Hosted in Grimsby, the course was led by regular guest instructor Steve Carless Sensei (6th Dan), who had recently visited Kyōtō for the dojo’s 30th Anniversary Seminar in Bristol (read our story).
Whilst separated by over 200 miles and belonging to different federations, there remains a strong common thread between the two clubs — both having roots connected to Hanshi Shiro Asano.
The session itself was very different in feel from the harder, faster-paced classes many students may associate with Shotokan training. With around a dozen students on the floor, the lesson instead focused heavily on technical precision and understanding movement in minute detail.
Steve Carless Sensei led the warm-up — his flexibility and mobility always impressive to watch — before moving into highly detailed technical instruction.
Rather than simply stepping into a stance or executing a block at speed, movements were broken down piece by piece:
when the foot should slide,
when the hips should rotate,
when the body should relax,
when power should contract into the technique,
and even when to breathe.
A movement that may outwardly appear strong often still contains many subtle flaws beneath the surface. Training in this slower, controlled way allows the body to better understand and eventually remember correct movement patterns.
The entire class followed this philosophy, from punching and blocking through to stance transitions and body positioning. Analogies to other activities and everyday movements were also used to help students better visualise and understand the mechanics being taught.
Steve Sensei commented afterwards that, as somebody whose own karate is highly technical in nature, he always finds training under Steve Carless Sensei incredibly valuable.
Whilst not an especially high-cardio session, the slow controlled movement, balance work, posture, and muscular control still took a significant physical toll — something certainly felt the following day.
Following the main session, Steve Carless Sensei and Kaizen No-Michi Chief Instructor Andy Jones presided over the grading examination.
Students performed in grade order under the close observation of the examiners. If something was not correct, students would repeat the movement, sometimes several times, with careful repositioning, explanation, encouragement, and guidance given throughout.
Congratulations to all Kaizen No-Michi students who graded successfully.
For Steve Sensei, opportunities such as these are invaluable — a chance not to teach, but to learn, train, and develop under instructors for whom he has deep respect. More importantly, those lessons and experiences are then brought back and shared within Kyōtō.
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