Testimonials. International Shobukan Karate Associatin

These are comments from students that participated in the 18 Feb 2006 seminar given by Kohama Sensei at the University of Houston, Texas.

Dear Sensei,
We would like to thank you for the seminar on Saturday.
It was a wonderful experience for both daughters and for myself. I was
happy to see such a wonderful spirit in the people and in the atmosphere
of the event. The girls said they had fun and learned a lot. I was happy
not to see the tension that we normally see at these events even among
those in the same dojo. We are very thankful for finding you and your
dojo.
(Please forgive Malia for crying when she did not place first. She is
used to winning. The judges were very kind and fair. Malia has learned a
lesson on how to be a good sport and she had a lot of fun.) They are very
proud to wear their jackets!

Lisa Nellums - Private Dojo

Kohama Sensei taught us alot of good techniques.

The techniques would be looked upon as insignificant and one would say,"I
paid 40 bucks for little things like that!" However, the downward motion of
mawashi geri, the usage of elbows when blocking......makes the technique
effective...........and thus Kohama Sensei taught us things that we should
pay more attention to and that would help us do better when we compete in
competitions or on the street.

And so it is, I think the #1 thing that makes Kohama Sensei a dangerous
fighter is not his strength but the way he applies the small details to each
of his techniques.

Oh Sensei, did you see the application of breaking the kneecap?.......OUCH!
imagine if he did that really fast and with power.

Farooq - UH Dojo

Sensei,

The Kohama seminar was one of the best seminar's I have been to!

Kohama's teaching is complete karate, he does not just focus on one aspect of karate but rather he covers the entire spectrum, from kihon, to kata, to bunkai, to self defense and philosophy. His spirit motivates me to learn more and more and to keep training hard for Japan.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of the seminar is how Kohama Sensei explains and teaches kata. He breaks down every technique and explains the bunkai (application) of them. To me this is great because it really helps me understand the essence of the kata.

For his kumite, I like the way he also incorporates small, simple movements that anyone of any size can use in self defense.

Every time he comes I try to learn as much as I can from him. May we all continue to learn as much as we can from such a humble and warm sensei, lets bring him back soon!
He really does remind me of a young Kanazawa!

Oss!

Shireen - UH/Private Dojo

Sensei Deddy,

I want to thank you again for hosting the seminar and kata tournament this past Saturday. All of the kids from our dojo had a great time. I feel it was good for them to see the higher ranks compete, too, and to learn about the value of competition.

I was upset that the kids were not allowed to do the kata they chose in the tournament, but I was wrong to get mad about that. I'm sorry, sir. I know that it was hard because someone else was in charge and you were hosting the seminar and tournament. And you were a very gracious host. You set a great example for all of us.

Thank you for coming in the back and working with the children before the tournament. You are so good with them. You helped them stop being so nervous and focus on having fun.

All of the Beaumont karate-ka had a great time at the seminar and tournament. And all of us are very glad to have the opportunity to learn from great sensei's like Kohama Sensei and you, sir. Thank you for all you do to help our dojo in Beaumont.

Patty - Beaumont Dojo

Thanks for organizing the event Sensei. I understand it is difficult to
please everyone, as you mentioned on Saturday night.

I would have loved to listen and practice what Kohama Sensei was
teaching to the advance students (brown and black belts) in the
afternoon. Perhaps next time, when I progress to 3rd Kyu. I was very
much interested in the application part, trying to understand in details
the multiple techniques embedded in katas: pressure points, grappling,
throwing, punching and kicking.

Oss!
Alvaro - Bp Dojo

Sensei,

it was my pleasure to be in the seminar yesterday and the evening before at your dojo. Sensei Kohama was indeed impressive. I thought the seminar was a great success considering the number of participants and how smoothly things were done. Congratulations on a job well done!

You mentioned at the end about some of us are going to Japan for a competition this year. I would like to get more information about it. Of course I am not ready to compete in anything, but I am wondering if I could attend a self-defense class with Kohama Sensei while I am in Japan and at the same time to support our classmates in their competition.

Thank you.

Khanh - UH/Private Dojo

Sensei

I enjoyed it. He actually knows alot more then he let on in the kumite. He didn't really start showing his skill level until the end.

Josiah - UH Dojo

Today, once again, I'm left proud and humbled by the spirit and character of our Beaumont karateka. We got a little bit of the flavor of a tournament (although a real tournament is much more organized, and you only compete against people who are truly in your category). James Phillips and David Tran were recognized with medals and certificates for winning third and first in their category. We should all congratulate both James and David for a job well done.

It was some of the other things I noticed that really struck me, however. I caught a peak at Michael Tran and Dave Hensel doing their kata and, frankly, they were some of the best they have done, and easily good enough to place in a real tournament at their own level. Holden and Tyler performed better than some of the adults, and I was particularly pleased with the way Margaret carried herself. They changed the kata on Margaret at! the last minute, and yet she adapted, and with excellent focus made a good account of herself. Margaret's got the kind of maturity you don't usually see in a girl of that age, and she's a great model for all the kids.

Medals are fine, and early on people put a lot of value in the trophies and certificates they receive. It's usually only later that a person comes to appreciate the spirit that comes just from practicing the art and the discipline around it. I saw that spirit in the effort put forth in the Beaumont karateka today. It shows in the respect, the bowing, the listening, paying attention, and trying hard. I'll say it again, I couldn't be more proud.

Thanks also to Patty and Michael Tanner and all the Cokers. We've got great supporters.

Oss!

Sensei John Thomasson - Beaumont Dojo Chief Instructor