ENFIELD KYUSHINDO KARATE CLUB

Tel:0208 366 2847 Training times:Sat-1.00pm-2.30pm                    Wed-7.30pm-9.30pm Location-Aylecroft Community Hall              Off Leighton Rd              Enfield

Instructor:John Lacey-Smith   3rd Dan      Affiliated to the British Karate Association      Links:      www.kyushindo.co.uk  (Romsey club)

John has practiced Judo and has been an amatuer boxer,but Karate is what he loves most.He trained in the USA,and when he visits other countries,he takes his Karate suit with him.An injury to his left leg put him out of action for a number of years.The local Karate club was Shotokan,and the Instructor persuaded him to start training again.After a while,he was awarded 1st Dan in Shotokan.This gave him the opportunity to train with some of the top British instructors,and three Japanese masters.Kyushindo Karate is in his blood,and not very sure of how he would be received,he re-joined the Kyushindo International Association.

I joined the Kyushindo Association around 1970,at Highgate.George Mayo was the Chief Instructor.I believe the founders of the association were,George Mayo,Kenshiro Abbi,and Alfred Bates.

I try to run my club with safety in mind,and still keep the lessons interesting.All the youngsters like the last ten minutes of freestyle sparring at the end of each lesson.This of course is touch contact,and we also use punchbags and kickshields,finding  the balance between safe training and what would be effective if attacked in the street is very difficult.I don't  want to train a bunch of thugs,but people do expect to defend themselves.

John Lacey-Smith,3rd Dan outside Enfield Karate club

Left:Senior Kyushindo Association Black Belts.Front row-Centre,is Paul Sockett our Chief Instructor

Picture below,showing John Lacey-Smith demonstrating Reverse-Punch from a basic position

This is an earlier visit to Paul Socketts club at Highgate which was a good day for medals for some of my young students

TRAVELLING IN JAPAN

When you look at Japanese writing,the first thing you will think is "I will never learn all that",and for me,this is probably true,but i still have to learn to communicate as i wanted to integrate myself into the Hurly-Burly of Tokyo life.The first thing i tried to learn,was smile when i approached someone to ask a question,in the hope that it will stop them running off in the other direction.When in a restaurant,pointing at the food displays,or the pictures on the menu,words like Beer and Coca Cola sound the same.Most modern words like camera,computer,are now part of the Japanese language.All the tube and train stations are written in English,as well as Japanese,so are the destinations on the front of the trains.To buy a ticket you put your money in the ticket machine,which has English language text,maths are the same in every country.So now i can eat,drink,and travel,they have all the same consumer goods as we  have,so i can look at a newspaper or a magazine and know what it is about.A lot of Japanese people speak English,but not everyone.I bought a phrasebook and Paul Sockett gave me some Japanese language tapes,which was good for hearing what the words should sound like.

Left:A Japanese friend Hiroki,who showed us the sights of Tokyo Right: Photo taken in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo which is the financial disrtict.Steve and i are on our way to the Karate Headquarters of K anazawa Kancho.

Left:on a wednesday evening,Kanazawa Kancho took the lesson himself,which was an inspiring experience to be in the presence of such a great Karate Master.Everyone at the Honbu Dojo made us feel very welcome