Midwest Summer Special Training May 22-25, 2024 was led by John Wood, sandan from Chicago. This was the 21st year we held the training at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. Thirty members participated start to finish, the weather was beautiful, the training was very strong and there were no serious injuries.
Special training is the basis and the treasure of our practice. It must be done in the traditional way because there is no reason to change the way we train. The duration of three and a half days is the correct duration. Special training is the best way to judge someone. It is a revelation. It is there that I saw the future of the juniors.
— Tsutomu Ohshima in 2023 at age 93
Midwest Summer Special Training is held each year in St. Joseph, Missouri. It’s an extremely challenging event, physically and mentally, that consists of eight practices over the duration of three-plus days. It’s a great opportunity for participants to push past any perceived physical limits and to discover something about themselves. One also has the rare opportunity to meet and practice with other karateka from across and outside of the United States. This year, there were 30 participants, and one was able to form a lasting bond with each person through the daily schedule of practicing hard, eating together, and living amongst each other.
This was my second summer Special Training, but I noticed a difference in this experience compared to the first. First and foremost, I was better able to maintain a good attitude and practice mindfulness with each task. My first Special Training felt like survival, and I was just trying to get through each practice. A simple example is waking up at 3:50am to run across feet-numbingly-cold grass while being sleep-deprived from the previous day’s activities. Another example was the extremely tough stretch of suffering through 90 minutes of kibidachi, followed by 1200 kicks a few hours later. Lastly, I could say that I made a conscious effort to push my hardest at every practice instead of allowing thoughts like “I can take it a little easier this time” to creep in. By the end of this Special Training, I certainly felt like I had a few physical breakthroughs on understanding technique but more important, I felt like I’d achieved a new level of mental toughness.
This year’s summer special training was led by John Wood, a sandan from the Chicago dojo. From the beginning, he made an impact on the group by encouraging everyone to push past their limits, stay present, and increase their level of effort from their last Special Training. I enjoyed experiencing his leadership because he was inspiring on every front. His skill was obvious. He encouraged us, but also reprimanded the group for losing focus, and he was inspirational with his speech. He made us all want to try harder, not just for ourselves, but for him and the rest of the seniors who took time out of their lives to be there. One thing I will always take to heart is when he shared the reason he keeps showing up to Special Training: “for a regular reminder of how truly easy our lives are, that we need to be grateful for what we have, and not take our lives for granted.”
— Sam Giuffre, nikyu, University of Lincoln Nebraska dojo