Iain Abernethy seminar

[Tez3]

I've just got back from one of Iain's seminars, what can I say? Absolutely brilliant! :asian:
I told him I was rushing back to post up on here (especially for Exile...I made it!) he said to say hello to everyone here.
Must admit I was quite apprehensive as while I teach TSD I actually train MMA, if that makes sense. However Iain's teaching is down to earth and full of commonsense. Iain himself is easy to understand and explains things in a way that's entertaining and without any fuss. He's definitely high on my list of favourite instructors and people!
Techniques in kata which were mystifying are now simple and so obvious lol! While they are for self defence they also translate well for MMA use.
All I can say is if you have a chance to go to one of his seminars go! if not get the DVDs!

 

[astrobiologist]

Awesome! Glad you enjoyed his seminar. I attended Sensei Abernethy's seminar in Ontario, Canada last year, and I really enjoyed his approach to Bunkai and his methods. He has a lot of great articles on his website that are worth a read.

 

[exile]

I've just got back from one of Iain's seminars, what can I say? Absolutely brilliant! :asian:
I told him I was rushing back to post up on here (especially for Exile...I made it!) he said to say hello to everyone here.
Must admit I was quite apprehensive as while I teach TSD I actually train MMA, if that makes sense. However Iain's teaching is down to earth and full of commonsense. Iain himself is easy to understand and explains things in a way that's entertaining and without any fuss. He's definitely high on my list of favourite instructors and people!
Techniques in kata which were mystifying are now simple and so obvious lol! While they are for self defence they also translate well for MMA use.
All I can say is if you have a chance to go to one of his seminars go! if not get the DVDs!

That's outstanding, Tez—I'm very, very glad you did get to this one. Your description sounds exactly the way I visualize anything that IA is part of. I think he has the very rare gift of making things accessible which are, indeed, genunely difficult or complex. And what comes across repeatedly, in his DVDs, articles, books and podcasts, is his niceness, his fundamental good nature. That's a quality that is extremely rare, in the MA world or any other world for that matter.

I'm going to be in the UK starting late summer and through the end of the year, based in Essex, and I'm hoping to get a seminar or two in with IA. All that great beer notwithstanding, I won't consider my time in Britain fully complete until I do!

 

[Tez3]

That's outstanding, Tez—I'm very, very glad you did get to this one. Your description sounds exactly the way I visualize anything that IA is part of. I think he has the very rare gift of making things accessible which are, indeed, genunely difficult or complex. And what comes across repeatedly, in his DVDs, articles, books and podcasts, is his niceness, his fundamental good nature. That's a quality that is extremely rare, in the MA world or any other world for that matter.

I'm going to be in the UK starting late summer and through the end of the year, based in Essex, and I'm hoping to get a seminar or two in with IA. All that great beer notwithstanding, I won't consider my time in Britain fully complete until I do!

That comes over from the first minute he starts teaching, you don't feel stupid for not being able to grasp something straight away. I brought my student with me who enjoyed it hugely, it was the first time he'd trained outside of our club and with 'proper' karateka, I'd been having trouble teaching him a jump we have in one of our katas, (Pyung Oh Dan and it's also in Pinan Godan), at the end Iain showed him how to do it which was very good of him!
Exile, when you have the dates of the seminars you can go to let me know, I'm sure I can make one of them as well. It would be excellent to train on the same seminar as you! And have a beer after of course!

 

[David Weatherly]

Thanks for the review. Good to hear that he gives a quality seminar, glad you enjoyed.

 

[exile]

That comes over from the first minute he starts teaching, you don't feel stupid for not being able to grasp something straight away. I brought my student with me who enjoyed it hugely, it was the first time he'd trained outside of our club and with 'proper' karateka, I'd been having trouble teaching him a jump we have in one of our katas, (Pyung Oh Dan and it's also in Pinan Godan), at the end Iain showed him how to do it which was very good of him!

Exile, when you have the dates of the seminars you can go to let me know, I'm sure I can make one of them as well. It would be excellent to train on the same seminar as you! And have a beer after of course!

It's already going into my book, Tez—whenever it is. And we probably won't have any problem at all finding a good CAMRA/Real Ale pub in the vicinity!

 

[terryl965]

Tez great you had a wonderful time Ian is brillant.

 

[Tez3]

I'm still grinning lol!
The thing with Iain as well is he has a wide range of knowledge, he also does Judo and we did 'anti-grappling' yesterday, he also does takedowns, of which there are many in the katas/patterns and grappling moves. Now I've been to one I'm definitely up for more as five hours, which sped past, isn't enough.
Some of the more traditional people yesterday did gasp a bit when he said if he were attacked he prefers to knock the attacker straight out but that makes total sense. He also debunked some myths about 'fancy' moves from the katas, showing instead a practical use for them. What he gave us as well was a sense of freedom that while sticking to the kata we could find the way to make the techniques work for us.
I've always felt it was my lacking that I couldn't get some techniques to work for me but he said that not all techniques work for everyone so that upped my confidence somewhat! Neither the katas nor me were at fault it's just the way I'm built lol! It sounds so obvious as I write but what works for short people may not for tall and vice versa, the same with strength but I'd always assumed I suppose it was my fault I couldn't make something work!
The other point he emphasised was that karate wasn't intended for competitive fighting but for civilians to defend themselves with against attackers.
All in all a lot to think about as well as practice for me, I think it has probably changed the way I think about myself in martial arts, not bad for a few hours seminar!