Vitória-ES is a beautiful city, with the charm of the mountains covered by forest meeting the sea. There could be no better backdrop for the IOGKF Brasil Honbu Dojo. The city, with its welcoming structure, captivates visitors, a feeling that is enhanced by the hospitality one will find at the Kominka Dojo.
Recently, I visited the Honbu Dojo of IOGKF Brazil with the aim of training for a brief period directly with the Chief Instructor of the organization. It was five days of intense practice, some with training sessions in the morning and evening. Although I had previously trained directly with Zé Mário Sensei, I had never done so as intensively as this time.
Of course, the advent of online meeting apps facilitates contact with people far away. These tools have been crucial for improving and exchanging experiences among groups with diverse interests worldwide.
It could not be any different with IOGKF!
In recent years, we have extensively used virtual meeting apps in IOGKF. We have held several international online gasshukus since the pandemic, which has allowed karate practitioners to connect with internationally renowned instructors from the organization and improve techniques while maintaining the standard of our karate school.
The advantages of using online technologies are significant, and IOGKF Brazil has made good use of them!
However, there is something about physical presence that nothing in the virtual world has managed to surpass so far. Being present means being able to feel the air temperature, the smell of the sea-bathed city, the wood that shapes the dojo, and the sensation of the soles of your feet on the Kominka floor.
Through presence the senses are stimulated, creating a connection in time and space with what is being done—an experience that the internet cannot replicate.
Being at the Honbu Dojo allowed me to learn through direct observation of Sensei’s practice and also through the execution of techniques under his guidance. Noticing how he performs movements, and the kime in the techniques of the bunkais is only possible when physically present at the dojo.
As an instructor of IOGKF Brasil, being exposed to Sensei’s attentive gaze, who assessed the execution of my techniques while being right there to point out what needs to be corrected, improved, or is being done correctly, was a great advantage. Zé Mário Sensei is eager to share his knowledge about Karate and does so by creating an atmosphere of respect and friendship.
If karate can be represented by the ocean, and the beginning of Goju-Ryu practice corresponds to the middle of that ocean, while we seek to reach the shoreline... What becomes clear with each meeting I have with Zé Mário Sensei is that the shoreline I aimed to reach has moved further away. I have to swim a greater distance! The impact of presence is not in the corrections in errors of “advanced” techniques, but in the perception of flaws in small details, in the fundamentals. Presence brought me feelings of emptiness that made me perceive the need to dedicate even more to karate. Domo arigato gozaimashita!
Comments