Yoseikan II Shochugeiko –Rodney D. Swope
At Evendale Recreation Center June 6, 2009

Shochu geiko or "summer training" is an austere practice conducted during the hot time of the year as a form of spiritual forging.

Over 40 karateka of all ages and ranks converged on a field at the Evendale Recreation center for the 2009 Yoseikan II Shochugeiko. It was a gorgeous, sunny, 80? day for Chito-ryu training in the hot June sun. The three hour practice was replete with deck drills, kata, san ban kumite, water balloon strikes and the perennial favorite Battle Royale.

It was both fun and challenging. The range of basic to more advanced skills afforded everyone the opportunity to learn and improve. Outdoor training offered some unique practice conditions.  The tyranny of the sun took no casualties as the teachers reminded us to hydrate and be mindful of our physical condition.  The grass turf and uneven surfaces added a different dimension to the fundamental skill of balance in stances and other techniques.

Battle Royal is a free fight where bushido spar with the goal of being the last person standing. More than thirty eager bushido of all ranks started shoulder to shoulder waiting the command to begin fighting every other person in the circle.  Combatants were eliminated from the competition when an opponent scored a point in the target areas.  Some learned that the fight doesn’t wait for you. They found themselves eliminated the instant the fight began.  Others proved that the best way to avoid losing a fight is to avoid getting in one.  The champion was Sensei Scott in close battle with Sensei Morris.

Shochugeiko is more than good training.  It is also a time of bonding and fellowship for our Dojo.  Immediately afterward, the Cindy Mulvey Birthday Cookout certainly met the billing of great food and more of it than an army of hungry bushido could eat.

“I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious” - Vince Lombardi