FORUM
Forum 5
Getting to know SSK and its Dojos better

This forum brings together the main questions often asked by our juniors, but also people who may be interested in our Association, whether interested in joining our Association, or simply looking for information.

Question : "There are many martial arts clubs, particularly karate clubs, in Switzerland and in your in your Canton. What's new or different about SUISSE SHOTOKAN?"

SSK : "The answer is twofold. Firstly, we don't seek originality at any price. at all costs, because often, in order to do “differently”, we deviate from the essential fundamentals and authentic values. This deviation is then detrimental to the practitioner, who fail to train in depth, only to discover one day one day their inefficiency due to lack of rigour.

This being the case, the richness of our teaching lies in the fact that we offer the full range of the so-called “traditional” way of practising, which considerably broadens which considerably broadens the scope of training, and offers complementary paths to arrive at a realistic, technically accomplished and diversified."

Q. : "More precisely?"

SSK : "As we commented in a previous forum forum, the term “Tradition” is frequently misused overused as a mere advertising slogan. In fact, it's not it's not enough to claim it and to believe in it. really been trained in this way. trained in it. Without going into too much technical detail, your Dojo is one of around twenty in Switzerland to issue an authentic Diploma awarded by Me Tsutomu OHSHIMA (or his delegate “Shihan”) to Black Belts from the Black Belts of the Association of practitioners and teachers of the original form established by Master Gichin FUNAKOSHI, Founder of the Shotokan school, the basis of the Karate we practise today."

Q. : "Who should be taught?"

SSK : "just about everyone. And we do mean “just about”, in relation to very young very young children on the one hand, and people with inherently or inherent health risks. As far as the former are concerned, we feel - and this is only our that unless we limit the session to its playful or to its recreational component, there can be no there can be no valid “academic” type of training valid before an age of around 10-12 years, and then some. This is for reasons of both mental maturity and physical strengthening during the growth period. period. For the latter, we believe we need specifically trained with specific training, both psychological both psychological and medical, and that the forms of practice be rethought and adapted on a case-by-case basis as specific groups. This is why we leave this specialization to Dojos that have the resources we can only encourage them to do so.

On the other hand, we not consider more “traditional” health problems to be an obstacle health problems as long as we have a medical we have a medical certificate and have been able to discuss and that we have been able to discuss it - in complete confidentiality - with the person concerned so that we can take them into account during training sessions, without him or her being disadvantaged in any way.

Outside of these two cases, our teaching is adapted to all, or, more exactly, we make it suitable for the people we have. Juniors or seniors, men or women, beginners or advanced, we make sure that everyone can find what they're looking for what they're looking for, and perhaps discover other things."

Q. : "What matters most?"

SSK : "Only one answer: the practitioner. The teaching and the Dojo must be totally focused on the practitioner, to give them the best possible means of achieving their goals. This confers a particular state of mind, consisting of of always wanting to improve oneself, which which reflects on the whole group.

More specifically, elitism, show-offs and heightened internal competition competition have no place with us. Everyone does what their own means, and compare themselves to themselves - not to others."

Q. : "The training sessions are pretty much always based on the same model?"

SSK : "There is always a warm-up phase, with exercises exercises adapted to the season and the session's session. Then we work on the basics, codified forms, as well as conventional and free sparring. Depending on the motivations level of the participants, we offer more “committed” forms of combat more “committed” forms of combat, with forms of contact, sometimes with protection, some even inspired by inspired by other schools and styles of Karate. But all this rigorously, to preserve health and avoid health and avoid injury. There's also the “self-defence” section, much appreciated (especially for women), and finally, a relaxation, stretching and breathing phase. relaxation, stretching and breathing. During the session, it's not uncommon to take part in physical “workshops and endurance exercises, as well as mental exercises."

Designed and implemented for GENEVE SHOTOKAN KARATE • Powered by Andre Reidel • All rights reserved • 2021