“He went to outer space on it–it was amazing! Then he brought us back to work on it.”
~ Dwight Bossong
On Saturday, March 16th, 2024, I taught a seminar at Shorei Ryu Karate Studios in Bradley, IL, titled “Kakedameshi: The Original Kumite of Karate.” Between the in-person attendees and those who joined us via Zoom, we had a fantastic turnout with 28 participants of all ages and experience levels. Our host, Dwight Bossong Sensei, was very friendly and accommodating, and I’m very thankful for his generosity and willingness to share his dojo with myself and the other attendees of the seminar. It was a ton of fun, and I was very happy to be able to share this old-school sparring method with others!
We kicked things off with kakie, in order to introduce the idea of sticking to an opponent, getting a feel for sensing another person’s movement through touch, and capitalize on it by pulling them into strikes. Of course, this is just the beginning of kakie practice, and I hope that those in attendance will continue to play with this platform drill and explore all of its possibilities. At first, we did cross-body kakie, which is the most commonly practiced form of this drill, but then we moved onto same-side and double kakie, which adds variety and versatility to the basic drill.
“Noah’s passion for karate shines through in his teaching. He presents material in an accessible manner for rookies, yet keeps it engaging for experienced martial artists”
~ Mike Oliveri
Everyone picked up kakie quite well, despite it being new to almost everyone, and some folks even explored other potential techniques they could use, besides the strikes I started them with. I moved them on to practicing my muchimidi uke-waza drills, where you stick to your partner’s wrists and use your basic uke-waza (jodan-uke, chudan-uke, and gedan-barai/uke) to tangle up their arms and provide you openings to attack.
Once everyone was comfortable with my uke-waza drills, I moved them on to pummeling drills, which were also new to nearly everyone in attendance. We started with chest pummeling, as it is the most common pummeling drill, and a great foundation for grappling. After that, we moved on to arm/bicep pummeling, and then head/clinch pummeling. Finally, we blended all three drills into one free-flowing exercise.
“Thank you for the great seminar…My students really enjoyed your presentation and learning new martial arts skills.”
~ Michael Saindon
Finally, we got into kakedameshi, itself, starting with a simple lead-follow sticky hands exercise and building on it, layer by layer, until they were actively sparring while maintaining contact with their partner at all times. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and worked up a good sweat in the process. By the end, we had achieved what my first Shihan, the late Joseph Walker, would have called the “3 S’s” of being sweaty, smarter, and smiling.
After closing out the session, our host, Dwight Bossong Sensei, kindly gifted me with his dojo challenge coin–one of only 200 that will ever be made! For those who are unfamiliar, challenge coins are a tradition which began in the military, where they are exchanged between service members to reward or recognize achievements, hard work, and excellence, as well as to instill pride. This is the first challenge coin that I have received in a martial arts context, but I believe they are well-suited to it, and I’m honored to have received it!
