Aikido Shudokan Poland Summer Gasshukku July 2009

This annual Aikido Shudokan event that Sensei Pawel has in Poland was a fantastic experience and most of all a great holiday! A whole week of Aikido and some Vodka and BBQ in the evenings, what more can you ask for….

We drove nearly 3-4 hours up in the mountains from Gliwice to somewhere called Karpacz.

Lovely countryside and the location had a great facility for kids and adults. It really reminded me of the summer camps you see in the American movies.

Training was 2 session of Aikido in the morning, and Grappling (Jujitsu) in the afternoon. The training was hard but very focused and rewarding sessions.

Especially the grappling class was very eye opening, as we leant some set throws and holds and then we did some grapple wrestling!! It was a great opportunity to put the aikido moves and pins into practice in more difficult situations.

I think there is something about all Aikidoka as everyone I ever meet wherever in the world are always pleasant and everyone from Sensei Pawel’s dojo were no exception.

Everyone was really nice and they all came up to speak to me whenever possible. Obviously the topic of the conversation was nothing other than Aikido!!

Swigging down numerous “Cytrynówka” (vodka with lemon juice) that gets topped up every 10 minutes in front of the barbecue was an unforgettable experience!!!

Lastly I would like to thank everyone who was at the summer camp for making the last week a really great holiday for me. Sensei Pawel thank you very much for your teaching and arrangements for me during the stay, and thanks to everyone who I trained with and shared the Cytrynówka!!

We hope to bring some more students next year and see you soon.

Osu!