The annual Tameshiwari Seminar returns on Saturday, November 2, 2024.
The annual Tameshiwari Seminar will be held on Saturday, November 2, 2024 at the Goju Karate dojo.
This unique seminar is one of only a handful of opportunities that karateka have to learn about the history, strategies, and hands-on techniques for tameshiwari – the art of "test breaking."
This will be the eighth Tameshiwari Seminar produced and hosted by Goju Karate, and has been an annual tradition at Goju Karate since 2019.
World-Class Seminar
Originally, Sensei produced the seminar in the mid 2000s in New York City for blackbelts only. For many blackbelts, this was the first time they were exposed to tameshiwari because the teaching of the subject and its technical details had fallen out of common use at many dojo. News of the seminar spread by word-of-mouth, and by the late 2000s, it had become a bi-annual event.
After founding the Goju Karate dojo, Sensei held an informal seminar in the Autumn of 2014 in San Rafael, California, right before the Goju Karate Third Anniversary Tournament, which included tameshiwari events. This was the first time the seminar was offered to non-blackbelt adult students.
Over the years, Teens also came to be included in the seminar and now, both adults and teens of all ranks attend the seminar annually.
This year, the Tameshiwari Seminar will begin at 10AM, and feature a lecture by Sensei about the history of breaking, why we do tameshiwari (test breaking), and a thorough discussion of the mechanics of how breaking works, and insights into winning strategies to break successfully.
In-Depth Seminar with Hands-On Action
The seminar, which runs about two hours, includes a discussion of the history and practice of tameshiwari in martial arts and in karatedō; instruction on the types of breaks and their associated weapons (seiken, etc.) and techniques (kihon waza); choosing and managing boards, spacers, and configurations; designing breaks and executing breaks as both the main karateka and "holder"; and successful competition in tameshiwari.
Alongside plenty of theory and history, boards will be broken! Many karateka will be making their first breaks ever – an incredibly empowering event.
Guests are welcome at the Seminar (and afterwards, for the Tournament) and there promises to be plenty of opportunity to watch a variety of different types of breaks and see the theory of tameshiwari put into action.
(Please note that guests over the age of 5 require a guest ticket – your $10 ticket price includes attendance at both the Seminar and the Tournament, and helps fund our financial aid programs for students unable to afford materials, uniforms, and tuition.)
How to Register
Registration for the Seminar, purchasing boards and spacers, and guest tickets are all available online here:
REGISTER for the Tameshiwari Seminar and Tournament
GOJU KARATE KARATEKA: Registration for the Seminar can be done at the Front Desk at the NYC Dojo – please register quickly because not only are seats limited, so are boards and spacers. Seminar Registration is FREE for Goju Karate students.
Schedule Note: The regular class schedule at the NYC Dojo will be suspended on Saturday, November 2nd. The NYC Dojo will open at 9:30AM on that day for Seminar participants, guests, and of course, the Tournament that begins later that day at Noon.
