In this end of the year 2025, we had the joy of having the two instructors of the JKA federation, Kazuaki Kurihara Sensei and Hidemoto Kurihara Sensei, once again invited to Romania. It was an excellent seminar attended by over 200 athletes of our association, as well as guests from Hungary, Poland, Serbia, the Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria and Germany.

The seminar was divided into several sections.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays we had a program with performance athletes, where the kata Bassai dai, Kanku dai, Jion and Empi were studied, with an emphasis on standards, dynamics, rhythm, hip movement control, body transfer from one position to another. In the kumite training, very good exercises for attack and defense distance, dynamics and body movement were studied.

In the following days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we had three study groups. The colored belt group 9-4 kyu practiced kihon, gohon kumite, kata Heian shodan and nidan. The brown belt group 3-1 kyu also practiced kihon, kata Heian sandan, yondan, godan, Tekki shodan and jiyu ippon kumite. The black belt group had a high level of study for the kata Gankaku, Jitte, Unsu, Sochin, Tekki nidan and sandan. The kumite training was very well structured, step by step to reach free fighting, with the study of action and reaction to the opponent’s movement, optimal distance and timing.

The last day of the seminar, Sunday, brought new grades and qualifications for our members. Dan Stoian yondan, Alexandru Stanis sandan, Almira Iordache sandan and Erik Wegleitner sandan passed the tests for the ,,dan’’ grades. Following the examination, qualifications were awarded to Radu Zaporojan, examiner D, and Dan Stoian, instructor, referee and examiner D. Also our colleagues from the Republic of Moldova, Valeriu Griu, instructor C, referee D, examiner D, and Alexandru Cravcesco, instructor and referee D. Congratulations!

It was an extraordinary week of karate! Our thanks and appreciation for the very good quality lessons and the total involvement offered by Kazuaki Kurihara sensei and Hidemoto Kurihara sensei. Thanks and congratulations to all participants for their effort and interest. Thanks to our translator Robert Lazarevic. And last but not least, many thanks to the team that organized this seminar, Raoul Florea, Andra Purza, Alex Stanis, Almira Iordache, Erik Wegleitner, Mihai Todoran.

Oss!

Zoltan Nagy