Wessel's Martial Arts Academy, in conjunction with South African Goju Ryu Karate-do, organised the event.
The weekend kicked-off on Friday afternoon with a kihon (basic) training on the beach followed by dinner and movies. On Saturday morning at 05:00 everyone went for a run along the beach and some fitness training.
After breakfast, the children were divided into teams with specific children selected as team leaders. Each team had to spend time during the brakes in between training sessions to work on the examination that had to be written around the camp fire that evening. The study material was compiled by sensei Wessel and sensei Elrié and focused mainly on the history of Goju Ryu as well as general knowledge and terminology about the techniques and kata found within the style.
Each team leader also had to help their team create a new kata (form) and bunkai (practical self-defence movements) using everyday objects found at the camp site such as logs, towels, slip slops, pillows and brooms. On Sunday, teams competed for the coveted Gasshuku Trophy.
The idea behind the teams and team leaders was to teach the young up-and-coming higher belts how to teach, putting them in charge of children of various ages, grades and abilities.
At Wessel's Martial Arts Academy, creating future leaders plays a big role in each child's education and, to do this, time has to be spent on teaching a child how to teach and how to lead. Sensei Wessel and sensei Elrié from the George, Knysna, Wilderness and Plettenberg Bay dojos, along with other instructors from South African Goju Ryu Karate-do (sensei Kobus Klue from Mossel Bay and Hartenbos; sensei Wouter Pretorius from Oudtshoorn, Uniondale and Willowmore; sensei JP Weitz from Grootbrak; sensei Joshua Fair from George) spent quality time with the team leaders to teach them these valuable skills while also making sure each child within the team enjoyed the weekend while learning and growing within the Martial Arts.
On Sunday morning, at sunrise, all the students were on the beach for a last bit of training before the demonstrations started. Arzel Vorster and her team performed an excellent creative kata and bunkai demonstration and thus their names were engraved on the Gasshuku Trophy. The camp ended with the handing out of certificates and a group photo taken of all the exhausted, but happy, children.
More than 60 children from all over the Southern Cape attended a children's karate beach camp and gasshuku (special training usually held outside) at Swartvlei. Here they are during an early morning training section.
