing while the slabs were on fire.

Otherwise, I didn't attend any other class, and I don't really remember whether there were any other classes. I know they did a morning jog on day 2 that I woke up too late for, but otherwise my friend and I spent the time chatting up other instructors, helping cook the meals, and enjoying the camping part. In this, I guess I can only say that I wish more classes were made available to us, or that we had taken the opportunity to go to more classes. Looking back, I don't remember them advertising the classes with a general announcement of "x class is starting in 15 minutes" or the like. They also didn't have a posted schedule for us to follow, and that would have been nice as well. 

If it was a gasshuku, chances are high that there were other sessions going on, but if you were brought to help your instructor, it makes sense that you would have spent all of your time with him. You probably wouldn't have been given a program, either, if you were there as an assistant. It's definitely odd that they wouldn't announce the sessions as they went, though, so maybe it was just a seminar for your instructor and they called it a gasshuku? At the gasshuku I just attended, for example, everyone who paid in advance to attend got a program with the list of scheduled sessions, but people who paid at the door didn't get that packet, and they also announced which sessions were coming up next at the end of each session.

[aurik]

One of the things I love about my CI is that every year he makes a point to bring in outside instructors to run seminars.  He just finished his second seminar this year, in fact.  Earlier this year, he brought 3 instructors from Uechi-Ryu Kenseikai (one of our sister organizations) to teach us tournament kata and their ways of doing things.  Last weekend, he brought in Raymundo Veliz from the Matayoshi Kobudo Kodokan Nishinomiya Shibu to run a 2-day kobudo seminar and also help run dan-level gradings.  I personally find these seminars valuable because you both get to see new material, and you also get different perspectives on the material you may already know.  For example, in the Kenseikai seminar, Shoko Akamine (one of the instructors) is a multi-time world champion in kata and the other two instructors perform judging at the international level, so they were able to give us perspectives on how competitive tournament kata differ from the ways we run kata day-to-day.  With these extra perspectives, you can figure out what works for you and then incorporate that into your own karate.  At least in our school, we are taught the fundamental way of doing things, then as we get to advanced kyu and dan grades, we are expected to show advanced level understanding of all of our techniques.  However, at some point past shodan, we are also allowed and even encouraged to find our own expression for our techniques (within a certain accepted framework, of course).